Sermon Tone Analysis

A MIND FOR MISSIONS: THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES

 

*INTRODUCTION*

 

*ILLUSTRATION: *Pine cone – Fell to earth from mature tree.

Seed enters ground and it’s possible that another beautiful, mature tree grows.

But first, a seed had to be planted.

* *

We are living & working in Asia to plant seeds and to help people reach maturity in the LORD.

One of our main goals is Thailand is to equip Christians leaders and help them to reach their fullest potential in Christ.

*EXAMPLE: *Vision training in Laos – Persecution – 17 yr old Hmong boy – Bible College – Hungry & thirsty to serve God.

What a honor and privelege to train and help he and other leaders reach their full potential, even as they are a salt and light to their own people.

* *

I* *personally believe we’re only a generation or two away from Christ’s return (though we live as if it is a 1000 years away!).

I also believe this is a time of harvesting and gathering the last of the crop, or as Eugene Morse says, the “stragglers.”

They are just as precious, that is why the Lord hasn’t taken us home yet.

The work left is staggering.

Just a few brief illustrations:

 

*In the 21st century…*

•        There are 2 billion people in the world who identify themselves as Christians (all types).

•        There are 1.2 billion Muslims.

\\ Muslims are the fastest growing major religious group, largely as a result of high birth rates.

•        There are 784 million people who are Buddhists or who practice Chinese traditional religion.

•        There are 811 million Hindus, largely in India.

•        There are 918 million people who profess no faith at all.

The 10 countries with the largest non-Christian population are: China; India; Pakistan; Indonesia; Bangladesh; Iran; Japan; Turkey; Vietnam and Nigeria.

Although these numbers are staggering, they are also seem so impersonal.

But God not only sees nations, He, of course, created every individual and has a tremendous love for them.

Our God is a missionary God; that is, with tremendous love and mercy, He is pursuing people to enter into fellowship with Him.

This is why we and many others go; and this is why you are, for example, partnering with us to gather in the harvest.

Often, we think of well-known passages in the New Testament, such as the Great Commission, for the basis of gathering a world-wide harvest.

And, there are great passages in the New Testament, such as the Great Commission, found in all four Gospels, which motivate us to be involved in missions.

But for just a few moments, I would like for us to look at the foundation for missions, prior to the time Christ was on the earth.

In fact, God demonstrates that He is a missionary God from the time of His creation and in pursuit of man after the Fall – the fall being when Adam and Eve first sinned.

As a result of Adam’s sin, huma­n civilization abandoned a close relationship with God – the whole purpose as to why we were created, which is to enjoy God and to be with Him forever.

Humanity populated the earth, only partially fulfilling the mandate found in Genesis 1:28, which says:

 

[God] said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control.

I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.”

Sadly, we have fulfilled some of this mandate, but without God’s intended perfection.

I believe this will be fulfilled during eternity.

So in time, God destroyed the earth because of man’s wickedness (found in Gen 6:5-7), but He redeemed Noah and his family because of their righteousness (Gen 7:1).

Later, confusion reigned at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11).

When mankind became prideful and wanted full knowledge like God, there were given different languages and were scattered throughout the world.

*ABRAHAM*

 

Yet in the midst of this abundance of sin, and out of the increased distance that was building between God and man, God demonstrated His great love by calling Abram (Gen 12:1-3).

Genesis 12:1-3:  The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.

*2* I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation.

I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.

*3* I will bless those who bless you, But I will curse those who curse you.

And through you I will bless all the nations.”

(TEV)

 

In these verses, we see that God made a covenant with Abram, promising him that he would be the agent of God’s redemption to all the earth.

Through Abram, God promised that “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3).

God’s call to Abraham is repeated in Genesis 17:1-7, where God establishes the “everlasting covenant” with Abraham and his descendants.

Through Abraham and his descendants, God again took the initiative to bring His blessing and redemption to all the earth.

Today, just like through Abraham, God wants to bring His blessing and His redemption through our lives to others.

God desires us to share His love and character in practical ways.

*Examples: * Kelly with gal – *Dawn *- in Khukhan – hired her to work.

Changed diapers, provided a meal and work.

Gave clothes, formula, etc.  – In Chiang Mai, for two years, once a week went to *our neighbor* – went as a family until she died.

– *Kelly jogging* in Chiang Mai – gave her coat to a man who was cold.

What are you doing to show God’s love to other people?

Let’s move on and briefly look at Abraham’s descendants – the people of Israel – and the Law.

*THE LAW*

 

God wanted to bring His message of blessing and redemption to all the earth through Abraham’s physical descendants, the people of Israel.

However, the establishment of the Law was required because of their rebellion against God; and the fact that the price of sin must be paid.

Remember, our sin must be paid for in some way or another.

Even in the Law, which is usually considered to be a revelation specifically for the people of Israel, God demonstrates His love for all who are not saved.

At the outset of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:3, God establishes that there is one God in all the earth: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

The people of Israel were called to be witnesses of this one true God.

Israel’s greatness wasn’t because of Solomon’s vast riches, or the number of people or the wars it won or the cities it built.

No, Israel was great because God called the nation to demonstrate His character and love to the other nations around it.

This righteousness of the Law intended to set Israel apart.

Let’s look at a few passages to demonstrate this fact:

 

Leviticus 20:22 The LORD said, “Keep all my laws and commands, so that you will not be rejected by the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8: “Do this because you belong to the LORD your God.

From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people.

*7* “The LORD did not love you and choose you because you outnumbered other peoples; you were the smallest nation on earth.

*8* But the LORD loved you and wanted to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors.

That is why he saved you by his great might and set you free from slavery to the king of Egypt.

(TEV)

 

Deut.

14:2 You belong to the LORD your God; he has chosen you to be his own people from among all the peoples who live on earth.

(TEV)

 

Deut.

28:1 “If you obey the LORD your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, he will make you greater than any other nation on earth.

(TEV)

 

It’s not what the people of Israel did – it’s NOT what we do that makes us great or saves us; rather, it is God’s love, grace, mercy, and presence with us that saves us and ushers us into His Kingdom.

In the Buddhist religion, there is no God.

There is no merciful Creator to forgive a person’s sins.

People go to the idols and hire dancers, or burn incense or ring bells or put in 108 coins representing Buddha’s life, all for the hope of good karma.

But who controls the karma?

Where is the hope?

Where is your hope?

It should NOT be based on good morality – on being a good person – but only through a personal relationship with the living God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Later, God made it plain that Israel’s selection as His special people was for the purpose of leading others to “acknowledge the Lord” (Is 19:21).

However, the initial call of the mission was that one nation would know Him.

In the Law, God also actively reminds the Israelites to be concerned and compassionate toward the “aliens” and “strangers” because they themselves had been aliens in Egypt when God redeemed them (see Ex. 22:21; Lev 19:33-34; Deut 10:17-19).

Ex.

22:21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt.

(TEV)

 

Lev.

19:33-34: “Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land.

*34 *Treat them as you would an Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves.