All Nations and All Peoples

Church Business Update:

There are two necessities in worshipping together on Sunday morning that are vitally important.....

Can you see well? The stage, those leading, the images..... we have fixed that.

Can you hear well? The Bible read, preached, and the worship leaders singing.

If you clap in this room it echos for 5 seconds, and a normal worship center should be about 1 second echo. We have approved the upgrade to add sound proofing to the entire wall in this room, tune our current sound system to this room, and train our sound team on our sound board.

We are asking on behalf of the worship team, financial committee, and the church congregation..... to raise $12,000 this month for this worship upgrade.

If you have ever thought....

I can hear what the pastors saying....

It is so echos in here....

What can we do to improve it....

If there was a way to fix it, I would chip in to fix it.....

Now, in the month of August is our time to join together, buy into the future use of this room for the proclamation and disciple making that will happen on Sundays in this room.

Mark any gifts as worship upgrade and it will be applied to this project.

Intro:

Psalm 117 ESV

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

The shortest chapter in the Bible and one of the most powerful prayers that will change your life.

a passion for God's worldwide plan

a passion for God's worldwide worship

and a passion for worldwide witness. - Ligon Duncan

Our goal this morning is to reflect on the application of Psalm 117 in the life of personal life and in the life of our church.

We will look at what it meant then to the Israelites and what it means now.

Psalm 117 Then

A. Israel inviting the nations to join in.

Genesis 12:1–7 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

A. A great Nation - Israel

B. Blessing the nations through you

C. Offspring will receive this land

In the history of Israel, they would often fall into the trap of thinking that God was only for them and not the other nations..... self-focussed and self-centered......

We too, are not far removed from those exact temptations towards sin.

Reasons for the Israelites to worship and praise the Lord

A. Steadfast love

His covenant keeping love

Not on our merit, but on HIS

Prevails over him, towers over us

B. His faithfulness

Keeps his promises

True always into eternity

Throughout the Bible - Throughout the Psalms there is a refrain of the Nations joining in the worship of God!..... It is God’s Worldwide plan.... God’s worldwide worship.... Gods worldwide witness!

worship is the goal and the fuel of missions: Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Missions is our way of saying: the joy of knowing Christ is not a private, or tribal, or national or ethnic privilege. It is for all. And that’s why we go. Because we have tasted the joy of worshiping Jesus, and we want all the families of the earth included. - John Piper

Psalm 117 Now

Small group in Rome...... Jews and Gentiles..... in the same Bible study with this leader..... and he is talking about them being both in the kingdom.

Romans 15:8–13 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Let’s look back to Abraham as well...... Paul makes the connect that in Jesus the blessing of Abraham comes to all nations and all peoples!

Galatians 3:13–16 ESV

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

Apply this for us this morning @ LCBC!

Global mission is not a program in the church, but the purpose for which we have breath. David Platt

Matthew 28:18–19 (ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...

A. Pray

IMB app, website, NAMB website

Prayer for Missionaries we know - Facebook page

B. Give

IMB, NAMB, ELLIS COUNTY

4,123 from before

C. Go

Mission fields await - short term missions Montana this year..... where is next

long term missions

retirement missions

business field missions

North American Missions

D. Share

Hallway pictures to share

Bishops

Scacewaters

Zipps

E. Celebrate Kingdom Victories

Celebrate the 1 that is pursued not the 99 that are gathered.....

Gospel conversations untold

Answered prayers in the dark times of ministry

Finding a friend on the mission field

Being able to pay the bills of ministry and family

Open doors for the advancement of the Gospel

F. Take Risks for the Kingdom

are you willing to support and celebrate those that go?...... Your children, grandchildren..... you?

Fellow church members, friends, family

If the church does not fulfill the global mission to share the Gospel with all peoples and nations, then the church we cease to have breath....

Psalm 117 ESV

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!