One Way

Starting a sermon series this Wednesday night entitled Eggshells. Thriving Through Change and Challenging Relationships. I want to encourage you to join us. My Pastor used to say, “Change Is Here To Stay!”

Navigating change the relationship challenges that come from it is a key skill few people learn to do well. And yet, it is almost an inevitable result of faithful service to the Lord.

Understanding how we grow and the relational challenges that come from that growth are critical to successfully navigating the seasons of life and the opportunities that God brings us.

So I want to encourage you to join us this Wednesday as we start this new series entitled EggShells.

One of the most sobering topics in all of scripture is that of the fate of those who have never heard the gospel. In fact, it is so distressing to consider that people would go to hell even though they have never heard of the son of God who died to save them is frankly, gut-wrenching.

And yet it is not a question we can ignore.

And surprisingly- it is a topic clarified by the most popular verse in the Bible and yet most Christians never see it.

So I want you to look with me this morning at John 3:16-18.

John 3:16–18 NIV84

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Lost

When the Bible speaks of being lost, it is referring to a person being separated from God by their slavery to sin and spiritually dead.

On the day of judgment, God will not ask our opinions.

W. M. McCafferty, a professor at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, TX, was asked the question: “Will those who have never heard of Christ be lost?” He replied, “The question is incorrect. Those who have never heard of Christ are already lost. The only hope that they have is if they hear about Christ.”

Men are not lost because they have not heard the gospel. Men are lost because they have sinned against God.

Men Have No Excuse- Whether They Have Heard Or Not

Romans 1:20 NIV84

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

All Men Have Violated The Law Of Their Own Conscience

Romans 2:15 NIV84

since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

All Men Have Fallen Short

Romans 3:23 NIV84

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

All Men Deserve Eternal Death

Romans 6:23 NIV84

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God Will Punish All Who Do Not Obey The Gospel

2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 NIV84

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

Anyone Who Calls On Christ Will Be Saved

Romans 10:13 NIV84

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

What happens to those who have never heard of Christ. Let us look again to John 3:16

Whoever believes shall not perish

Whoever does not believe stands condemned already

Men are already lost.

God offers each person a choice- to believe or not believe.

Because all men have sinned, all men are destined for hell. The good news is that

“The good news is only good news if it arrives in time.”

Lady in Pannai Cardu who died a few days after the team visited

What if there is an honest, good person on the other side of the world who never hears the gospel? There isn’t. I went there. I asked them if they sinned. They laughed and raised their hand and confessed that they had sinned. In fact they agreed that anyone who claimed not to have sinned was probably crazy.

Its funny- in the west we blame that Eastern religion for corrupting our society. In the India they blame the technology of the west for corrupting their society.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think Americans were sinning long before the Indian Gurus flooded American in 60’s.

And India has thousands of ancient temples decorated with naked women- indicating they were pretty good at sinning long before we sent Playboy to them.

The truth is we are all just really good at sinning and blaming others. Its been happening since God asked Adam why he disobeyed.

And unless our sin is removed, we will perish for it

Person holding trash can. Good deeds don’t take away their trash can. Giving money doesn’t take away their trash can. Only asking Christ to forgive them can remove their trash can- their sin.

And the only way our sin can be removed is if we believe in Christ.

Romans 10:14–16 NIV84

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

This is why it is so critical that we obey the Great Commission and preach the Gospel to all nations.

They can only be saved if they hear. And they can only hear if someone goes and tells them.

The fact that 2000 years after the death of Christ men are still waiting to hear the Gospel is not God’s fault. He has done everything necessary for salvation.

The fault is ours.

Love

God loved the world.

In fact, God loved us so much He gave the most precious treasure He could give- the life of His son- to save us, to rescue us from the slavery of sin and bring us back into the family of God.

God does not want anyone to go to hell. Listen to 2 Peter 3:9:

2 Peter 3:9 NIV84

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God will allow men the freedom to reject Him, though He does not want this.

Matthew 25:41 NIV84

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Sovereignty Illustration

-Boundaries on each side represent God’s sovereignty over all of creation

-Internal boundaries represent the realm over which God in His sovereignty has given man freewill. This enables man to truly worship and love God- because love and worship are acts of a free will. But that freewill also allows man to reject God and disobey him. In the midst of the realm of man’s freewill, God’s redemptive purposes will ultimately be accomplished. However, not all that occurs within that realm is God’s will.

“That whoever believes in Him...”

If God controls every human decision, then in my opinion John 3:16 is a farce- because we cannot choose since God has already chosen for us. Further, every sin ever committed is actually just God making people sin- since nothing can happen outside of His will if many has no free will. Thus God becomes the force behind every murder, rape, abortion, abuse, etc. This is simply ridiculous.

James 1:13 NIV84

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

Now those who emphasize this position are well intentioned and often acknowledge the difficulty of their position- attributing these difficult points to God’s secret knowledge. They are believers. They love God. They are wonderfully committed to their conviction that God is sovereign overall the world- a point with which I would whole heartedly agree.

I would submit to you however, that in His sovereignty God has given man a measure of free will- a realm in which man has the freedom to resist and even reject the will of God. God knows which among humanity will believe and which will not. And in His foreknowledge He predestines those who will believe to be saved.

On the other hand- if God’s will is not always accomplished and if God is not willing that any should perish, and if there are some who never hear in order to believe, and if there are Christians who disobey God’s plan for them to preach the Gospel- then we must accept that there are people that God wants to be saved that will not be saved. Further- it is not God’s fault they are not saved- it is ours. God has done everything necessary for their salvation.

There is a place where God’s will is always done- it is called heaven. It is an amazing place. There is no sickness, no crime, no abuse, no tears, no sorrow. And the only way to get into that place is to ask Christ to save you.

Acts 4:12 NIV84

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Lordship

1 Corinthians 7:23 NIV84

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NIV84

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 NIV84

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

We are bought with the blood of Jesus to be His ambassadors, His messengers to a lost and dying world. If we are not doing this, we are robbing God of what is rightfully His.

We don’t preach the gospel and invite people to Christ because:

they need it

they deserve it

they are hopeless without it

These are all good reasons, but they are not adequate. We preach the Gospel because God commands it, and as Lord of our lives He has a right to our obedience.

We don’t share the gospel based on whether or not people will respond. We share because Christ commanded us to preach the Gospel.

If we only share when we think people will listen- soon we will never share.

-we may share today and people believe later after we are gone

We share the Gospel because Jesus commanded us to share the Gospel.

82% of people surveyed said they would probably come to Church if they were invited.

Closing: Wendy Hindman’s story

Luke 14:23 NIV84

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.

I was a bus kid. I might not be here today if someone had not com and started picking up me and my brother and taking us to Church.

SuperSunday: Bring Some Kids

No Monster’s Bash: Bring Some Kids, and some candy.

Slime Sunday: If we have 50 kids at Church, I will get a bucket of slime poured over my head. So don’t bring kids that day. Just kidding.

Valerie’s Dream

-Congregation was worshipping. But as she looked across, each section was filled with the same group of people. The same people in the first section were also the same people in the second section and and the third and the fourth. The sanctuary was filled up with the same people leaving no room for guests. The result was that there was no room for guests.

Surrounding the sanctuary she saw faces of young people and children who wanted to come in, but there was no room for them. And they were weeping because they could not come in.

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