It's Bigger than Us

The funniest thing about us as people is that we so often find our self in a situation where we think circumstances are really dependent on us. alone.

You see often when we cannot see the big picture of life, we fail to remember that God can

1 Peter 4:10–11 KJV 1900

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

When we been guilty of forgetting how big the world is.

It isn’t just here in little Southwest Virginia

I want to take this opportunity to show you a short video I have put together showing you some of our mission trip experiences!

(Play video)

The common sentiment between those in attendance was “It’s Bigger than US”

You see it is a small world in that all over our country and all over our world there are people who want to use their gifts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

People who have given their life entirely to the gospel.

On the first day of the mission work I told one of our college students that we could learn a lot from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

What I meant by that is exactly what I want to display in this message today.

I. The Kingdom is Diverse

Friends we live an area of good ole boys and girls.

I am very thankful for that.

However, because of this sometimes it is possible that we could be guilty of closing out the rest of society in our life.

We think often that everyone in heaven is going to be like us.

But friends, that is the beauty of heaven

Heaven will not just be you and I.

It will be people from every tongue and every nation.

Let’s talk about what John saw in Revelation shall we.

Revelation 7:9 KJV 1900

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

John saw that there was people from every tribe and tongue in heaven fulfilling God’s redemptive plan.

Essentially what we are learning is this.

When Jesus asked the disciples durign the great commission to “go unto all the nations and make disciples”

John saw that come to fruition.

You see that is heaven.

Now taking that a step farther can entail this.

Though there are obvious standards that scripture has called us to

Many in heaven will be very different people.

In that, they worship different than perhaps we worship.

Perhaps we will hear instruments in heaven that we never knew we would hear or perhaps we will see joyful heavenly dancing.

But whatever heaven will be it will not be only our preferences.

You see, God is the God of all mankind.

He is not alone the God of Just Pastor B.

Heaven would be a pretty boring place if it only had my preferences and desires within its gates.

But what does a world look like where God’s people step out of their comfort zone and seek only to glorify him?

Proverbs 16:1–3 KJV 1900

The preparations of the heart in man, And the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, And thy thoughts shall be established.

Brothers and sisters the reality is that we love our plans and desires, and in our eyes they are always the right plans or desires.

But perhaps God is telling us today that we need to step away from some of our own desires and the King of Kings decide the pathway.

Perhaps that means we have to step out of our comfort zones.

Perhaps, God is trying to grow us in some way or another so that we may see just a taste of what his redemptive plan is?

Brothers and sisters what if God’s people began to get excited abotu the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What if we started worshipping in the place and our pew neighbor saw us standing and shouting praises “Holy Holy Holy to the one God almighty”

But they may feel uncomfortable to some, perhaps even us, so we don’t

Friends, let me tell you today what good the comfortable christian is today.

They are no good.

We have an urgent situation in our world and people need to hear the gospel.

Yet, we sit on our tales, go to our church service, listen to a good service, and go home.

But friends, I am excited today because God’s kingdom is diverse and the great commission will be fulfilled and I want it be a part of it, how about you?

Do you want to be a part of God’s plan to see the nations come to Him?

Well you and I better get excited about the Gospel today.

II. The Gospel the One True Hope

You see through the blood of Jesus is the one true way to hope.

What amazes me is that so many want the blood yet do not want to be a part of the harvest.

Nothing excited me more than seeing someone come to knwo Jesus christ in their life and brothers and sisters I pray you feel the same.

So what can we do better?

Friends, we need to be diverse in who we are

1 Corinthians 9:22–23 KJV 1900

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

We may have to do some things that we aren’t comfortable with.

You see, Jesus says he has became all things that he might win some.

Friends, are we not called to be like Jesus today?

Are we not called for the gospels sake to become what is necessary in order to see redemtion.

Now I cannot tell you all where your comfort zone is today, but have you considered leaving it?

Whatever complete and total safety has felt like, have you considered stepping out of it?

Perhaps, God is asking you to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to worship, or how you serve God on a regular basis.

Perhaps, God is calling some here into a relationship with him that would require you to say or to do something that you were not entirely comfortable with.

Perhaps, could God even be calling some here into vocational ministry but you refuse to listen.

What is God calling to be different in your life today and are you willing to change it for the sake of the Gospel?

Adoniram Judson was the first baptist missionary to Burma.

A short time after losing his first wife Ann he wrote

God is to me the Great Unknown. I believe in him, but I cannot find him.

But Adoniram's faith sustained him, and he threw himself into the tasks to which he believed God had called him. He worked feverishly on his translation of the Bible. The New Testament had now been printed, and he finished the Old Testament in early 1834.

Statistics are unclear, but there were only somewhere between twelve and twenty-five professing Christians in the country when he died, and there were not churches to speak of.

At the 150th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into the Burmese language, Paul Borthwick was addressing a group that was celebrating Judson's work. Just before he got up to speak, he noticed in small print on the first page the words: "Translated by Rev. A. Judson." So Borthwick turned to his interpreter, a Burmese man named Matthew Hia Win, and asked him, "Matthew, what do you know of this man?" Matthew began to weep as he said,

We know him—we know how he loved the Burmese people, how he suffered for the gospel because of us, out of love for us. He died a pauper, but left the Bible for us. When he died, there were few believers, but today there are over 600,000 of us, and every single one of us traces our spiritual heritage to one man: the Rev. Adoniram Judson.

Adoniram’s life could be described in this way, a man who was bold enough to give up everything comfortable and safe for the sake of the gospel.

We use this today because we must ask this question.

What are you not giving up today.

Have you never known Jesus Christ as your savior?

Are you trapped in the bondage of sin and the comfort you cannot let go of is the comfort of sin.

Or are you holding back and waiting to be baptized, somethings is holding you back, maybe it would be to uncomfortable.

But friends, if your saved Jesus has called us to baptism. Would you follow him in that today?

Perhaps, let us gos as bold today as to say that one here may be called to the minsitry of Jesus Christ? But its uncomfortable and it doesn’t go along with your plan. Perhaps today God is asking you to get out of your comfort and follow him in minsitry?

Perhaps you are just here today and there is some burden of comfort that is restricting your full potential as God’s child.

Whatever God has laid on your heart today that you need to step out of, would you come today and ask him to help you remove that from your life.

ANd friends, may we never forget this, It Really is Bigger than Us. WOuld you come forward today with your needs and let God take control.