That All the Nations Might Hear — John Piper

The following message is by Pastor John Piper. More information from Desiring God Ministries is available at www .desiringgod .org.

Paul’s Final Charge to Fulfill the Ministry

The text for this morning's message is found in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 5 to 22. But you. Be sober in all things. Endure hardship do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come.

I Have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith in the future. There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness Which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all Who have loved his appearing.

Make every effort to come to me soon for Demas having loved this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescence has gone to Galatia Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Pick up mark and bring him with you for he is useful for me in the service.

For Tychius I have sent to Ephesus. Now when you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas and Carpus and the books especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith. He did me much harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Be on guard against him yourself for he vigorously opposed our teaching. Had my first offense no one supported me, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth.

The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and Will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.

Make every effort to come before winter. The Beutlis greets you also Pudence and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. The Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you Lord as I undertake now to open some of this passage, I asked that you'd come and Awaken us to the glory of Christ and the glory of his mission in the world. And I pray that you would confirm a call for some and awaken a call for others that prayer and Study and time Would confirm.

I pray that you'd protect me now from error or anything that would stand in the way of People hearing the Word of God open our hearts and minds to understand and to embrace You in your word through Christ.

I pray. Amen. This text Especially verse 17. I preached on once before April 1990 it was the 10th anniversary or it was the last Sunday I was going to be here before a writing leave during which would happen the 10th anniversary of my being here as pastor in 1990 and I chose verse 17 and read it with you as Marking my own experience in the life of the Apostle Paul.

The Lord Stands With His Missionary Servants

But the Lord stood with me and Strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished and that all the Gentiles or Nations that phrase there Panta ta ethne is exactly the same phrase in Matthew 28 19 go make disciples of all the nations.

That all the nations might hear and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth Now ten years ago. I preached on the whole context I went into great detail about what all the phrases meant before and after and how it fits together.

I'm not gonna do that again. You can read it on online if you want to. I'm gonna do something Much simpler this morning because it's the close of missions week. This is my my attempt to contribute to what God has been doing in these recent days and I simply want to take the plain obvious forthright meaning of Paul here as he bears witness to the Faithfulness of God in his life right up to the last is his last letter.

He's about to die probably. And he speaks of the faithfulness of God. He stood with me strengthened me and I want his testimony along with the testimony of several other missionaries to land on you with a call of God in your life many of you a Radical venture that you might take with him because of this promise.

Feeling powerful and true in your life. You've heard mark pray it. You're now gonna hear me preach it and I want you to experience So that you can say in 10 years or 20 years or 30 years Wherever God has positioned you in his overall scheme and plan you can say the Lord Stood with me and he strengthened me.

And he put words in my mouth. The nations have heard. I want you to be able to sense that moving in your heart today. So that it becomes a call for many of you to go. Now I know that into this room has come People this morning for whom missions is Not only not on your front burner.

It's not on the stove it's not in the refrigerator and We as Americans are a very very Very insular people. We don't need Europe we don't need Asia we don't need Mexico though. They touch us and we don't need Canada.

Thank you, though. They stretch all the way across our border. We got oceans all around us. We got borders. We make things for the world. We make food for the world. We don't need anybody and we Americans are about the most stuck-up people in the world.

Not maybe the most but we rank near the front. We are parochial Provincial Ethnocentric in our worst cases, we are selfish and self-centered and racist and We give almost no time or energy mental or physical To dreaming or thinking or studying or feeling about the global purposes of Almighty God for Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan or China or Indonesia or Just read this morning about a little island off the coast of Tanzania.

You may know the name of it Zanzibar Neglections in Tanzania this today Sunday and Conflict again, what's God up to in Tanzania? What's God up to in Israel? Among the Palestinians, what's God up to in Canada Mexico, Bolivia, Chile Argentina, what's God up to in Australia?

Not to mention what's God up to among Somali here and Chippewa and Dakota Minnesota. What's God doing and our minds are almost never taken up with those things. Ralph winter used to say that in America.

The Global Mission Is the Real News of History

The most important news is never news. And that's true. You will never hear the most important news on any newscast period. Because the most important news is not what's happening between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

It's not the pulling up of sailors from a sunken Russian submarine, it's not a winning streak of the Vikings or a Marilyn Manson Desecration at the Orpheum. That's not big news. The big news is the spread of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ among the peoples and the gathering of a people of God who will one day be prepared for the Consummation of the second coming so that there is a great welcoming of King Jesus back and they will reign on the earth forever and ever and this little thing called History will appear what it really is namely brief Prelude to the real thing, which is eternity in the presence of God and we think.

We Christians often think and the world definitely thinks this is the real thing like a bat boy last week in Yankee Stadium who thinks that the real thing is chasing foul balls and hand sticks to players.

It's not the real thing. That's not what it's about. Ask anybody in New York. That's not what it was about and yet our little teeny lives and You may ask me well isn't Christianity about my finding forgiveness in Jesus and my personal Inheritance of eternal life and my receiving the Holy Spirit so that I become a better mom and a better dad and a better son a better daughter a better neighbor colleague better citizen.

Isn't it about? Me and God. And the answer that is a resounding. Yes, of course it is and your little life really counts but you know If that's all you ever think about is you and God and your conscience and your eternity.

That's not the main thing. That's not the big picture. The big picture is what is God up to with millions of people like you and millions like you who've never heard about how to get their conscience clean and how to escape hell and enter heaven and know Jesus and Worship like we've been worshiping.

They don't have any access at all. The big picture is all about the people's and the nation's and so since I don't believe most people walked into this room with that perspective or With much energy for missions or any flaming heart for the global cause of God in world evangelization the way I want to begin now is To let God Himself Speak to you in his own words about the big picture first.

Old Testament Promises of Worldwide Worship

There are Old Testament promises all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families Of the nations will worship before you. For the kingdom is the Lord's and he rules over the nations.

Then there are Old Testament prayers. Let the people's praise you. Oh God, let all the people's praise you. Then there are Old Testament commandments. Tell his glory among the nations his wonderful deeds among all the peoples say among the nations the Lord reigns.

Jesus’ Commission to Make Disciples of All Nations

Then there's the New Testament Commission to the church. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Jesus says go therefore and make disciples of all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and lo I will be with you to the end of the age.

And then there's the great example of the Apostle Paul for all of us to burn with. I Made it my ambition To preach the gospel not where Christ has already been named so that I would not build on another man's foundation.

But as it is written they who had no news of him shall see him and They who had not heard shall Understand. And then finally there's the great song The new song of the revelation. In the last day we get a glimpse of what it's going to be like.

Revelation’s Vision of Every Nation Worshiping God

What is history about anyway? What is going on here? What's the end? What's the consummation? What's the goal? What's the definition of History. And it goes like this. They sang a new song Thou art worthy.

To take the scroll that's the scroll of history and to open its seals for thou wast slain and by the blood gets ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and has made them a kingdom priests to our God and they shall reign on earth.

That's the big picture. That's what it's all about. And if you don't if you don't take your little life your little job your little apartment your little marriage your little struggles your little health and begin to take your mind and Expand it and take your heart and blow it up and spread your wings and fly up high enough to see the big picture.

Then you're gonna miss the deepest joys and the greatest satisfactions that this age can offer as well as The next. Don't let yourself give way to small mindedness. Don't let yourself give way to small thoughts about what you can do.

I'm gonna end this sermon with William Carey's word Expect great things from God attempt great things for God and that's not spoken to great people. William Carey was an absolute nobody. Never went to college.

Was a very unimposing Public figure could not speak well in front of a group a shoemaker. Just like David Decker was a shoe salesman before he went to Liberia ten years ago in this church. He's not great.

But he ventured on a great guy and history tells the story and I want you to do it. I want you to do it. Venture something great on a great God. Wake up. All right. Let's go to our text. Verse 17 that was introduction because I didn't think you'd be ready for the message verse 17.

The Lord’s Presence Gives Strength for Gospel Proclamation

The Lord stood with me. This is precious beyond words. Here he is. This is the end of his life. Earlier, he had said I have finished my course. I Have run the race. I have kept the faith. I Am on the brink of being poured out.

Henceforth there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness and now here he puts it this way. The Lord stood with me. Did you see the verse just before it by the way? Everybody forsook me. I Read a missionary quote John Patton Who I'll talk about him in just a minute, but this comes to my mind now at one of his quotes when he was Tremendously isolated and in danger.

He said alone. But not that's that's Paul. You see it for 16 alone for 17 not alone. And they're great verse 16 alone. Totally alone. Verse 17 not alone. So Patton was just paraphrasing Paul now see if I can get through this verse.

Let's read it again. The Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished that all the nation's Gentiles might hear and I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

Now that was Paul's experience of Matthew 28 18 to 20 where Jesus said lo I'll be with you. I'll be with you to the end of The age notice four things in the verse. They're so plain. They don't need any comment.

Number one. The Lord stood with me. That's the fulfillment of Matthew 28 20. I'll stand with you. I'll be with you and Paul experienced it and you can experience when you venture something on God God will fulfill that for you.

I Prayed with one young man right here at the end of the service who said I'm so hesitant to give myself up to go because I'm just afraid when I get there I'm gonna make shipwreck of my faith and take a lot of people down with me.

That's a good fear. That's a good fear. But then how do you fight fear with promises? I'll be with you. I'll be with you. He who began a good work in you will complete it. I wish I had time to preach on verse 18 notice that the last phrase in verse 18 He will save me for his heavenly kingdom.

Isn't that an amazing statement because He's only got a short time to live and he's already I mean he's still saying God's got to do it a life of faithfulness that he can't coast home a life of faithfulness and he can't coast home if Anybody's gonna get me to heaven.

God's gonna get me to heaven not me. He's almost dead and he's got to say God will save me for his heavenly kingdom. God will hold me back from evil. Number two the Lord Strengthened me. He gave me strength.

He's God. He's the risen Christ. He has all authority if anybody can strengthen me. He can strengthen me doesn't mean you won't feel weak. Well, not a great song with broken wings. We mount up something like that.

That's exactly everybody in this room is broken. There are no heroes here. You've only got brokenness to offer God. Give it to him little boy five loaves and two fish. I'm gonna get fed. Tell me. Well, yeah, you didn't answer because you didn't know really whether it's a trick question or not.

Was it 5 ,000 or 10 ,000 or did the children get counted or lots of people? Little boy nothing to offer but his own lunch. It's all you've got is a couple of fish. Number three the strength that he got was for the proclamation of the gospel you see that The Lord stood with me strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fulfilled.

You know why God gives strength to people. It isn't so that they might sit on their couch and veg Secure in their nice house their nice car and their nice health and their nice videos. I use me strength.

I'm so thankful Thank you God for give me strength day by day. That's not why he gives you strength acts 1 8. When the Holy Spirit has come upon you You will receive power and you will be my tell me Witnesses, that's why we have strength so that our lives will be multiplied with visual and oral Witness to the King of Kings.

It's all about Jesus. Your life is all about Jesus. If you get up in the morning with any strength to move a hand a leg a lip, it's all about Jesus and the way you do your work and the way you run your family and the way you write your letters.

It's about Christ exalting Christ seeing him magnified secularly if you want to make that distinction or Religiously, it's all about Christ. We don't have strength just to veg just to be comfortable just to be secure.

We have strength for Christ from Christ and for Christ and number four. That speaking that Paul does in the strength that Jesus supplies is for the nation's so that all the Gentiles all the nation's might Hear what a passion right to the very end spread spread spread and I don't doubt because I read it already In Philippians 1 That when Paul finally died.

Which was not too long from here when he was beheaded by Nero. The words on his lips were something like Oh Christ may in my dying You be magnified among the nations. I Think that's the way he died. Let my dying count for the sake of the knit.

And it did the Lord stood by me he gave me strength. I spoke the word the nation's heard. Now I want some of you to join Paul in this. I don't want all of you to join this and I don't want those of you who stay as senders to feel guilty.

Some will stand here and some will not in a few minutes and I'm designing this thing such that this the sinners have a clear conscience. And this the comers have a clear conscience but some who don't come who should come should have a guilty conscience and Some who may come who shouldn't you'd have a guilty conscience.

John Paton and the Presence of Christ in Danger

I'm into clean consciences. And so I want to get the right people up and the right people down. John Patton just a couple of closing stories. John Patton, you remember I've talked about him before. Hundred years ago from Scotland young wife Arrives, she's pregnant now long boat ride to Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

The New Hebrides it was called in those days. She dies and the baby Four months old dies. He almost goes mad over this grave and God is with him and he lasts the rest of his life in South Sea Islands.

Planning the church on Tanna and Iowa today. Those islands are 83 Presbyterian, that's okay. I'm a Baptist, but that's alright. Most Presbyterians have better theology than most Baptists. Asked for an explanation of that later.

Today hundred years later the fruit of a life laid down. Alexander I mean John Patton now he said. When he quoted these words lo I'm with you always even to the end of the age. He said precious promise how often I adore Jesus for it and rejoice in it.

Blessed be his name. And there was a time when he was being attacked by a mob. It was night. He climbed a tree and he hid in a tree. While this mob ready to kill him was looking for him. And lo and behold God saved him and he wrote about that later like this.

I Sat there among the branches as safe in the arms of Jesus. Never in all my sorrows did my Lord draw nearer to me and Speak more soothingly to my soul as I told all my heart to Jesus. I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree.

To feel again my Savior's spiritual presence to enjoy his consoling fellowship. It was true for Paul the Lord stood with me. It was true for John Patton in the worst most dangerous hour of his life the Lord stood with him.

Alexander Duff and God’s Providential Guidance

It'll be true for you when you venture something on God beyond what you are able. Or think you are able. One more word about Alexander Duff that I read from from this biography earlier. Alexander Duff was born in 1806 in Scotland and was one of the st. Andrews seven.

That's the name of a book in our bookstore. He went at 24 to India and had two shipwrecks on the way there and God spared him. And he spent 40 years almost maybe 37 In India and his main ministry was education was very controversial in how he did his mission.

And at the end of his life, he wrote his daughter a letter in which he said Why should I? Who have been the child of so many mercies be faithless or doubting If any man living should trust the Lord. Absolutely.

I am that man. All my days I have been a child of Providence the Lord leading me and guiding me in ways unknown to me in ways his own and for the accomplishment of his own Heavenly ends. In other words the Lord has stood by me not just to comfort me in his case But to guide me.

I have had guidance from the Lord over and over again this morning as I was going over this message again I let my mind go back over my 54 years of life and thought That is so true. I did not plan my life.

I Didn't plan it little pimple-faced Nervous teenager who couldn't speak in front of a group and people would ask me go be a preacher like your dad. And I would answer absolutely not. And I wasn't joking it goes off to Wheaton College, why'd I go to Wheaton College?

No big plan there. No big strategic positioning of my life and just it was Christian and I was a scared of the university and and and I liked somebody who went there that I met when I visited and just There's no big plan here just went and and then there was a wife and There was a call to ministry and plan that Noel there she is in the dining room one day.

That's a miracle for me. I never dated in high school. These feelings start coming back. With all kinds of butterflies in my stomach. Three weeks in the hospital. I didn't plan that. Abort my pre-med career.

God lands on me with a call to the Word. Head off to seminary. Why'd I go to Fuller. Because I saw palm trees in the pictures. Was tired of snow. I didn't know Dan Fuller would be there teaching me how to arc texts showing me a glorious God.

Introducing me to Jonathan Edwards. Giving me a chance to teach Greek. I never dreamed that was gonna happen. Germany why'd I go to Germany. Because every school I applied to in America turned me down.

I I didn't I didn't plan Germany. I had no strategic thing here. Just they accepted me. They didn't know me well enough. They just said come Bethel College, why'd I teach at Bethel College for six years?

I've never been to Minnesota. Never heard of Bethel College. Because one man showed up. Had to leave in my living room. When I was sending out letters to every denomination in the world every church in the world saying I'm John Piper.

Nobody's ever heard of me. I need a job and He said I think they need a Sabbatical replacement at Bethel. Kai said where's that? He said well, I'll call and tell him that you exist in and there I am at Bethel for six years in 1979 the the fall of this burning to preach.

Where'd that come from? It just happened to me and so I went over to dick turnwall on County e2 at the Minnesota Baptist Conference Center. I said dick turnwall who was the to it lost in those days. I said dick I'm gonna resign at Bethel.

Would you help me find a church because I just got a preach. He calls this church. I never heard of this church. Never seen this church except maybe on the freeway. Didn't know where it was and within a week Marv Anderson.

Who's now with Jesus? Thank you for Marvin Anderson called and said would you consider? Candidating and here I am. I didn't plan any of this. So kids as a kid, excuse me. Sorry college students. I'm an old man now.

Young people. Students middle-aged people don't think you can plan your life. Don't even think about it. Take it one Step at a time and do what is right. Given what you can see to do and let the chips fall where they will and God will make a life for you.

William Carey’s Losses and Perseverance in Mission

And it will be wonderful. Last illustration. William Carey and I want to use carry here as I close for this reason. I don't mean to imply when I say the Lord will be with you and the Lord will strengthen you that the Lord will save Your life from many losses.

And much pain. I don't mean to say that when I say the Lord has stood by me. I don't mean there hasn't been pain or Losses. Paul didn't mean that Mark didn't mean that Jesus didn't mean that William Carey 1793 heads for India.

Never comes home. No furloughs. 40 years out lives two wives who die. Loses a son to the faith. He stoops to be an ambassador. He says gets a fever. They put a hundred and ten leeches on his thigh. It's the way you solve fever in 1812.

Suck blood out. You got too much blood in your head. That's why I hurt so bad. And then March 11 1812 the fire. That's what the chapter in the biography is called the fire the whole compound with 20 years of work.

Burned to the ground. He was in Calcutta. Not at home. Marshman his partner watched it go up in flames. The draft of the great polyglot dictionary the Sikh and the Telugu grammars. Ten versions of the Bible going through the press the translation of the Ramayana which he and Marshman had worked on for six Years, no photocopying in those days.

No electronic media in those days just a manuscript with ten or six or eighteen years. God and he goes to Calcutta and he tells Carrie it's gone. Nothing was saved and tears come to his eyes and he says later in one short evening.

The labors of years are consumed. How unsearchable are the ways of God that amazing? I? had lately Brought some things to the utmost of perfection of which they seem capable and contemplated the missionary establishment with perhaps too much self-congratulation.

The Lord has laid me low and That I may look more simply to him. The Lord Has laid me low that I may look more simply to him. The mission of Christ. Advances Through people who are laid low and look simply To Jesus to be with them and to strengthen them to open their mouths and to touch the nation's.

And you don't become angry at God in those moments who don't say where was God. God was in heaven and he was doing whatever he pleased and Carrie had that theology. That's why he could last 40 years. So he rises from his knees.

And he says with great faith I can plod. I Can plod. And he plotted 20 more years and what he accomplished through prayers and pains Was amazing. So I close with that great statement. Expect great things from God.

Attempt great things for God. Now get your theology right here. There is an order to those two statements. Carrie had a good theology. He knew his Bible. He knew his God. He knew his brokenness first.

You expect great things from God. You take 2nd Timothy 417 and you believe it. He's gonna stand by me he's going to give me strength he's going to open my mouth. He's going to touch the nation's in my brokenness in my weakness in my loneliness.

I May have to be humbled by some terrible loss. We had to be seven years ago. I Almost thought this morning. I'd have you raise your hand if you've been here longer than seven years. But I thought the number would be so small that I wouldn't embarrass us.

But we had to be. And whether you have to be or not, you expect that in through whatever humbling the Lord must do in your life. He'll be with me and he'll strengthen me. He'll sustain me. He's God. I will help you.

I'll strengthen you. I'll hold you up with my victorious right hand and then comes Attempt great things for God so I'm done father. I Asked now that those whom you are touching wakening loosening from home from neighborhood job school plans loosening To transplant across a culture into vocational Missions.

Would be obedient Responsive pray that the senders would be deeply stirred to hold the rope. Well To be valiant for the global cause of God here. May every conscience be clean. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to this message by John Piper pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Feel free to make copies of this message to give to others, but please do not charge for those copies or Alter the content in any way without permission.

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