Missing Persons: 10 Great Truths

Missing Persons: 10 Great Truths Doug Lucas, President (portions of this message adapted from David Platt’s book Radical.)

Luke 15:1-7 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

Luke 15:1-7 continued And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

“All men are created equal” • We celebrate the idea • But eventually, • Equality of persons = equality of ideas • Equality of ideas = equality of faiths • Equality of faiths = “rest quietly” • So ... What of 4.5 billion without Christ?

Truth 1: All People Have Knowledge of God Romans 1:18 - 20: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Truth 2: All People Reject God Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” • Even if we worship “according to the light we’ve been given,” it’s not good enough. • No “credit” worshiping false gods.

Truth 3: All People are Guilty before God • First 3 Chapters of Romans: Depressing • Romans 3:10 “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’” • “What happens to the innocent guy in Africa?” • “I believe he will go to heaven.” • But the “innocent guy” doesn’t exist

Truth 4: All People are Condemned for Rejecting God • Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” • We want people to be ok when they haven’t had the opportunity to hear the gospel. • If this were the case, telling them would be the worst thing ever.

People are ultimately not condemned for not believing in Jesus. • People are ultimately condemned for rejecting God. • Paul must have wept as he wrote these verses.

Truth 5: God Has Made A Way Of Salvation For The Lost • Romans 3:21-22 “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known... This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. ...” • Jesus is the only way. • Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."

Truth 6: People Cannot Come to God Apart from Faith in Christ • Romans 3:21-22 • “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, ... This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” • Romans 10:9-10 – Christ came; we must believe • Romans 10:9“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Truth 7: Christ Commands the Church to Make the Gospel Known to All Peoples • God sends his servants. • His servants preach. • People hear, hearers believe. • Believers call. • Everyone who calls is saved. • We are the plan of God. • There is no plan B. • This is a cause worth living for. • For the 1.5 billion unengaged: The Bible indicates the destination will be Hell.

Truth 8: What’s the Nature of The Task Remaining? • There are currently 7.2 billion people on the planet. How big is 7 billion? • Jeremy Harper, of Birmingham, Alabama, earned a Guinness World Record by counting to one million in 2007. He counted every day, twelve to fourteen hours a day, for three months to achieve that number. At that pace, it would take 1,750 years to reach 7 billion.

Truth 9: Jesus had Compassion; He commanded us to pray • (Matt. 9:35-38) Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

What if They are Still Unreached because We Haven’t Prayed? • What if God is waiting on us to pray fervently for harvesters? • What if these harvesters could make a difference among the remaining 1/3 of the world’s population? • Have we prayed fervently? • After hearing this message today, will we behave any differently? • How would Jesus want us to pray?

Truth 10: We Have to Prioritize Concern & Prayer for the Missing • Luke 15: The Parable of the Lost Sheep • Vs. 4: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” • Luke 11: The friend at midnight • Vs. 8: “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”

How Can I Make a Difference? • James 4:2 – You do not have because you don’t ask God. • What if Hell is larger today than it was yesterday because many of us haven’t prayed? • Jesus has instructed us all to pray for his kingdom to come (Matt 6:10) • We might not all be called to go to the ends of the earth and preach... • But every one of us has been called to go to the closet and pray

Prayer... • Opens prison doors – and preaching doors • Binds the enemy and opens the heavens • Is the plow that breaks up the groundfor the gospel seed. • Join us in prayer today for every lost man, woman and child. Team Expansion: Transforming communities among the unreached by planting biblical churches. www.teamexpansion.org

Missing Persons: 10 Great Truths