Why World Missions?
Notes
Transcript
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.
God be merciful unto us, and bless us;
And cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
That thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy saving health among all nations.
Let the people praise thee, O God;
Let all the people praise thee.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
For thou shalt judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
Let the people praise thee, O God;
Let all the people praise thee.
Then shall the earth yield her increase;
And God, even our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
The Prayer for Blessing (v1-3)
The Prayer for Blessing (v1-3)
There are two attitudes common about blessings. We either ask for the wrong type of blessing, or boast sinfully in blessings. Or we are too afraid to ask for blessings at all. This psalm teaches us what it truly means to be blessed and what we are to do with God’s blessings.
The plea in verse 1 echoes Numbers 6:24-27
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
This is normally is a plea for God to bless Israel but in Psalm 67 this plea is extended to all the nations.
God’s “face” or “light” is regularly coupled with the anticipation of deliverance, redemption, or salvation.
It is easy to get caught up in the mindset when reading the Old Testament that God is only interested in Israel. In His chosen people. But the Psalmist does not pull this plea for blessings to all the nations out of thin air. It is rooted in God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3.
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This was the plan from the beginning. God will bless Israel and through that blessing all nations, all people, will come to know God. Not just as the creator of all things, but as the righteous judge, and ultimately the savior to all mankind.
This is realized in the New Testament.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The prayer is for the one and true God to be worshipped. Not that people live a moral life, not that they worship their own gods, not that they find worldly success, but they worship God.
The prayer is for the one and true God to be worshipped. Not that people live a moral life, not that they worship their own gods, not that they find worldly success, but they worship God.
There are not many roads to heaven, there is one way. Through Jesus Christ.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The way is narrow.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
But the need for missions will always exist as long as there are people who do not worship God.
Missions exist because worship does not.
And Christ has sent you so that this prayer can be fulfilled.
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
He uses sinful people like you fulfill the Great Commission
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
God is just and God is powerful (v4-5)
God is just and God is powerful (v4-5)
God is a God of Justice. This was a hang up for me when I was an atheist.
I wanted the world judged on my terms. But the problem is I am a poor judge and so are you.
But the Gospel is a testament to God’s perfect judgment. All people can receive salvation through Jesus Christ. No matter what you’ve done, where you came from, what financial status, no matter what race, we are all at equal footing at the cross. That’s what the Psalmist is rejoicing in. Israel and the Gentiles will all face the same standard of justice.
Why send missionaries?
One of the first questions I had as a new Christian was what about the innocent people in the jungles of Africa who have never heard the Gospel. Surely God wouldn’t condemn them to hell!
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
I love how David Platt answers this question.
The innocent man in Africa goes to heaven—the only problem is that he doesn’t exist. There are no innocent unreached people in the world. They are guilty before God and thus they need the gospel!
There are over 2 billion people in this world at this moment whose knowledge of God is only sufficient to damn them to hell forever. But there is hope!
You see God judges all the earth with equity. Every person will either be judged to hell or in Jesus.
God is gracious and His mission will be finished (v6-7)
God is gracious and His mission will be finished (v6-7)
Jesus promised to build HIS church. It's easy to think this only means our local church. But church Jesus is building is global. It's across all nations, beyond the nation of Israel, and certainly beyond the borders of America. It includes every tribe, nation, and tongue, and Jesus is faithful to fulfill His promise.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus promises He has sheep outside the nation of Israel. Across the nations.
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
He promises the mission will be complete
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
This statement is not conditioned on our present circumstances. It does not say unless there's a worldwide pandemic, unless there is financial turmoil, unless there is natural disaster, unless our country turns to socialism, unless you have poor health. The Gospel WILL BE preached and God will use the obedience of His people to accomplish the plan.
The task is not impossible. I heard one missionary recently point out there are approximately 78,000 Christians for every one unreached people group in the world.
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
You see we are blessed to be a blessing to the nations.
Do you ever wonder why you were born in the richest nation in the world? If you are in here right now and you make over $15,000 a year you are in the top 2% of income earners in the entire world. You see you don’t have to question why God has blessed you. Whether is financially, or with health, God always blesses us so that we can make Christ’s name known. This is what the Psalmist prays for and it is what we should pray for as well.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What does it mean to blessed?
To know God and to be counted as righteous in Him.
Why should we ask for God’s blessings?
So that the world can come to know Christ.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Why should the nations be glad?
Because all have sinned come short of the glory of God. No one is innocent but Christ came. He lived a perfect life, He never sinned. He died on the cross paying our sin debt. And that gift of salvation is available to all nations. And He is worthy. Of all glory, honor, and praise. And He will use His people to deliver this message to the entire world.