Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church
Why Should We Tell?
OK, well, good evening. Thank you once again for the opportunity to be here. We'd better move quickly if we're going to be done by 6.55. Oh, my soul. Turning your Bibles, please to Matthew Chapter 28. That's where we will be starting here this evening. Matthew Chapter 28, while you're turning there, we just thank you once again. Can't thank you guys enough. I'm a little disappointed. We didn't get to meet Pastor Woolard, but we'll be praying that his trip goes well. And maybe one of these days, we'll be able to cross paths with him again. But Pastor Woolard, thank you very much for the opportunity to stand behind your pulpit and open the Word of God. It was kind of interesting. I didn't realize this church was as close to Hagerstown, Maryland as it is until we got here. And I was born in Chicago. OK, that's the secret. I don't normally tell a lot of people that. I don't claim that at all unless I'm being really unfilled with a spirit. And I feel like I need an excuse. In which case, I say, well, I was born in Chicago. He was like, can anything good come out of Nazareth? It's the same thing with Chicago. For me, it was my opinion. But anyways, we're only there a few months. And my father moved us down to Hagerstown, Maryland for his job. And my mom's family is from the Hagerstown area. There's still in the Hagerstown area. So I'm going to get to go visit my grandmother in the nursing home tomorrow. So I'm really excited about that. But the decorations are amazing. I mean, this is the only church I've been in that has a real firing replica of a cannon in the auditorium. So that is super cool. When I remember growing up, being real little there in Hagerstown, every year, all the re-enactors would descend on that area because of Antietam. Antietam battlefield and everything. And I'd sit there on the couch and watch the window shake when they're out there firing off the artillery and everything. I don't know if they still do that. Is that still a thing? OK, cool. Cool, cool, cool. So all right, I've talked long enough for you to find your place in Matthew 28. And if you haven't found your place there, just give up. We'll be somewhere else by the time you find it. But Matthew chapter 28 will begin in verse 18. And tonight I'd like to preach to you guys as a sermon entitled Why Should We Tell? Why Should We Tell? Now, obviously, it's my job to tell people about Jesus. I'm a missionary. It's your pastor's job to tell people about Jesus. He's a pastor. But this is something that is all of our responsibility. It's not just mine. It's not just his. For every person that has accepted the salvation that Jesus Christ offers through his shed blood on the cross of Calvary, it is our obligation we've been commanded. We have the privilege of telling the world around us about the gospel. That is the message that everybody needs to hear. We could talk about politics. We could talk about social norms and injustices. We could talk about economics. But at the end of the day, the only thing that is going to answer all of mankind's problems permanently and finally and authoritatively is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We find our purpose in him. We find our peace in him. We find our hope in him. We find our value in him. And Jesus Christ is the only answer to all of the world's problems. He has always been. He has always been. And he always will be. But there's a lot of Christians that don't really seem to see it that way. And I don't think there would be anybody in this church that would fall into this category. But many Christians, and myself included sometimes, it's very easy to backslide on fulfilling our obligation, on fulfilling our purpose to be lights and shining witnesses for Jesus Christ where God has placed us. And when it comes down to this idea of being a missionary, you don't have to go to a foreign land somewhere to be a missionary. Maybe that's what the vocational term is. But at the end of the day, a missionary is just somebody who shares Jesus Christ with others. Some famous pastors of bygone eras have said it's just one beggar telling another beggar where he can find bread. And at the end of the day, that's all that it is. And when we look into God's word, we find very clearly over and over and over again that all of us as Christians are to be consumed with telling the world about Jesus Christ. And whether it's across the sea or across the city or simply across the street, God has somebody that he desires for you to share the gospel with. And wherever God has placed you, it is his desire that you let your light so shine. And we're gonna talk a little bit about that here this evening. I'm gonna open again in the word of prayer and we'll get started. Dear Lord, I pray that you be with me here this evening. Lord, I pray that you would call my nerves. I pray that you give me a clear train of thought. Lord, I pray that you'd help me to clearly communicate what you have laid on my heart. And Lord, even more than that, I pray that your Holy Spirit would work and move. And all of our hearts here this evening and Lord, first and foremost, mine, were that you would stir us about our purpose in bringing others to Jesus. And Lord, thank you for the salvation that you offer so freely to us. And Lord, I pray that you would help us, dear God, to be better stewards of the gospel as we go forth from this place and share Jesus with those around us. Thank you, Lord. And it is in Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen. Why should we tell this evening? I'm gonna show you five Bible reasons. Five Bible reminders from God's word about why you and I need to be all about sharing the gospel with all of those around us. Bible reason number one, we find here in Matthew chapter 28. This is maybe the most common passage of scripture. When it comes to talking about missions and the Great Commission, and we're gonna start out here this evening. In verse 18 of Matthew chapter 28, the Bible says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And low I am with you all way, even unto the end of the world, amen." My friends, you cannot get around the fact as a Bible believing believer that Jesus Christ commanded his disciples, commanded his followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That's how it said in Mark chapter 16 and verse 15, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature." And we don't wanna get too caught up on this here this evening, but that word creature literally means everything which is the breath of life. It is God's desire that if it moves and if it breathes that I hear about Jesus. In second Peter, God's word makes it clear to us that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself in the place where I would never admit it out loud, but in my heart sometimes the way that I think about people, you know, some people need to hear God's word, and some people are worthy of the gospel. And maybe there are some others that are maybe not quite so worthy. They're just a little bit worse. They're a little bit badder people, maybe so to speak, if that's the word. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one that falls into that. And God's word makes it very clear that every person that has ever lived and breathed as innocent as they may be, or whether they've gone down on the annals of history as being some of the world's worst that humanity has ever offered up to the universe. And it doesn't matter, it's God's desire that that person find the love of God and be reunited with their creator. You know, John chapter 20 and verse 21, Jesus said it this way, "Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, "even so send I you." And all throughout his earthly ministry, but we find it especially recorded in the gospel of John, if you ever do a book study on the gospel of John, Jesus over and over and over and over again, reiterated the fact to his disciples, to the people he was preaching to, and to the Jewish religious leaders that challenged everything that he did. He reminded them all over and over again to the fact that he did not do anything of his own will, he didn't do anything of his own power, he didn't do anything of his own recourse, he did what the Father sent him to do, he did it through the Father's power, he was doing his Father's business. Of course, he remembered when Jesus was brought to the temple with his family, and his family left, and Mary thought that Jesus was with Joseph, and Joseph thought that Jesus was with Mary, and for any of you that have large families, you understand exactly how realistic that struggle is, and they get all the way, maybe, I forget how far Bible says it was from Jerusalem, it was about a day's journey, and they realize that Jesus is missing, and so they go back to the temple, and they find Jesus expounding on the law and the prophets, and those scriptures that he would say pointed to himself, and he told his parents, he sent that precedent, he said, "I must be about my Father's business," and as I'm reminded of that, and that comes to my mind, as I read this passage of scripture, reminded what the Father's business really is. You know, Jesus tells us in John chapter 14 and verse six, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." No man come with another Father, but by me, we know the Bible makes it very clear through prophecy, after prophecy, and then through the words of Jesus Christ himself, in John chapter three, that God has sent his only begotten son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And the Father sent his son, Jesus Christ, to preach that message of reconciliation with God to a fallen mankind, so desperately needed to hear it, and nothing has changed since that day. John makes that clear in his gospel. I remember David Livingstone. David Livingstone was my childhood hero. I read so many biographies about him growing up, and he's one of my favorite missionaries, and if I still had a hero today, it would be him, but he's quoted as having said, God had only one son, and he made him a missionary. I don't think you can say it any better than that. And here, Jesus is saying, just as my Father has sent me to preach the gospel, to preach salvation through me, I am sending you to do the same. We understand that Jesus was about to ascend back up into glory, but he made sure that his followers and his disciples understood that even though his time on this earth was coming to a close, the work of the gospel was far from finished. It was to go into all the world to all men, Jew and Gentile alike. Acts chapter one and verse eight, another common passage of scripture when we start talking about missions and the great commission, and here Jesus said it this way. He said, but ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me. And the thing I want to draw out from this specifically is that notice he didn't say you can't be witnesses unto me. He didn't say if you want to, I might allow you to be a witness for me. He said, ye shall be witnesses unto me. The only choice that we have in the matter is whether we are going to be good witnesses that fulfill our biblical purpose, live our lives for Christ, and allow the love and the light and the hope that we have in our hearts through Jesus Christ, allow that to shine out to those around us as a beacon of the gospel, and draw people to Jesus, or whether we will be selfish, carnal, and miserable Christians, because a Christian that is not fulfilling his purpose is not a happy Christian. He's not, and there's plenty of them out there. I've been one myself. Maybe you have to, but if you can live your life that way, be a poor witness for the gospel and push people away. Okay, if you're not happy about new life in Christ, why should they want it? If there's nothing different about you, then why do they need it? And so that's the only choice that we have in this matter, whether we will be good witnesses or bad witnesses. He says he shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. God's plan has always been a global plan. It has always been for all men everywhere. I have every confidence that if Jesus Christ was standing here physically tonight, he would say to us much like he said to them, "You shall be witnesses unto me here in Martinsburg and in West Virginia and in the United States, and in every country on this planet." Because that's what he told to them in their context. And as we come to the conclusion of this first Bible reminder, this first biblical reason why we all need to be all about sharing the gospel with the world, we need to remember that the Great Commission has never been redacted. It has never been amended. It's never been modified. There is no Great Commission 2.0. The last command we received from our Savior was to occupy until I come, to be busy about his father's business until he returns, much as the dear sister sung in her special here tonight. So why should we tell? Number one, we have a command from the Savior. It's very clear. It's very plain and it's authoritative. Number two, why should we tell? Turn to Luke chapter 16, please, if you will. And here, once again, through the words of Jesus Christ, we are going to hear the cry from beneath. Luke chapter 16, and here we are going to hear the cry from beneath. In Luke chapter 16, verses 19 through the end of the chapter there in verse 31, Jesus is telling this story and he begins by painting portraits of these two very different characters. And this first character, the Bible tells us that he was clothed in purple and fine linen that fared sumptuously every day. And from an understanding of the historical context, we can understand that this was a man of power, he was a man of prominence, he was a man of wealth, and he was probably a very moral and religious man because this is a Jewish context. You did not become anybody important within the Jewish context if you were not at least a moral and religious man. So we could just summon all up by saying that this man was a pinnacle of his community in every way that we could possibly think of. He was a good man. He had everything that this life had to offer. At least every good thing this life had to offer. And in the mindset of the people that Jesus was talking to, they would think, well, surely this is a man whom God is blessing. He has everything right both inside and out. And then on the other side of the equation, the Bible tells us that Jesus tells us about this man named Lazarus who's a beggar. He has nothing good that this life has to offer and seemingly all of the bad. He's homeless, he's unable to care for himself, the dogs are his only friends, and he is stricken with a deadly disease. So we have this man and we have this man. Very, very different in every way, shape, or form, but one thing happens to them both. And it's still the one thing that unites all of humanity to this day. They both die. Hebrew chapter 9 and verse 27 promises us it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment. Now we know that for us as believers, we have the hope of the rapture. And if Jesus Christ returns today, praise the Lord for that. So there is that exception. But apart from the rapture, every single one of us at some point is going to close our eyes for the last time and move on to the life which comes after. And that happens to both of these men. The Bible tells us that the beggar dies and is carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. That was surely a shock to Jesus' listeners. They thought that, well, the person that was doing well in life, like this man, surely he had everything right with God and somebody that had only bad things happen to them. Well, that must be God's judgment. And so for this man to go to heaven was surely a shock to them. And then not only is that a shock, but then the Bible tells us that the rich man also died and lifting up his eyes. And hell, he found himself in torment. So this man that had nothing good in life to call his own, he had what was most important. He had a personal relationship with God. And this man that had everything good in life, well, the Bible says, what does it profit a man? Though he gained the whole world and yet loses his own soul. He did not have a personal relationship with God and he opens his eyes in hell. And we know, of course, he asked for a drop of water to cool his tongue and that is denied him. But then in verse 27, we get a glimpse into the cry of his heart. He doesn't ask to be released. He doesn't argue that he was a good man. He doesn't argue that he doesn't belong there. He knows why he's there. He knows how long he's going to be there. He accepts his fate. But the cry of his heart is for those that he has left behind in life. And in verse 27, he says, "I pray thee therefore, Father. I beg of you that that would have sent him, speaking of Lazarus, to my Father's house, for I have five brethren that he may testify into them, lest they also come into this place of torment." You know, it's a sad scene and it's a desperate cry, to be sure. And I need to remind you guys this evening that this is not a parable. Now Jesus spoke in specifics. He gave us a name. These are two very real men that lived very real lives, just like you and I, died real deaths, just like we very well may, and are living out very real, very separate, very different eternal Eternities still today. Lazarus is still with his Savior and the rich man is still in hell. Very likely joined by all five of those brethren that here in Luke chapter 16, we hear him crying out for somebody to go in war in the air of their ways. You know, folks, the damned in hell would gladly tell the gospel. They would doubtless be more dedicated soul winners than any of us in this building, because out of all of us, they would surely understand the dire necessity that a soul finds Jesus in this short period of time that we call life. You know, James tells us that our lives are even as a vapor. There's another passage of Scripture that says, as the sparks fly upward. So, you know, man is inclined under strife. You know, our lives are just blinks of an eye in light of eternity. We had to find Jesus in that short period of time. Surely he would understand that, you know, but their time has passed. They've already made their decision about what to do with Jesus. It remains to us, remains to the living. It remains to those who have found hope in Jesus Christ who have accepted salvation, who are the recipients of the very clear command to tell the world about the gospel. It's our job to do that while we can still tell and while they can still hear. As we move on, just think about this here this evening, the next time that you share the message of Christ with your co-worker, the next time you spend a little bit longer on the phone with your family member pleading with them once again, they come to Jesus. The next time you come out and you join visitation, you go and you knock on doors, you invite folks to church, hand out tracks, tell people about Jesus. The next time you do that, you won't know it, but you may very well be a divine answer to a prayer from hell. Lord, send someone to my Father's house that they may testify unto them that someone might be you. So why should we tell number one? There's a command from the Savior. It's very clear. Number two, there's a cry from beneath. I hope that you've opened your ears to that through the story from the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 16. But number three, as we move along, turn to Acts chapter 16, Acts chapter 16, and here we are going to be reminded of the call from without. The call from without. Folks, the lives of the lost around you are crying out for hope. They are crying out for love. They are crying out for peace. And we can look at the news and we can look at the social media and we can look at the people in the malls and the stores around us and in our schools and we can say, wow, these people are crazy. We can say all things, all kinds of things about their lack of logic, their lack of common sense, and yes, the things they are doing in the alternative lifestyles that they are purporting and pushing down the throats of our children. They are anti-God. They are anti-biblical. But the Bible tells us that we need to hate the sin and love the sinner. We need to see the people around us the way that Jesus saw them. The Bible says that he lifted up his eyes and had compassion on them. That's what we need to do. Folks, they are looking for love in all the wrong places and we know where they need to turn. So it's our job to share that with them. In Acts chapter 16 and verse 9, here we find what I like to call the very first mission's presentation, the first divine mission's presentation. So the Apostle Paul and his missionary team, they are prepped up and prayed up and they are going to go take the gospel to Asia. And for some reason still unknown to us, God had other plans and he was going to redirect them to preach the gospel in Macedonia. And he gets that message across the Paul in Acts chapter 16 and verse 9. The Bible says that a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man in Macedonia and prayed him saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." Verse 10 tells us that after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, surely gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Folks, this is a sign note, but if God is calling you to do something, if God is laying something on your heart and you know the Lord is leading you in a certain direction, take a hint from the Apostle Paul and immediately obey. Now we're going to get back to this divine mission's presentation. Nobody go home and have a vision tonight and then come and tell Pastor Woolard that you had a vision and the Lord is telling you to do something. Don't do that. That'll get me in trouble. Lay off the pizza and the onions and the eggnog before bedtime. That'll fix the vision problem. But what we see here is, as I said, I like to call it the first divine mission's presentation. Now you just saw ours and you'll probably see some more in your upcoming missions conference. You've probably seen many over the course of your time at this church and these missions presentations are often not the fairest to the culture that they represent. There's a lot of lovely people in Liberia. They're very cheerful. They're very friendly. For the most part, they're very open-minded. There's a lot of great things we could say about Liberia and Liberians. But in the missions presentation, you kind of tend to see the works. You see the poorness. You see the poverty. You see the desperation. You see the civil strife. You see the turmoil. You see the medical emergencies. And if you think about it, most missions presentations kind of trend that direction. And the simple cause for that is this. I can't snap my fingers and walk all of you up and down the streets of Monrovia or up the streets of Ganta City and the Interior for a few weeks where you could just tangibly see and feel the need for the love of God in that culture. I can't do it. I wish that I could. You probably wish that we could as well. We can't. Normally, we're going to find four minutes on a screen. It is a biblical principle. The Bible says, "My eye has affected my heart." And so that's why those things are the way that they are. But notice that this divine mission's presentation is different. God didn't show Paul a Macedonian man that had just lost a child to a pandemic, an actual pandemic. He didn't show Paul a Macedonian woman that's selling herself on the streets to put food in her children's mouths two or three times a week. He didn't show him a Macedonian leper or a Macedonian man that lost an arm in a civil war with the ruling Roman powers. He could have shown him all of those things. He didn't. What we see here is that the Lord showed Paul an average run of the mill every day normal Macedonian Joe. And I do think there's a biblical principle that we can glean from that this evening. It's easy to get caught up with romanticized means of faraway lands across the sea. But we cannot forget about the fact that we live in a mission field as well. I think about the missionary revolution, the kind of took place during the height of the British Empire. We think about William Carey, Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, the Golden Age of Missions. And the Lord used the United Kingdom to send missionaries all around the world with the gospel. But at the same time that that was taking place, the United Kingdom herself was turning her back on the truth. And it went from being the largest exporter of missionaries in history to being one of the hardest mission fields to work on today. They were so caught up with reaching everywhere else, reaching the heathen. They didn't reach their backyards. And if you look at the history of the United States, I believe you can see the exact same thing unfolding. And yes, we want your support. We want your prayers. But don't let it be at the expense of reaching Martinsburg, reaching West Virginia, reaching Maryland. You need to remember that the guy you work with needs the gospel and do not take it for granted that he has heard it. There are people right here that live and die without ever hearing a clear gospel presentation. Be the one that changes that. So why should we tell? Number one, there's a command from the Savior. Number two, there's a cry from beneath. Number three, there's this call from without that we've been reminded of here in Acts chapter 16. But number four, there is a constraint from within. There is a constraint from within. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, please, if you will. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And as you're turning there, let me remind you that the true heart of God is a heart for the lost. The love of God is a love for the lost. And that is what this is all about. John chapter 3 and verse 16, the most well-known verse in all the Bible. I think it's a very good summary of the entire story that the Bible has to tell us. And it is God's love for his creation. God's love for a lost world. God honoring and glorifying himself by reaching out to a creation that just turned its back on him. Romans chapter 5 and verse 5 teaches us that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. God's love in our hearts is not supposed to be something that is contained and bottled up nicely and neatly. It's something that is a shine abroad to all around us. And that reminds me of what Jesus told his disciples. He said, "Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Neither do men take a candle and put it under a bushel, under a basket. They don't hide that light, but they put it on a candlestick and they give it light unto all that are in the house. "Ye are the salt of their earth. If the salt hath lost his saver, wherewith shall it be salted. It is sense forth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden underfoot of men." And we understand that example. I remember a down south, an old country preacher saying, "If you're not sharing the gospel with others, you're good for nothing but de-icer." And it makes great preaching. I was like, "Amen." And then later on, I realized that in the context that Jesus was preaching over there in Israel, they don't even have ice. They don't even need de-icer. He's literally saying, "You are good for nothing." If you think about it, if heaven is really as great as the Bible tells us that it is. And if this world is really as sin cursed and fallen and departed from our Creator, as the Bible tells us that it is, and it is. And if we are actually created to be enjoying God's presence in perfection and in person and in holy unity with God, and the Bible tells us that we are created to do that, then why are we still here? It does not make any sense apart from the fact that we are left to fulfill the purpose of sharing the light and the love of God with those that still need to hear and receive. Now, I'm sure I've talked long enough for you to find yourself in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Look at verse 14. There are many reasons in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 that Paul gives for why he preaches the gospel, why he was a missionary, why he served as Lord, the way that he did. And we could write a sermon just out in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 about that, but that's not the sermon we're preaching this evening. So just look at verse 14. And here we're going to see that Paul says, "Look, this is why I do what I do. This is why I get out of bed in the morning. This is the grit in my crawl, so to speak." He says, "For the love of Christ constraineth us. It binds us. It drives us. It controls us. Because we thus judge, we know this to be true, that if one died for all, speaking of Christ on the cross, then we're all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again." And everything after that verse, all the way down to the end of the passage of Scripture there in verse 21, is talking about the transforming power of God's love in the lives of the lost. You know, verse 17, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new." And here Paul was talking about God's love and how God loved the fallen world so much that he sent his son to die on the cross of Calvary, Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, says, "But God commended this love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." And he says, "God's love led him to do that, and that is what God's love has done in my heart. This is what God's love can do in your heart." And then at the end of that passage, he says, "Because of these things," in verse 20, he says, "Now then, because of God's love constraining me, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God to be seated, you buy us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." He says, "Because of God's love in my heart, I can do no other thing. I can think of no other existence than a life spent begging you to come to Christ. A life spent sharing the gospel, because surely if it could send Jesus Christ to the cross, it can send me to your doorstep to tell you about it." Folks, this is an audacious statement, but it is biblically factual. If you find a Christian has no desire or interest in reaching the lost with the gospel, it does not matter what degrees he has behind his name. It doesn't matter what books he has written or how many people attend his church. If you find a Christian who has no desire or interest with reaching the lost with the gospel, you have found a Christian that is not right with God, period end of story. As the Bible makes it clear that if you and I are walking with God the way that we should, then the Holy Spirit is going to fill us and lead us. The love of God is going to fill our hearts and that love that reached you is going to want to reach others through you. That was God's plan. That's God's purpose. Why should we tell, number one, there's a command from the Savior. Number two, we've seen the cry from beneath in Luke 16. Number three, there's a call from without. Number four, as we've just seen from 2 Corinthians chapter 5, there is a constrained love of God within us, but then fifthly and finally as we come to a close here this evening, we need to be reminded from God's word about the condemnation on sinners. There's a condemnation on sinners. The Bible does say that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the last time I checked, God's unchanging word still says the wages of sin is death. What is sin? Sin is anything that I think, anything that I say or anything that I do that displeases God or anything that breaks God's law. And the Bible makes it very clear that every human being that has ever been born has committed sin. Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 says for all of sin and come short of the glory of God, you may be a good person here this evening. I'm going to take that for granted. You came out to church on a Sunday night. You can't get a lot of God's people to come out to church on a Sunday night anymore. So the very fact you're here, I'm just going to take it for granted. You're a good person. You're probably a better person than me. You might even be a better person than Pastor Williams or Pastor Woolard. But at the end of the day, you will never be good enough to walk into heaven on your own merit, on your own goodness. Romans chapter 8 and verse 8 says, "So they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Apart from that relationship with Jesus Christ that is found in salvation, we are incapable of pleasing God or making Him happy." Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 4 says, "And high look in a proud heart in the plowing of the wicked is sin." The simple existence of a human being outside of that perfect relationship with God that we were created to enjoy, that existence apart from God alone is an offense in the eyes of an Almighty God and it is sin. It will send you to hell. Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6 says, "But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." And that's the prophet crying out to a people that thought that because they were Jews, they were automatically God's children and they were automatically set and they were automatically on their way to heaven. He's saying, "Look, this is not the case. You may be good. You may even be Jewish, but we are all sinners in need of God." Not only are we all sinners, but the reason why that's such a bad thing is not only that we've offended God, but there are naturally consequences to those actions. The Bible says for the wages of sin is death in Romans chapter 6 and verse 23. Now there's two kinds of death. The Bible makes this clear. First of all, there's physical death. We all know what that is. I've lost a brother. I've lost a father. They died. Death is separation from this life, from this flesh. You know, I'm about to have a birthday. I'm not going to get a phone call from my father. Separated from him. That's what death does. And as sad as that is, there's something worse that comes for the soul that dies, leaves this life without accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. We find that in Revelation chapter 21 where the Bible tells us that the fearful and the unbelieving and goes through a list of all of these different people, but he says those that their names are not found written in the Lamb's book of life, they're going to be cast in the lake of fire. The Bible says in death in hell or cast in the lake of fire, this is the second death. And for every person that does not find Jesus Christ in this life, there is coming that point in time where they will be sealed away outside of time forever in a place completely absent from God's presence, in a place of punishment, a place of turmoil for the sins that they committed in this life that are not taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ. That's some pretty bad news. That doesn't sound really good. But the Bible does give us hope. The Bible says that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The Bible says that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. That verse that says for the wages of sin is death, that's not the end of the verse. And I don't know about you, I'm thankful for that. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If he's in chapter 2, verses 8 and 9 says, "For by grace are you safe through faith and that none of yourselves is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." Romans 8 and verse 1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." And we can praise God for that. God has provided a plan of salvation. But my friends, that plan of salvation has to be accepted. It has to be believed. Religions all throughout time and all the world over are giving all of these different ways to get to heaven. Sometimes you have to give money. It has been preached in pulpits. Sometimes you have to be a member of a certain denomination or a member of a certain church or carry out a certain list of things called sacraments. But at the end of the day, all that the Bible has to say about it is, "You either believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for your sins or you don't believe." John chapter 3 and verse 18 says, "He that believe because if you don't, you fit into the next. And he says, "He that believeeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed on the only begotten Son of God." Verse 36, "He that believeth the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." So it all comes down to this paramount point of believing what God has said or not believing. Romans chapter 10, go ahead and turn there. Romans chapter 10 will begin in verse 13. You probably know this passage of Scripture is part of the Romans road. And it's a wonderful verse for helping to lead somebody to the Lord. The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." The ground is level at the foot of the cross. I don't know about you, but I praise the Lord for that. And it's a wonderful passage of Scripture as you're helping to bring somebody to Jesus. But the context in which we find it is not the Romans road. The context in which we find it is Paul once again explaining why it is so important that he and that you and that I by extension share the gospel with those around us and get on board with God's plan for reaching the world with the gospel. He says, "Look, everyone can call. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." That very next verse, look at it. It says, "How then shall they call on him, of whom they have not heard, whom they have not believed." My bad. That's what happens when you try to quote things behind the pulpit. And how shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. He says, "Look, praise the Lord, anybody that calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved." No if answer buts about it. But they're not going to call on somebody they don't believe in. And they're not going to believe in somebody that they haven't heard about. And that's why it's so important that people go and tell. I wish I could tell you everybody went to heaven and that the way to heaven is paid with good intentions and sincerity. Because there's a lot of good people and a lot of sincere people in the world. But the Bible tells us that the path to heaven is straight and narrow and very few go in there at. Whereas the way the destruction is broad and wide, many are on that path. This is why it is so important, my friends, that you make it your personal business to be a light for Jesus Christ where God has put you. Because they cannot believe if they haven't heard and they will not hear if people like you don't tell. Why should we tell? We've seen five Bible reminders, five Bible reasons here this evening. We could go on but we won't. We're already past 655. We've seen a command from the Scripture. We've heard a cry from beneath. We've been reminded of the call from without. 2 Corinthians 5 has reminded us that the love of God should be constraining us from within. And we've seen once again from God's word that there is a condemnation on sinners who die without Jesus Christ. And they have to believe, they can't believe if they haven't heard. My friends, is God so loved the world to give his son for it. And as Jesus Christ so loved the world to lay down his life for it, may we too so love the world that we do a little bit more to let our light shine and to share the message of Jesus Christ with those that the Lord has placed in our lives. Let's pray. Dear Lord, thank you for the opportunity to open your word and be reminded of our privilege and yet of our obligation to share the gospel with those around us. Lord, I pray that for every believer here this evening, dear God, that your Holy Spirit will be working and moving and prompting us, Lord, to be better stewards of the gospel. Lord, if there's someone here tonight and even now there's somebody that you have placed on their heart, that they know that if they were to die right now, they would not see them someday in glory. Lord, I pray that you would give them the courage. I pray that you would give them the opportunity to share Christ with that person. Lord, please be with them and guide them to be the person that tells them about the gospel. Lord, if there's someone here this evening that, Lord, they've heard the gospel, maybe they've even come to church all their lives. They might be a good person, but there's never been a point in time in their life where they realize that they're a sinner in need of Jesus and that if they were the only person that have ever lived, Jesus Christ would have died for them and that they need to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Lord, I pray that you would lead them to do so today. Lord, we're not promised tomorrow. I pray that you would prompt them to take advantage of this opportunity today. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Lord, thank you for loving us and dying on the cross for our sins. As in Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen. Brother Williams.