What I'd like to speak on this evening, just for a few moments, is the necessity for missions. The necessity for missions. Why do missions still matter? And by missions I mean any act, any engagement with the world around us that has that desire to share the message of the gospel. So we're thinking of foreign missions. We're thinking of home missions. We're thinking of every evangelistic effort to reach out to those that have not heard and not known the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Do missions still matter? According to an organisation known as the Joshua Project, there are approximately 6,700 unreached people groups in the world today. And by an unreached people group, they're referring to a segment of the global population that is less than 2% evangelical Christian. So you can imagine that there are huge populations in this world that have no churches, no missionaries, no Christian witness, and in some cases not even copies of the scriptures in their own languages. 6,700 unreached people groups. Now you might ask, why would such a number be of interest to us? I think for the very simple reason that it is a number that would be of interest to the Lord. David Livingstone, the great missionary to Africa, once said that God had only one son and he made that son a missionary. Our Saviour left his home in heaven to travel to a world that didn't know him, to spend his life seeking that which was lost and laying down his life that they might be saved. Our Saviour is the master missionary. And if we are truly followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must follow him in the work that he was engaged in, the work of missions, bringing the message of the gospel to those that have never heard it. Now, Charles Spurgeon described this Psalm 96 that we have read as a missionary hymn. He said it's an Old Testament song written with New Testament notes. And I trust that as we go through it very quickly this evening that the Lord will reveal to us from his word his great desire for the nations of this world to hear his gospel, to know his glory, praise his name. And I want to give you just three very simple reasons from this psalm why missions still matter. They matter, firstly, when we look around us. You see, the Lord Jehovah was the God of the Jewish people quite uniquely, but he was never to be their God exclusively. The children of Israel often forgot it, But they were supposed to be lights unto the Gentile nations. Witnesses unto the ends of the earth of the glory of God. And as you read through this psalm we catch a little glimpse of that. When we look at some of the terms and phrases that we find in this psalm. For instance in verse 1. We read, sing unto the Lord all the earth. In verse 3, we read there at the end, of all people. In verse 5, we read of the nations. In verse 7, we read of the kindreds of the people. And we take those expressions, all the earth, all the people, the nations, the kindreds of the people. This is a psalm that calls for the people of God to look around them and realize that there are many in this world that do not know about the Lord. In fact, when we read those terms, all the world, the kindreds, the nations, my mind goes forward to Revelation chapter 7. There John is given a vision of the throne of God and he tells us that surrounding that throne is a multitude that's so vast that no man can number it and they're drawn out of all nations, all kindreds, all peoples and all tongues. Many of the same expressions we find here in Psalm 96. So you and I as Christians as we look around us knowing that the population of the world is increasing every day We realize that the need of men to hear the gospel increases daily. We look around us and we see people that are lost from their birth. Verse 3 tells us, declare his glory among the heathen. Now who are the heathen? Well, if you had asked a Jewish person, they would have said anyone that wasn't a Jew. But it's more specific than that. It's a title that refers to someone who was not in covenant relationship with God. Those who couldn't say, I am his and he is mine. Now, who is that today? Well, actually, it's each and every one of us born into this world. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 and 12 that we were aliens or we were outsiders from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. And when we look around us this evening, that's what we see in those thousands of people groups that know nothing of the Lord. We see them born in sin. We see them separated from God, spiritually dead in their trespasses and in their iniquities on the road that leads to a lost eternity without God and without hope. That's how we're born into this world, without God and without hope. And if that were not bad enough, We're told that they're not only lost from their birth, but they're lost in their beliefs. Verse 5 reminds us that the gods of the nations are idols. You see, it doesn't matter where you go in the world today, to the rainforests of South America, to the plains of Africa, to the teeming millions in India or Asia. You'll find a multitude of belief systems and religions and faiths of all kinds. And that presents a problem. And the problem is that we are living in a society that we're told is increasingly inclusive. That means it's accepting of every belief system and every religion. And you've probably heard it said Why? Are all religions not essentially the same? Do they not all eventually lead to heaven in the end? Do we not all worship the same God, just in different ways? Well, to the Bible-believing Christian, the answer to that question is no. All religions are not the same. All religions do not lead to heaven. We do not all worship the same God. The Lord Jesus Christ himself reminded us of the exclusive nature of Christianity when he said, I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father except by me. There is but one name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved. You see, what sets apart Bible Christianity from every other religion is that they will give you a list of commands to keep, of rituals to follow, of pilgrimages to go on, of deeds of charity to do, and they'll tell you, do all of these things, do them and live. Whereas the Bible tells us that the works of our hands do not justify us. We are not saved by our works. We're not saved by our obedience. We're not saved by the things that we do. We're saved by God's grace on the basis of what Christ has done. Therein lies the distinction between Bible Christianity and every other religion. All the other religions say, do this and live. The Bible tells us it's all of grace and it's all of God. Why do missions matter? They matter when we look around us and see the multitudes in this world born in sin and following false religions that can only ever lead them to a lost eternity without God and without hope. Missions matter when we look around us and see the lostness of the world. Let me give you a second reason why missions matter. And if anything, the second reason is more important than the first. Missions matter not only when we look around us and see the lostness of men, but when we look above us and see the worthiness of God. You see, the primary reason that the Bible gives us for bringing the gospel into all the world is that God is worthy. What truly fuels and furthers the work of missions is not so much the lostness of man as the worthiness of God. Because at its very heart, the work of missions, the spreading of the gospel message, has the desire to see the name and the glory of God spread across this earth and amongst all nations that God might receive the praise and the honor and the glory that He is due. And when we fully appreciate who our God is and how worthy He is of that praise, then we better understand the importance of us carrying His gospel into all the world. You see, our God desires to be proclaimed. We read in verse 2, sing unto the Lord, bless His name, show forth His salvation from day to day, show forth His salvation What's interesting is that little verb, show forth, it translates from a word that can be found elsewhere, translated publish, or proclaim, or indeed to preach. Preach the salvation of the Lord from day to day. And where are we to do that? Well, verse 1 tells us, in all the earth. So let me paraphrase those opening verses for you. In all the earth, sing unto the Lord and bless his name, and preach forth his salvation from day to day. That reminds me of what the Savior said. Go ye into all the earth, into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. When we look above, we realize that it is the heart of God for men to know him. He desired His people to reveal Him to this world. Our Saviour came into this world to reveal God to mankind. That's why we read in the book of Hebrews concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the express image of the Father. He's the brightness of His glory. That's why the Saviour could say when He stood before that crowd, He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. The Lord Jesus has come to reveal God to mankind. And we who are Christians tonight, to whom God has been revealed, we need to realise that God who has revealed Himself to us, now desires to reveal Himself through us. He desires to be proclaimed, preach forth his salvation from day to day. Not only does he desire to be proclaimed, but he deserves to be praised. For the Lord is great, verse 4 says, and greatly to be praised. Verse 7 says, Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Oh, if we could only manage to do that. To give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Here's the highest cause and motivation and missions. Our God is worthy and he deserves all of the praise and honor and worship and glory that mankind can give. Yes, we should be concerned about the lost souls of men and we should be grieving over the millions that are dying every day and on their way to hell. But even more than that, we should be weeping over the fact that our God does not receive all the glory that he deserves. that men should ever die without hearing and knowing and praising the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, that we would catch a glimpse of His glory. We don't have time to turn to it this evening, but there in the book of Isaiah, in the chapter 6, we hear a great missionary text in the verse, 8 of that verse, where the Lord asks the question, Whom shall I send and who will go for us? To which Isaiah responds, Here am I. Send me. Do you ever think about what caused Isaiah to volunteer to the service of God? Was it that he'd looked around and seen the waywardness of the children of Israel, or the sinfulness of the nations round about? No, what you find is that Isaiah's in the temple, and he sees a vision of the Lord upon his throne, and his train fills the temple. And the angels are hovering around, describing praise unto God. Holy, holy, holy. Isaiah catches a glimpse of the worthiness of God, His great majesty. And when God asks the question, who will go for us? Isaiah, who has caught a glimpse of the worthiness of God, says, here am I. Send me. If we could just catch that same glimpse of the glory of God, how that would transform our service for the Master. We would enlist to His cause. We would volunteer for His service. We would say with Isaiah, Lord, here am I. Send me. Missions matter when we look around us and see the lostness of men. And they matter when we look above us and we see the worthiness of God. And they matter when we look ahead and we see the awful judgment that's coming. That's where the psalm brings us to and it's close. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth. The world also shall be established, that it shall not be moved. He shall judge the people righteously. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth. Say amongst those who know not the Lord as their Savior. Say amongst those who have refused and rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, that the Lord reigneth. I think of the crowd that gathered before Pontius Pilate in the Judgment Hall. And I think of our Saviour bruised and battered and bloodied, brought before that crowd. Pontius Pilate seeking to wash his hands of the crime that he's about to commit. and presenting to them the Saviour, and saying, What then will I do with Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews? And they said away with him. Crucify him. Crucify him. You know what they said? We will not have this man to rule over us. We have no king but Caesar. And what is God's word? to a world that has refused and rejected His darling Son, say among the heathen, the Lord reigneth. The Lord Jesus Christ reigns. Not that He will reign, but that He already reigns. The truth is He is not waiting to become the King. He is already King. Indeed, He is King of Kings. And His kingdom has begun in the hearts and lives of those that know Him. And there's coming a day when our King, who reigns in heaven, that He will return to this world, and the revelation tells us that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of His Christ, and of His rule there shall be no end. The King is coming. Ah, when he came the first time, he came as a babe, born of the Virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. But when he comes again, he is coming as a king, and he will be upon his white horse, and his royal vestment will be stained with the blood of his enemies, and he will not rest until they are at his feet, when every tongue is confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. Oh, for the Christian it's a day of rejoicing, to be transformed into the glorious image and likeness of the Saviour, to be ushered into the presence of God, to enjoy those blessings that He has prepared for those that know and love Him. What a day of rejoicing that will be. But what of those who are lost? He is not coming as their Redeemer, He is coming as their Judge. He will judge the world with righteousness and the people with His truth. And so we seek to persuade men, pointing them to the Lamb of God before they stand face to face with the lion of the tribe of Judah. Or as Paul said, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Now Christian, you and I have an important duty given to us by our King. In these days between his ascension and his return again, we will refer to them as days of grace. And in this day of grace, you and I have been given a duty by our King. We are to be ambassadors for him. We are to take his message and his word and declare it throughout all the earth. Hear the message of the great King. For he cometh, he cometh to judge the earth. Hear his word. And we warn men to flee from the wrath which is to come. For when we read in Scriptures, Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all the kindreds of the earth shall weal because of him. And we are told how they'll cry for the very mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the presence of the all-seeing, all-knowing Christ. for He is coming to judge the world with righteousness. But an awful day of judgment is coming when the small and great of mankind are assembled before that great white throne and the books are opened. What is our duty, Christians? to go on the behalf of our great King with the message of the Gospel to tell men of their guilt before God, to warn them that the evidence against them is overwhelming, that if they dare to stand trial before the great Judge of all the earth, they will be convicted and they will be condemned. But our Judge is merciful. He's willing to grant a full pardon to all who in confession of their sins before God, and in repentance and turning from them, if they'll come to the Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of God, which is eternal life, they will be saved. They repent and believe, and we urge them to settle their case out of court. to be justified before God before they are judged by Him. Ours one of the old Puritans was one to say that it is better to bow before the scepter of Christ than to be broken by it. We have a duty to tell the world that there's a day coming in which the Lord Jesus Christ will return and judge the world with righteousness. Missions matter when we look around us and see the lostness of men. They matter when we look above us and we see the worthiness of God. And they matter when we look ahead and see the judgment that's coming. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, once said, would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest. and heaven so real that we must have men there, and Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the man of sorrows the man of joy by the conversion to him of many. May we lift up our eyes and see those fields white and ready to harvest in labourers' view. And may the Lord enable us to see that missions still matter. Matter when we look around us, and when we look above us, and when we look ahead of us. The lost souls of men demand our going and preaching the gospel to every creature. And may we find that that which matters most to God The great praise and glory of His name will be that which matters most to us also. Amen.