Text: Psalm 22:25-31, Title: By This All Will Go, Date/Place: 5/1/16
A. Opening illustration: The Summit Church in NC commissioned 75 more church members, now over 400 total in the last 5 years, to plant North American Churches this week. According to their records, for every one person they send out, there are 20 new people worshipping now; that’s over 8000 people in those five years. “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.1 Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory.” -Piper
B. Background to passage: The first 2/3 of the Psalm is a prophecy about the crucifixion of Jesus. It is very graphic, and very detailed. It is probably the clearest and most obvious reference to the cross in the OT. But the last 1/3 of the psalm is a verse of praise because of the faithfulness of God and the implications of those actions. David also write of the person of God, which is behind the action of God. The link he draws is between the work and person of God and the response of man toward Him and the rest of the world because of Him.
C. Main thought: The drive to be a mission-minded church is the glory of God.
A. Who God Is and Does (v. 26-28)
1. According to the text he is the giver of worship and praise—v. 25. He is the satisfaction and provider for the poor, humble, and afflicted—v. 26. The giver of eternal life—v. 26. He is the only one worthy of worship. He is the King of the world—v.28. The two most important things are these: 1) the centrality of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, described above (v. 25b), his atoning propitiation for sin to pay the debt, bear the wrath, and die the death that we should have incurred; 2) the aim of all these things is the glory of God. In v. 25-26, we see the praise going to him; in v. 27, we see the nations repenting of their sin before God at the realization of His glory; in v. 29, all bow down in fear and homage to his kingship, and in v. 30-31, we see the proclamation of His righteousness and complete perfection for generations to come! He is our God, and there is no other.
2. Ex 34:29
3. Illustration: "Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support… How the Israelites would not write the name of God.
4. Our knowledge of God does not even scratch the surface of the infinitude of the perfections and excellencies of Christ. The only uncreated One. The One who causes mountains to tremble and waters to split. The One who causes the earth to swallow rebellious people, and the One raises dead sons to care for their families. But these are only things that He has done. Language cannot capture all that He is. Our faces would glow if we saw the backside, and we would die if we saw the face of God. We have grown so familiar with the account of the cross and resurrection that we are content with a surface understanding, and do not plumb its depths. This is why we don’t shutter at our sinfulness and its rebellion against this righteous God. This is why we don’t rejoice to the fullest at the redemption given to us. This is why we don’t see all the beauty and glory of God. There are many things that a clear view of the glory of God would do for us, but one that I want to make much of today is that it would drive us to go/be on mission for Jesus.
B. Who Man Is and Does (v. 25, 26b, 29-31)
1. In response to these things we are called to seek the Lord (v. 26). Feast on His satisfaction/supremacy (v. 26). We are to worship and bow down (v. 27). But I want to focus on how the glory of God that we are supposed to seek, see, feast upon compels us to announce it to the nations as they are to “remember” God. And we are to pass it along to future generations. God desires not that you go across the street, across the office, across the classroom, or across the globe to speak wonderful things about His glory, and especially His glory in the cross and resurrection, which is the most glorifying event that ever took place because of its significance in the redemption of man and of all creation.
2. Paul, Peter, countless through history, and countless now declaring the glory of God.
3. Illustration: The man in the psychiatric office telling about his awesome new car. “The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission, nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing, strong as that is, especially as we contemplate the wrath of God, but rather zeal, burning and passionate zeal for the glory of Jesus Christ, only one imperialism is Christian, and that is concern for His imperial majesty, Jesus Christ and for the glory of His empire!...And we should be jealous for the sake of His Name, troubled when It remains unknown, hurt when It is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that It will be given the honor and glory to which It is due!” – John Stott,
4. There are 6000 people groups in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. 6000 which are magnifying the greatest Name ever. You have a message and serve a God that is zealous for His fame to be known. Not only to the current millions, but to their children, and their children’s children. Seven out of ten people in Tifton don’t know Jesus and His beauty. And once we experience God, His salvation, His power, His transforming grace, this is the drive for us to go. Is it hard? Yes. Is it costly? Yes. Is it pleasing to God? Yes! But as Tozer and Stott and many others have said, let grace and glory be your compulsion, and not guilt and a needy God. He allows you the privilege of sharing in the advancement of the redemption story because He has chosen that it will be the most glorifying way to call out His bride from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We/they were made to experience the glory of God, let’s take it to them. This summer, this fall, and every season beyond, The Road will go. Today, tomorrow, next we you, The Road will go. We will telling of the wonders of our God.
A. Closing illustration: What are we waiting for? Matt Papa. Our work in Molinos began in the first week of August 2009, we began telling the people from the mayor to the townspeople the glories of God—His deeds, His person, and His redemption, because He is a God that they would love to know, they just don’t know it. And so, because we are enthralled with Him, we are willing to give, pray, spend, and go to tell. Twice in the last three weeks
B. Verse 25 says that even they praise that is given by individuals and nations to God, and a gift to them from God. Even the service carried out to God by His people is made possible by God. But it is all done for the glory of God.
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
"Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God that is precisely what we see. Twentieth century Christianity has put God on charity. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God. But the truth is that God is not greater for our being, nor would He be less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God’s free determination, not by our desert nor by divine necessity.
Probably the hardest thought of all for our natural egotism to entertain is that God does not need our help. We commonly represent Him as a busy, eager, somewhat frustrated Father hurrying about seeking help to carry out His benevolent plan to bring peace and salvation to the world… The God who works all things surely needs no help and no helpers.
Too many missionary appeals are based upon this fancied frustration of Almighty God. An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his listeners, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of. Add to this a certain degree of commendable idealism and a fair amount of compassion for the underprivileged and you have the true drive behind much Christian activity today." -Tozer
He says Go, take the news to every nation
We say no, you know I just don't feel called
But oh the Lord of all the universe
Has called us all to go, so
What are we waiting for
A message in the sky
A miracle, a sign
From up above, is not His word enough?
What are we waiting for
He's given us a choice
He's given us a voice
And right now, if He is Lord
Then what are we waiting for
He says now give your life to serve the broken
We say how will this fit into my plans
But oh the Lord of all the universe
Has spilled His blood, His precious blood
If we love Him we will keep His word
keep His word
