You are listening to a message from First Baptist
Church, Wichita Falls. For more information about
First Baptist, click the link in the show notes
or go to FBCWF .org. Thank you so very, very
much for allowing me to be here with you today.
Thank Pastor Bob. I thank him from the bottom
of my heart for allowing me to come and share
some words with you today from God's holy word.
This summer marks my 38th summer here at First
Baptist Church, and I'm so blessed to be here.
No, no. I should be applauding you. My mom keeps
telling me you're going to catch on to me any
day now. Speaking of my mom, I took her to visit
four different retirement homes. She doesn't
like to call them retirement homes. I forget
what she calls them. in your golden years home
something of that nature and I took her to see
four different homes in the last week or so and
my mom at 92 years old is moving to Wichita Falls
so I'm really really excited about that. Do you
realize what kind of blessed people you are to
have that kind of worship? in a city of this
size. I hope you really do. I don't normally
get to sit in here. I'm always upstairs in the
control room where I thank God there are a lot
of other people up there today as well. But I
normally hear it through speakers. To be out
here and to hear that choir and to hear that
incredible orchestra. My son plays in the orchestra,
by the way. to hear all that, the organ, the
piano and everything. You are blessed and highly
favored and I hope you realize that because not
everyone in this community experiences that kind
of worship. I want to say a special hello to
those of you who are watching by television today.
Taking my mom on that tour, I met a lot of folks
who do watch these services on television. time
after time people would stop us and my mom would
they would say I know you and my mom would say
I've never been here before and then they would
say not you him But they watch the station and
they watch the worship services and the Sunday
school class that we have the word of truth So
you're a big part of that as well. So thank you
to all of you who are watching the programs today
from home I know we have a lot of amazing weather
and God is so good to us to provide the weather
for us So thank you. I want to say hello to the
West campus and to the church at Shepherd And
we're just glad that all of you are with us today
Before the Vietnam War in the nation of Vietnam
There was a man and his family who were committed
to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with
others They began to go from small actually villages
in the outlying areas Beyond Hanoi beyond other
of the somewhat built up cities to smaller rural
areas Their heart was to share Jesus Christ with
people who didn't know and had never experienced
His grace and His love and His salvation. They
appeared one day at a small village, and the
village elder met them. And he said, you cannot
speak to the people here unless first you accept
our hospitality. He handed to the father a kind
of a crude plate, and on it was a piece of meat.
And to the little boy, it was only the dad and
the little boy that went out that day, he handed
a smaller portion of meat the 10 year old little
boy looked at the meat that he had been handed
to his horror to his disgust he found that on
that piece of meat something was wriggling something
was crawling something did not appear I see several
people yes that was his reaction as well but
he looked on with amazing passion Love and admiration
as his father began to consume The piece that
he'd been given which likewise was infested as
well the little boy closed his eyes and took
his first bite and As well consumed the piece
that he had been given The elder said you may
address our people with whatever message it was
that you brought His father shed Christ with
that group of people and it changed the course
of history For those who received Jesus as their
Savior time continued on in the nation of Vietnam
and as you well know a war between essentially
the north and the south Our nation was involved
in some of my friends some of my most admired
people in my life participated as fighting service
people for our nation in that war. Eventually,
the war came to a conclusion and it was the Communist
Party who won. That family had to flee, they
had to leave Vietnam because at that point the
outward propagation of the gospel was not as
welcomed, not as accepted, and became a little
more dangerous. And so they came with so many
who immigrated here to the United States to these
shores. And ironically enough, God began to give
them another ministry. He began to give them
a ministry to those who had been displaced. And
He found very many, many people from Asian nations,
specifically even from Vietnam, who came to the
U .S. and they became His new congregation. They
became His new mission field. And over the years
that family had a tremendous impact, not only
then in the nation from which they had come,
but from the United States as well. And even
to this day the third generation of that family
is serving now as a medical missionary overseas.
God is so very, very good. God is so very, very
great. God is so very, very awesome. But it is
our job. To be making him known in the world
in which we live It is our task. It is the thing
that he has given to us to do We are to be making
him known. I invite you if you have your Bible's
eternal with me to Psalms chapter 67 It's a little
bitty short song, and if you read any Bible commentaries,
you'll find that most commentaries, most theologians,
most biblical scholars believe that it was written
probably to honor something like the Feast of
the Tabernacles, or to honor some other feast
in the traditions of the church. Because they
were celebrating, they were saying, thank you,
God, for the harvest. Meeting with verse one,
God be gracious to us. and bless us, and cause
His face to shine upon us. That your way may
be known on the earth, your salvation among all
nations. Let the people praise you, O God. Let
all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be
glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the
peoples with uprightness and guide the nations
on the earth. Let the people praise you, O God.
Let all the peoples praise you. The earth has
yielded its produce. God, our God. God blesses
us. God blesses us that all the ends of the earth
may fear Him. May God bless the reading of His
word. Would you bow with me please for a word
of prayer? Heavenly Father, as we look at this
small passage, help us to have big hearts. As
we look at this small passage, help us to have
big passions. As we look at this small passage,
help us to go big and live large for You. In
Jesus name I pray these things amen In my prayer.
I mentioned the words go big I'm so excited for
that Sunday Because that Sunday basically heralds
for us it harkens us back to another year of
church year You know when the school year starts
we kind of start here, too But by the way in
case you have any misgivings or misunderstandings
We don't stop during the summer Indian as I'm
speaking to you now Members of our staff as well
as volunteers members of our congregation are
serving God in the nation of Africa Throughout
this summer. We've had a number of different
mission trips into Oklahoma here in the heart
of Texas And we continue to do so but I get excited
when I think about that Sunday because it does
say to us Let's get things going again right
here at our church as we looked at that passage
You noticed, I hope some of you have recognized
that verse one that says, God be gracious to
us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon
us. That's actually a blessing that you find
originally in Numbers, but it's often used in
more liturgical churches as a way of saying to
the congregation from the pastor or the leader,
I hope God blesses you this week. He certainly
is blessing me. point of personal privilege,
if I may, I continue to believe that God is healing
me right now. I had another treatment this week
and I continue to believe that through everything
that God is allowing me to go through, God is
ministering to me. And you know what's so great
about God among the many things that are so great
about Him? He's so faithful. Can I get an amen
from anybody in here? Is He so faithful to us?
Does He love us so unconditionally? Does He love
us so passionately? Does he love us so carey?
But on the other hand He did say There will be
consequences if we don't trust him if we do not
accept him as our Lord and Savior There are consequences.
Do you realize maybe you don't let me share this
with you a recent poll by the Pew Research Center
indicated that 38 % of Christians do not believe
in a literal hell 38 % which means at least a
third of believers don't really feel like there's
any impetus at all any need to share the good
news of Jesus with others because in all sincerity
there isn't a lasting torment place of utter
sadness Desolation You hear those people who
joke they'll say oh, I don't mind going to hell
all my friends are going there We'll have a one
big party. No No, I Gave you some outline notes
and one of the first ones for you to fill out
I want to fill it out for you I want you to understand
this body of Christ if you don't already you
need to know this and I hope we can always accept
this as fact There is a heaven There is a hell
and without Jesus people go to hell Without Jesus
people suffer in their present and for all Eternity,
let me read that for you again. There is a heaven
and there is a hell Listen to me. It doesn't
matter if you don't believe it. You didn't make
the rules God did without Jesus people are gonna
go to hell And let me describe hell for you without
Jesus people are gonna suffer right now in their
present they do Ask anybody who's going through
addiction They suffer in their present and they
will suffer for all eternity There is a reason
why our church engages in missions There is a
reason why we're part of what we call the cooperative
program the International Mission Board the North
American Mission Board and many others Because
people do go to hell if they don't know Jesus
Christ Can I get a witness from anybody in the
body of Christ? Now if you don't believe that
come see me later Because Jesus you may not know
this but it's true Jesus spoke more about hell
Then he spoke about heaven He spoke more about
the place of eternal torment the place of separation
from God the place where it's described as Wailing
and weeping and gnashing of teeth He spoke more
about hell than he did about heaven because he
knows not new past tense He knows present tense
there is a heaven and there is a hell and he
wanted he said I desire that all would be saved
He didn't want anyone to go there. I Have several
important points I want to make from this small
passage of scripture The first one I want to
talk about is the goal. There is a goal that
the psalmist writes to us about. If I could read
verse two again, it says that your way may be
known on the earth, your salvation among all
the nations. The first goal I believe is that
we're to make Him, His way, and His saving power
known everywhere. We're to make Him, God, His
way. Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and
the life. No man comes to the Father except man.
We're to make him, his way, and his saving power
known to all of the nations. By the way, it doesn't
matter if we like the way they look, if we like
the way they act, if we appreciate their style
of music, or we appreciate their culture. It
doesn't matter. I'm never going to win anyone
to Christ by telling them how awful they are
in their music taste. Okay? I do not like rap
music. I do not like rap music. Let me just put
this out there. And I'm not a big fan of goth
or death metal or screamo either. And some of
you are saying, what is he talking about? I'm
not a big fan, okay? When you get into my pickup,
if you hit button number one, if it's not already
hit, it's KMOC, okay? I'm listening to 89 .5.
I'm not a big fan of rap. But people without
Jesus? who are listening to whoever are still
going to go to hell and they should be of a concern
to me can I get a witness in here just because
their pants are saggy and I'd like to see them
pulled up they still need Jesus because without
Jesus they go to hell yes or no come on amen
you know I like old movies and I'm a big fan
of old movie stars but sometimes I literally
find myself sitting there watching some big star
from the past who never gave a hint of a Christian
testimony and I ask myself do I cause more eternal
sorrow in my finding joy in their motion picture
presentation while they spend their eternity
in hell. Listen to me. Hell is separation from
God. Hell never stops. Anybody in here ever had
a toothache? Raise your hand if you've ever had
a toothache. I'm telling you right now. I praise
God for my dentist. He knows how to get into
this mouth and take care of stuff. But eventually
you say to yourself, they're going to do something
to numb the pain, and they're going to pull that
tooth, and they're going to do something, they're
going to fill that tooth, they're going to do
something that's going to stop the pain. In hell,
the pain never stops. Jesus said it like this
in Matthew 28. This was the command. Go, therefore,
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Go He didn't say stay he didn't
say figure out a way to get yourself behind the
walls of your castle or whatever it is No, look
at the first two words go therefore I Used to
love to listen still do love to listen to a gentleman
named Keith Green Keith perished in a plane crash
many many years ago long before I came to this
church I had the great privilege of, for a brief
period of time, traveling with His ministry and
seeing Him deliver the Word of God. One of the
last songs that Keith recorded before his death
was a song that said, Jesus commands us to go.
It should be the exception if we stay. He wants
us to go. Years ago, in China, there was a medical
missionary. He devoted his life along with the
lives of his wife and family to the service of
others He served in a nation at that time that
had not yet turned to the communism of today
so there was still to some degree of Freedom
for he and his fellow missionaries to share the
good news of Jesus and they did it in a practical
way by ministering to needs His daughter was
named Ruth And as she watched her father, Dr.
Nelson Bell, minister to others, she became inspired
by his example. Eventually, she was to leave
China after going to missionary school for the
missionary kids in China. She moved to the United
States and she enrolled in Wheaton College. Do
you know where this story is going? Yeah. Eventually
she met a young guy named William, who by his
friends was known as Billy. and Ruth Bell Graham
influenced generations to come because God used
her missionary father to impact her life and
to influence others. Your International Mission
Board which has Southern Baptists you help to
support is right now doing a thing, I want to
make sure I get this note right, called Mission
3000 where they're trying to reach unreached
people groups. In the world, do you realize right
now you can go to Walmart and buy a Bible? If
you're sitting there waiting for your prescription
to be filled at CVS Pharmacy, right next to you
is favorite saints of Jesus on a little rack.
Have you seen it that spins around and you can
look at different books on that rack? But there
are some places in the world right now where
they do not have the Word of God in their own
language. So how do they, the Word of God say,
Says, how do they understand unless first they
hear? How are they going to grasp it if somebody
doesn't share that with them? This is a mission
-minded church. This is a church that believes
in missions. Here's the thing. The Word of God
says that we need to be making His way and His
truth known throughout the world. Here's how
your church does some of this. I just talked
to you about Larry and others who are over there
in Africa right now, but then I mentioned other
things but for instance Mission Aviation Fellowship
How many of you know Dave and Jill Holmes? They
serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship right
now in Mozambique their pictures about to come
up on the screen. They're an amazing couple and
oh I forgot it's okay. The screens are messed
up right now So I'm just gonna carry on but Dave
and Jill Holmes serve in in Mozambique Africa.
Let me tell you something If you run out of milk
today, you just drive over to the store, right?
You need some shampoo? I was with Dave and Jill
a few years ago in Mozambique, and I don't have
enough hair to shampoo that much anyway, but
I'd forgotten my shampoo. I said, can't we just
run over to the market or something? And they
both looked at me like, are you crazy? I couldn't
even find mane and tail, the horse shampoo that
they sell. There was nothing in Africa. Dave
and Jill served there in Africa. We have people
who are sent out from this church who serve with
the Wycliffe Bible translators. They're helping
to translate the word of God into other languages.
Megan and Chris Weaver right now are serving
in Papua New Guinea, and every time you give
to the impact offering, you're helping. There
they are right there. Thank you, Jeff. There
they are. There they are in Papua New Guinea.
And by the way, that's a feast for them up there,
okay? The goat is eaten out of the same table,
okay? Body of Christ, he wants us to be willing.
He wants us to be willing. This year, Mark Mackey
are... campus pastor at Church at Shepherd and
his wife, his wonderful wife, they went to Canada
to do some leg work for us because our pastor
and Jerry Roll, our executive pastor, want us
to have a footprint in Canada. We've helped to
plant churches in Utah and I'm telling you right
now the Church of the Valley Mrs. Justin Bindel
very very much, but they're still growing and
they're still doing amazing things as well as
Redemption Church up in Ogden, Utah again an
amazing church and God is doing wonderful things
through them you Helped make that happen You're
giving your prayers your faithfulness to God
It's helping other people in a very unreached
state by the way If you want to go to a state
where people don't know Jesus drive to Utah or
fly to Utah, okay They know about a huge Jesus
statue and they know about a Jesus that was apparently
according to one of their first prophets either
Smith or Young the half -brother of Satan What?
If you want to go to a place where they need
the real Jesus, that's where you're going right
now Because you helped plant the church in the
valley. Pastor Bob and Mary Ann and wonderful
Callie were just with Bobby Wood who really started
Redemption Church up in Ogden. You see, not every
one of you is called to go to every location.
But you're going. You're going as a church. There's
a second point I want us to look at here. Oh,
let me mention one more thing since they've left
me, but I know they're still in the building.
There's David. We have musicians who have gone
all over the world as well. In fact, you have
a coming trip, right David, to Europe and they'll
be singing and they'll be praising God in a number
of different nations. And by the way, if you
don't think people need encouragement, go to
a continent where they have a war going on right
now. Come on come on nod your head if you're
hearing anything I'm saying You don't think people
need encouragement go to a continent where they're
having a war going on We have relationships in
Europe with wonderful institutions Including
a manual university, which is amazing. It's the
largest sending University on the continent of
Europe and your pastor goes there regularly and
teaches those little preacher guys how to rightly
divide the word of truth Asia as well Larry Maldon's
already got friends in Japan but there's a second
point I want to make and that's the result okay
we know what the goal is but what's the result
that we hope to achieve I want to read again
verses 2 through 5 Psalm 67 verse 2, that your
way may be known on the earth, your salvation
among all the nations, let the peoples praise
you, oh God. Let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for
you will judge the peoples with uprightness and
guide the nations on the earth. Let the people
praise you, oh God. Let all the people praise
you. You can't praise God if you don't know Him.
And you won't celebrate Him If you haven't experienced
his salvation, can I get a witness from anybody
out here? You see, we have the joy of the Lord.
I hope you have the joy of the Lord, because
I do. And if you don't, come see me. We have
the joy of the Lord and it's our strength because
we know in whom we have believed and we are persuaded
that he is able to keep that which we have committed,
how's the rest of it go? Unto him against that
day. You know why the old songs are great because
they're theologically sound John said I know
in whom I have believed and I am persuaded that
he is able This passage in psalm 67 says we want
the people to praise God in Luke chapter 4 verses
18 and 19 Jesus puts it this way The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me
to preach the good news to the poor. He sent
me to proclaim to the captives, release rather
to the captives, and recovery of sight to the
blind, to those, I'm gonna set free those who
are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year
of the Lord. Do you see those words up on the
screen just now as you're reading God's word?
Because not everybody has your copy of the scripture
open. You know why I keep looking down front?
because you're involved in another area of missions.
You right now are sending what you're hearing
in this room, it's going out over the world wide
web, thanks to all those technicians upstairs
and in the IT department at this church. It's
available even for Dave and Jill that I referenced
earlier. Regularly they watch the services from
this church in Africa. And we have service men
and service women who were stationed at Shepherd
who miss being a part of this body and they tune
in on their laptops or on their phones or on
their Kindles or whatever and they're watching
the services. I mentioned to you earlier that
I went to several nursing homes with my mom here
in town. I couldn't get in and out of most of
them, in fact all of them, without people telling
me they watch. Right now there are three Cameron
people that you can see and there are dozens
more people all over this building, technicians
in the AV department. You're being a missionary
by spreading the good news of Jesus because that's
what missions really is. But Jesus said I've
come to set captives free and there are a lot
of captives. In our community. Yeah right here
in Wichita. You don't have to go where Larry
and Randy and the team are right now To see people
who need Jesus who are in captivity The school
year is about to start I told you how excited
I am about go big Sunday Because that also heralds
the beginning of school where you're seated right
now in our congregation this Thursday We'll have
a rehearsal on this Friday Jeff. Am I wrong,
but every seat in the building will be filled
right? Yeah Every seat, there's a great group
of you here today and I praise God for you. Thank
you for being here. But every pew in this room
will be filled this Friday with teachers and
support staff from the WFISD. But at Scotland
Park Elementary School, this fall means the resumption
of the Good News Club. which literally teaches
young boys and young girls about Jesus Christ
right there on the campus. And our own Amber
Bindle led it all last year. And our church has
committed once again this year to give the funds
necessary to help sponsor the backpacks and the
school supplies for those children at Scotland
Park. You're a mission church. And your mission
field doesn't have to be, it can be, but it doesn't
have to be across the ocean. the good news club
that you sponsor, the faith mission right around
the corner from here, interfaith ministry not
too far from here, southern grit advocacy that
helps to combat, to thwart, to stomp, to stop,
and to educate about human trafficking, you're
helping that incredible endeavor. The pregnancy
help center, they just had their walk for life,
you helped with that endeavor. We have an amazing
prison and jail ministry right now in this room.
I can see Clint Titsworth There may be some others
who are involved in prison ministry last week
I got to go into the prison at all red. I love
going to all red I love being out there and playing
my guitar and there were some services and I
would tell you right now Some of the most fervent
Christians, I know are guys in white Because
here right now you're singing and they got the
words for you up on the screen and the wonderful
quiet orchestra Leading you in worship and at
the prison they got the prison band And I'm gonna
tell you right now that drummer is so good when
he sweats the sweat beads fall off of him in
rhythm Mm -hmm the yes it does and the bass player.
He sounds like he should have been playing with
Stevie Wonder It's an incredible band But their
worship is so fervent and so passionate why?
Because they want Jesus with all their hearts
and when they sing I Surrender all they mean
it They mean it You also help with recovery ministry
here in Wichita Falls and you may not know this
But last year there was a big event called sober
fest did any of you hear about it? your church
helped to sponsor it. Amen. I should be hearing
amen from somebody in this room right now. Because
one of the greatest mission fields in the entire
world right now actually doesn't require you
to go anywhere but right over here on broad or
holiday. Because addiction and alcoholism are
two of the worst diseases facing this entire
world and people are dying every day. and we
want to see people in recovery and we want to
see people get their lives right with Jesus so
their children don't have to grow up without
mom and dad so their children don't have to grow
up wondering where their next meal is going to
come from or they sure hope school starts again
so they can eat the free breakfast and lunch
because mom and dad are in recovery and they're
walking the right walk the right path I want
to read Psalm 67 one more time. I want to go
back to verse 4. You will judge the peoples with
righteousness and guide the nations. There is
going to be a time for judgment. And if you don't
believe it again, come see me. We'll talk about
this. But there will be a day when every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. And if people aren't ready, They
will spend eternity in hell, but there's one
more goal. There's one more thing. I hope to
accomplish That's the harvest. That's the harvest
On the Friday of this past week my grandson one
of my grandsons My great. I love this kid. He's
such a great Do any of you have grandchildren?
I'm just telling you right now, by the end of
October, I should have five living in Wichita
Falls. You're not gonna be able to get me out
of here with a blast, okay? I'm staying here
till the rapture. Unless Jesus tells me different,
I'm gonna have five grandchildren living in Wichita
Falls. My mother, my mother -in -law, my son,
my youngest daughter, their respective spouses
all living here, but my grandson David called
me and he said, Pops, Pops, there is smoke coming
out from underneath our sink. There was smoke.
Smart kid. He thought to call his grandfather.
Perhaps you should call 911. My wife, my wife
is the smart one in the house. She called 911.
And the fire trucks beat me there. Of course,
I got to be careful, you know. I got a reputation.
Don't want to be caught speeding. Didn't have
to run any red lights getting here, by the way,
today. None of the lights are working downtown.
So I get over to to my son and my wonderful daughter
-in -law my brand new grandbaby was born on July
the third and my older he didn't use the phone
the other grandson did I Get over there and sure
enough there's smoke coming out from underneath
what wasn't anymore But the city was testing
their sewer lines And I guess there's a small
crack in their pee trap or something Rick and
so the a little bit of smoke came out But you
know what? That same morning my older daughter
who just moved to Ohio call me. She's a dad Water
was coming down from the ceiling in the new house.
We just bought it. We closed on Monday. Turned
out they'd hired a plumber who was not exactly
fully on his game just yet. And one of his staff
had neglected to stop water in one pipe. I tell
you both those stories. I tell you those are
first world problems. There's a third world.
And their issue is, do I have enough to eat today?
Will my child survive this illness? Will the
medical needs that we have from somebody like
Mercy Ships or someone like Dave and Jill flying
a doctor to them in a helicopter, those are the
third world problems that we really don't experience
here, that they experienced, by the way, in the
hill country. I didn't know how our pictures
were working, so I didn't mention this, but over
the last month, Since the Fourth of July and
the flooding in the Hill Country area of Texas,
you've literally sent, as a church, thousands
of dollars to that area to help. And right now,
we're trying to get a team together. If you'd
like to go on any one of those trips, just give
me a call. But there is a picture of people that
they call Texans on mission. And by the way,
you, with your prayers and your funding, are
helping them do what they do right now. The need
is not as bad in the hill country now because
now what they're going to need is rebuilding.
But even if you can't go, you can pray. I have
a quote that my friend Terry has gotten prepared
for you and a friend upstairs is going to put
it in for you, but I want you to see this quote.
This is from a wonderful biblical scholar, R
.A. Torrey. He wrote this, the man or woman at
home who prays often has as much to do with the
effectiveness of the missionary on the field
and consequently with the results of his or her
labors as does the missionary." Let me read that
quote for you again. The man or the woman at
home who prays often has as much to do with the
effectiveness of the missionary on the field
and consequently with the results of his or her
labors as the missionary. Are you understanding
this at all? Nod your head if you're understanding
that. What that means is, Thurman, when you pray,
you're as effective as the missionary on the
field. When you pray, when you lift up our International
Mission Board missionaries, when you lift up
our college students and our high school students
and our middle school students going on missions,
when you lift up things like our family missionary
trip to Medill. When you pray, often, not by
the way, sporadically, his quote was often, when
you pray, you have as much effectiveness as that
missionary on the field. We'll see you next week.