How are we to reach the ends of the earth.

Could we label all the lost in the world today the ends of the earth? Why would I want to do this? B/c the people in Yemen and China really are at the ends of the Christian realm. (They say by 2020 Christian #s there will surpass the US.) Those who are lost here are so because of some very good reasons. If any of these people groups were easy to reach they would have been reached a long time ago. Most of these people have quarantined themselves out of reach of the Gospel a many years ago. Those here in America have been hurt by the Church (either by a believer or a group of believers), had the Gospel finger pointed in their face one to many times, or are a part of the generation that thinks they dont need any outside help (and this includes God!). Many of these people have never heard the Gospel. And what is the Gospel? Why the world needed Jesus, the story of Jesus, and what the process is for us to be able to surrender our lives to Him as our Lord and Savior. There is a smaller number (much smaller) who have heard the Gospel truth but have never been pursued by the church. They know the truth and are waiting on an invitation. There is a smaller number still (very small) who have heard, been pursued, and are still choosing to be on the outside. If this group is not careful, they will become a part of the company of the rich man looking up to Heaven and watching the Lazarus at Gods side. We cannot change their minds, but we can still love them, pray for them, and pursue them in holy relationships. Thats the makeup of our world here. There is a whole other world out there that is lumped into the never heard and never will hear category if we dont go and tell them. In my opinion both of these groups can and should be considered the ends of the earth; the ones left in a long line of fatally ill people. Like I said a moment ago, if these people were easy to reach they would have been reached a long time ago. It will take a church with much love and compassion, guts, and prayer to reach these people. But before any of that hits the road this church will have to have something far more basic and foundational as a part of its strategy: VISION. We must hear from God and see and understand His plan for us before we can ever see the ends of the earth reached. Now I believe God has given us His Vision in how He wants us to reach our world. I also believe you understand most, if not all of this Vision. But I do not believe we, together as a whole church, have embraced this Vision. Now why in the world would I say something like that? Im not trying to guilt you into anything or make a bridge to something simple like sharing your faith. Im looking at a much bigger picture. I see a whole church on mission for the Kingdom. I see a group of people working, loving, and serving tirelessly to see a world reached for Christ. And Im not talking about a group of worn out, over-worked, stressed to the hilt people who would rather be doing anything else than what they are doing. Im talking about a group of people who have been radically changed by the Great Redeemer Jesus, whose minds are being transformed daily through the digestion of His Word, whose hearts are being made more and more responsive to the promptings of His Spirit and whose mouths are being taught to speak a new language of love and truth. This does not beg you to be here 24/7. This begs you to be obedient to Christ wherever you are, 24/7. I want to walk with you through the book of Exodus this morning. Why would I do that? Because I believe that we are in very much the same position as the people of Israel. Heres my basic assumption: God created the Israelites for the purpose of demonstrating to the world what it looked like to have God living in their camp and ultimately to introduce the solution to the sin problem the world faced. They

were the channel through which grace and vision flowed for many, many years. But it took years for them to realize their ultimate purpose. On top of that, it took years for them to realize their immediate purpose. If you will open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 3 well begin our journey together! We are going to look at several parts of this journey together, so get ready! Let me summarize quickly before we start. Jacob brought his family to Egypt to avoid starvation, but also because his son was there in charge of the feeding operation. When Joseph died there were 70 Israelites in the land. They grew quickly and God blessed what they did. By the time they were larger than the Egyptian population a new Pharaoh had come to power and decided they needed to be oppressed, lest they rise up and conquer them. So he made them workers and then he made them slaves. He commanded that each Hebrew boy be killed. Moses was born and his mother preserved his life. She placed him in Gods hands and God rescued him through the hands of one of the only people who would have been able to raise him: Pharaohs daughter. Moses grew up, killed an Egyptian in anger, fled the land he was raised in and ran to Midian, a desert land comprised of shepherds and herdsmen trying to survive. While there God reveals a plan to him that involves him, Moses, being His messenger and leading the people out of bondage and into a new land of peace and promise. He spoke to him in a most miraculous way: through a burning bush. Here is what He said. Lets READ chapter 3 verse 10. God said Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. Moses responded Who am Ito bring the children of Israel out? God called them His people first, the sons of Jacob second. Moses didnt even recognize they were Gods people. He referred to them as the children of this man he never even knew. Israels children? Why would I risk my neck for someone elses kids? I have my own children to worry about. Moses forgot that he too was one of Israels children and had it not been for Gods grace, he too would have been killed along with the other Hebrew boys. God introduced Moses to His overarching Vision. This Vision didnt stop with rescuing the children of Israel from slavery. It stops at the cross of Jesus Christ. Gods plan began long before Moses was ever thought of and continued on long after he was gone. Moses was a key player in the process and at this point was refusing to even look at his role. Church, we too have been given a Vision for our role in Gods overarching plan. We too have been asked by God to go and bring His people, the children of Adam, out of bondage. I feel as though some of us have responded by totally ignoring the fact that God calls the world His people and answer Him with Adams children? I have children of my own that need plenty of rescue! Why should I worry about anothers? We forget that we too are one of Adams children and apart from Gods grace we too would have died along with millions of others who didnt know the grace that comes through the cross of Christ. God promised Moses that He personally would be with him and that His very presence would be the sign that God had sent him. In other words, there would be days when he doubted as to whether or not God was driving the show. He would become discouraged more than once. The people would rebel. Pharaoh would refuse. Things would go badly. But God promised that He would never leave them. He would never let them starve. He would constantly remind them of His protection. He would preserve

them as a people. Then God said after you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve *me] on this mountain. Folks, I dont know about you but I want to be on that mountain! I want to be where God is! I dont want to miss His presence because of my frustration, discouragement, doubt, or worry. The times that God was promising to walk with them through were not easy. It was no cake walk in the desert or in the wilderness, but Id rather be with God in the wilderness than without Him in Egypt. Id rather eat manna in the desert that God provides than dine on steak with Pharaoh in the palace. Id rather trust God to protect me from the fierce warriors of Canaan than rely on my own skills in peace time back in Egypt. Ill go with God any day of the week! What happened next? God gave Moses the details of the plan and some very convincing signs to use when Pharaoh doubted. A reluctant Moses agrees to go to Egypt and by the time he arrives we see a different, confident Moses striding into Pharaohs court demanding he set the captives free. By the time he leads the people out of the land Moses is carrying the bid for the leader of the year! God, in his grace, quickly transforms a hesitant hand into powerful partner in ministry. All because God willed it and Moses agreed. Lets pick up the story. Turn with me to the end of chapter 15. Keep in mind God has already parted the Red Sea, walking the Israelites across and drowning the Egyptians. He has protected His people with the Angel of the Lord and a cloud. He has made non-potable water potable just for them to drink. And He is about to make food literally fall out of the sky for them to eat. Each time God amazes them with His incredible, but also very God-like ability to fulfill His own promises He made them, they go about three days and begin to doubt Gods ability again. He split the dad-gum sea in two and they gripe about water to drink! Lets read these words of renewal from the Lord after He made the water sweet for them. 15.26. Whats going on here? I think the Israelites had grown so accustomed to operating own their own without God, they dont know how to act in His presence. They are truly grateful when He rescues them, but they quickly grow weary when things dont happen exactly as they think they should. Sound familiar? God says look, listen to me and me only. Obey everything I tell you and I will restore and keep your bodies from becoming what you watched the Egyptians become when they refused to listen to Me through Moses. This is no I will heal everything from cancer to colds and you will never get sick promise. It is a vow to not allow them to dip into what they were accusing Him of allowing them to become. They said well be gorged to death! and God parted the waters. They said well lose our way and God led them with cloud and fire. They said well die of thirst and God turned bitter water sweet and a rock into a drinking fountain. They said well die of hunger and God rained down bread. They said well die of boredom if we have to eat this bread every day and God rained down meat. The list just didnt stop!! And now He curbs every future fear. Just trust me and obey! You dont have to worry about your bodies. I will take care of you! Just come follow me. Does that sound vaguely familiar? Lets keep moving. Moses moves on. God takes them to Sinai. He gives them laws to govern every aspect of their lives with Him. Laws to govern their worship, their behavior, their relationships with each other, even the markers they were to set up in their community to remind them of His Presence. They

learn that this covenant people thing was for the long haul. Hes showing them all the ways they needed to stand out from the other nations because they were His people and He was/is their God. Then about half of what is left of the story contained in book of Exodus is spent on the Tabernacle. He shows them what it is supposed to look like; what its to be made out of; what it is to be furnished with; and who is supposed to work in it. He gives all kinds of instructions for the priests: what theyre to wear, how they are to act The very end of the book wraps up with God Himself coming to dwell in the Tabernacle they have constructed. What happens in between? The people disobey. And not just any run-of-the-mill disobedience. They make the top ten charts with this one! They create another god to worship and sacrifice to. My point is this: what if Gods intention for the Israelites was for Moses to come down off the mountain, share the guidelines with the people, the people celebrate and build the Tabernacle and God come and live in it. No golden calf. No Moses breaking the stone tablets. No God swearing He should destroy the people and Moses interceding. No death in the Israelite camp because of blatant disobedience. Just celebration and the sheer presence of the Lord. Ive gone the long way around the mulberry bush to say this to you this morning: we have two ways we can see Gods Vision accomplished in and through our church. We can disobey Him, ignore His voice, soften/harden and soften/harden our attitudes towards Him and watch Him eventually accomplish what He desires to see in our midst. This is the way of the Israelites. It cost them the lives of many of their people. It cost them a whole generation not seeing the land God had promised them. And it cost them in many cases the very presence of the Lord who wanted nothing more than to be with them. Or, we can take the shortcut. Shortcut? Thats right! Did you know there was a shortcut in seeing Gods Vision being fulfilled in our midst? One word: OBEDIENCE. Our Vision is clear and simple: Glorify God by taking His Gospel to the Ends of His Earth, here and overseas, baptizing them and teaching them to OBEY everything Jesus commanded us. We have been given His very authority to do this. We have even been given a very specific plan for how we, FBC Hughes Springs, are to see our part of this through. Now, lets get the job done!