To the Ends of the Earth

Background to passage: after the resurrection there were 40 days of teaching and instruction from Jesus to his Apostles. Upon the day that he ascended back into heaven they asked him a question: are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? He said that they didn’t need to know that, because God was in charge of that, alone. Then he told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they would be his witnesses. We’ve talked about what the early church did to reach it’s Jerusalem—be the church. Last week we talked about the things we would have to break up with in order to reach our Judea and Samaria. This week we will think about the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:6–11 ESV

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Opening illustration: Unreached Peoples Video

Main thought: This morning we will consider what Jesus’s concern was with the ends of the earth

1) Two Foundational Truths (v. )

Our God is the centerpiece, the most valuable, the most glorious, the most satisfying, and the most necessary being ever. The the indestructible joy, both now and eternal, flows from him.

Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God that is precisely what we see... Probably the hardest thought of all for our natural egotism to entertain is that God does not need our help. We commonly represent him as a busy, eager, somewhat frustrated Father hurrying about seeking help to carry out His benevolent plan to bring peace and salvation to the world...Too many missionary appeals are based upon this fancied frustration of Almighty God. An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of....It is morally imperative that we purge from our minds [these] ignoble concepts of the Deity and let Him be the God in our minds that He is in the universe. The Christian religion has to do with God and man, but its focal point is God, not man... That God exists for Himself and man for the glory of God is the emphatic teaching of the Bible.

Missions exists because worship does not. God desires worship and deserves it. One day he will receive it in perfection and completeness, but until then we strive to bring Him glory. And the greatest way he gets glory is worship from every tribe every tongue every people and every nation.

Revelation 1:13–18 ESV

13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Psalm 16:5–6 ESV

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 16:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 67:4 ESV

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Illustration: “The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. This she has not done deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic. The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us...The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him — and of her.

Application: It’s like this with every area of the advance of the gospel; our affection for Christ and the knowledge of Christ must be strong and wide. We must be enthralled with Jesus. In the Christian life, behavior is not ultimate, because Jesus is always concerned about your heart, your motivation, your inner desires. Know what the ultimate aim is in life and in missions - worship of The Most Worthy One among ever tribe, tongue, people, and nation for His glory. His person — incomparable, unconquerable, sovereign, all-powerful, unstoppable, self-existent, independent, eternal, immutable, all-wise, all-glorious, infinite mercy, kindness, grace, peace, and completely satisfying — should ravish our souls as we are satisfied as the deer pants by the water, and therefore drive us to aim for the joy of the nations.

2) The Unfinished Task (v. )

Explanation: Now that we have emphasized and clarified the true motivation for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, lets look at the nations. Define people groups.

8.2 billion people on the earth, b/t 12K and 17K people groups. 3000’ of ping pong balls

7000 people groups that are Unreached (less that 2% evangelical) - 4.85 billion

3000 of them are Unengaged (UUPGs) - no gospel, no bible, no churches, no Christians, no missional engagement whatsoever. It is a guarantee that all will be born, live, die, and never hear the greatest name ever.

Revelation 5:9–13 ESV

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Illustration: The IMB had a commissioning service for 41 new missionaries last week at FBC, Rogers, AR. Town of 75K. In 2024 they gave $674K to LMCO. In 2025 the doubled it to $1,356,809. It is the sending church for 22 missionaries and their 20 kids, plus they have four more in the IMBs assessment and training process.

People group of the day

Application: Jesus said go. As believers we MUST either:

Pray - unreached people group of the day - Joshua Project

Go - short-term or long-term Luther Rice and Adoniram Judson, one stays, one goes.

Send - encourage, mobilize, advocate

Give - LMCO all year, every dollar goes to the field

Learn - a day in the life of a Project 3000 missionary video - 300 missionaries per year for the next 10 years to actively learn the last of the unengaged people groups

Be disobedient

Closing illustration: pictures and a story from our Yauyos trip

Recap