1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,240 I want to take just a moment to introduce our guest speaker 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:08,160 today. So Pastor Jeremy Doyle is the 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,600 missions pastor at Valley Baptist Church. 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,600 If you're not familiar with Valley Baptist Church, it's this 5 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:19,560 really tiny church. Valley Baptist is a sister 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,320 church in the Southern Baptist Association with us, and they 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,640 have planted and revitalized multiple churches in the last 2 8 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,480 1/2 years here in Kern County and in San Jose, sending pastors 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,560 and congregants and funding out around California to plant new 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,360 churches. They also have a really robust 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,200 missions program. And So what I wanted to do is 12 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,120 bring someone to talk about missions. 13 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,000 That was really doing missions all the time. 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,800 Pastor Jeremy moved here from San Diego, That's right, moved 15 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,880 here from San Diego to wrestle at Cal State Bakersfield. 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,800 And now instead of wrestling sweaty college students, he 17 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:02,720 doesn't wrestle against flesh and blood at all. 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,240 He wrestles against the principalities of this spiritual 19 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:07,880 realm. So will you do me a favor and 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,440 introduce or welcome Pastor Jeremy Doyle? 21 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,160 Thanks brother. We pray over you, Father God, we 22 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,760 thank you for commissioning men and women all around the world 23 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,480 to bring your gospel message. We thank you for Pastor Jeremy 24 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,760 as he opens your word today. It proclaims your truths today. 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,320 God, we ask that your spirit would move mightily in this 26 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:37,400 place and that you would stir us up to action, that you would 27 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,040 bind our wounds for those of us that are hurting God, and that 28 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,800 you would Pierce the hearts of those who have become complacent 29 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:45,680 or hard hearted. In Jesus name, Amen. 30 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,360 Amen. Well, good morning, Resurrection 31 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,400 Church. It is great to be with you guys 32 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,400 today. And Pastor Daniel, thank you so 33 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,760 much for having me out. If you could please open up your 34 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,680 Bibles to Romans chapter 10. That's where we'll find 35 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:02,720 ourselves this morning. We'll be going to some other 36 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,080 passage as well. But the message this morning 37 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:09,720 I've entitled God's Rescue Plan. So let's begin by just reading 38 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,240 Paul's words inspired by the Holy Spirit. 39 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:17,080 Starting in verse 13, Paul says For everyone who calls on the 40 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:22,680 name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him 41 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,640 whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in 42 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:28,880 Him of whom they have never heard? 43 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,880 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 44 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,760 And how are they to preach unless they are sent as it is 45 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,280 written? How beautiful are the feet of 46 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,600 those who preach the good news. Let's pray again. 47 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,400 God, we thank you so much for the good news. 48 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,680 We thank you, Lord, for your word, for the truth that we find 49 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:56,760 in it, And we thank you for many of us here today being rescued 50 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,480 by that truth. God, as we consider this passage 51 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,440 and other scriptures that you've inspired, Lord, would you 52 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,480 challenge every single one of us, no matter how long we've 53 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,920 been sitting in a Pew or within the walls of what we call a 54 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:15,560 church? God, would you inspire each and 55 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,400 every one of us to follow you more intimately, more 56 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,080 obediently? And God, if there's anyone here 57 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,360 today that does not know you as their Lord and their savior, 58 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,200 God, I pray that you will bring them from the depths of their 59 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,440 sin to salvation. And God, I pray that you will 60 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,400 speak through me this morning. God, I pray that it won't be my 61 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,280 words that anyone hears but yours. 62 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,600 And God, I thank you for Resurrection Church. 63 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:49,160 I thank you for the people that make up this local body and what 64 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,800 you're doing in and through them. 65 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,320 God is so encouraging. We pray you'd continue to work 66 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,000 mightily in this church. And we pray this in Jesus name, 67 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,240 Amen. Well, the Apostle Paul, he 68 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,120 shared the gospel with as many people as he could. 69 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,320 He was once a lost Sinner in need of this gospel message. 70 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,160 And when he encountered that gospel message, Paul was 71 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,440 radically changed and he was saved. 72 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,400 And Paul shared the gospel from person to person, from house to 73 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:28,400 house, from city to city, and from nation to nation. 74 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,040 He shared the gospel everywhere that he went. 75 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:38,160 Paul lived a scent life in every single way. 76 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,760 And in Romans chapter 10, Paul's lays out a sequence of events 77 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:48,160 that must take place for a Sinner to be saved from their 78 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,640 sin. He lays out God's rescue plan, 79 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,720 and this plan is like a chain. And if you think of a chain, a 80 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,720 chain has several links within it. 81 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:04,040 And if a chain is missing just one of those links, that chain 82 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,760 fails. So what we're going to look at 83 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,360 this morning is we're going to look at each link in the chain 84 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:12,880 of salvation. And we're going to get right 85 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:14,760 into it with our first point this morning. 86 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:20,000 And the first link in the chain to be saved, one must call on 87 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,560 the name of the Lord. Now for context, I want to look 88 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,600 a little bit further back in this passage starting in verse 89 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:31,240 11, Paul says for the Scripture says everyone who believes in 90 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,600 him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction 91 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,760 between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of 92 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,000 all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 93 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:49,840 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 94 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,600 We see here that salvation is for everyone who calls on the 95 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,920 name of the Lord. Salvation is for the Jew. 96 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,400 Salvation is for the Greek. Salvation is for the Gentile, 97 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:07,920 meaning all non Jews. That means every single person. 98 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,160 We see here that your heritage does not qualify you or 99 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,800 disqualify you for salvation. Salvation is for the rich and 100 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,480 salvation is for the poor. Your money cannot get you into 101 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,200 heaven and your lack of money cannot keep you out. 102 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,600 Salvation is for those who are living an openly evil life and 103 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,120 salvation is for those who seem to or appear to be living a 104 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:39,160 decent life or some might even say a good life, which by the 105 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,120 way no one is truly living a good life. 106 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:48,320 Paul says in Romans chapter 3 verse 12 he says no one does 107 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:54,760 good not even 1 and verse 23. He goes on to say for all have 108 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,280 sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 109 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:03,960 You see, every single individual on this earth is in need of 110 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:08,840 salvation because of our sin, our sin that separates us from a 111 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:12,200 holy God. So if you're here this morning 112 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,040 and you don't need God's help, for some reason you're thinking 113 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,040 I don't need God's help for salvation. 114 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,880 Well, I've got news for you. Every single one of us needs 115 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,920 help for salvation. We cannot earn our way to God. 116 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,600 We do not deserve to be with God. 117 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,600 We need help. But if you're here today 118 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:36,760 thinking that you're too far gone for God to save you, well 119 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,640 then I've got news for you as well. 120 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:44,360 You are not too far gone. You have not sinned too great to 121 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:49,720 be able to be saved by Jesus. In First Timothy 24, in speaking 122 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:55,120 about God our Saviour, Paul said that he desires all people to be 123 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,920 saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 124 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,200 You see, God wants to save the murderer and the thief. 125 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,280 He wants to save the liar and the cheat. 126 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:11,080 He wants to save the adulterer and the idolater, the slanderer 127 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,800 and the fornicator, the prideful and the arrogant. 128 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:20,240 God wants to save everyone, including you, if you're not 129 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,400 saved already. Now, I want you to imagine for 130 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,800 just a minute that you're on a deep sea fishing boat and you're 131 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,560 having the trip of your life. It's a fun time with some 132 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,600 family, with some friends, but all of a sudden the boat begins 133 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,480 to take on water and this boat begins to sink. 134 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:42,520 And the captain of the boat puts out a frantic mayday call to the 135 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:47,040 Coast Guard on the radio, saying that they need help, that they 136 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,640 are sinking fast. And this Coast Guard ship races 137 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:56,160 to the scene to rescue you and to rescue those that are in the 138 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,440 boat with you. When the Coast Guard gets there, 139 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:04,080 everyone is in the water and everyone's treading water trying 140 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,080 to stay afloat. And as the Coast Guard arrives, 141 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,520 the Coast Guard gets on the intercom and announces to 142 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:12,800 everyone. Everyone who gets on the boat 143 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:17,040 will be saved. Swim to the boat, and as people 144 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:21,000 swim to that boat and as they reach up to climb into that 145 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:26,280 boat, notice that the Coast Guard would never begin to check 146 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,360 passports. The Coast Guard would not begin 147 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,480 to do a criminal record check to see if you're worthy of coming 148 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:38,960 on the boat. Everyone who comes and swims to 149 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,520 that boat and climbs aboard will be saved. 150 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,360 And this is how salvation is for us lost sinners that are 151 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:52,000 treading in this crazy world, in this crazy life. 152 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:56,160 God does not rescue us based on our background. 153 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,240 He doesn't rescue us based on our merit. 154 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:05,240 Whoever realizes that they need help and humbly calls on Jesus 155 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:11,240 to save them will be saved. But Paul, he pushes deeper in 156 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:16,200 this passage and he begins to ask some rhetorical questions. 157 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:20,600 So look with me at the first part of Romans 10, verse 14. 158 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:25,120 He asked the first question and says, how then will they call on 159 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,040 him in whom they have not believed? 160 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,680 Here we see the next link in the chain of salvation. 161 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:39,120 To call on the name of the Lord, one must believe in Him. 162 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:44,360 We all know John 316 so well, For God so loved the world that 163 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:51,040 He gave his only Son, that whoever what believes in him 164 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:54,560 should not perish, but have eternal life. 165 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,120 For someone to be saved, they must believe that God Himself 166 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:04,240 came to the earth in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, God in 167 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,520 flesh. That He lived a perfect life, 168 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:13,720 that you and I could never live, that he was arrested, that he 169 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:20,000 was beaten, and that he died a death that you and I deserved. 170 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:25,600 That he was buried, and that on the third day Jesus Christ rose 171 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,720 from the dead. He defeated sin and death to 172 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,760 give us salvation, something that you and I could never earn. 173 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:40,120 Jesus is the only way, He is the truth, He is the life, and no 174 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:45,720 man comes to the Father except through Him, the one true God. 175 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:51,320 In Acts chapter 4 verse 12 it says, and there is salvation in 176 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,440 no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given 177 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,400 among men by which we must be saved. 178 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:06,280 It is belief in Jesus and Jesus alone that can save us from our 179 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,040 sin. But James warns us about a 180 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:14,120 belief that doesn't save. Look with me in James chapter 2, 181 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,680 starting in verse 19, James says you believe that God is 1. 182 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,480 You do well, even the demons believe and shudder. 183 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,680 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart 184 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:37,080 from works is useless, useless. That kind of faith is useless. 185 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:43,160 A faith that says but doesn't do is a dead faith. 186 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:48,480 It is a useless faith. It is a belief in your head that 187 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:53,160 has never made it to your heart. And James is teaching us here 188 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,240 that that kind of belief does not save a person. 189 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:02,040 The demons have that same kind of belief. 190 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,720 I mean, think about it. Demons believe in God, don't 191 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,520 they? Demons believe in Jesus. 192 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:10,840 I mean, they were with God in heaven. 193 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,360 How could they not believe? Certainly they believe in the 194 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:19,280 crucifixion, in Jesus burial, and certainly they know of His 195 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,840 resurrection if they didn't see it for themselves. 196 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,600 But these demons live in rebellion against God. 197 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:32,200 These demons have rejected God and they will be separated from 198 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:37,240 Him for all eternity. To call on the name of the Lord 199 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:42,400 for salvation, you must first believe these things with your 200 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:48,440 heart, not just with your head. So put yourself back on that 201 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,160 sinking boat in the Pacific Ocean. 202 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,480 You're in the water, and again, you're treading that water, 203 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,920 trying to keep your head afloat, hoping to be rescued. 204 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,800 And this Coast Guard boat arrives on scene to rescue you. 205 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,400 But you don't even know that the boat is there. 206 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,200 You're seeing something in the distance, but you can't quite 207 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,240 make it out, and you're just a little bit delirious and you're 208 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,840 just trying to save yourself, trying to swim ashore. 209 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:24,520 Before someone can call in the name of Jesus to save them, they 210 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,680 have to believe that He is real, that He is there and able to 211 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,000 help with their sin problem. If you don't believe the boat is 212 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,680 there, you're not going to swim to it. 213 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,360 If you don't believe Jesus is the only way, you're not going 214 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,760 to call out to Him. You must believe this, and 215 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:46,520 belief is the foundation that makes that call possible. 216 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,440 Look with me again in Romans 10 verse 14. 217 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,800 How then will they call on Him and whom they have not believed? 218 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:01,400 And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never 219 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,440 heard? This brings us to the next link 220 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:10,920 in the chain of salvation. To believe in Him, one must hear 221 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:15,200 the gospel. At the time that Paul is writing 222 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,320 this letter, these words, the New Testament had not been 223 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,880 completed. The New Testament wasn't 224 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,880 available to the reader like it is today. 225 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,520 So the hearing of the gospel message was the one vehicle of 226 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,440 the gospel that was available to the people of that time. 227 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,200 The gospel had to be communicated by word of mouth 228 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,920 for others to hear it so that they could believe it. 229 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:46,920 And the same was true during the times of the prophets of the Old 230 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,160 Testament. The message of God had to be 231 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:54,440 heard, to be spread, and to be believed. 232 00:15:55,040 --> 00:16:00,640 Verse 17 says So faith comes from hearing and hearing through 233 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:06,560 the word of Christ, you and I and the lost in this world. 234 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,760 We must hear the good news about Jesus in order to believe in 235 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,800 Jesus. But for someone to hear the good 236 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:19,120 news, an obvious action must take place. 237 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,800 Let's look at the entirety of verse 14. 238 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,800 Paul says, how then will they call on him and whom they have 239 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,960 not believed? And how are they to believe in 240 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,440 him of whom they have never heard? 241 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:37,440 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 242 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:43,120 The 4th link in this chain of salvation is to hear the gospel. 243 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:48,800 Someone must preach the gospel. For one to call on the name of 244 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,320 the Lord for salvation. They must first believe the 245 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,920 gospel. For them to believe the gospel, 246 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,000 they must have first heard the gospel, and for them to hear the 247 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,840 gospel, someone must preach the gospel to them. 248 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:08,920 The announcement must be made. The rescue instructions must be 249 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:14,800 given to those who are perishing or they will never have a chance 250 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:20,079 to be saved. If the rescue boat is near those 251 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:25,200 needing rescue, needing help in the darkness of night, yet no 252 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,640 one on that boat shines the light of those individuals that 253 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,880 are drowning and no one announces to them to come to the 254 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,240 boat to swim to the boat so that they can be saved. 255 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,760 Those individuals will perish. The famous quote that says 256 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:47,480 preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary. 257 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:52,600 It's not true. This statement is false. 258 00:17:53,120 --> 00:18:00,320 To preach the gospel, you must use words, God's words from 259 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,600 God's word, the Bible. Now you might be thinking, 260 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,640 pastor, that's that's great and all. 261 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,720 I agree with you. The word must go forth. 262 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:17,720 But, but I'm no preacher. I'm not a pastor. 263 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,960 That's Pastor Daniel's job. He's a preacher. 264 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:27,080 He's been called to do that. He does the work of preaching 265 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,200 the gospel. That's the Ramos's job. 266 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,040 That's for the missionary. They've been called by you to go 267 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:38,800 and preach the gospel. That's for the professionals. 268 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:43,160 You might be thinking, but I want you to know this morning, 269 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:47,880 brothers and sisters, that Paul never limited the preaching of 270 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,200 the gospel to only pastors and missionaries. 271 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,080 We are not all called to be pastors, that is very clear. 272 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:01,320 We are not all called to even be full time missionaries like the 273 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:06,600 Ramos, but we are all called to be Proclaimers. 274 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:10,720 Proclaimers of the gospel message. 275 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,120 Proclaimers of the gospel to our children. 276 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:19,720 Proclaimers of the gospel to our family members, to our friends, 277 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,000 to our coworkers, our classmates, our teachers. 278 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:27,640 Proclaimers to the ends of the earth. 279 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,960 And maybe I should even add Proclaimers to our next door 280 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:35,600 neighbors. When Jesus called Peter and 281 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:40,440 Andrew to follow him, He told them that He would make them 282 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:46,440 fishers of men. Being a disciple and being a 283 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,800 Fisher of men was not separate back then. 284 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,680 It wasn't a separate calling and it's not separate now. 285 00:19:55,400 --> 00:20:01,640 These things go together. Let's look at verse 15 as Paul 286 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,200 continues. He says, and how are they to 287 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:11,600 preach unless they are sent? This is the fifth link in the 288 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:17,480 chain of salvation. To preach the Gospel, 1 must be 289 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,240 sent. Jesus Christ sent out his 290 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:26,200 disciples to preach the Gospel right before He ascended into 291 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,120 heaven. Matthew 2818 through 20 is the 292 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,520 famous passage we call the Great Commission, and I know you've 293 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,480 heard that over and over. I know it was shared from this 294 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,200 stage just last week. But that passage should never 295 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,160 get old to us. Let's look again at Matthew 28, 296 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,880 starting in verse 18. It says, And Jesus came and said 297 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:52,200 to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to 298 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,440 me. Go therefore, and make disciples 299 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,800 of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of 300 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:04,280 the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 301 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,080 that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always 302 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:14,840 to the end of the age. Jesus Christ told his disciples 303 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:21,200 to go and make other disciples. Literally as you are going, he's 304 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,920 telling them make disciples. But did you know that this is 305 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:30,440 not the only Great Commission passage in the New Testament? 306 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,200 There are actually four other Great Commission texts. 307 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:41,280 In Mark 1615 Jesus said go into all the world and proclaim the 308 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:48,680 gospel to the whole creation. In Luke 2446 through 47, Jesus 309 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:53,160 said, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on 310 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:57,200 the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for 311 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,160 the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all 312 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,200 nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 313 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:10,240 And in John 2021 Jesus said, peace with you, be with you as 314 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,720 the Father has sent me, Even so I am sending you. 315 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:19,200 And then in Acts chapter one, verse 8, Jesus said, But you 316 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,480 will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and 317 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,480 you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and 318 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,760 Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 319 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,160 We see here that Jesus is disciples. 320 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,920 They were commanded to go make disciples of all nations. 321 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:44,960 They were commanded to preach the gospel to every creature. 322 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,520 They were commanded to preach repentance and remission of sins 323 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,640 to all nations. And they were commanded to be 324 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:57,760 witnesses of Jesus wherever they went. 325 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:06,320 As the Father sent Jesus out of heaven into the world, Jesus is 326 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:12,920 sending out his disciples out from him to preach the gospel to 327 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,760 all the world. And that's exactly what they 328 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,040 did. They preach the gospel from 329 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:24,800 person to person, house to house, city to city, nation to 330 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,400 nation. And this cost the disciples 331 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,600 greatly. It cost them their lives. 332 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:36,560 But these commands from Jesus, they weren't just for the 333 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:41,520 disciples of that day. These commands from Jesus are 334 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:47,320 for all disciples who will ever walk this earth until Jesus 335 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,440 returns. That includes you, and that 336 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:54,680 includes me. It doesn't matter how old you 337 00:23:54,680 --> 00:24:00,120 are or how outgoing you are. This command is for all of us. 338 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,080 Jesus is sending you out into the world to proclaim the 339 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:09,280 gospel, so that lost people can hear the gospel, so that lost 340 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:13,600 people can believe the gospel, so that lost people can call 341 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:18,840 upon the name of the Lord, so that lost people can be saved. 342 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:24,920 God's rescue plan for the lost world involves every single one 343 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,360 of you, and it involves me as well. 344 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:34,040 Now He doesn't need you, but He has chosen you to be His 345 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:39,680 mouthpiece, to be sent out to proclaim the good news to a lost 346 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,840 and dying world. Look again with me starting in 347 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,440 verse 13. Pay close attention to these 348 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:54,360 words, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be 349 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:59,240 saved. How then will they call on Him 350 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:04,840 and whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in 351 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,720 Him of whom they have never heard? 352 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,280 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 353 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:18,200 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? 354 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:24,960 When we look at Paul's questions and we reverse the order, we see 355 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:30,480 something very significant. Without preachers being sent out 356 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,760 to preach the gospel, no one will preach the gospel. 357 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,520 Without people preaching the gospel, no one will hear the 358 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,880 gospel. Without people hearing the 359 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,560 gospel, no one will believe the gospel. 360 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:46,440 Without people believing the gospel, no one will call upon 361 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,320 the name of the Lord for salvation. 362 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,000 Without people calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation, 363 00:25:52,160 --> 00:26:01,160 no one will be saved. This is God's rescue plan. 364 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,120 The question I have for you this morning, brothers and sisters, 365 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,560 is will you choose to be a part of it? 366 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:17,520 Will you choose to play your role as one of the links in that 367 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,040 chain? Paul says something about those 368 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,240 who do in the last part of our passage. 369 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:29,480 Look with me in verse 15 in the second-half he says as it is 370 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:35,160 written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the 371 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:40,520 good news for the disciples to do what Jesus told them to do. 372 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:47,600 They would have walked many, many miles on rugged dirt roads 373 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,920 and trails while probably wearing some kind of leather 374 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,720 sandal, maybe at times even being barefoot. 375 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,520 Their foot, their feet wouldn't have been soft. 376 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,960 Their feet wouldn't have been well manicured. 377 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,640 They would have been dirty. They would have been wrinkled. 378 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:06,960 These feet would have been leather. 379 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,480 They would have been rough. They would have been stinky. 380 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,880 And at times, I'm sure these feet would have been bloody. 381 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:20,640 Yet Jesus said that those are the feet that are beautiful. 382 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:27,080 Isn't that interesting? Why are those the feet that are 383 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,240 beautiful? It's because of the beautiful 384 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:35,160 message that these feet bring to its hearers. 385 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:40,640 Because of what that message can do to a lost person's life and 386 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:47,200 the praise that that can bring to the Father that we may all 387 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:52,880 have such beautiful feet like these disciples had. 388 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:58,360 Feet that place us in front of lost people and mouths that 389 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:03,280 would proclaim the gospel of peace to them so that they can 390 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:07,680 believe and call upon the name of Jesus. 391 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,160 Now in closing this morning, I want to give you 1 application 392 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:18,400 point with several sub points. And here's your application and 393 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:25,520 your challenge to consider. The wise person wins souls. 394 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,440 Look with me in Proverbs Chapter 11 verse 30. 395 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,200 This verse I'm going to read from the new King James. 396 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:39,240 It says the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and 397 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:48,440 he who wins souls is wise. Now why is it wise to win souls? 398 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,120 And the answers to this question will be our sub points #1 399 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,760 because the Lamb of God is worthy of our worship. 400 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,600 You see, when a Sinner comes to repentance and faith, their life 401 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:08,840 is changed forever and instead of worshipping creation, they 402 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:13,960 begin to worship the Creator. Oh, and isn't He worthy of our 403 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,520 worship? Isn't He so worthy of not only 404 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:20,440 our worship, but more worshippers? 405 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:25,960 God deserves the worship of every person on this earth, but 406 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:32,360 only those who truly believe in Him will do so in this life. 407 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:39,680 John 423 says, But the hour is coming and is now here, when the 408 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:44,080 true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, 409 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:49,720 for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. 410 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,160 You, if you're a believer this morning, are one of those 411 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:59,520 worshippers. And God wants more, and He will 412 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:04,800 get more as more souls are one with the gospel. 413 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,000 But for more souls to be one with the gospel, believers must 414 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:15,280 preach the gospel to people. The wise person preaches the 415 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:22,120 gospel to people and wins souls. But why else is it wise to win 416 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:28,360 souls #2 because the Lamb of God is worthy of our obedience. 417 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:35,560 John 15 verses 13 and 14. Jesus said greater love has no 418 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:40,960 one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 419 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,560 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 420 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:53,160 There is no greater act of love than for someone to die for you. 421 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:59,560 What an amazing sacrificial act. And Jesus Christ, God and flesh, 422 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:04,360 did just that. But Jesus is alive today. 423 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,760 Don't you want to be his close, intimate friend? 424 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,000 Don't you want to honor that friend for the great sacrifice 425 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:18,680 that he made for you? Well then, a true friend of God 426 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:26,880 does whatever God commands. And God commands that you go, 427 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:32,240 that you make disciples, that you be a witness, that you 428 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:38,440 proclaim this gospel message. I love what Charles Spurgeon 429 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,560 said. He said, do you want arguments 430 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:45,720 for soul winning? Look up to heaven and ask 431 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:50,480 yourself how sinners can ever reach those harps of gold and 432 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,240 learn their everlasting song, unless they have someone to tell 433 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,680 them of Jesus who is mighty to save. 434 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,400 But the best argument of all is to be found in the wounds of 435 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:07,120 Jesus. You want to honor Him, You 436 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:12,240 desire to put many crowns upon His head, and this you can best 437 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:17,560 do by winning souls for Him. These are the spoils that he 438 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,560 covets. These are the trophies for which 439 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:24,080 he fights. These are the jewels that shall 440 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:31,760 be His best adornments. It is wise to win souls because 441 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:37,920 the Lamb of God is worthy of our worship and worthy of our 442 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,520 obedience. But why else is it wise to win 443 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:47,720 souls #3 because the soul winners reward is joy. 444 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:53,040 To know that the gospel message you shared with someone saved 445 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:58,160 them will bring so much joy to your life. 446 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:05,000 And it is so sad that many, many Christians are missing out on 447 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:10,600 this great joy. In James 520, James says let him 448 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:15,000 know that whoever brings back a Sinner from his wandering will 449 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:21,040 save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 450 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:26,200 Besides being saved yourself, I don't believe there's any 451 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:30,240 greater joy in the Christian life than getting to lead 452 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:34,400 someone to Christ. Another thing that Charles 453 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:38,720 Spurgeon said is to be a soul. Winner is the happiest thing in 454 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:43,520 the world, and with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you 455 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:47,840 seem to get a new heaven here upon earth. 456 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:53,080 If anyone of you has experienced that amazing thing of leading 457 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,960 someone to Christ, you know that this quote is true. 458 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:02,320 If you've won a soul, you know the joy that it brings with it. 459 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:06,560 But not only will winning souls bring joy to you while you're 460 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:12,520 here on this earth, it will also bring joy to you when you're in 461 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:15,520 heaven. In First Thessalonians 219 462 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:20,400 through 20, Paul said, For what is our hope or joy or crown of 463 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,560 boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? 464 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:29,639 Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. 465 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,239 These are believers that Paul led to Christ while he was on 466 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,800 earth. And these believers will be his 467 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:43,280 joy, his crown of rejoicing at Jesus's second coming. 468 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:49,440 He will get the joy of laying those crowns at Jesus's feet. 469 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:55,159 He will get the joy of Jesus saying to him, Well done, good 470 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:59,480 and faithful servant, you are faithful over a few things. 471 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:03,280 I will make you ruler over many things. 472 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:10,440 Enter into the joy of your Lord. If you are a faithful soul 473 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:14,200 winner, you will experience this joy. 474 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:21,680 The wise person wins souls. I want to share a story of my 475 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,840 childhood. There was a boy named Josh that 476 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,920 I became friends with, and Josh and I went to elementary school 477 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:30,840 together. We went to middle school 478 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,400 together and we went to high school together. 479 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:35,680 And Josh and I were close friends. 480 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,680 And I would go over to Josh's house and we would play on the 481 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,080 football team together. We had dirt bikes in common and 482 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:47,080 we had a lot of fun together. As Josh grew older, he began to 483 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:50,840 hang out with the wrong crowd and he got kicked out of school 484 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:52,360 and went to a continuation school. 485 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:57,440 So I didn't see Josh much, but I remember coming to a wrestling 486 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,160 event and one of my teammates said, Jeremy, did you hear what 487 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,960 happened to Josh? And I said, no, no, what 488 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,400 happened? And he told me that Josh had 489 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:12,880 died the night before. Josh was at a party and he was 490 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:16,000 drinking. My next door neighbor was also 491 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,520 there drinking, and his friend was there drinking. 492 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,480 And as these three individuals left this party, one of them 493 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,880 took the keys to drive Josh's truck. 494 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:32,400 All had consumed alcohol and took a corner way too fast. 495 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,640 And that truck rolled several times, ejecting Josh and killing 496 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:49,510 him instantly. As I thought back of the years 497 00:36:50,350 --> 00:37:01,520 spent with Josh, there wasn't one time I proclaimed the gospel 498 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:09,350 to him. I never told Josh about Jesus. 499 00:37:13,550 --> 00:37:15,470 And you know I'll never get the chance to do that. 500 00:37:17,670 --> 00:37:21,550 I will never have the opportunity to tell Josh about 501 00:37:21,550 --> 00:37:25,790 Jesus. And I don't live in that past 502 00:37:25,790 --> 00:37:31,080 mistake anymore, but I let it motivate me to never let that 503 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:35,400 happen again. Maybe you've had a similar 504 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,560 experience, or maybe you haven't. 505 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:41,720 I want to challenge you this morning. 506 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:49,720 Some statistics show that one in 10 Christians, if asked if 507 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:52,760 they've shared the gospel of just one person in the last 508 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:56,160 year, one in 10 would say, yes, I have. 509 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,320 This is more than saying come to church with me, which is a great 510 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:02,600 thing. Please do that. 511 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,320 This is more than saying God bless you, Jesus loves you, 512 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:13,640 which are great things. Without the proclamation of the 513 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:18,240 full gospel, no one will be saved. 514 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:24,840 And Resurrection Church, you every Sunday are sent from this 515 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:31,920 building by Pastor Daniel. You are sent to go proclaim the 516 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:35,880 gospel. If you have never taken that 517 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,880 seriously, I hope that today you will. 518 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,840 You are sent from this place to be a proclaimer. 519 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:55,040 Don't practice the sin of silence any longer. 520 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:00,520 Now, today you may be in this place and you're not the one 521 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:06,480 that needs to go reach the lost. You're actually the one that 522 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:10,520 needs to be reached. It is very possible that there 523 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,840 are some men here today sitting hearing this message, 524 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:18,920 recognizing that you are the one that needs this gospel message. 525 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:24,520 You are the one that needs to call upon the name of the Lord. 526 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:29,880 Pastor Roger who helped found Valley Baptist, used to always 527 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:36,680 say the furthest you could ever be from God is 1 prayer. 528 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:42,200 If you would recognize your sin and your need of a Savior, and 529 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:46,080 you would be willing to turn from that sin in repentance, 530 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:50,080 believing that Jesus lived the perfect life, you couldn't. 531 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:54,880 Believing that he died on the cross to pay for your sin, a 532 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:59,480 death that you deserve. Believing that he was buried and 533 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,600 then on the third day he rose from the grave. 534 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:08,400 No matter the mistakes of your past or your present, Jesus died 535 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:14,640 for you. And the Bible says today is the 536 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:19,360 day of salvation. Why not tomorrow? 537 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:22,840 Why not next week? Why not next month? 538 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:26,080 Why not the next stage of life when you're ready to settle 539 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,240 down? Because only today is a 540 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:31,960 guarantee. Not even later today. 541 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:36,640 Only this moment is a guarantee. And God wants to save you. 542 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,240 He wants to rescue you from your sin. 543 00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:44,400 He desires to save you, a Sinner. 544 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:51,760 So if you don't know Jesus, then I beg of you this morning, don't 545 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:54,600 let sin hold you back any longer. 546 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:59,640 Release your tight grip on that lifestyle and put your faith in 547 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:02,960 Jesus this morning. Would you bow with me? 548 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:10,080 If that's you today and you know right now you are not saved and 549 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:15,120 you need that Savior and you want to pray and ask Jesus to 550 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:19,480 come into your life to call upon His name, Would you raise your 551 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:22,640 hand up for me? Would you let me know that 552 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:28,120 that's you this morning if you need to receive Christ? 553 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:35,160 Amen. Now maybe this morning you're 554 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:39,000 here and you've already been saved, but you're here this 555 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:43,200 morning and you know, you have not been sharing the gospel like 556 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:47,440 you should. And you want to say today, you 557 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:51,440 know what I'm deciding I'm going to be sent and I'm going to obey 558 00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,240 and I'm going to proclaim the gospel. 559 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:56,080 I'm no longer going to be silent. 560 00:41:56,640 --> 00:41:59,600 If that's you today and you want to make a commitment to God this 561 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,240 morning to say I'm going to share the gospel with others, 562 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:07,400 would you raise your hand up? Amen. 563 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,200 Well, for those who raise your hand to give your life to Jesus, 564 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,720 would you pray with me? And you're not praying to me. 565 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,320 This is to God. And in the quietness of your own 566 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:23,080 heart, you could say this to the Lord. 567 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,760 Lord, I recognize that I'm a Sinner. 568 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:31,640 Lord, I know that I need a Savior. 569 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:39,200 And Jesus, you are the Savior. Jesus, I believe you are 570 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:46,000 perfect, that you are God, that you died on the cross for my 571 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:51,920 sin, that you were buried, and that you rose from the grave. 572 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:56,040 And I want to ask you to save me from my sin. 573 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:03,320 Rescue me, come into my life and change me. 574 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:12,400 My life is yours, Jesus. I turn for my sin and I turn to 575 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:14,760 you. Thank you Jesus. 576 00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:19,360 Amen. Let me continue to pray. 577 00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:23,400 Jesus, we thank you for sending us from this place. 578 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,600 We thank you for choosing us to be your mouthpiece, your hands 579 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:31,600 and feet, to be Proclaimers of the gospel. 580 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:34,800 And I pray that every single person in here, including 581 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:42,120 myself, that we would take this seriously every day, that we 582 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:47,560 would proclaim the gospel and that we would use words every 583 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:50,560 time. Help us to be a bright light, 584 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:54,800 help people to see our lives being different and then wanting 585 00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:57,440 to know the difference. And then give us the words. 586 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,720 Lord, give us the courage to share. 587 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:04,640 And God, I want to pray specifically this morning for 588 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:08,800 Resurrection Church. I want to pray for the next door 589 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:11,320 neighbors that each of these people here have. 590 00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:15,600 God, you've placed us in our homes, in our apartments, 591 00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,200 wherever we're living. You've placed us in those 592 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:23,080 locations not just to dwell, but to be bright lights. 593 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,840 God, would you challenge Resurrection Church to continue 594 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:30,480 to be a bright light in their neighborhoods? 595 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,000 And maybe for some who haven't shared the gospel with their 596 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:39,280 neighbors, would you challenge us to meet those neighbors and 597 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:44,800 to share our faith with them? Help us to love them and serve 598 00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:49,480 them and bless them and pray for them, but at some point help us 599 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:53,800 to share the gospel with them? God, we love you and we thank 600 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:57,160 you and pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 601 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:03,080 Amen. Well, if you raised your hand, 602 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:07,000 or maybe you didn't raise your hand and you genuinely prayed to 603 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,400 give your heart and life to Christ, then we would love for 604 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:13,880 you to go back to these prayer tables that say I raised my hand 605 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,480 again, if you didn't raise it, but you prayed, go back to those 606 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:19,880 tables. We've got a gift for you and we 607 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,520 would love to talk with you and share with you more about 608 00:45:23,640 --> 00:45:26,360 knowing Jesus and making Him known. 609 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:29,760 But also, if you need prayer for anything else, I'm going to be 610 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:31,720 off over here. I would love to pray with you. 611 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:35,400 I know there'll be a prayer team up front and we would love to 612 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,080 pray with you. So why don't we stand together 613 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:41,400 and let's sing and let's pray?