Our Obligation to the Unreached – Part 2

0:10 If you have the word, and I hope you do, let me invite you to open it with me to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9 and pull out those notes that hopefully you received when you came in that are in the worship guide

0:30 and you'll see at the top of those notes when you open it up part 2 our obligation to the unreached which we began last week and the question at the top why a blank check so this may be one of the most common phrases in our church? Our lives, our families, our church, a blank check before God with no strings attached. God, do whatever you want to do in me, with me, through me. God, do whatever you want to do in us, with us, through us, for your sake in the world.

1:14 So why do we use this phrase? And then, exactly what does it mean to give God a blank check? Those are the two questions that I want to lead us to consider this morning based on what we've read in Romans this past week. So last week we saw in Romans 1.14, our obligation to the unreached.

1:38 We thought together about 2 billion people spanning 6,500 people groups who at this moment do not even have access to the gospel. We put ourselves in their shoes and we realize that if we were them, that would mean we have knowledge of God, we've rejected God, we stand condemned before God, and if we don't ever hear the good news of what God has done in Christ, then we will die in that state and go to an everlasting hell. without ever even having heard the gospel.

2:21 And then we stepped out of their shoes and said, that is not tolerable. It's not tolerable. The two billion people in the world are in that state at this moment. So we must go to them. We're obligated to go to them. Their knowledge of God is only enough to damn them to hell.

2:50 The gospel of God is powerful enough to save them for heaven. The plan of God warrants our sacrifice, and the Son of God deserves their praise. So we don't have an option. We must work to get the gospel to unreached peoples, all of us. We must. It's not an option. And we talked about that's why the book of Romans was written, to cause the people of God to rise up and do whatever it takes

3:20 unreached people. We walked through maps on the screen and saw how Paul wrote this book in order to persuade the church at Rome to help him get the gospel to Spain, because they still hadn't heard the gospel there. So this whole book is written, in a sense, to show us our obligation to the unreached. And I'm convinced that that is exactly why God has us reading Romans right now. This last week, finishing out over the next couple days, to show us in a fresh way in this room how each of us individually, all of us collectively must do whatever it takes to get the gospel to unreached people.

4:02 Which leads us then to the inevitable question, what does that mean for our lives? So what do I do? What do you do? What does each of us do individually? What do all of us do collectively. And the answer to that question, I'm convinced, is a blank check. From you, from me, from the church, we say to God, we know, we must work, strive, live, die to get the gospel to people who've never heard it. So with that obligation on the table, we lay our lives down on the table, we lay our families down, we lay this church down with no strings attached, and we say to God, whatever you want us to do to get the gospel to unreached peoples, we will do it.

5:02 Have you said that? Have you said to God, whatever you want me to do to get the gospel to unreached peoples, I'll do it, whatever. has your family together prayed to God and said, we will do whatever you want us to do to get the gospel to unreached peoples, whatever it is. And today in Romans, I want to show you why we should say that.

5:38 Why each of us should say to God, I'll do whatever you want me to do with no strings attached. Which means, it's like saying, God, I see what's going on in Iraq and Syria right now. And if you want me to take my wife and my kids to Iraq or Syria for the spread of the gospel, I'll do it.

6:06 Talking whatever, no strings attached. And that sounds crazy. out of the realm of thinking for many in this room, if we're honest. And that sounds utterly foolish to everybody in the culture around us, including most people sitting in the seats and pews of church buildings right now.

6:37 but this morning I want to show you why we must, why we have an obligation to be crazy like that. Why being foolish like this in the eyes of the world is the wisest thing we can do with our lives. I want to show you why anything less than a blank check before God, that is foolishness.

7:06 utter foolishness. And it's how most people in this culture and most people in the church in this culture are living. And I want to show you why it's foolish. So five reasons why we give God a blank check with no strings attached, not even an Iraq string attached. one because we've been saved by the gospel.

7:39 This is why we give God a blank check with no strings attached, because we've been saved by the gospel. So this is the thrust of Romans. We saw last week how Paul is wanting the church at Rome to help him get the gospel to Spain, but notice what he doesn't do. Paul doesn't spend all his time in this letter telling the church in Rome all about the needs in Spain. Tell them stories about people in this city or that town in Spain. Instead, he writes them a letter in which he gives them quite possibly the most pure, potent picture of the gospel that we have anywhere in the Bible. And in so doing, Paul is pointing us to an inevitable reality. It's there in your notes. The beauty of the gospel creates a burden for mission. the beauty of the gospel itself is what creates the burden for mission once you know the gospel i mean really know it and really believe it once you really believe it's truth like we heard it proclaimed in the baptistry just a second ago then mission to unreached people just makes sense so you think about this in Romans so what does Paul do in Romans 1-3 he starts by painting a picture of the depravity of man the lostness of men and women apart from God and he gets to the end of that section in Romans 3, 19-20 he says everybody stands guilty before God everybody in the world silenced before God nothing to say in our sinfulness but then as we saw last week be the greatest transition verse in all of the Bible, Romans 3 21, Paul says, but now a righteousness from God apart from the law has been made known. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There's no difference. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace to the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

9:48 God has presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. In other words, men, all men sinful before God, but God has poured out the wrath due sin upon his son so that anyone, anywhere can be saved from their sin and reconciled to God forever. Which then leads to the question how is that possible? How is that a reality? And he answers that question in Romans 4 and 5. He says it's through faith. It's not through work. It's not through you doing a bunch of work for God.

10:23 work God has done for you in Christ. It says in Romans 5, we're justified through faith. That's how we have peace with God, through faith. Because we believe, Romans 5, 6 through 8, that very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died for us. And it's through faith in what he has done that we are reconciled to God. This is the good news for every non-Christian friend who's in here this morning. Hear the good news. God has poured out the wrath due sin upon his son, and he has said to you sitting here in this room, if you will trust in him to save you from your sin as Lord over your life, he will remove all your sin forever.

11:12 then he goes on in Romans 6 to describe how through faith in Christ we're dead to sin and alive to God this changes everything about how we live now Romans 7 that doesn't mean we don't struggle with sin we do for what we want to do we don't do what we hate we do it's kind of schizophrenic Paul we want to do good evil's right there with us waging war against the law of our mind making a prisoner of law at work within our members then Paul says who's going to rescue us And the answer, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Which then sets the stage for the most triumphant chapter, I believe, in all the scripture, Romans chapter 8. Where he says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do and it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

12:07 And so he condemned sin and sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. And he goes on to talk about how we have the Spirit of Christ in us. The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us. God does not give us a Spirit that makes us a slave again to fear. He gives us a Spirit of sonship by whom we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. And if we're children, that means we're heirs. Heirs with God, co-heirs with Christ. if indeed we may share in his sufferings in order that one day we're gonna share in his glory. He says this world's hard. It's full of suffering. But there's coming a day we're gonna share in his glory. And we know, this is how I close it out. We know in all things, God's working together. Even the hardest things, God's working together for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Those he predestined, he also called.

12:59 Those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified. What then, Paul says, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It's God who justifies. Who is he that condemns Christ Jesus who died? More than that, has raised the life and is at the right hand of God. Right now, he's interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it's written, for your sake we face death all day long. We're considered like sheep to be slaughtered. He says, no, in all these things we're more than conquerors through him who loved us. We're convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor the present nor the future, nor any powers, nor heights nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

13:53 That's gospel. That's good news. Don't miss the bottom line. You want to know how good this gospel is? This gospel is good enough to throw yourself into hell so that other people can have it.

14:15 which is why Paul says right after that triumphant chapter 8 chapter 9 verse 1 I'm speaking the truth in Christ I'm not lying my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

15:05 You see the burden of mission created by the beauty of the gospel? And Paul says, with great sorrow, unceasing anguish, before God, he says, I would go to hell if I could. I would throw myself into damnation.

15:29 if that would mean the salvation of these people. He's talking specifically about the Jewish people. I don't know how to comprehend that statement. to stand on the brink of everlasting darkness, eternal fire that will never end, and to say, I would jump in. I'd jump in right now if it meant the Jewish people's salvation.

15:58 Jewish people, mind you, who were persecuting Paul, who were waiting for him in Jerusalem to arrest him and have him killed. And Paul says, I'd go to hell forever for you. Why would Paul say that? Why would you say something like that?

16:20 So think about it. Now, I know it's different, but there's many similarities. Think about an unreached people group today. So think Iraq or Syria. Think about an unreached people group that is producing terrorists intent on killing Christians. I hate you.

16:44 Think about an unreached people group that's waiting to arrest and or murder you or your family when you come their way. why would you say I'd throw myself into hell forever if that meant you could be saved but since I can't do that I'll do whatever it takes for your salvation whatever it takes I'll lay down my life, my family, my future so that you might be saved how do you say that and mean that

17:17 here's the deal, you can only say that if you really know that you were once under the wrath of God and you deserved eternal damnation, that hell was your rightful destination and you know that God, the very God whom you rebelled against, this God came running after you to redeem you. And how did he do that? He did that by going to hell for you. and me. Christ redeemed us by putting himself on a cross, bearing the wrath that we deserve. And then, though our eyes were blind to its beauty, God's grace broke through our hard hearts, and he opened our eyes to believe. He saved us. He predestined, called, justified. He's promised to glorify us with him forever. So now it just makes sense, as sinners saved by the gospel, to say to God, we'll go to the most rebellious, the hardest to reach, the most resistant people, our lives in love for their salvation.

18:19 We give God a blank check because we've been saved by the gospel. And when we really know this gospel then that kind of burden for mission just makes sense. that's the first reason we give God a blank check second we give God a blank check because we've been sent by God

18:45 so that's Romans 9 now keep going to Romans 10 remember these words we read a few days ago in our Bible reading Romans 10 9 pick it up in 9 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. how then can they call on Him in whom they've not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?

19:38 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they're sent, as it is written, how beautiful are feet of those who preach the good news? Did you hear that? how they to preach unless they're sent we've walked through this passage before just a reminder if you take the verbs from starting in the back of verse 15 and work up to verse 13 you see God's plan for getting the gospel to all peoples it starts by him sending his children and what his children do verse 15 says they preach when we preach people hear into verse 14 so we're working our way backwards When they hear, they believe. Obviously not everybody who hears will believe, but many who hear will believe.

20:28 When they believe, they'll call, beginning of verse 14. In verse 13, everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. So God sends his children, his children preach. When we preach, people hear. When they hear, they believe. When they believe, they call. When they call, they're saved. It all starts with God sending his children. so just think about this why do we give God a blank check because God the God of the universe the God who brought the sun up this morning and it's holding its place in the universe right now

21:04 the God who will bring it down tonight in darkness over the land the God who's in control of all of that is the same God who sends you right where you're sitting it's a breathtaking thought isn't it like we're not just passerby sitting in a seat on a Sunday morning we are men and women who have been sent by God himself to make his glory known among all people

21:36 God is sending you and when you realize that then it just makes sense to say okay God Wherever, whatever, whenever. I'll do it Blank chat And remember why he's sending us God is sending us for others salvation God God wants to save People all over The world And he's sending you And me To be a part of seeing that happen

22:13 This is An awesome thought I read a story this week about a Syrian woman she's talking about Syria named Zunira who fled her country came into a refugee camp background Zunira's husband and left her after 30 years of marriage she found herself alone in this war-torn country the night before Zunira left Syria she had a dream in which she was being attacked and she ran out on the road to get away and all of a sudden in her dream she said a horse came along she rode the horse into a middle of a group of Christians who said to her, we know people say, Zunira was a Muslim, we know people say we don't fear God, but we do fear God, and these Christians brought Zunira in and took care of her. Zunira, not knowing all that it meant, came out of Syria into a refugee camp where she met a follower of Christ named Rachel.

23:09 Rachel connected Zunira with a group of Christians who were serving Syrian refugees, and before she knew it, surrounded by a group of Christians praying for her, caring for her, and sharing the Gospel with her. Which led Zunira to coming to those Christians one day and saying, I'm overwhelmed by God's love for me and I want to trust Jesus to cleanse me from all my evil.

23:38 Do you realize this is something you and I get to be a part of? Like God moving heaven and earth to bring people in contact with you or me to hear the good news of how much he loves them and how they can be saved from all their sins for all of eternity.

24:03 why would we put limitations on our involvement in that? Or put any limitations on our involvement in that? Why would we not stand up and say, yes, whatever, whenever, wherever, I'm yours, I'm yours, this is what I'm on the earth for. And don't be fooled and distracted by lesser ambition than the purpose for which God has put you on the planet, make his glory and his gospel known among you. peoples.

24:36 That's why we give God a blank check, because he's sending us for their salvation and for his glorification. For his glorification, which goes back even to what we read a minute ago in Romans 9. Why was Paul so anguished in these verses? Remember, remember he talked about the Jewish people? You can even turn back there real quick, but it says, They're Israelites. To them belong the adoption and the glory and the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship promises. To them belong the patriarchs. From their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all. is the people of God, Paul says. The people that all the way back in the Old Testament, God bound his name and his glory and his honor, blessing for the spread of his glory. He said the glory of God is at stake in this people, which is why he says immediately after that in verse 6, it's not as though God's word had failed. The rest of Romans 9 and 10 and 11, Paul's zealous to show that God is sovereign over the salvation of his people. God will be faithful to his promises. Now again, it's different in many ways. It's different. We know the promises in the Bible. Revelation 5. We know that Jesus has purchased men and women from every people, tribe, tongue and nation. And so last week when we talk about 6,500 unreached people groups there's a temptation at least in the back of our mind to think well is God really going to save people from all of them?

25:50 Is God really going to be faithful to that promise to bring people from all of them around his throne? One of the reasons we give God a blank check is because we want to see God's faithfulness displayed to every single one of those people. We know in this room, this is, why do we give God a blank shag? Because we know,

26:14 we know there's 6,500 people groups that are not giving our God glory and he deserves glory from every single one of them. And we want his glory to be known among every single one of them. holy discontentment in us. When we see 6,500 people who should be praising God, who aren't praising God, there aren't people from those people who are praising God, we're saying we want to change that for his glorification.

26:46 And keep going as if this is not enough. God's sending us for their salvation, his glorification, and he's sending us for our satisfaction, for our good. I know that putting a blank check on the table with your life, with your family, with your future is a scary proposition for many of us. And what if God says go to Iraq or Syria or Afghanistan to work upon the Taliban? Like, is that what I'm going to do with my life or my family? The thought of a blank check may be frightening to us.

27:22 But don't forget who you're giving the blank check to. God. and if you can trust him to save you from your sins

27:44 certainly you can trust him to lead your life if you can trust God to save you for eternity from hell and eternity if he's able to do that then surely you can trust him to satisfy you on earth

28:07 what we really need to be afraid of when we realize that what we need to be afraid of is any conditions we might put on obedience to God are you seeing that? that's foolishness to attach any strings conditions to obedience to God as if we know better than God what is best for our lives

28:27 we give God a blank check because he's sent us for other salvation his glorification our satisfaction It just makes sense to say send me however, wherever, whenever you want. All right, we've got to speed up here because I really want to get personal and practical. So what does this look like? Let's hit the high points of the rest of what we've read and are reading in Romans. Third reason why we give God a blank check with our lives, families, church, because we're slaves of Jesus Christ. We're slaves of Jesus Christ. Remember, this is how the book of Romans opened. Paul, a servant, a slave of Christ Jesus. Then you get to chapter 12. Look at chapter 12. In your Bible, Paul writes, verse 1, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, in other words, in view of all the mercies of God in the gospel that he just recounted, to present your bodies as the living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. That is blank check language.

29:20 Living sacrifice. Our lives quite literally on the altar before God. When you think about it this way, giving God a blank check is really the essence of what it means to be a Christian isn't it? And what happens? There could be a temptation in this room to think, oh, I'm just not ready for that level of commitment to my relationship with Christ. The reality is, this is the basics. It's the basics. Think about it. What happens at that moment when you initially come to faith in Christ, at that moment when you turn aside from your sin and yourself and you say, hey, I don't want to go my way anymore. I want to go your way. That's a blank check.

30:03 Isn't it from the start? It's not like we come to Christ and we say, I want to follow some of your ways and hold on to some of my ways. That's not at all what it means to become a Christian. The essence of what it means to become a Christian is to say, I'm trusting you now to save me from my sins and lead me as my Lord. You're Lord, not me.

30:25 in my life. I'm your servant. I'm your slave. you know why blank check language surrender to go wherever do whatever seems so foreign to many of us today think about it isn't it because we've so diluted the gospel invitation just pray this prayer say these words and that's all it means to become a christian when it's not true it's just not true yes everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved but that's just it you're calling on the name of the Lord. The Lord who rules you. The Lord to whom you belong. The Lord before whom you bow and you say whatever you want me to do, I'll do. And becoming a Christian, being Christian, necessarily involves giving God a blank check.

31:12 Romans 12 on, we sacrifice our bodies for his worship. My body is a living sacrifice. It belongs to you to use however you want for your worship. bodies for worship. We saturate our minds with his word. Romans 12, 2 goes on to say, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. We think differently from the world around us. We don't value what the world values. Safety, security, success according to the standards of this world. No, we value obedience to God's word over all these things in the world. We sacrifice our bodies for worship. We saturate our minds with his word, and we surrender our

31:58 That's it. That's what we want. That's the essence of a blank check to say, That's what it means to be a Christian. We give God a blank check because we're slaves of Jesus Christ. Fourth, we give God a blank check because we are servants in his church. We're servants in his church.

32:22 in Romans 12. I want to highlight this because Paul immediately starts talking about the body of Christ. And listen to what he says, verse 3, For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as is one body, listen to this language, we have many members and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Then he goes on to list these different gifts. So the picture we need to see is, particularly as it relates to giving God a blank check, is that as followers of Christ, we are members of a family where everybody counts. Where everybody counts. I know that today's one of those days where I'm guessing some people in this room maybe are starting to tune out, or maybe you've already tuned out a while ago, thinking I just don't think my life is going to make that much of a difference when it comes to mission among unreached people.

33:26 So this really doesn't apply to me. This is for other people. This is where I want to stop and say this does apply to you. It applies to every single one of us. God's passion for His glory in all nations is not a compartmentalized program in the church for a select few who are called to care about that.

33:46 No, we're all called to this mission and commissioned on this mission body together on this mission to make the gospel known in the world, particularly among people who have never heard. And every member has a part to play in it. Every member has a part to play in mission. We're members of a family where everybody counts and everybody contributes. God has given gifts by his Spirit to every member in the body of Christ for the purpose of mission through the church. So every single follower of Christ in this room, specifically every single member of the church of the church that I'm looking at. You've got something. You've got much to give for the sake of mission.

34:26 And so this, this is why every member of the body of Christ then puts a blank check on the table and says, God, I believe you gifted me. Maybe even unique ways that are different from the people around me. And I'm saying, I want to use the gifts, whatever gifts you've given me, however you want, for the spread of your gospel and your glory in the world, particularly among those who've never heard the gospel. And what happens when every member of the body of Christ is given a blank check? And those members and different gifts and different functions come together for the purpose of mission. We're servants in the church. Which leads to the last reason we give God a blank check, because we're sure of His commission. We're sure of His commission. After Paul expands on the church and its role even in the culture in Romans 13 and 14. In the beginning of chapter 15, he calls the church to unity in mission.

35:23 Jews and Gentiles with different backgrounds, different gifts together. Look at verse eight and nine. Romans 15, eight. I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised, in other words, to the Jews, in order to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and, verse nine, in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. And then what Paul does after that is he pulls four different quotations from the Old Testament. And he uses them to paint a picture of God's purpose in all of history. To bring Jews and Gentiles, all nations together for his praise. He says this is why Christ came, verse 8, into the world. What Paul does here, and you've got this in your notes, is Paul basically shows how Jesus Christ died to redeem people from among all peoples for the praise of God.

36:18 He died to redeem people from among all peoples, not just the Jewish people, Gentiles, all peoples for the praise of God. Paul takes us all the way back in the Old Testament to show us even when God called the people of Israel, the Jewish people, it was never just about receiving praise from them. God's purpose from the very beginning was to receive praise from all the peoples of the world. Verse 9 is from Psalm 1849. The picture is the Jewish people praising God among the Gentiles. In the middle of the Gentiles. In the next quotation, though, verse 10, the picture is the Jewish people praising God with the Gentiles, alongside the Gentiles. Verse 10, rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. So you've got the Jews praising God among the Gentiles, then with the Gentiles. In the next verse, the focus is on the Jewish people calling the Gentiles to praise God. Verse 11, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, that all the peoples extoll them.

37:10 17. And then finally, the last quotation is from Isaiah 11.10. And the picture is Jesus, from the root of Jesse, rising up and receiving praise from among all the nations, Jews and Gentiles alike. Romans 15.12. The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles. In him will the Gentiles, will all the nations hope. And the picture is Paul saying, this has been the purpose of God all along. Everything God has done in the world. All throughout the Old Testament now and the New Testament, God's purpose has always been, will always be to form a people from among all peoples for the praise of his name. This is why Jesus came. This is why Jesus died, to fulfill that purpose, to make that people from among all peoples a reality.

37:54 So step back then and get the picture. What's God doing in the world right now in 2014? Here's what he's doing. He's doing what he's been doing from the beginning of history, He's doing what he was doing when he sent Christ 2,000 years ago. He's forming a people from among all peoples for the praise of his name. God is not fully praised when one type of people worship him. Only Jewish people or only Anglo-Americans or only African-Americans or only Latin-Americans or only Europeans. No, God is most fully praised when every type of people in the world, people from every part of America and Africa and Asia, of people from all the peoples of the world are joining together in the praise of God. That is his purpose. It's the purpose for which Christ died. Therefore, it is the purpose for which we live. Jesus Christ died to purchase people from among all the peoples for the praise of God. So we as Christians live to reach people from among all peoples for the praise of God. And this is why we give God a blank check. If this is the purpose of God in the world, and if our lives belong to God in this world, then His purpose is our purpose.

39:13 We want our lives to fulfill His purpose. When I say we're sure of His commission, we're sure that's what He's doing, and we're sure that's what's going to happen. We know this purpose is going to be fulfilled. It's going to happen, church. All the peoples of the earth are one day going to be reached for the praise of God, and we want to be a part of it. Don't we? We're going to sit on the sidelines and the ultimate purpose in all history. Say, I'll be a part of it here or there with these strings attached. And we say, we know where all history is headed. We know where it's headed, and we want in on it. We've got confidence in the mission of God, the commission that God has given us. So we give him a blank check because we know he's going to use our blank checks to bring about the culmination of all history.

40:04 So we give God a blank check for all these reasons. I've been saved by the gospel, sent by God, slaves of Christ's service in the church, which serves his commission. Are you persuaded that this is a wise thing to do? So what is this blank check then that we give to God? When we're talking blank check, what does that mean practically? At the end of Romans, it seems to me we have an answer to that question. Because what you have in the end of Romans 15 and end of Romans 16 is a picture of all kinds of different people. 26 different people mentioned, names mentioned. All kinds of different people playing all kinds of different roles, doing all kinds of different things. And Paul's saying to and about them all, Together, we're getting the gospel to people who've never heard it.

40:53 and that is the picture I have in my mind when I look out at this church and the people just even sitting in this room right now different people, unique gifts,

41:14 unique positions, unique passions, unique abilities, unique resources, all by the grace of God. it's what happens when we say to him together let's do whatever it takes with all God's given us to get the gospel and people have never heard it

41:44 a blank check that says, I will pray however you want me to pray. So this is where the battle begins. In Romans 15, 30, Paul appeals for the church to strive together in prayer. And this is where, remember, this is where you and I, tomorrow morning, this afternoon, from our homes, can be a part of what God is doing in Iraq and Syria everywhere else in the world, specifically among unreached peoples, through praying.

42:20 like are you saying God how do you want me to pray I'll pray however you want me to pray I have mentioned before Operation World as a resource. And I just want to remind you of this resource. We're going to put it up on the screen. So if you go to operationworld.org, you can do this in a matter of a couple of minutes in your quiet time in the morning. Or instead of flipping to see what the new Alabama or Auburn news is this week, just flip for a minute.

42:56 and you can go and it guides you through every day. There's a Pray Today section where you can pray for different nations in the world. I've just got Pakistan pulled up here. So you pull up Pakistan. I just want you to see how you can use this. You pull up Pakistan. It gives you a summary of information just about the country, and you keep scrolling down. It gives challenges for prayer, the state of the church in Pakistan, needs in Pakistan, notice here, religion.

43:29 Muslim, 95.8%. Christians, 2.45%, which in Operation World, that's kind of a, that would include even nominal Christians. So evangelicals, this would be Bible-believing Christians, that's 0.6%. 0.6% out of 184 million people.

43:54 and you can even click on this, there's a place here, it says Unreached People's Prayer Card, it says 97% unreached Pakistan, you see that? 97% unreached. You can click on Unreached People's Prayer Card, and it'll come up, this PDF file, that just lists the different Unreached People groups that are living in Pakistan. You can just pray, for the Afghan poenda of Pakistan. Spread the gospel to the Agaria Muslim of Pakistan. On and on. You just scroll down.

44:42 He just keeps scrolling. Just give me, we're just in the C's. and goes all the way all the way all the way down to

45:04 Z's all these unreached people groups just pray God raise up harvesters to go to these people groups God open their eyes to the gospel You come back to this page, and for many of the countries, there's even up here in this section a video that you can press on and pray. When you press this, this is the video that would come up from Pakistan. It will lead you to pray. It's two minutes. Even now, right now in this room, let's watch this video and just pray.

45:42 O Heavenly Father, we come before you as we pray for the country of Pakistan. We pray for the healing of the land, Lord. There is much demonic activity, with innocent people being killed, religious intolerance growing, poor system of governance.

46:06 We pray for peace on the borders between Afghanistan and India, Lord We pray for the people that you would open up their minds to understand the truth of the gospel We pray for the church in Pakistan to grow and serve as a living witness to the people in Pakistan that seek the truth

46:34 We also pray that the gospel be translated in all the languages spoken and understood in Pakistan today. We pray for the people, the leaders, the religious leaders, the political leaders, Lord, that you give them wisdom so that they can make intelligent decisions.

46:57 Lord, we humbly ask that you raise a generation in Pakistan that would open their hearts and mind to your word and bring blessings to your name Lord, hear the cries of the poor and spilling of the unjustified blood We ask that you show mercy on these people, Lord

47:24 I pray all this in your most precious name. My heavenly world.

47:54 And that's... It's two minutes well spent in your day. just multiply that over more minutes and more days when we say we'll pray however you want us to pray however long we need to pray it's where a blank check starts

48:17 you don't spend time in prayer like that too long before Romans 9 and burden starts to overtake your heart and you say I'll give whatever you want me to give this is what a blank check involves I'll give whatever you want me to give which again is part of what Paul is emphasizing in Romans here in the end he's talking about this offering he's taken to Jerusalem to help the poor there and how when he gets to Rome he wants them to help him financially even in getting the gospel to Spain. This is where we remember. This is where we remember in this room as we're reading Romans how much God has given us.

48:55 What if God really wanted to get the gospel to every people group on the planet? Might he give his people in a setting like we live in unprecedented wealth in the history of the world to get the gospel to them

49:18 and we're some of the wealthiest people to ever walk planet earth there's a reason why we got wealth it's for the sake of worship not more stuff for ourselves it's not why we have it so this is war time this is not peace time we conserve our resources we're obligated to live more simply to give more sacrificially why? because there's over 2 billion people on the road to hell right now who have never even heard how they can be with God in heaven you and I have the gospel so we look at our bank accounts we look at our budgets we say I'll give whatever you want me to give

49:56 particularly those who've never heard. Whatever you want me to sell, I'll sell. Whatever you want me to sacrifice, I'll sacrifice. Whatever you want me to give, I'll give for the spread of the gospel to unreached people. We say that as a church. We say, God, whatever you want us to give, however you want us to spend our money together to get the gospel to people who've never heard it. And finally, to give God a blank check. He'll say, I'll go whenever, wherever you want me to go. In Romans 15, Paul is saying, the Lord's calling me to Spain. That's where I'm going. The Lord wasn't calling everybody to go to Spain. The Lord was calling some to stay in Rome and Ephesus, other places. So this looks different in so many lives. For some, it'll mean going short-term. Some, it'll mean going mid-term. For many, a blank check will mean students, families, retirees, moving to live and work among unreached peoples. For others, a blank check will mean partnering together with an international student at UAB or Sanford who's from an unreached people. There are so many diverse, creative ways that God will lead us in this.

50:53 is the blank check on the table? Is it on the table? Really on the table? You're saying, God, whenever, now, then, wherever, here, there, I'll go, no matter what it costs. That's what we saw way back in Acts 13, right? When the Spirit of God said to the church at Antioch, set apart for me Saul and Barnabas for the work to which I've called them. And the church at Antioch, though I'm sure it wasn't easy, it was hard for the church at Antioch, they set apart Paul and Barnabas and sent them out.

51:23 And it wasn't easy for Paul and Barnabas when they went out. Everywhere they went facing persecution and resistance. When we put the blank check on the table, there is a cost to be sure. Our lives won't stay the same. Our families won't stay the same. Our church won't stay the same. The more we give our lives, our families, and the church of this mission, the harder it will get in this world. Not easier.

51:49 Paul knew this. Paul knew this but he knew it was worth it remember those maps we looked at last week I want to bring them back up here on the screen I want to show you the map that we left off with last week and if you've been around

52:12 you've seen these maps before but I just want to remind you what's represented on this map you'll notice we talked about on the far right eastern portion of this map, Antioch and Jerusalem, Rome in the middle. You'll notice around Rome in the middle, for example, you might, it's barely perceptible, but you can see a little yellow around that red dot. You can see a little bit of yellow around Jerusalem and Antioch on the far right, kind of a bright yellow. Those are regions that were known to contain Christians at the beginning of Paul's ministry. Now in just a second, I want to show you a map that shows the regions known to contain Christians at the end of Paul's ministry. And I want you to see if you can tell a difference. So look at this second map with me.

52:52 you see that yellow light up in all those regions where we saw Paul was traveling that's where he was preaching the gospel he was making disciples he was planting churches I'm not saying Paul was the only person who had an effect on that map but I would say Paul had a pretty significant impact on that map the church of Antioch and sending him out had a pretty significant impact on that map but you'll notice when you look at it all the way over to the left far western part of the map There's no yellow there.

53:22 And from all we know, Paul likely never got the gospel to Spain. So does that mean Paul failed? His life was a waste? Before we make that conclusion, just a second, I want to show you another map that shows regions known to contain Christians within two centuries, two short centuries after Paul's death. And I want you to see if you can tell the difference in that map. with me.

53:56 do not underestimate what God will do in and through blank check in your life and in the church, your family, for his glory in the world. That picture, let me show you one last map. areas in red representing those most unreached with the gospel and just call us in view of this map to say God I'll pray however you want me to pray

54:29 I'll give whatever you want me to give. I'll go whenever, wherever you want me to go. Do whatever you want me to do to see that map reached with the gospel. no matter what it costs, knowing that you are my reward.

54:52 This is it. This is where it all comes back to. Saying we want the glory of God more than we want life itself. We want his name praised all over that map. the end of each of our lives and look back and don't you want to say on that day I did what you told me to do?

55:20 Instead of getting to that day looking back and say I just didn't trust you so I put conditions on my obedience to you. I'm zealous not to say that on that day and I'm zealous for you not to say that on that day. I don't know what that means for a couple thousand people's lives in this room,

55:44 but I want to call this based on the word of God.