To Make Him Known

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

Psalms 67 · chapter mention

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

Psalms 67:2

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

Luke 4:18

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.