“How Shall They Hear?” Dr. David Sills

If we did not have the Bible, what would we know about God? o There is a Creator  Psalm 19:1-4a, Romans 1:18-20 o That we are sinners  Romans 2:14, 15 o That we need to restore the relationship with our Creator that our sin has destroyed “How Shall They Hear?”

Every culture has invented some system of religion o Sacrifices initiated by men o Only in Christianity do we have a relationship initiated by God o The religions of man do not save anybody (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) o Many have still not heard (Joshua 13:1) “How Shall They Hear?”

What is the Gospel? o God is holy  Who God is and what He is like  Leviticus 19:2  Isaiah 6:3  Revelation 4:8-11 “How Shall They Hear?”

What is the Gospel? o Man is sinful  It tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God  The result=we are guilty, filthy, powerless to change ourselves, & deserve the wrath of God  Psalm 14:1-3  Isaiah 53:6  Romans 3:23  70,000  The soul that sins, it shall die... “How Shall They Hear?”

What is the Gospel? o Jesus is the answer  John 3:16, 5:24  Romans 5:8, 6:2-5  2 Corinthians 5:21  1 Peter 3:18  1 John 5:12 o Two important points:  We should talk about what Jesus has done  We should talk about who Jesus is “How Shall They Hear?”

What is the Gospel? o You must repent and be born again  Repentance includes: Recognition of specific sins Recognition of your sinful nature Recognition that sin is rebellion against a holy God Turn around and walk the opposite direction “How Shall They Hear?”

What is the Gospel? o You must repent and be born again  Prior to being born again, all your good works are like deposits without an account  When we are born again, we are adopted into the Father’s family  A relationship that can never be lost  Fellowship agrees with walking with Him. “How Shall They Hear?”

Missionary math o 1/3 of the world’s population has not heard of the Gospel (2 billion) o Every day 50,000 of these die o There are 27,000 ethnic groups in the world o 14,000 are “reached” and 13,000 are unreached o Every day 40,000 children die of starvation and hunger-related diseases o 6,000 persons die from the lack of clean drinking water “How Shall They Hear?”

Missionary math o Of our seminary graduates, 95% remain in the USA and only 5% go to the world o Of the 6,813 known languages, only 411 have a Bible, 1,700 have a NT, and many have only portions o More than 70% of the world are oral learners o 75-80% of Evangelical churches are located in the 20% of the world that is most highly literate “How Shall They Hear?”

God has a missionary heart o Genesis 3:15- The protoevangelion o Genesis 12:1-3- all the families o Psalm 67 o Isaiah 37:20, 49:6 o There are non-Jewish persons in the OT who are included in the people of God o Jesus’ lineage o Jonah’s story “How Shall They Hear?”

Our responsibility o Jesus’ command: panta ta ethne o Jesus’ provision: The church o Jesus’ promise: That He will be with us Coca-Cola vs. the Church Need vs. Call Call vs. Guidance “How Shall They Hear?”

Who should be a missionary? o Those cognizant of the need o Those concerned about the need o Those committed to do God’s will o Those called and commissioned by God o Those who have the desire to go- Psalm 37:4 Knowing God’s will o Is God’s will a tiny dot on a huge football field? o God’s will is not a tightrope, it is the wide-open field “How Shall They Hear?”

Knowing God’s will 1. Know God- Some believers are so concerned with knowing the will that they miss the Source. Proverbs 1:7, James 1:5 2. Know God’s Word- The Bible gives assurance of God’s promises to His children- Proverbs 3: Pray- Helps us to know God more fully and see our situations as He sees them 4. Seek Counsel- Turn to those who know you well & have shown wisdom in their own choices- Proverbs 11:14, 24:6 “How Shall They Hear?”

Knowing God’s will 5. Examine life experiences: God knows what you need in order to do what He has made you to do. 6. Consider your circumstances: Consider your circumstances in light of what you know of God and His Word 7. Consider God’s timing: We should consider practical realities related to the decision Ecc. 3: Identify the desires of your heart: Psalm 37:4 & Proverbs 4:23 “How Shall They Hear?”

Key Questions o “What is it that’s not being done, that ought to be done, that I could do, and that if it were done would result in greater glory to God and the advance of Christ’s Kingdom?” o How can you glorify God?  “By loving Him and doing what He commands.” o “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” –Psalm 37:4  What are the desires of your heart? “How Shall They Hear?”