I want to invite you to open your Bibles if you would to the book of Romans in chapter number one. Romans chapter number one. Thank you so much for that special. I have enjoyed the music. I've enjoyed the fellowship. I've enjoyed the kindness of the people here. This has been such a great conference. I praise the Lord for the missionaries that are visiting here and what a wonderful time. When I was in college, I remember many times that your pastor came through and he preached in the chapel services, he preached in the conferences. And I used to always love to hear him preach. And now I get to be here and I thought, Lord, have mercy. I'm scared to death to sit with him on the platform. You know, I mean, I used to hear this guy preach all the time and I'm so thankful. Let me just tell you, as a church family, you know, sometimes we don't realize all the blessings we have when we're in the middle of them. So sometimes we need somebody from the outside to come in and say, boy, God's been good to you. And you know what? All the buses and the people that are coming and the people that are being saved and the talent, the wonderful things that are happening. God has been very, very good to you. I just asked last night, Pastor Pete, when I heard the announcements, I said, is Bob and Becky Mack from this church? And he said, yeah. And I said, no way. They're like missionary heroes to me and my wife. I remember when we were in college, they came through and I remember praying for them. My wife spending so much time, her and her twin sister, going up there watching the kids and helping them out. And we thought so much of them. And the other night I looked over and I saw, I thought, you've got to be kidding. I mean, this place is awesome. You know, I mean, this is so great. And what a blessing it has been to be with y'all. Romans chapter number one in your Bibles. And we're going to run through a couple of different passages this morning through the Word of God. I want to speak to you about one specific subject and maybe I'm going to pose the question and you'll answer the question yourself at the end of this hour. But I want you to think what happens to those people who do not hear? How can they know who our God is? Maybe you look around the world and you hear you know Thailand there's 99% that's that Buddhist and maybe you hear about of China that's atheist or even Buddhist, or maybe you hear about different countries that's Islam, Muslim, maybe you hear about all these different places. How in the world can people know who our God is? I mean, we have the blessing that we could turn on the radio maybe in here, we can come to a church, we are open and free to have a Bible and to hear and you read books or whatever it may be to receive a tract. We have that blessing, many parts of the world does not. So how can they know who our God is? When I arrived to Argentina as a missionary, my family and I spent 10 years in South America. When we arrived there, I remember many times someone will get saved and what a blessing it was. But they would say, well, what about my dad? What about my grandma who's no longer here with me? And I would run to the Word of God, and I would try to show them what the Word of God says. But you and I many times have questions that run through our mind. And allow me to say this, dear friend. God has never left us without an answer. God's Word gives us all that we need. He tells us everything about every little detail. God tells us. God shares it with us. So I pose a question this morning. How can every person around this globe, how can they know who our God is? When we go to Romans chapter 1 and Paul, under the inspiration of God, he's writing here. We'll begin in verse number 18. The Bible says this, For the wrath of God, it's revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. So he begins a study. And just previously to this, he was speaking. And even later, he'll speak about this wickedness that's going on in the world, that men are vile, that men are changing the natural state of what God made. Look what it says here in verse number 19. The Bible says, Look at verse number 20. Would you say that next word with me? What does it say? Creation. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power in Godhead, so that they, these wicked men, these men that don't know God, so that they are without, next word, what does it say? They are without what? Excuse. and are without excuse. How in the world, living in this place way far away, without the, you know, maybe churches around, without their ancestors telling you, how in the world can they know? Yet God says these wicked and vile people, they are without excuse. But hold on, God. How are they without excuse? I mean, what in the world? What? I mean, they might not even have, you know, the preacher that's right there. How can they be without excuse? So look back at verse number 20, the very first part, it said, So how can people know who our God is? Number one, by way of creation. Would you say that with me? By way of what was it? They can look around. Have you ever thought, I mean, you walk outside, what a beautiful day we have after all that rain, you know, and the wind. We walk outside and you hear the birds chirping. You see them flying in the air and jumping around and you see how beautiful some of them, the feathers and the size, they're so different, wonderful. Have you ever looked around and said, wow, look at that? How beautiful it is. You look at the trees and so large they give the shade, but yet they'll also give the wood to build, yet they'll also give the fruit to eat from. How wonderful of a beauty that God has given this creation is like the signature of God given to you and to me. We may go around, we may look. Did you know I've read different things that said, it's very interesting to me, some scientific facts that they say that the sun is at such a distance that if it was a little bit closer to the planet Earth, then this would be nothing more than a ball of ice and nobody could live on here. Did you know if the sun was a little bit farther away, then it would be this ball of ice. But if it was a little bit closer here, it would be nothing more than a ball of fire. And nobody could live here. But the sun is set at an exact perfect distance from here. Can I tell you, that is not by accident. There is a creator who made everything and put it so perfectly. My daughters are going attending a Christian school where my wife teaches Spanish. And sometimes we'll always go to the library and they'll pick up these books. And be quite honest, we pick up a lot of books and my kids read a whole lot, and especially during the summer. And be quite honest, one of the reasons they read during the summer, they have this book club. if they read like 10 books and they get this free personal pan pizza. Now if you have a day, if you're a dad of five children, you encourage your kids to read because Pizza Hut feeds my kids at least a couple times a month, amen. I don't know what a beauty that is. Well sometimes they'll come and they'll open those books and they'll say, Daddy, do you know what this says? Maybe it's, you know, whatever it's about, scientific facts, and they'll read and say, Daddy, you know what this says? I said, what's that sweetie? The world is 45 million years old. Another book that's totally theirs that will totally contradict itself. I say, tell me some more and we'll read this so that it gives me an opportunity to tell them about our Savior and what he's done. But you know, I look at that and I say, you've got to be kidding me. Does anybody really ever believe this stuff? It's taught in the public school system. It's taught everywhere. Have you ever thought about what evolution is? I mean, imagine if I was to tell you this morning that, you know, millions and millions and even billions of years ago, It was dark abyss and there was nothing here. But amongst all those millions of years that were passed by and all of nowhere, there's a little bitty, I don't know, a puddle of water. Where did it come from? We don't know. We don't ask questions like that. But there's a little puddle of water. And in that little puddle of water, there's a little amoeba. Man, he's swimming around just having the time of his life. The old poor guy is by himself, but he's swimming around for millions of years. I mean, he's got lungs as all get out. I mean, he's swimming around forever. He's swimming around there. And one day as the years go by and the process just happens to be, he swims over to the edge and boy, he grows these little bitty legs and he jumps out like a frog. He becomes from a little frog to, I mean, a little bit bigger. And then now he's a bullfrog and he jumps out and all of a sudden his legs just grow a little bit stronger as the years go by and he becomes a mouse and he begins to run around. Little mouse grows a little bit bigger, becomes a rat. Man, I mean, he's just booking it now. He becomes a cat and then becomes a dog and he grows a little bit bigger. Finally, out of nowhere, he sees this tree. So he takes off running and all of a sudden he starts climbing and now these feet become hands. And he climbs up this tree and he goes out towards the edge and he's on this branch here. And as he's on this branch here, sure enough, he sees that there's a banana there. Where'd it come from? We don't know. We don't ask questions like that. So he grabs a hold of his banana, he peels it back, he just happens to know that thing. And so he peels it back, and he begins to eat it, and he gets tired, and so he wraps his tail around the trunk there, and he begins to swing back and forth and back and forth. Well, hundreds of years are going by as he's swinging back and forth, and finally his tail is cut off. He falls from the tree, and when he hits the ground, he stands up, and he's a man. And that, my friends, is where we come from. You seriously telling me? I mean, come on! We believe this silly stuff? Listen, dear friends, you and I know better. So when God comes to this question that we have, Lord, how can they know who you are? He says, first of all, they can all know. They can look around, see the wonderful things. They can know I am the creator of all this creation. When we would look at a construction of a beautiful building, we say, well, obviously, there must have been a constructor. We look at a painting, we say, well, there must have been a painter. We look at maybe the bulletin, we see this graphic design, we say, well, there must have been a designer. We look at creation, we say, there must have been a creator. You see, creation is nothing more than the signature of our God right here in this world pointing to him saying, hey, I am here, I am true, I am the only God that ever exists. But jump with me to chapter number two very quickly, if you would. Romans in chapter number two in your Bible, and look what the Bible says here, Romans chapter number two. The Bible says this, Romans chapter number two, jump to verse number 14. So chapter number one tells us that we can know who our God is by way of creation. But look at chapter number two. Verse number 14, the Bible says for when the Gentiles, now I remind you the Gentiles are anybody around that's not a Jew. So there were the, you know, later the Philistines and there was all these Jebusites and these Ites and all these groups that were around the Syrians and everybody else. Anybody that was not a Jew was considered a Gentile. So when these Gentiles, verse number 14, which have not the law, now it's the law of God, it's the law of Moses, that's what he gave in the book of Exodus, we know that, and these children of Israel knew that, they had that memorized. So look what it says, verse number 14, when the Gentiles, which have not the law, Do by nature the things contained in the law. These, having not the law, are a law unto themselves. Now it seems maybe like a tongue twister. These people who don't know the law, but yet they begin to do the things that were written in the law. It becomes a law for them, their actions. But verse number 15 is going to explain a little bit better. So jump down there, verse number 15. Which show the work of the law written in their hearts. Their, would you say that next word with me? Their, what does it say? Their what? Conscience. Also bearing witness. And their thoughts, the meanwhile, accusing or else, what is it doing else what? Excusing one another. So the Bible says, first of all, let's back up just a moment. How can the world know who our God is? These people in faraway lands, how can they know who our God is? Number one, we said according to Romans chapter one, number one, they can know who our God is by way of what was it? Would you help me? By way of what? creation. They can look around what beauty, what wonderful. God has given us his creation as a sign, as a signature saying, I am here. But not only can they know by way of creation, but number two, by way of their conscience. Would you say it with me? By way of what? God has given within every each and every person a conscience and he says this bearing witness it accuses or else excuses their conscience. Now all over the world people have a conscience you know we look around we say well you know maybe the people over at this deep dark part of the middle of nowhere how can they know that killing is wrong? Is it because they're law? Is it because they have a preacher in the village? How can they know? But they know that killing is wrong or maybe adultery is wrong or stealing is wrong. How in the world could they know those things? I mean, they haven't been raised in Sunday school singing the songs we have. How can they know that that's right and that's wrong? Because within them, God has placed a conscience. Now we know the devil does his best to sear that conscience and try to ignore that and blind them so they don't see. But they have a conscience that God has placed within them. I grew up in church. In fact, my parents took me to church. I didn't get saved until I was later in high school. And I remember going to church and, man, I didn't want to go to church. To be quite honest, I had this bad attitude. And I'd say, Dad, do we have to go? He'd say, son, we're going to church. Come on, Dad. I'd ask him, Dad, do we have to go? He said, no, son, we don't have to go. I'd say, yes. He said, we don't have to go. We get to go, son. I said, that's not funny. I don't like that, you know? I get so aggravated. He would take me to church, and many times, you know, I mean, he'd take me, and he'd drag me, and I mean, he'd get me ahold of the ear, and he said, we're going. You know, if you live in my house under my roof and eat at my table, you're going to church with me. And he would drag me and get me ahold of the ear. See, you thought these big old ears like Dumbo were made. No, my dad made these. God didn't make these. I mean, they're a big old thing. My dad made those babies. Well, you know, Dad used to take me to church, and I remember years ago, I went back to my home church. I was visiting back from Argentina. I went back to the church where I grew up in, in Missouri, and I walked in there, and my pastor, I met some of the deacons. My pastor was up there. I met some of the deacons, and they said, hey, brother, good to see you. They called me by name, and they, you know, they said, hey, I'm praying for you. I thought, wow. They know my name. How cool is that? But I found out that they all knew my name because pastor used to stand up there. And every time I walked in, he would get all the ushers and the deacons. They said, there's that little bush boy. Everybody watch him. Oh, you got to be kidding. I was that bad? Well, you know, I mean, I used to go and I've always had an addiction to cookies. God bless the grandma who invented chocolate chip cookies. You know what I'm saying? I mean, Friday evening, I don't know who it was, but God bless your soul. Those big old chocolate chip cookies, whoa, baby, that'll make your tongue slap you to death. Man, it was good, you know? Well, you know, I've always liked cookies. So when I was a kid, I'd walk into church, my pastor would say, watch me. And I thought, well, just in case it goes a little bit long and maybe a little bit dry. So I had to sneak in there and I would always go in the nursery and I would steal all the cookies that I could and I'd take them to church. Well, obviously, I was only looking out for the good. I didn't want the kids to get, you know, cavities. But I would sit there and I would eat that. Man, I always said, but you know my pastor never had to get up behind the pulpit and say, well this morning open your Bibles, I'm going to give you 15 reasons why it is wrong to steal chocolate chip cookies from the nursery. You know, he never had to preach a sermon like that. You know why? Because even though I was lost, God had put within me something that said, what you're doing is not right there, buddy. You know, in Argentina, every 8th of December, we have the Dia de la Virgen, when all these people, they go and they serve the idol, the virgin idol, Mary or Guadalupe or Lujan or whatever it may be. They would go up there and they would walk 60 miles, excuse me, 60 kilometers from my city up to the big cathedral. And many times they would walk on their knees and people would beat themselves as they're walking up that way. Now, you know, they can't get to heaven by beating themselves. But their conscience told them, you're not good enough to get there by yourself. So God points and he says, hey, this is the way you can know me. Well, we have, first of all, the world can know who our God is. Number one, by way of what was it? Would you help me? By way of what was it? Creation. Creation shows, and hey, this is our God. But number two, by way of what was it? Conscience. Very quickly, go with me to the next book over. We leave the book of Romans, we find 1 Corinthians. The book that follows there, 1 Corinthians, and go with me if you would to 1 Corinthians, in chapter number 15. 1 Corinthians, in chapter number 15. I want you to see one verse here very quickly. 1 Corinthians, chapter number 15. Bible says this, 1 Corinthians, chapter number 15, verse number 34. Can we look at it? 1 Corinthians 15, verse number 34. The Bible says this, Awake to righteousness and sin not. For some have not the knowledge of God, look at that, there's a colon there, I speak this to your, what does it say next word, what does it say? Shame. Now, all of us know what shame is, right? Mom, you know, Grandma would all, Grandma Moishe reminded me, shame on you son. I thought, yeah, I know exactly what that means. But for whatever reason, we're not doing bad. But the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of God, he looks and he says, there's some people out there around this world that do not have the opportunity to hear the gospel. They do not have the knowledge of the gospel. They do not know who God is. I speak this to your, that pronoun your is speaking to the Church of Corinth representing you and I, the local church. He says, I speak this to your shame. So how in the world can the people around the world know who our God is? Well, first of all, help me. First of all, they can know who our God is, number one, by way of what was it? Creation. Number two, they can know who God is by way of what was it? Conscience. But number three, they can know who our God is by way of the congregation. Would you say that with me? By way of the what? Congregation. You see, God left the church. The responsibility, the great commission to get the gospel all around the world. It's our responsibility to what we hear in here. May we go out these doors, dear friends, and tomorrow we'll enter into the workforce or your place of study. And it's our responsibility. God has given us. put us in the exact right spot. And we say many times, well, you know, if my pastor could tell this person that he would get saved. No, God put you next to that person so that you can tell. Well, I don't know all the Bible verses. And God said, you don't have to. You got a thing called a testimony. I change your life. Share that with them. And as the congregation, all of us doing as a body, all of us doing our part, people will hear about the gospel. He said, it's your responsibilities, my responsibilities, our responsibility. We must get the gospel out. We know that. We have all these verses. We know that very well. But let me break it down very quickly, very easily. How can you and I as a congregation, because I don't like someone to throw something on top of me and just say, there. So when he says it's your responsibility, I speak this to your shame that people do not know the gospel. How in the world can we do our part? I'm never going to go over and fly over to that area. Or I may never meet people in your job site. How is that my responsibility? Back off, Paul. I didn't do anything. I didn't ask for this. But it's our responsibility. But how? Well, let me break it down very easily how all of us can have a part. First of all, we can all begin to pray. How many all have a mouth? Would you raise your hand? Some of us use it way too much, don't we? But you know what? We all have not listened, dear friends. You know what? God looked around and said, look at, boy, look at all this. The harvest truly is plenteous. The labors are few. And then what did he say? Well, nothing we can do now. He said, the labors are few. He said, so pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he may send. labors, workers into his harvest. Let's pray that God will send these missionaries out. Let's pray that God will bless them, that God will use them. We just heard stories after stories of things that are happening on the mission field, people, problems and different things. All of us, dear friends, all of us can pray. We can pray that God will use our children. We can pray that God will use the missionaries. We can pray that God will use our lives. We can pray for security. We can pray for all these different things, but we must pray. Throughout several times in Argentina, we had bad, bad moments. I almost lost my wife on an operating table in Argentina and I said, Lord, please help me. And my wife started to turn white and she looked up at me and she said, take care of the kids. I said, don't you say that. Man, I was going nuts. The doctor had walked away. It's a socialistic government. So medication, everything works a little bit different. And so I said, don't you leave me babe. Man, I was scared to death. Listen, and God saved us and brought us right through that. I remember one evening we arrived home from church, we had petty theft was just a normal day, daily life for us. But we arrived home one day and we walk in the house and get all the kids and my wife's going to close the first door that we have and she went and someone pulled on it and so she looked and maybe thought it was one of our children so she pulled a little bit harder and all of a sudden a guy flips open the door and he runs in and they put guns on our head and they hold us down to the ground. We're on the ground. They take off the rings off our finger, the money out of our pockets, the computers, the phone, everything that we own. They took it all. They began to yell and say, we're going to take your children and all these different things, scared to death. And I mean, I can tell you all kinds of crazy things. But do you know, they walked up and I remember we're all on the ground. They walked up and they picked up this tape. And I said, please just don't hurt my children. And every moment that something was about to happen, you can say I'm nuts or whatever you want. But every time something was about to happen, it's like God said, stop right there. I've let you do that much, but don't you touch him any further. They walked up to my wife and grabbed the whole of her necklace and went to rip it off. And I stood up. I didn't know what I was going to do. I was scared to death. But I stood up and I got ready. And boy, he stopped right there and he just looked at my wife. And it's almost like he stopped and he said, can I get your necklace from you? And over and over, God protects. Listen, dear friends, God didn't protect us because we're good people. God protected us, I believe, because God's people were around the world praying. Pray for our missionaries. We go through this hall and I encourage you this morning before you head out for lunch, go through that hall, talk to missionaries, grab one of their prayer cards, put it up there on your refrigerator or somewhere in a basket, like preachers said, on your table to pray for them. But pray for them that God will bless them, that God will use them, that God will protect them, that God will help them, that God will provide for them. Pray for your missionaries. But listen dear friends, not only can you and I, we have that responsibility, the congregation to get the gospel out. So we can pray, but not only can we pray, we can also give. I'm not talking about a monetary value. Everybody, let's give this amount of money. But listen, dear friends, we can all give of our time. We can all give of our goods. We can all give of our talent. We can all say, God, whatever you want, we can listen to your friends. We can give of our children. And this might seem so simple to you, but you don't know how many times I've talked to people and they said, you know what? I'm all for sporting. I'm all for, you know, people going out there. But you know what? My little Johnny, he's going to be a doctor. You know what? I don't know. I mean, they got to live right here. Listen, dear friends, if God wants your children, would you be willing to give them up? If God wants more of your time, would you be willing to give it up? If God nudges your heart today and says, you know what? I want you to give this much money to help in the faith, would you be willing to give that up? You see, all of us can pray. but we can also give. It's not an amount, it's not something to know, but we can all give. But dear friends, let me tell you, not only can we all pray, not only can we give, listen, some can go. You know, there's, I like to read missionary biographies and see how God used men and women of the past. And one man said this, so it was Jim Elliot, the man who was martyred in Ecuador. Man, I love to hear his story. I love to read about it. And he said this, why in the world are you waiting for a call when you have a command? Why in the world are you waiting for a voice or a vision when you have a verse from the Word of God? And then he went a little bit further, and he said, you know what? Some of us all we need is a good kick in the britches to get out there and do the job. Now, I didn't say that, so you get mad at Jim Elliot. He's a martyr. He's in heaven anyway, amen? But listen, dear friend, you know what he was saying? Let's get out there. Listen, young people, some of y'all went to Mexico. Young people, some of you were listening to the missionaries in your class. There is nothing holding you back from going to the mission field. What's holding you back? If you can't think of anything good, then give your life. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Why don't we say, God, I'll go. God, I'll do whatever you want. God, I'll give my life. So go back with me very quickly. How in the world can someone know who our God is? I mean, they don't live right here in the United States of America. They don't come to our church. How can they know who God is? Well, number one, the Bible teaches that they can know who our God is, number one, by way of what was it? Creation. Would you say that very loud? What is it? By way of what? Creation. God has given us creation to look and say, wow, how beautiful the mountains, look at the skies, look at the stars, look at everything. Wow, look at the creation. It signifies God's signature. It shows, it points to there is a God, only one God, a true God, our God. But not only by way of creation, they can know who our God is. Number two, by way of what was it? Conscience. Within them, there's a right and wrong. Within them, they say, there must be greater. The native Indians would look and say, you know what? There must be something greater that made all of this. They didn't know exactly. They were looking around, but they said there must've been something out there that made all these different things. It can't be an eagle. It can't be something. There must've been something greater. But listen, dear friends, here it comes, not only by creation, not only by conscience, but they can hear who our God is, number three, by way of, what was it? Would you help me? By way of what? congregation. That's you. That's me. You know, it's easy sometimes to say, you know what? The problem with that church is, whoa, whoa, whoa. If you are born again believer, you've unified yourself in this church. You know who the church is? It's not the building. It's not the, listen, it's all of us. Amen. So when we like to complain, it's about all of us. And the Bible teaches us, you know who's to get the gospel out? It's not just the one back there preaching, or the one up there singing, or the one up there teaching. It's all of us. We can pray, can't we? We can give, can't we? Some of us can even go. You see, God only had one Son, and He made Him a missionary. So this thing of missions isn't something we do because there's nothing else to put on the calendar. It's because it's the heartbeat of our Savior. God made the church not just to sit, hey, praise the Lord that my kids can grow up and be in the Sunday school class. I love the fellowships. I love the food. I love the food. I love the food. Maybe I didn't say that. I love the food. I love all the wonderful things about the church. But you know what, God didn't create us just for this good time. That's great. That's a wonderful part. But listen, God left the church to get the gospel out. I read in a book that when Peter arrived to heaven, he said, this is only a story. It's not in the Bible. When Peter left, he arrived up to heaven. He said, well, God, Jesus, what's the plan? The Lord looked to him and said, well, I left the great commission, the gospel, I left it with the church. They've got to get out there and they've got to do it. He said, well, that's good, but what if they don't do it? What's plan B? And the Lord said, there is no plan B. The church has to take the gospel. If not, the people won't hear. So I ask you this morning, you know, the question is not if God's going to do a work right here at Cleveland Baptist Church. The question is, will you have a part in the work that God's going to do right here? May God use us.