So I want to read the Word of the Lord to you in Matthew 28, verses 18 through 20, the words will be on the screen, you will recognize them as familiar. But today the familiar will take new heights in your life as your heart is stirred, to be obedient to what God has called us to as His people, hear the word of the Lord. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. This is God's word for God's people. Thanks be to God. Amen. Amen. And amen. I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's It's been a rough night, many of you are aware that we had a thunderstorm last night, and Missy and I lost power, right in the middle of the Alabama football game.
But fortunately, their opponent had lost power before our power went out. Hold it, bear with me. Bear with me.
I want to say, a special word of comfort this morning for Vanderbilt graduates gathered in the sanctuary. And know that may the peace of the Lord be with you.
And that all things are not defined by football and glory to God. And that's true in my life as well.
Loved ones as we have journey together over these last few weeks, I would remind you that there's a sense in which our series on the church actually began on Wednesday night vision night, weeks ago, where we talked about Jesus, when he's describing a healthy church, he talks about a church being intentional about discipleship on a local level. And then in part two, we talked about the value of Christ in His Church and noticed that if you have a biblical view of the church, than Christ in His Church, or priority in your life, the gatherings are a priority in your life. And then last week, we looked at the brokenness of our wineskin. And our present reality as it relates to church ecclesia, we use the word ecclesiology. And if you didn't hear that, I encourage you to go back and revisit that. And then today, I want to talk to you about the church's global responsibility. Now, as we do this, I, I need to say a word before I share the Word. And so here it is. Many of us remember the story in the New Testament, where there's a woman at Jesus feet, and she's broken a very expensive alabaster jar, and a very expensive perfume as being poured out upon the feet of Jesus in honoring him worshiping Him. So what's taking place worth ship is being expressed at the feet of Jesus. And you may remember that Judas makes a comment. It's actually a tool that sometimes taught in graduate programs around tools of police mix, where you can pit pit to good categories against one another, to paralyze your opponent. And what Judas does in that moment, is he pits to good categories against one another, and he says this, wow. And I'm transliterating.
Just think about what a waste this is. That that expensive perfume could have been sold in the money given to the poor.
And if you're not paying attention, you can miss the reality that Judas is pitting two good categories against one another. That is, should Jesus be honored? Absolutely. Yes. Should the poor be cared for? Absolutely, yes. But we don't have to pit the categories against one another, honoring and loving the poor flows out of honoring and treasuring Jesus. And if we're not careful, there are times in our journey, particularly when we get to topics like this, where we can pit two good categories against one another and they go like this. Why would we do something for people in another country in another part of the planet when there's so many needs here in Memphis?
And the issue is, we don't have to pit the categories against one another that the Scripture describes that we have a responsibility for both.
There was a church that I know of that for a number of years they were wristbands. When they recognize the danger of pitting the categories against one another. They wore these wristbands that said, obey both and obey both and signifying to one another, that in light of the commands of Scripture, in the words of Jesus, that the new test, a New Testament church that's healthy, doesn't pit the categories against one another. We obey the words of Jesus in caring for the poor, and the broken, and the oppressed, as well as those who are gospel deprived in our own immediate culture. And we also have a heart for the world. This is one of the reasons John Wesley would make the statement when a bishop criticized him for taking the gospel outside the doors of the church, and he replied, The world is my parish.
So as we dive in this morning, we have spent several moments in prayer. And so I am aware of that, but you know, where I'm going, let's take a moment to ask for God's help as we journey these few moments together. So Lord God, many of us, we've had a good week, some of us have had incredibly challenging weeks, I asked God that you would do a special grace work of grace upon our lives. Help us to detox from what we need to detox from. And then live in us to that which is eternal in this hour. And in these hours in Jesus name we pray, amen.
There is something worth living for. There's something worth suffering for. And there's something worth dying for.
Robbie Gordon was racing years ago in the Indianapolis 500. And the race was coming toward its final 40 or so laps. And all the racers needed to refuel, and Gordon was in first place. And so everybody began to pit and take on a full tank of methanol and change of tires. And Gordon gambled he and his pit crew knowing they were leading in order to preserve his place in first place. When he came into the pits. They just gave him a splash of methanol, no change of tires, just so we can get back out in first place as soon as possible, hopefully to preserve a win. However, as we approached the final laps in the Indianapolis 500, Robby Gordon ran out of fuel.
And when the interviewer after the race, talk with Gordon Gordon is recorded as saying the following words when he was asked the question, what's the lesson you learn from today? And Gordon said these words, the most important lesson I learned today is this, you must first finish before you finish first.
Mickey splain once said this, the most important part of a story is the ending. No one reads a book to get to the metal. We finish. And isn't it true? Whether you are a University of Memphis fan? I won't say Vanderbilt. I'm sorry. It just came to mind. Forgive me for that. Whether you are a Memphis fan, or a Tennessee fan, and congratulations to the balls. Isn't it true that we often see football players raise four fingers in the air as they go into the fourth quarter, because they recognize how important it is to finish the word finished literally means to complete the final part. Now, I can't speak for you. But for me, I grew up in a church where I'm not sure we knew how to finish Let me explain. My pastor would often quote Psalm 67, as well as others in our church family. And it would go like this. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us. Oh, stop right there, and not finish the thought that's expressed in Psalm 67, one and two, which goes like this. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. And then if we finish, so that your way may be known on Earth, you're saving power among all nations, and are thinking about this one out of Psalm 46 where I hear pastors, many pastors today, and I have to check myself on this and who quote this verse out of Psalm 4610 Be still and know that I'm God. And then we stop right there and we don't finish If we finished the verse we recognize what it's done to be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth. Is it possible loved ones, that we often read the scriptures, but we fail to finish. Once again, I can't speak for you. But this is my experience. When I was growing up in the church in East Birmingham, as well as in my teen years in Guntersville, Alabama, both United Methodist churches, I was taught a little bit about Abraham, I was taught in Sunday school about the creation story, Noah Tower of Babel, and Abraham, and I learned in the out of the book of Genesis, that Abraham was called to leave his homeland and to go to a new land, and that God promised in Genesis one through three, that Abraham in you, all of the families of the earth will be blessed. And then a little later, we learned in Genesis 26, that in your offspring, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. I remember in Vacation Bible School singing father Abraham, had many sons and many sons had father Abraham, I'm one of them, so are you. So let's just praise the Lord. But I was taught that the meaning of what Abraham having many offspring would be that God would birth a great nation called Israel, and they would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. But what didn't happen in my church experience is that persons who were responsible for teaching this offspring of Abraham did not clarify that the New Testament clarifies who the offspring of Abraham are, who this reference of offspring being as numerous as the sand on the seashore would be, in Galatians, three, eight, the Scripture says in the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, that's most of us in this room, preach the gospel beforehand. And Abraham saying, in you, all the nations shall be blessed. And what God inspiring the writers of these texts, was referring to that through Abraham, he would bring through his seed, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and many persons, Gentiles, Jews, persons from all ethnic groups person from all nations would have the opportunity of being incorporated into the Abrahamic land, that we would be incorporated into the covenant of God. But we many people don't know that because those who taught these things didn't finish. As Todd Irwin once said, out of all the nations, God chose one nation, Abraham, Israel, to reach all the nations in light of the birth of the Messiah through the Abrahamic lens. And then we get to the close of the Old Testament, we see this beginning in the book of Genesis, God's heart for all nations. But we get to the close of the Old Testament Malikai 111, where the writer writes these words, from the rising of the sun to the setting, my name will be great among the nations and in every place, incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering for my name will be great among the nation, says the Lord of hosts. And as the Old Testament closes, and then God silent for 700 years, and he sins God encapsulated in skin in the Jesus, Jesus then picks up that very thread that began in the book of Genesis, in which the old covenant is closed out, in the words of Malikai, the last book in the Old Testament, and he declares this Mark 1615, Go into all the world proclaim the gospel to the whole creation, we see again, John 2021, As the Father has sent me, I'm now sending you we see in Luke 2446, to 48, repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to his name, or in his name into all nations beginning from Jerusalem. Now, let's take a pause when we see the word nations and I think grant Caldwell taught on this last spring as I was tuning in from Birmingham.
But nations when we see it, use this way in the New Testament is not a reference to geopolitical states. The root word for nations is the Greek word ethnic A, it's where we get the word ethnic. And what this is referring to is all the ethnicities of the world, all the people groups of the world. And so as Chris read the text a moment ago, Go therefore, and make disciples of all net EFnet all the people groups of the world, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you and behold, I'm with you until the end of the age and what we want to be careful about as Christians is this. We delight that God is with us. Oftentimes, people pray, Lord be with us. But we want to be careful that we receive that promise but reject the command Lord, you're with me to the end of the age, I received that.
But we want to be cautious that we're not rejecting His command as a New Testament Church, in regard to our individual and corporate responsibility to play a role in all ethnic a being reached with the love of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ, there are over 500 verses in the Bible that talk about God's heart for the nations and loved ones. This is sobering. But there are over 6000, unreached, ethnic a unreached people groups, and over 5000 of those unreached people groups are in what we call the 1040 window, which is based upon longitude and latitude, a section of the world stretching from the Middle East, going in to the critical mass of Asia. And many of these persons have no access to the gospel. Many of these persons billions, in fact, have no access even to another believer, let alone a church. Many of these have never heard the name of Jesus. Now, Missy and I, as I've already shared with you have for decades been a part of serving with indigenous leaders around the world in sharing the love of God through His gospel. And, and this includes areas of the world where there's great gospel deprivation and areas of the world where people have never heard the name Jesus. And we have spent time in villages in many parts of Asia, where we would spend days sometimes even multiple days with teams, and sharing the love of God through the gospel among persons who have an animus background or atheist background or Hindu background or Muslim background, on and on. And, and when we've had the privilege of doing this.
God honors his gospel.
I remind you of the words of Paul, I am not ashamed of the gospel.
It is the power of God, first to the Jew, and also to the Gentile, that's most of us.
It's the power of God.
And I lovingly remind you, we can become so familiar with what God has done in Christ that we can lose sight of the transformative power of the gospel.
And there have been many times when we have walked out of a village, somewhere in Asia, and at the end of the day, someone's tapping on my shoulder and I'm turning around and, and the translator is saying, he wants to ask you something. She wants to ask you something. And the phrase ology around the question often goes like this.
Before, all of you came to my village, I live trying to appease Hindu gods.
You see, there's something inside of all of us. That's written in our heart. The Bible tells us this, we know right and wrong.
I've walked by Hindu temples where people are taking talc and rubbing it on a statue frantically, and then they take the talc and they rub it on their bodies, you know what they're doing? They're trying to purge sin from their lives. And it's in vain. Bible has a lot to say about idols made of wood and stone, there's no power there. So people are trapped. They know, I've, I've crossed a boundary, I've told lies, I've are committed adultery or I gossip. They recognize that there's something in them that's, that's not right. And they're trying to make it right. But they can't find the answer. And so walking out of a village, I hear things like this.
After we've heard this good news.
I've never known a piece like this.
I've never understood that there's one God who created all things and that he loves me. I don't have to appease him in some way, or do these acts of sacrifices that keep him from being angry with me, that I'm loved and he's merciful and he's gracious, and I am forgiven. And I've never felt so whole. There's a God shaped hole in all of us that only God can feel as Pascal said.
And here's the question that's asked.
Where have you been so long? When This news there overnighting 100 people groups around the world who do not have the Bible translated into their own heart language.
Missy and I have spent time in a nation in Asia that because this is being recorded, I don't It's not healthy for me to name the nation. But I referenced this in my early weeks here at Christ Church, in which there are numerous persecuted believers room I stood in with about 50 believers and the questions asked how many of you have been in prison for your faith? Half the hands in the room go up? How many of you have had a loved one martyred for following in leading in the cause of Christ? Five or six hands go up.
And I remind you that when I'm asked How are I asked how can we pray for you? How can the church in North America pray for you? That I quote because I wrote this down in my journal years ago do not feel sorry for us pray that we go stronger for our Lord pray that his light shines brighter so that others may be reached pray that we only grow bolder in sharing the love of God through His gospel with all people.
Last time I was in that region of the world on one border 600 children were discovered in a train car and they were being trafficked into Bangkok Thailand Thailand to be sold on the another border six weeks before we were there. The very same thing happened.
You see where there's an absence of Light Darkness comes in people are oppressed and I remind you that something worth living for there's something worth suffering for there's something worth dying for.
Well let's Let's lighten up a little bit. Okay. Just for a moment. Let's lighten up this is heavy I know any of you have families you like to shoot off fireworks? Okay, that's a personal question.
We do okay and you're probably going to be worried about us after I tell you what I'm going to share. But my boys and I when it's Fourth of July weekend or it's New Year's Eve we we usually go to a firework stand and repent later, go come and bring all of this these fireworks home and Missy usually I can't believe what you've done I can't believe and then we just make memories together in case the whole family comes out and watches oohs and ahhs and ends up having a delightful time as the pyromaniac father has a little fun for a moment. Just doing what we do. Alright, so pray for us. I know you're going I'm not so sure about you, Pastor.
But if all of us enjoy a good firework show, and particularly when you get to the grand finale, you know which if you go to a great firework show, whether it's at Disney World or it's here in our city, and on Fourth of July I mean we all love that and the oohs and the ahhs, it's a beautiful time, but we all anticipate the grand finale right?
Remember the words of Horatio spout? A Spafford when he wrote the words he does well with my soul, my sin or the bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord Praise the Lord. Oh my soul, I would remind you that 3 billion people do not know that reality.
And that is not okay.
And then the song bills toward a finale.
Oh Lord haste the day when my face shall be made side the clouds be rolled back as a scroll the trump shall resound. And the Lord shall descend even so it is well with my soul. And right now 3 billion people know nothing of that grand finale that's coming one day.
You know, some of us in our journey with Jesus, we've been exposed to N times teaching. Maybe you've read a book on the N times maybe you've studied and taught on the N times. Maybe you've attended a seminar on the N times or you've seen somebody on TV talking about the end times. But let me say this loved ones what's often missing when people teach on the end times, what's often missing is our responsibility in light of bringing In fourth, that day only Jesus or excuse me, only the Father knows the day or the hour. But but the gospel teaches that we have a responsibility in this Matthew 2414, that this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all ethnic groups, all nations.
And then the end will come.
And we've got work to do.
In Revelation five, nine, we see an insight into the grand finale, when the word teaches us that by the blood of Christ, you've ran some people for God from every tribe, and every language and every people. And every nation. We recognize this is all headed somewhere as well culminating into the person of Jesus Christ.
I have a friend named Dennis Cochrane, some of you might have heard of Dennis. Dennis, was a missionary in Indonesia, he and his wife and children moved into a very primitive village in Indonesia and unreached people, group people who did not have the Bible in their own heart language, they did not have relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And there was a lot of chaos in the village, there were men sleeping around, there was alcoholism that permeated the vision, the village, and there was also a particular weed, not marijuana, but a particular weed that they would roll and smoke and, and get high and chaos, brokenness, children being abused and, and he he and his family moved in among these persons. And over years, the village began coming to note the person of Jesus.
And as they did alcoholism, its rate dropped dramatically.
The people quit growing the type of hip that they were smoking.
Husband started going home and being faithful to their wives.
The abuse with the children stopped. God began to order the chaos.
Denis, one evening is sitting or standing in his hut. And he's writing portions of the New Testament into their heart language. And the gentleman standing with him as a village leader named Pepito, and papito. And the villagers call the Word of God they call it the carvings. And the reason being is because their their primitive language was always carved on a piece of wood. So words on the page to them were known as carvings. And Pepito says this to Dennis, he says, Dennis, you know what our village was like, before we had God's carvings? And Dennis said, Yes.
And then Peter said, You know what our village was like, before we had this good news of what God has done in Jesus for us. And then I said yes, for Peto I, I know. And then Pepito asked him this question.
Dennis, Did your father have this news?
And then I said, Yes, my father did have this news.
And then poquito pause and said, Did your grandfather have this news?
And Dennis said, Why yes, but Peto my grandfather did have this news.
Did his father have this news?
Yes, for PETA.
His father had this news as well.
Where have you been so long?
With this news?
One when I was approximately 30 years old, and I pastored my first church, which was a church plant in Huntsville, Alabama.
I had purchased an automobile that I did not know had been submerged under water before I bought it. Which explain why it was such a good deal.
It was a Volvo a 1986 Volvo deal.
I nicknamed that car Lazarus.
When Missy and I were in this stage of church planting, things got very difficult. Hard.
We had taken a 7000 were cut in salary in order church plant, the call of God was so clear we had heard his voice. And I was our salary was below the federal poverty line. We lived in an unfurnished apartment with a TV on a TV stand, a couple of TV trays, couple of lawn chairs and a mattress on the floor.
The call of God was strong, my my parents do love us. But my parents had a philosophy and I thank them for it that I do not give handouts. And whatever you're in, you're going to work your way through it, because it'll mature you. And I thank God for them for that.
And so we're in this place, and it's getting tough, and it's gotten real challenging. And I first church I've ever pastored I, I know this, I had been in student ministry for a few years. And when you're doing a good job in student ministry, most people think you're wonderful. But when you're a pastor, everybody doesn't think you're wonderful.
And I was just learning that I'm just 30 years old, and I'm learning to navigate this. And, and, and so as I'm, as I'm moving in this whole new reality, and, and I've got all these ideals of what this church plan is supposed to look like. And it's not looking like my ideals, and it's challenging. And I'll tell you all that story at another time. But I started this storyline in my mind, this is tough, this isn't going the way I had hoped I want out. And I would begin to say to miss you, honey, I think I'm just going to turn my orders in i i don't think this is what I want to do. I and my wife is a very godly woman would look at me and say, Paul, I believe there's a call on your life.
And you need to know I'm all in.
And the problem isn't me the problems in you. And she would say that gently and lovingly, and every now and then tease me and say if I weren't married to you, I'd be on the mission field.
That's the heart. That wasn't that's not literally true. That's just my wife's heart.
And she would encourage me, and I would stay in the game. Until one day when we got a phone call from Kentucky friends coming to visit us. And we can't host them in an unfurnished apartment with a mattress on the floor two TB trees trays with two young sons. And so I said, let's we'll meet you in my hometown in Guntersville, which is on the lake and we'll do some things there with my parents and just make some memories there. But we can't host you here in Huntsville. So they're driving down from Kentucky I put Missy and the two boys in Lazarus. And we start headed heading toward Guntersville only as we're heading toward Guntersville. And I'm about to get ready to go over what's called Monticello mountain on highway 431. That goes 30 minutes to Guntersville, Alabama, Lazarus dies.
And I pull over.
And I look at Missy.
And I say these words. That's it.
We're done.
We're out of here. When we get to Guntersville, I'm going to sit with my parents. And if I have to sweep warehouse floors at minimum wage, or go to law school or sell insurance, whatever you do when you get out of the ministry, no offense to lawyers and insurance agents, I just I can't do this anymore. And she looks at me and she goes, Okay.
How many of you know there's a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit.
If you don't test what's happening, and I didn't test what's happening, I felt free. And in that moment, I thought I was hearing God, I go up to a house. I don't have a cell phone. I borrow a phone. I call a tow truck I call a taxi. And I make arrangements for a rental car, which at that hour was only available at the Huntsville airport about 2025 minutes away. I walk back down to Lazarus Missy and the two boys. Tow truck pulls up he gets out. Hello Paul. He knows me by name hooks Lazarus to the tow truck knows exactly where to take the car. And then he says to me that y'all need a ride. You're just seem to be standing around here. I said actually, I've already called a taxi. I called them before I called you. And he says, Well, that's a little weird. They should have beat me here by a longshot. And he takes his cell phone and he calls Alabama cab and he says I hear these words. What do you mean you can't find me standing right here on governor's drive. He's you can't miss him. And then he pauses for a moment in silence and hangs up and looks at me and says they said they couldn't find you. But I heard a guy in the background radio wind who said I know where he is. I'll be right there. He finishes the sentence and the taxi pulls up and I pile in the front seat Missy and the Two boys are twins hadn't been born yet sat in the backseat, and we head to the airport. And all you can hear is the hum of the taxi until the taxi driver, about halfway to the airport, breaks the silence. And he says this.
So tell me, what do you do for a living?
And I honestly was trying to find phraseology to kill any potential of conversation. I didn't feel like talking.
And I muttered, I'm a church planter, to which he then taking his eyes completely off the interstate looks at me and says, Oh, really, I'm a graduate of New Orleans Baptist seminary. In fact, I was in ministry for a number of years and you know, something, things got really tough. And I got out. And it was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life.
Now, you would think something might be getting through to me, but I'm watching the meter. And I said, I've got $10 in my pocket, the meters at 1195. We're halfway there. I said, Sir, I only I don't even get the sentence out. And he reaches up and goes, bam, and turns the meter off.
Now, I don't have a clearly worked out theology of angels. That's one of the questions I'll ask when I get to heaven. But here's what I want to say to you this morning. Would you let me be your taxi driver for just a moment? Here it is.
Christ Church, what you did for the fool and the people in raising resources for International Leadership Institute to help them reach this unreached people group, holy, holy, holy.
What you've done through the years, in supporting missionaries out of this church and missionaries that we've partnered with, as a church family over the decades, holy, holy, holy. What we did recently in sending a team into Uganda, to not only express the Mercy ministry and heart of God, but also to equip indigenous leaders there in sharing the gospel and making disciples among refugees out of Sudan, holy, holy, holy.
There is someone worthy of living for Jesus is worthy of our sacrifice. Jesus is worthy of suffering for Jesus is worthy of dying for let's finish. Let's continue to rise in to being a healthy, vibrant, life giving church for the glory of God because the world is our parish. In Jesus name, Amen.