Romans 10:9–15

0:00 One of my favorite historical missionaries is John Payton. Born in 1824 in Dunfrey, Scotland, his autobiography continues to inspire Christians today. It's harrowing accounts of his time on the New Hebrides Islands. It's this series of islands southeast of Papua New Guinea. Peyton grew up in a home where he heard zealous missionary petitions prayed by his father during times of family worship there.

0:34 His father poured out his whole soul, Peyton writes, with tears for the conversion of the heathen world to the service of Jesus. And we, the children, all felt as if in the presence of the living Savior. As a young boy, he would listen to the prayers of his father at home and wonder if he himself had a part to play in the answering of those prayers. Missionary seeds were planted during times of family worship in the Peyton home. It was during Peyton's daily time in the scriptures and prayer where the Holy Spirit would finally cultivate a heart, prepare to sacrifice local ministry success, leave a loving family, and risk his life to take the gospel to the New Hebrides.

1:20 The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland had been advertising for a missionary to travel to the islands in the South Pacific, and Peyton resolved to answer that call. When he told one of his mentors, Dr. Bates, about his desire, he recalls that Dr. Bates rejoiced and even wept for joy when he told him. But not everybody would respond with the same enthusiasm. After his conversion, John had worked as an evangelist in the hard streets of Glasgow, Scotland, and when he communicated his call to the foreign mission fields, well-meaning individuals sought to convince him to stay in Glasgow by predicting that the new Christians that he had been discipling in Glasgow would go astray if he left for overseas work.

2:11 When he told his mom and dad of his desire, they replied that they had long since given him away to the Lord. And in this matter also would leave him to God's disposal. Oh, that we would pray those types of prayers for our children as well. At the age of 34, Peyton embarked with his new wife Mary Ann for the New Hebrides in 1858. Mary Ann would die within four months of their arrival, and just three weeks after their newborn son had died at birth. He would suffer hardship, sickness, attempts on his life. But Peyton persevered, and 40 years later, he would see churches planted, the Bible translated, and missionaries on 25 of the 30 inhabitable islands in the New Hebrides.

3:02 People who did not have the gospel heard the gospel and believed in the gospel because someone was sent to preach to them the gospel. Our text this morning is Romans chapter 10, verses 9 to 15. So turn with me there. It's on page 946 of your pew Bibles. Hopefully we don't run out of those this morning. Be a good problem to have though. Romans 10, verses 9 to 15, starting in verse 9.

3:34 Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

4:06 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. i think the main point of this passage is that the gospel is good news for the whole world and so that we must we so we must believe the gospel proclaim it and send out others to share it to the ends of the earth i'll say it again the main point is that the gospel is good news for the whole world. And so we must believe the gospel, proclaim it, and send out others to share it to the ends of the earth. I'll have two points this morning. Point number one, the gospel is good news.

5:04 And the second point in the form of a question, what will you do with the gospel? Point number one, the gospel is good news. Our passage today is found two-thirds into the book of Romans, which was a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome. And Paul is hoping to visit the Romans on his way to Spain and be helped along the way after he spends some time with them. In Romans 15 verse 24, he writes, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain and to be helped on my journey there by you. Once I have enjoyed your company for a while. Paul has fulfilled the ministry that the Lord had given him from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. And now it's his ambition to preach the gospel in a place where it had never been preached before. He alludes to the unity in the church when he says that the churches in Macedonia and Achaia are contributing to the

6:04 needs of the church in Jerusalem. And he's on his way to Jerusalem to deliver this aid. And once he makes that delivery, then he's going to transition and go to Spain with a stopover for some resourcing and refreshment in Rome. Friends, I think Romans is the, by far, the best, most greatest support letter that a missionary has ever written. Rather than jumping to the ask, Paul reminds the Romans of what they have in the gospel. He is reminding them of the gift of the gospel before he asks them to give out of their thanksgiving in the advance of the gospel to go to a place where it had not yet been preached.

6:47 In Romans 1, Paul opens the letter by expressing his desire to see the Christians in Rome, to fellowship with them, and to impart some spiritual gift to them. Even though he's ultimately bound for Spain, he lets them know that he's excited to spend some time and preach amongst them. He hopes to strengthen the church in Rome before he embarks for Spain. He's preached the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. He's under obligations to the Greeks, the city folk, the sophisticated ones, and also to the barbarians, those that lived in the frontier areas at the edge of the Roman Empire, of the known world.

7:30 He isn't ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation. God's wrath, he writes in Romans 1, is revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness god has shown what can be known through him about him through creation creation boasts of its creator and yet man has suppressed the truth so god gave up men to their passions and they descended further and further into their sin exchanging the truth about god for lies and worshiping the creature instead of the creator sinful humans around the world given to unrighteousness evil, covetousness malice full of envy and murder and strife deceit and maliciousness they're gossipers slanderers haters of God insolent, haughty boastful inventors of evil

8:33 kids paul also writes they're disobedient to parents they're foolish faithless heartless and ruthless oh but don't judge them reader because in romans 2 paul writes because in passing judgment on their sin you show your knowledge of the very standard that you yourself fail to live by. To be righteous by the law, you would need to fulfill every single dot and iota of the law. But in breaking the law, you show that your works have no weight to them at all.

9:12 You're condemned. Your circumcision, Jewish reader, means nothing when you've broken the law. True relationship with God is a matter of the heart. It's not a matter of the flesh. And then Romans 3, he writes, So what advantage is the law? Through God's law, God revealed his nature. That's an advantage. Through God's law, one is made aware of the realities of their sin. There's no one righteous, no Jew, no Gentile.

9:45 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. justification to be declared righteous is not an outward action it's a matter of the heart by now you should know how we're going through this morning we're going to go to Romans 4 what about Abraham well if he was justified by his works he'd have something to boast about but he wasn't justified by his works Abraham was justified by his faith he was counted righteous before his circumcision, and he was justified by his faith, not by his works, including his circumcision. Abraham believed God's promise that he would be the father of many nations. And it was through the law, sorry, it wasn't through the law that the nations would be ultimately blessed. It was through righteousness by faith. Simply, Abraham believed what God had promised, faith. And just as

10:50 Abraham's faith in the promise of God was counted to him as righteousness, so will our trust in the promise of God for our salvation. Sorry, so will our trust in the promise of God for our salvation. God who raised Jesus from the dead after he paid the penalty for our sins, for our transgressions. God who raised Jesus from the grave for our justification. Pause there for a second. What does it mean that Jesus was raised for our justification?

11:23 Jonathan Edwards explains it like this. For if Christ were not risen, it would be evidence that God was not yet satisfied for our sins. Now the resurrection is God declaring his satisfaction. He thereby declared that it was enough. Christ was thereby released from his work. Christ, as he was mediator, is thereby justified. Friends, let's be clear.

11:55 Jesus was declared righteous because of his own righteousness. Our justification is different. Ours was earned for us. We did not earn our justification. Romans 5, we have been justified, declared righteous through Jesus Christ. We stand righteous before a holy God because of Jesus. We were enemies because of our sin.

12:29 And now because of Jesus Christ, if we put our faith in him, we have peace with God and we can rejoice in hope in the glory of God. But we don't just rejoice in our hope in the glory of God. Christian, we rejoice in our sufferings. Suffering produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope. And hope doesn't put us to shame. How do we do all of this? How do we rejoice in our suffering?

13:01 How do we do that, Christian? Well, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who's been given to us. Christ died for the ungodly. It's hard enough thinking of laying down your life for a righteous person, even for a good person. But God loved us so much that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Death came into the world through Adam. Life came through Jesus Christ. Sin reigned in death. Grace reigns through righteousness that leads to eternal life.

13:36 Romans 6, given the power of grace to rule over death and sin, Do we continue to sin so that grace abounds? No. Jesus was raised and walked from his grave. We have been raised from our sin. And as Christians, we now walk in righteousness. We are dead to sin and alive in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sins. We are slaves to righteousness. Don't let sin reign in your life.

14:07 Fight it. Live your life as those who have been brought from death to life. You once lived in impurity and unrighteousness. Your sins led to more sin, led to more sin. Now Christian, freed from sin, your righteousness, your justification leads to sanctification. And your sanctification leads to eternal life, which is a free gift of God.

14:39 made possible by Jesus Christ. Romans 7. So is the law bad? No. It's useful in showing the fruit of unrighteousness. See, friends, the law isn't the problem. Our sinful flesh is the problem. We are still tempted to sin as we daily wage war against the flesh. We are so wretched in our sin. Who can save us from this body of death?

15:11 Romans 8. Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law on our behalf. And as Christians, the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us. Think about that truth. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us. Not only that, but we are sons of God and heirs with Christ. Suffering will come. After all, Jesus suffered.

15:44 But sufferings are not comparable to the glory that awaits us. The Spirit will help us in our weakness. Christian, be assured, everything works together for good. Everything. Those whom God foreknew, those whom he chose saying, mine, before the foundation of the world was laid, those whom he predestined, he also called.

16:18 And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. So all of the suffering that we have in our mortal bodies, all of it, all of our fighting with our sinful flesh, one day it will be gone. If God is for us, who can stand against us? Nothing can separate us from God's love. Not tribulation, not distress, not persecution, not nakedness, not sword, nor death, angels, demons, rulers. Nothing in all of creation can separate you from God's love. Nothing. Romans 9, Paul now pivots to his heart for Israel.

17:06 They had adoption. They had the glory of being God's chosen people. They had the law, the worship, the promises. They were the people of Christ. But not all of Israel was saved. God chooses whom he desires. Does he not have that right? but it isn't only the people of israel that were to be heirs of the promise some gentiles have been chosen too this had been prophesied in the old testament we've heard greg allude to it time and time again through our series in isaiah hosea prophesied that those who were not my people i will call my people in fact many prophets foretold that this was coming Gentiles who didn't have the law have attained righteousness by faith.

18:02 The people of Israel who were given the law did not succeed in attaining righteousness. And they were so consumed of their own works that they missed the promised Messiah who was standing right in front of them. The one who perfectly fulfilled the law. In the beginning of chapter 10, Paul begins by expressing his desire for the people of Israel to be saved. He explains that Israel was ignorant as to who God was. They didn't understand how good and holy and righteous he was.

18:35 And so they convinced themselves that they could establish their own righteousness. See, to think that we can establish our own righteousness, we have an incorrect view of God. He is so holy and he is so righteous and he is so just that our works cannot achieve his standards. It's impossible. The people of Israel didn't submit to God's righteousness and look forward with faith to the promised Messiah who could perfectly fulfill the law, where they couldn't.

19:10 They were so consumed with perfect obedience to the law, even pursuing a righteousness that exceeded the laws that were given to them. They added to God's commands. They missed the Messiah. And the leaders of Israel watched Jesus. They heard his teaching. They tried to catch him breaking the law. They associated him with Satan. And when they had enough of him and couldn't bear him anymore, they asked their Roman occupiers to crucify him.

19:46 The whole Old Testament was pointing to this. A time shouting loudly about the promised Messiah, the suffering servant, the root of Jesse, the son of David. Prophecy after prophecy after prophecy. Christ would be the end of the law for righteousness. Hear this, Paul writes, for everyone who believes. Friend, in this room today, righteousness is available.

20:17 Not by works, but by believing. By faith. See, if you're going to live by the law, be careful, because you have to live by it perfectly. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time going a few minutes without sin. I am so at war with my sinful flesh and in those moments where I feel like I've got victory, I'm like, I'm doing pretty good. Pride creeps into my heart. I'm like, whoops, there it goes again.

20:52 Imagine living your whole life believing that you could perfectly keep the law. You can't. Traveling all around the world, been to places that where Buddha is worshipped and Buddhism is the religion of choice and Islam in places like the Middle East and North Africa, Catholicism in Latin America and Europe, for thousands and thousands of years, humans have tried to conjure up their own standard of righteousness and then live by it.

21:30 And it's impossible. All of history had led to Jesus. The choosing of Israel, the giving of the law, the sacrificial law, the ceremonial law, the dietary law, the circumcisions, all of it. All of the law was given as an arrow pointing to Jesus. The one person born of woman, the promised seed of Genesis 3 who would perfectly fulfill the law and crush the serpent.

22:04 Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law. Children, Jesus perfectly obeyed his mom and dad. Every time. In our family, growing up, Aaron had this phrase that we loved, saying, delayed obedience is disobedience. You can take that, parents, you can take that. I think we've heard it somewhere. But delayed obedience is disobedience.

22:37 Kids, think about this. Jesus, every time Mary and Joseph said to him, Jesus, come in from playing outside, he didn't even delay for a millisecond. He perfectly, perfectly obeyed his mom and dad. That's amazing. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law, And he crushed the serpent. He is the true and better Adam.

23:09 He is the true and better Moses. He is the true and better David. He is the promised Messiah of Isaiah, the suffering servant, the conquering hero, the son of God. God loved us so much that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. The son of God who lived a perfect life and died to pay a perfect sacrifice and completely satisfied the wrath of his father so that he could be saved from his sins.

23:44 He lived a perfect life, achieving perfect righteousness, and then he laid down his life for us while we hated him. Look with me at chapter 10, verse 10. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Friends, if we're not careful, our sinful flesh, always looking to take the credit where we don't deserve it, will say, ha, I believed. I believed. I did that. I put my faith in Jesus. Friend, With all due respect, dead people don't bring themselves back to life.

24:29 Ephesians 2 lets us know that. It says we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind. And we're by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ.

25:05 By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and listen to this, it is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one will boast. Think about gifts that you've received, maybe at a birthday time or Christmas.

25:40 It would never enter into your mind as you're receiving a gift around a Christmas tree to take that gift and hold it and open it, kind of spike it like a touchdown and say, I did that. I got myself that gift. That gift was all me. That would be foolish. But sometimes when we try and convince ourselves that we had anything to do with turning our dead hearts to life, that's what we do. We foolishly try and convince ourselves that we have added anything to what Jesus did for us.

26:20 Your dead heart, my dead heart, Christian, was transplanted with a new heart, spiritually speaking. You believed in your heart and you were justified. You were declared righteous. Your former lying and stammering tongue confessed Jesus as Lord and you were saved from your sin. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, who puts their hope and faith in Jesus alone for their salvation and justification will be saved.

26:56 Everyone. That's good news. That's the good news that we sing about every Sunday morning as we gather together at Third Avenue Baptist Church. Every time we use the words the gospel, That's what we're talking about. People who are absolutely incapable of saving themselves. Brought to life by the very God who they disobeyed.

27:28 Who before the foundation of the world chose you, Christian, to be holy and blameless before him. When's the last time you've just marveled at the fact that you were born into the circumstances in which you were once born that led you to the place where you heard the gospel and maybe you heard it one time and the miracle of salvation happened or maybe you heard it day in and day out for months or years around your kitchen table with your parents or faithfully proclaimed in the pulpit of your church and then boom the miracle happened that is good good news that righteousness that the whole world seeks they know in their heart that there's some standard god's law is written on their hearts all of humanity is just trying to clamor towards some type of standard of righteousness and christians you and i know that we could never achieve it jesus achieved it on our behalf

28:29 he achieved it on your behalf see i look at those words saved and justification and they're two different things we are saved from our sin and we are declared righteous those are two gifts those are two gifts the holy spirit that we have been talking about this morning he is a gift who works with us in our sanctification that is a gift the fact that we can look at suffering that produces endurance that produces character that produces hope those are gifts they're all gifts of the gospel. The gospel is the best news ever. That brings me to my second point.

29:19 What are you going to do with the gospel? What are you going to do with it? Starting in verse 14 of Romans 10. How then can they call on him whom they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they've not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they're sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news. If you call on the Lord, you will be saved.

29:52 It's right there in black and white. Some of you today need to call on the Lord. Maybe as you've been listening this morning you can resonate with the futility of trying to achieve some standard of righteousness and you're at the end of your rope you realize that you cannot save yourself you're tired you're weary you're worn every night when your head hits the pillows you're reminded of all of the things that you've done that day that were unrighteous and you are just tired. You've chased your own righteousness, but your conscience condemns you because you know that you are failing at your attempts to be perfect. Friend, Jesus came and perfectly fulfilled the law. Every dot and iota of it. He lived a sinless life and he died on a cross to bear God's wrath as a sacrifice for the sins of those who would trust in him. Would you trust in him?

30:54 Call on him. He will save you. How are they to call on him in whom they've not believed? Some of us in this room have heard the gospel many times. Perhaps you've grown up in the church or you're in a Christian family. Maybe you've heard the gospel many times, but if you're honest with yourself, even as you've heard the gospel many times, you're still trying to reach some standard of righteousness. Because you think that God requires something of you before he will save you.

31:30 Maybe some of you have bought into that lie. Okay, so Jesus is 100% righteous, but like the pass fail is like 70%. So if I can get to 70% righteous, then I'll be acceptable to Jesus and he will accept me. That is a lie from Satan. We come with all of our unrighteousness to a holy God who because of his son's righteousness deems us righteous if we put our faith and our hope and our trust in him.

32:02 We come with 0% righteousness. Friends, you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever meet the righteous requirement of the law. Perhaps you're in this room and you're a Muslim or you're a Buddhist or you're Roman Catholic and there's these standards that have been put in front of you in order to achieve nirvana or pleasing Allah or this works-based righteousness fused with justification by faith and Roman Catholicism. Friends, you cannot save yourself.

32:35 You cannot save yourself. When Jesus was raised from the dead, God was declaring his satisfaction in his son. He was saying, as the same way that he said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased when he was raised out of the water in his baptism. That's what Jesus was saying when Jesus was, that's what God was saying when Jesus was raised from the dead. Well done, my good and faithful servant. Perfect, spotless righteousness is there if you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God.

33:09 Friend who is still trying to achieve some type of righteousness, Will you today lay down that futile, futile race, and will you put your trust in Jesus? How are they to believe in him in whom they've never heard? We've already reflected on the fact this morning that the people of Israel had heard the law. They were given the law. They were given priests. They were given prophets. They were without excuse. If you're here today in this room, you've heard the gospel if someone brought you here today and you had never heard the gospel until today you've heard the gospel what will you do with it remember Paul was writing this letter to the church in Rome seeking to raise support for taking the gospel to people who had never heard it

34:10 and so all the way as he is laying out all of these glorious doctrines in the book of romans it's all leading to an ask in romans 15 saying the people in spain haven't heard this gospel will you help send me along the way and in this letter in this chapter in romans 10 how are they here what about those who have never heard the gospel some statistics say that there are over 3 billion people on the planet right now who don't have access to the gospel they don't have a 3rd Avenue Baptist church in their neighborhood and a friend at the University of Louisville to encourage them to come and listen 3 billion people without access to the gospel they don't have the Bible in their language think about the glorious gospel truths that we've sung this morning the words that have been read this morning

35:10 see to those without access to the gospel as carl henry said it is only good news only if it gets there in time the old covenant with israel was replaced with a new covenant when jesus died and rose from the grave and this new covenant one in which there's no distinction between jew and Gentile. Paul writes that. It offers salvation to anyone who would trust in Jesus Christ. But how would you call on Jesus and believe in him if you haven't heard of him?

35:46 In Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus commands the apostles and to this day the church to take the gospel out there to the furthest reaches of the world. Friends, the gospel is good news to salvation to all who would believe and one can only believe if they hear the gospel how are they to hear without someone preaching someone isn't going to hear the gospel unless someone tells them the gospel it's that simple isn't it the good news must be told it must be proclaimed in recent years there's this been this focus on incarnational ministry we're going to be the hands and feet of christ with this idea that we can show the gospel good deeds are performed so that people can see jesus but paul doesn't say how are they to see without someone showing he says how are they

36:52 to hear without someone preaching, telling, proclaiming. True evangelism is to communicate the gospel always with words. And friends, remember you can't bring a dead heart to life. Only God can do that by the power of his spirit. So faithfully preach the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. There are people in Indonesia and India and Vietnam and Papua New Guinea and Chad and so many places around the world who don't have access to the gospel.

37:29 Like zero. Would you be willing to go? Some of you in this room, would you be willing to lay down all the comforts of life in Louisville? All the cool restaurants that we have in the Highlands. Would you be willing to lay down time with your family around the Thanksgiving table or around the tree at Christmas? Would you give up all of the comforts of life in North America because you love this gospel so much that you're willing to take it to someone who doesn't have it?

38:02 Maybe some of you in this room, the Lord will stir in the years ahead to do something like that. It's going to be hard. You will suffer. But you serve a king who we've learned about is the suffering servant. Nothing you will go through is even comparable to what Jesus has done for you in terms of his suffering. Nothing will separate you from his love, Romans 8.

38:36 It's almost like Paul was preaching to himself as he was getting ready to go to Spain. As he's writing to the folks in Rome, nothing's gonna separate you from the love of God. He's reminding himself, nothing will separate me from the love of God. Recent research shows that 3,000 language groups this far as we can tell have never heard the gospel before. 3,000 languages. Would you consider dedicating your life to preaching the gospel into one of those languages? Or perhaps the Lord is placing in you a heart for work amongst a place where the Bible is translated.

39:14 But maybe there's a fledgling church that's calling out for help. If that's you, The elders of this church would love to talk to you about assessing your fittedness for that type of work or for pioneer missions work. And we'd love to talk to you about the type of specialized equipping that you're going to need to get there. Perhaps some of you might go to a place where missionaries have been in the past or there's been churches in the past. Maybe it's the vast under-churched and under-resourced cities across Asia and Africa and Latin America and Europe, at these global crossroads cities where millions upon millions of migrants are passing through in the decades ahead. Perhaps some of you currently serving with campus ministry here in Louisville will do what Mack and Leanne did, move overseas to establish a local church-centered campus ministry in another country, where you'll meet folks who up until that point have never heard the gospel. I love those stories of all of the students that used to sit in Mack and Leanne's

40:17 living room in Dubai and hear the gospel for the first time. Campus ministries all around the world introducing the gospel to people who had never heard it before. Perhaps that's you. I definitely know Mac and Leanne would love to talk with you about that if God is placing that on your heart. How are they to preach unless they're sent? Now, every Christian should hear the gospel. Every Christian. Those words flow so easily out of our mouths as we sing our hymns and our songs week in and week out, and yet we've got this fearfulness.

40:56 It's this gut-wrenching struggle in our guts when we're ready to share the gospel with a loved one or with a neighbor. Friends, remember, God will do the work. It is good news, so tell the good news. We are ambassadors for Christ. This local church is an embassy of the king. And we all as members of this church, who are members of this church, are ambassadors together. If you're struggling with evangelistic ministry in your own life and you're not coming to Sunday night services, friends, I would implore you, you should come on Sunday evening.

41:35 I don't know if Ethan Sproles is in the room right now, but I remember praying for Ethan's salvation on a Sunday night. And then Ethan's saved and he's baptized and now he's in our home group. I love Ethan. Would we have more Ethans? Who's your Ethan? Who's the guy that you need to invest in a relationship with and share the gospel? We have prayed for family members.

42:07 I think of Emily Stiles' dad. Year after year after year, we were praying for Mr. Ivanko. miracle. He's saved. We got to pray about it as a church on Sunday night. And it's not this full on a Sunday night. And this isn't some type of guilt trip or anything like that, but friends, we pray together on Sunday evenings for our evangelistic prayer requests. And then we get to rejoice in them together as those prayers are answered. And we get to see people baptized sometimes into this very church. We get to do that together.

42:45 So there's this element in which every Christian is commissioned and sent by God to share the gospel, but there's also a sending that occurs when gospel ministers are sent out and commissioned by a church to share the gospel. Turn with me to Acts chapter 13, starting in verse 1. Now, they were in the church at Antioch.

43:18 So imagine there's a local church, like Third Avenue Baptist Church, but it's 2,000 years ago and it's in Antioch. They were in that church prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manan, a lifelong friend of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. who became Paul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. And then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

43:53 Friends, I'm convinced that the Great Commission was given to local churches. Specifically local churches. The normal pattern that we see here in Acts chapter 13 is what has been the normal pattern throughout missions history. where local churches send out missionaries who share the gospel so that people hear and believe and confess Jesus as Lord. Third Avenue, that is what we have done in this church as a congregation. We've sent the Manleys and the Reeds to Rosalcaima.

44:25 We've sent the McCarters and the Stillies to Dohuk, the Zabos, the Spears, the Henrys, and Lauren Whitmore to Central Asia. We've sent the Tylers and the Schultzes to East Asia with the Philips. The Mays to Northern Ireland and the Sims and Rochelle to Southeast Asia where they're soon going to be joined by the Rochesters. We're supporting the local ministry of the Jacksons amongst Somalians, people who they had once been in their home country with, now working amongst the diaspora here. We support the Rafis who are working amongst the Afghan diaspora who were scattered around the world. We'll soon be saying goodbye to the Smiths over here and the Vorsters up there as they head to South Africa, the Smiths heading to France. This very week we get to send out Jadian Walker who's going to Central Asia to a different country than the rest where she's going to serve for two years with the IMB.

45:24 That is a roll call of the historical faithfulness of this gathered body of believers to send out workers to make Christ known in places around the world. The Lord has uniquely placed us, us, in this room, for whatever reason, in this location. At this time, where some of our members come here from all around the world and study for a few years, and we get to celebrate as they move on to their next ministry post.

45:58 Most, most will end up in North America. That's amazing. I don't want anybody hearing me preaching out of Romans 10 saying, oh, the higher calling is to go be a missionary. I think we're so divisive and tribalistic these days, we've lost the ability to say the word and. Most of you who are in ministry training right now will go and pastor congregations, Lord willing, in North America. That's awesome. Some of you will go, Lord willing, and be missionaries around the world.

46:36 that's awesome those two things can go exist most of us in this room will not go and it's not because we're obstinate rebellious I don't know the answer for you but I've had to work it with my own heart is there an obstinate rebellion in my own heart I once went to Mongolia and hung out with a missionary for a week and we were seriously considering what the Lord was calling us to ministry in Mongolia at the time I was living in Toronto and I love big cities. I think of Louisville as like a small little village. I love big cities. Love it. And I remember going to this village of like 1,200 people with my hands before the Lord saying, like, is this it, Lord? Like, are you going to call the Robertson family to Mongolia?

47:22 And by the end of the week, the missionary pleaded with me not to come to his village in Mongolia because he could see how stir crazy I was in a village of 1,200. The Lord has wired us all in different ways. Some of you will have been wired to stay in the U.S. And by God's grace, be a faithful minister of the gospel. Some of you will have been wired to go live in a global city and learn another language. By God's grace, go do that.

47:54 But Third Avenue Baptist Church, those of us who remain, do we see this as a privilege? Or do we feel sorry for ourselves as the Smiths and the Vorsters leave? Oh, our friends whom we love. Woe is us. It's more people leaving. What a privilege. What a privilege. For those of you who desire to pastor a local church one day, will you commit to raising up pastors and missionaries in your own congregation? Maybe the Lord has brought you to Third Avenue so you can meet folks like the Jacksons.

48:30 And learn what it is to be a well-cared-for missionary through their decades of service. So that one day, you too can raise up missionaries and send them out. Go have a meal with Mac and Leanne Stiles and ask them how you can be involved as a pastor one day in raising up missionaries. To send out church planters domestically and globally. So friends, the gospel is good news. Good news must be told.

49:03 Tell it to your family, tell it to your friends, to your classmate, to your neighbor, to the stranger that you meet in the street. And perhaps some of you, as you reflect on the marvelous righteousness that has been given to you by Jesus, that spared wrath, the grace that was given, the salvation bringing gospel, You are stirred by the fact that there are billions of people, billions with a buh, billions, who don't have access to the gospel. Are you willing to go?

49:38 Perhaps some of you have the financial means to support a missionary or two. And like Gaius and 3 John, you would do well to send them in a manner worthy of the gospel. In a manner worthy of the Lord. What does that mean, in a manner worthy of the Lord? I think our gospel giving should reflect our gospel gratitude. Be generous. Our church is able to financially support the missionaries that are sent out from this congregation because of the generosity of you, our members.

50:13 As the Lord continues to raise up missionaries from our midst, we would love to be able to send them with the resources they need in a significant way. I know a number of you personally support a variety of missionaries and ministries around the world and in this city. Most of us will not head overseas as a missionary. Most of us will remain as members of local churches like Third Avenue Baptist. As our missionaries sacrifice so many things to head overseas, what will we sacrifice to send them?

50:46 Third Avenue Baptist, we are a gospel-believing church. We love the gospel. Our pastor literally wrote the book, What is the Gospel? We should know the gospel. I think there's a stewardship that comes with that. So what will we do with it? Let's pray. Lord, I pray for those of us in this room who for years Lord have been trying to achieve some type of righteousness God I pray that you would convict them Lord of just the the useless pursuit of something that cannot be achieved and I pray that even today you would save people in our midst Lord I pray for those of us who take the gospel for granted maybe on a specific day we've just kind of shrugged at it Lord I pray that

51:47 your spirit would renew us with a renewed vigor and love for the gospel so that we would communicate it to those that we love. And Lord, I pray that you would find us faithful as a congregation in the continued sending of workers from this place to other places, Lord. Folks like the Scots to Idaho and also the Sims to Southeast Asia, Lord. Would you raise up more Scots and Sims and so many others, Lord? And would you provide the means by which to support them? We pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.