What a beautiful building you have here. Just to see this ascribing to the Lord and then the five solas and all that's here. We were almost like a museum there in... and Jennifer and Kurt's home. And it was a joy just to wander around on all the walls and see all the history and the antique kinds of things that are part of the heritage of really missionary endeavors. And so as we come this morning, my desire and what I've been asked to do is to bring a message concerning our missionary responsibilities. And you have kind of a strange title, I think, before you there, a snuff box. and world missions, which may sound a little strange. I don't know that there'd be, if we, probably we're not a church that raises our hands a great deal here, but if we were to do that, probably wouldn't be too many of you that would know what a snuff box really is. I, because of my parents being divorced and my mother being with a stroke five days after I was born, I was raised by my grandparents. And so actually the month of June and July, I would go to Chandler, Arizona and stay with my great-grandmother. And she had always that snuff was part of her, just who she was. seemed to not affect her too much. She lived to almost 100, so somehow or another, I don't know if that's what caused her to live longer, but it's a kind of tobacco that would be fermented for two or three years type of thing, and she'd keep it in a box and was always putting that up above her lip up there, and kind of an unusual thing. But 200 years ago and a little more, There was a group of men in England that gathered together, and you would know some of their names, Fuller and Carey and others. As they gathered together, there were 13 of them, and they committed together to do something to see the gospel spread to the nations of the earth. In fact, their pledge together as the first missionary society, I quote, they were humbly desirous of making an effort for the propagation of the gospel amongst the heathen. We unanimously resolve to act in society together for this purpose. And they had a snuff box. wouldn't seem too appropriate maybe to us, but this was their means to begin to commit together to send the gospel to the nations, to disciple the nations. And I guess for them, it was Andrew Fuller's snuffbox, and he had on the top of it a fine imprint of the conversion of the Apostle Paul, so it kind of made it special, you know. But I believe our purpose in all of this is to remember way back that the church of Jesus Christ has had this great commission. And I believe we have all the politicians in there trying to make America great again. But the Great Commission is great upon us right now. Still, it should roar in our ears that there's a reality that we have this element to disciple the nations and not be a comfortable mutual admiration society as we love each other so much. And that's wonderful. But we need to be those who send forth the good news to the nations. Now, what I want to do is really look at this from a missionary aspect in a very practical way and see the greatness of this commission as a great command, a great strategy, and then finally, a great challenge. You've heard, I'm sure, exegetical sermons, maybe a half a dozen or more of them on the Great Commission. We read these words that are familiar to us. Then the 11 disciples, from Matthew chapter 28, verse 16, the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. Where they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age." Let's pray together. Father, we do ask that you would refresh our minds with this beautiful word from the Lord Jesus Christ, that truly He is the Lord, the King, that He is not running for office, but we can look to him as the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Visit us, O Lord, with an understanding of what is the great commission for us this morning. We thank you again in Jesus' name. Amen. If you look at this passage, surely from the standpoint of the theological aspects of it and all the different things of sermons you've heard, it's really one of the great Trinitarian passages in all the Bible. It's in the name, one name. in three persons of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and the beauty of the baptisms that you would have, and that wonderful way in which the triune God, yes, were sealed in His name. But this aspect of the Great Commission, I believe, starts with the reality that it is a great command. It's a command that we would make disciples, It has been said that there have been millions and millions and millions of decisions in our country of people who have gone right on just as before, but they've signed the card, so to speak. They've said yes to some questions. They've prayed a prayer, but they've never been born from above. And certainly, If one is to be a Christian, he is to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is this aspect that's even in a grander way of what our passage speaks of as a great command, and that is that we would disciple the nations. It's more than just individual aspects. It's to take the gospel to the whole of a nation and a people. So what we have before us is something of great importance. Going all the way back to the scriptures and the promises of the Old Testament in a beautiful way, we have this command and certainly the blessing promised through Abraham to all the nations of the earth. And yes, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that. Yes, we have a culture where we are right now so polarized, one group of people against another, others demanding their rights, the races polarized, the different ethnic groups polarized. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that really can bring people together under his headship and his good news in Christ. So as we look at this passage, this command gives us this working of the Holy Spirit to do what is impossible with all the political systems, with all the promises of men, the gospel does bring together people in Jesus Christ. And so here I would speak to you this morning of this great command in the sense that it is also calling us to use means. As God commands us, He gives us the means to obey this command. So looking at this passage, we referred to William Carey and that group of men some 200 years ago that met in England, and their very purpose was this taking the gospel to the nations. And they did that with means. Now, almost a bit humorous to think they begin with a snuff box and to put a little bit of money that each one had to commit to this, and that was the beginning of the means to send forth William Carey later to India. And your involvement in carrying on that very work in India, is very important to this very day. William Carey, he was, in a sense, one who came to bring the gospel to the people, and he saw where the people were. And as he got to know their language, their culture, all the history, and all the different aspects of who they were, he began to speak into this group of people. Sometimes we think that people around us are without culture and history and that that's not important. But there are no history-less, culture-less people anywhere. We have to know who they are. We have the beauty of that Christ was made flesh and dwelt among the people. There was an incarnation that took place. And Cary went there to speak into that culture that we know as Hinduism. They didn't translate their scriptures from Sanskrit. They did not put them into all the different languages because they actually believe that they're constant repeating these things. It was something that was to be passing over the intellect. It was something to deny the intellect, really. they had this element of what we would speak of, of experiencing the mantra, the systematic going over of certain words meaninglessly, repeating them again and again and again, something like our glossolalia that we would know among the different cults and even our Latter-day Saints there in Mesa, Arizona. There would still be that history of tongue speaking and how they would have that element, not of a language, but this over and over. Our indigenous people up in Navajo in Arizona, there is this mantra that they bypass the intellect. So when there is a denial of reason and logic, the necessity of the Word of God to come to these people and speak to them to their minds with the truth that they are truly made in the image of God, male and female. One of the things that William Carey spoke to, so important in the history that's there, was that of Sati. I don't know if you're familiar with that background, It was that the widow, since her God was really her husband, and since her God has died, the whole process was that her life was without any real value and meaning, so she would cast herself upon his burning pile of ashes, and really commit suicide. That was a whole practice that was out and about in the land that he took the gospel to. So there, that element of sati, and it was a horrible thing, And for Cary, when he came with the gospel, he came speaking to them that their lives had meaning because they were made in the image of God, male and female, and that their God was not their husband, but the true and living God, that they had been made in his image. And there is something of importance for them to understand that suicide is sinful because their lives don't belong to them. They're made in God's image. They belong to Him. And then with that, we need to realize even to this day, I don't know if you're familiar at all maybe with the writings of Vishal Mangawati, but his writings as an author of importance in India, as a man who has written important works historically, linguistically, he would say India today is at the point where they could even vote to get rid of Christian England, as they would speak of it, and have a national vote. He has written saying, I have no doubt that the pro-Sati lobby would win in India. just as the pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia lobbies have for now won in the West. And so the good news of the gospel speaks to a culture where it really is. We are those who need to take the gospel to the culture where we live and send it to the other cultures of the world. We need to know their languages. We need to know their history. We need to speak to them as real living people. that aren't history-less, and then realize the gospel really does answer the big questions. What's the meaning of life? Why are we here? Why does everything work like it does? Why is it we can have science? Why is there order in this creation where we all live? This gospel speaks to all these cultures. There's meaning to life. There's purpose. There's order. There's direction. Where did these laws come from? What breathes fire into these laws that makes our universe? Why are things the way they are? Is it just fate or chance or Mother Nature is at work among us? No, God is present. He has a purpose for all of life. And we have a message that speaks to these things. It is God's glorious plan. As we have in the throne room of the book of Revelation chapter 4, you created all things. and by your will they were created and have their being." We have a missed message from the nations of the earth that they are without direction, without meaning to life. They're without purpose. We have the good news of Jesus Christ. So this commandment is important as we come to this. And just to realize the one who commands us is the Lord God Almighty. Jesus Christ is God, but he is also as the Messiah, the one who has ascended to the Father's right hand. He came here, died on the cross for our sins, rose again from the dead, but He also has already ascended to the Father's right hand, and He has received power and authority, and He speaks to us and commands us to disciple the nations, the peoples of the earth, the cultures of the earth. He is the King. I would ask you to read Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14 with me. Let's turn there to Daniel, just that you would have this afresh in your mind. that He really is the one who has ascended to His Father's right hand, as we have all through the New Testament. But it was part of that glorious day that is now present. He is now, right now at the Father's right hand. He right now has all authority and power. He is the Lord. He is now King. As we read in the vision of Daniel, Chapter 7, verse 13, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. All peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." That is reality right now. There are peoples from all the nations of the earth. It's an amazing, amazing thing. Christ's church has obeyed that command and we continue to obey that command. It's the great command to disciple the nations. Just recently, I was up in Toronto, Canada, with a wonderful church up there. And that church has, as I was told, between 20 and 25 ethnic groups represented in that church. The gospel is going to all parts of the earth, and the nations are being discipled. Now, I want us to pause just for a few moments. Yes, it is the great command. But it's also the great story. And I love it when we look back and see our heritage. God has been at work all through these ages in all these different ways. The ancient church is part of our heritage. And one of the most amazing things that you can read in all of history, it's not that somehow or another the Romans, wow, look what they've done, or the Greeks, look what they've done. The Roman Empire was this massive power. What an amazing thing they had. But it was brought to destruction. Not by, you know, great armies. But an amazing thing took place. There were plagues, and Christians went and cared for those people who were dying. They were female babies. They weren't wanted, so they were just thrown outside the city, the pueblo, the town, and Christians went because they believed they were made in the very image of God, and they cared for them. It would be, in our own time, what kind of opportunities are taking place in China right now with the coronavirus? What kind of opportunities may be there for those who really care for people that are made in the image of God, caring for others? There was, during that time in the ancient church, an amazing thing that took place. There was, with the epidemics and all that went on, sometimes masses of people that died, and yet Christians cared for themselves. And so they, quite often, were able to go through those plagues and then have an immunity to those plagues and care for others. There was an amazing thing, as they really did care for people and love people, There's a volume that speaks of the ancient church and what took place. It's called The Rise of Christianity. Rodney Strong has this volume that shows how Christianity overcame the gospel, yes, but it was a gospel that cared for people. and it brought down the whole empire. Change took place in a powerful way. What was just an obscure little movement in a couple centuries, in a few centuries, brought down the Roman Empire. Remember, the heritage we have, it's a great story. It really is. We often speak of the Reformation, but one of the things that we don't often speak of about the Reformation is how the gospel went forth, how it was sent forth so powerfully. The city of Geneva, as we would have given to us the historical elements that are there, is really something that is important for us to remember. There was a training of men to go forth as missionaries to all these different countries in Europe. In fact, in one year, it was recorded as they were sent forth to be evangelizing the foreign parts, in the year 1561, there were 142 missionaries sent forth in that one year from Geneva." Now, I think that's an amazing statement because we need to realize many of these went forth to be martyred. There's some letters, maybe some of you have heard, a letter that Calvin wrote to five, I believe, that were sent into France. And he knew they were already held prisoner and they were going to be executed. And just to write, these are the ones they sent forth to take the gospel to these places. It wasn't a... They're waiting for us. You got a salary, it's all prepared. You're gonna go forth, it's all, hey, one, two, three, you're gonna be a missionary, and you got a good support, it's all set up nice. 142 missionaries sent forth in one year, and many of them sent forth to die. There is a heritage we have of discipling the nations that is an amazing story. They were sent to Italy, Germany, Holland, Scotland, England, and France. And it is true that many were martyred. The year 1556 is when Geneva sent forth missionaries, the first Protestant missionaries to the New World, sent to Brazil. These are facts of history that are part of our heritage. And we need to be those who continue to send forth the gospel to the nations. Yes, it takes away from some of the strength at times, I'm sure, to send someone to India, to send someone to other lands and parts. But this is part of the joy that we do send forth laborers and encourage and help The discipling of the nations. It's part of our heritage. The sovereignty of God. Yes. His people will come. He will draw them. If Christ be lifted up, he will draw all men to himself. All that the father gives him will come to him. There is that reality. But he uses means in the history and heritage of his church. He uses the means that he gives to us as his people. We have something, I think, that's fascinating. Because we've been involved in publishing over the last 50 years or so of Christian books, There's a book written actually on the publishing that took place in the Reformation. And it's actually a fact, those who have studied it, that Martin Luther outpublished the Catholics 9 to 1. He would go into the printing houses, and of course, this was a very laborious thing, the printing. And he would be, no, I need bigger print on this particular book here. I need a cover. I want some woodcuts over here, because I want people to read this. Not just get it done, but there was something involvement. How is the means that we have to get the gospel out is important. And so there was something there, that responsibility. The father of missions, William Carey, that we speak of, he was very involved in this, getting the gospel out. He got involved, I believe, in such an amazing way of getting it into all their different languages, 40 different languages. He saw the scriptures initially, at least, translated into parts of those languages. I wanted to just encourage you to read about missions and the heritage that we have in this missionary endeavor together. Maybe some of you are familiar with this book. It's called The Legacy of William Carey. If you're not, you really need to get a copy. It's a powerful book, a model for seeing the gospel go into the nations of the earth today by Vishal and Ruth Mangawati, published by Crossway. I just would say it's good to read about missions. Be encouraged with what takes place in the missionary history that we have. There's a chapter that begins the book. There's a professor there with all these history students in a university in India. And he says, who was William Carey? And someone says, oh, he was a missionary. Then someone else says, oh, but he was also a botanist. There's all these trees named after him. Someone else says he was an industrialist. He was the first one to bring the steam engine to India. He was Involved actually he actually ended up having to grow his trees for his paper for his publishing Because all the paper that he would find in india was covered with a rice coating and the bugs loved to eat his books up So he planted trees. He began to think in long term. How is the gospel these books? How are they going to have a long-term element in the culture and with the people? He was using means There was something there of his being involved in astronomy. He was against astrology, set against those things. So he was involved in talking to these people. He was involved in schools getting started, libraries. He was a crusader, we've already spoken of, for women's rights, that they wouldn't have to cast themselves upon their husbands' ashes and die. He was one who was involved in newspapers. Actually, it was until just about 25 years ago that the major newspaper in one of the important parts of India still had his name on it as a founder. Something was going on here more than just three questions, and are you saved, and shake my hand and pray a prayer. There was something so much deeper that they were involved. We have this element. Let me give you this quick quote. We must never confide in God to the neglect of means. So we must never engage in the use of means without a sense of our dependence on God. It's not that one cancels out the other, but we need to trust in the Lord's work in the hearts of people, but at the same time use the means to reach those people. We've got to learn their language if we're really going to speak to their hearts. We've got to learn their culture if we're to understand how they're thinking and speak the gospel to them. We've got to have means to be involved as William Carey historically was involved. That's part of that history the great story of the Church of Jesus Christ. It's an amazing story. Read about it. Learn about it. Rejoice in what God has done. But then there's a final word here that I'd like to encourage you with. And that is the great challenge today, the 21st century. I don't think we need a snuff box to start this morning and put some money in that, a pound or a guinea or something into it, as those Englishmen. We're not here to imitate them in that sense. But in another sense, we are here to imitate to honor how they have carried the gospel to others with sacrifice. How are the means? As we are here this morning, I've met some of you. I know some of your history. And there's some of you here that have gifts, abilities, Talents in such a way that God can use you to take the gospel to people all over in different cultures in different places Right here around this community that we're surrounded by the nations of the earth right here The great challenge today is to the use of a lawful means, the internet, the printing press, radio. All these are lawful means that we need to look at them. How can we be involved in taking the gospel to all these places? Are we saying that somehow or another preaching is not important? No. Preaching the gospel is important, but there's all kinds of ways we can see the gospel go forth. We are to be those living letters in all these areas of life. There is a beauty to this making disciples of the nations, how to obey the Great Commission today. What is the privilege? Yes, it's a command, but it's, in a deeper sense, a privilege. We have Three very quick practical points for us this morning. And I would ask you to just note these things in your mind, to acknowledge His authority in all of life. He has ascended already at the Father's right hand. He does have all power and authority in heaven and on earth right now. There is a reality that all of life is to be for His kingdom, whether it's plants or stars or music, the internet, printing, education, business, technology, whatever it may be in all these different areas of life. They are to be under the lordship of Jesus Christ. And yes, we can use these things to bring forth the gospel, to speak to others of the Lord Christ. He is Lord. We have this privilege that we are to use all lawful means to promote this gospel and his kingdom, and to acknowledge his authority to do that. Secondly, and a very practical note here, I believe we are to be creative in the work that God has given us. Many of you here have tremendous creative abilities. Young people, there's things you can learn, children, languages you can learn, things you can learn to take the gospel to the nations. If you wait till you're 25, 30, 40, you're not going to learn Navajo. If you wait till you're, you know, 45 or 50, you're not going to learn the different languages in different parts of the world. Right now, as a young person, as children, that's when you learn other languages. There are things you need to do. Use your abilities to take the gospel to other people. There's responsibility that comes with this. There's creativity with the task. Now, I think there should be creativity in all of life. I recently heard about a lady who had trouble with her children that she was homeschooling. Maybe there's a few of you who could identify with...it would always be at the end of the day, you know, and they're supposed to pick everything all up before people would be arriving for the afternoon or evening or whatever it was, and it would be just painful to get it. What she did, she put on the overture, the 1812 overture, and suddenly the kids were picking up things with things happening and everything. It was over. Well, creativity is an important element of life. So I would just encourage you to think, how can we as a church of Jesus Christ take the gospel to others? One of the things we did in Latin America, we spent time, yes, with the culture, with the people. We wrote a book called Libertad, Freedom. One of the great heroes of Latin America, his name is Simon Bolivar. Some people here say it in kind of a corny kind of way. It sounds Simon Bolivar, kind of gives us the willies almost for those who speak Spanish. Simon Bolivar sounds like somewhere down in Mississippi, somewhere far away, you know. Simon Bolivar was a liberator of five countries from Spain, this important person. Freedom, as he's dying in Santa Marta on the northern coast of Colombia. A French medical doctor attends his bedside there, and he says, why are you here to the medical doctor? And he says, I came here in search for freedom. And he asked the question, Bolivar, to the doctor, did you find that? And he says, yes, I have. And then Bolivar responds, then you have been more fortunate than I. This book on liberty begins with that story of Bolivar. And so a whole group of churches in Colombia and some other places, they took that book and when they had their Independence Day, they would present it to their mayor of a pueblo, of a town. They would present it to other government officials and ask them, you know, here, the real liberty that we have must be in Jesus Christ. There's other ways that we would think creatively. We have there in Medellin, Colombia, a group our son has met, that our son met with for some years, and about 25 business people, instead of giving out what is typically given out there in Colombia, in Medellin, equivalent to the Mexican tequila, aguardiente, it's something kind of given out at Christmas, you know, everybody to receive something, you know, from a business, here is your gift. But what they did, they had a book written on the book of Proverbs, and it's business principles that are there. And then the last chapter has, one greater than Solomon has come, Jesus Christ. And all these different businesses, they put their imprimatur on that, their business stamp on it, and they gave it to all their...and 4,200 copies went out in the month of December that year. How can we get the gospel out in a creativity fashion, in a way that we would think through, how can we do this with honesty, integrity, that we would take the gospel to the people all around us? Yes, it's the great command, and we have a great story that's behind it, but we also need to have great creativity that we would take the gospel to those that are around us. It's a great privilege to be involved in doing that. How are we involved? How are we doing that? How do we take seriously the wonderful, great commission? And I would add one more thing to this that we should have within our heart of hearts that we would be passionately committed to discipling the nations. And I would remind you, sometimes it's almost like we have what I would call a Greek understanding of the gospel, that it's a spiritual thing. The gospel of Jesus Christ has to do with all of life, material things, everything about this creation of God. There is redemption in Jesus Christ, and we have the message. It's the Great Commission, not the Greek Commission, but Christ is Lord of all of life, and we are to be passionate about that with those we love and to disciple the nations. So it's something we know, as this Great Commission says, with the words of the Lord Jesus for ourselves, I am with you always, even till the end of the age. It's his purpose right now to have his authority send us forth through his church and to be, yes, in a wonderful way, creative in taking the gospel to the nations, and to be passionate about doing that from our hearts, and not letting the elite, the pastors, the missionaries, those people up there, the giraffes somewhere. No, all of us as sheep are involved in taking the gospel to everyone. In fact, You have wonderful leadership here, pastors who expound the Word. But they don't have the same opportunities those of you who work with computers have. Those who are in manufacturing, those who are involved in medical work, you can take the gospel to those places where if they walk through that door, your pastor walks through the door and it's like, who's he? Why is he saying anything? Where you have day in, day out, you can be that living letter that are read by those people. And then when you speak to them, they hear you. Let's pray together. O Lord, we do ask that you would somehow, by your Holy Spirit, even in these moments that we have together right now, Cause us to be those who would be creative in taking the gospel to those around us. Cause us to be passionate, committed to taking and discipling the nations, to sending forth others, but also of going ourselves to those around us from other lands and nations. and all of us, that we would truly be those who hear the voice of the one who has all authority and all power in heaven and on earth, that we would be those who would be obedient to discipling the nations. Hear our prayer, Lord. We aren't here with somehow or another to talk you into doing something. We are here, Lord, asking for your help. We are with great hearts to do your will on earth as it is in heaven. We ask now, Lord, for your blessing upon us. In Jesus' name, amen.