Reaching the Last Tribes

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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February 1, 2016

00:01: You may be seated.
00:05: Well, it is a blessing for me to have the opportunity now to welcome Scott Phillips.
00:13: He is a missionary with Dow Ministries.
00:17: Is that? I'll make sure I'm saying it correctly.
00:20: With Dow Ministries.
00:21: He's going to be sharing the message with us this morning from Revelation chapter 21.
00:25: So if you want to open your Bibles and get those ready as he comes and brings the message.
00:38: I'm excited to be here this morning.
00:40: And as I was listening to that song where we're singing about God being mighty, powerful, wonderful.
00:47: The thought came to me that that's the only reason I'm here this morning.
00:52: Is to remind today's generation of believers that God is awesome.
00:57: He's still doing powerful.
00:58: He's still doing wonderful things.
01:00: He really is.
01:02: Psalm chapter 96.
01:04: A verse I love to read.
01:06: The first few verses of Psalm 96 say, Sing to the Lord a new song.
01:12: Sing to the Lord all the earth.
01:15: Sing to the Lord.
01:17: Bless His name.
01:19: Tell of His salvation from day to day.
01:23: And declare His glory among the nations.
01:27: His marvelous works among all peoples.
01:32: For great is the Lord.
01:34: And greatly to be praised.
01:36: He is to be feared above all gods.
01:39: All gods.
01:41: We serve an awesome God.
01:43: He's still doing awesome things.
01:44: A lot of times when we read through the Bible.
01:48: We read through our scriptures.
01:49: Those great stories of the Old Testament.
01:51: Where people would just shout and by the power of God cities would fall.
01:58: You read about things like the stories of Samson.
02:02: Doing all the amazing things that he did.
02:05: The parting of the Red Sea.
02:06: And the life of Moses.
02:07: All these amazing things that God did.
02:11: Often times we can forget that God is still doing awesome things.
02:15: He's still doing them in our generation.
02:17: For His own glory.
02:18: To bring in every last tongue, tribe, nation and people group.
02:21: And I'm here just to remind you.
02:23: Of some of the marvelous things that He has done and He is doing.
02:26: If you weren't in the Sunday school hour this morning.
02:29: Maybe you didn't hear who we are, where we serve.
02:32: My wife and my four children are in the building.
02:35: You can feel free to talk to them afterwards as well.
02:38: My wife, she's a Bible translator.
02:41: And I'm a Bible teacher.
02:43: And also a literacy teacher.
02:44: And we serve and work in a country called Indonesia.
02:48: Which is a little bit north of Australia.
02:49: A little bit south of mainland Asia.
02:52: And we've been working there for 13 years.
02:55: With a tribe that before we had come in didn't have a written language.
02:59: They didn't have any idea who Jesus Christ was.
03:02: In fact, when we told them about Jesus for the first time.
03:05: We had to come up with their own form of the word.
03:09: And every single one of their words ends with a vowel.
03:12: And they have no J's in their language.
03:14: So in their language it came out Yesusi.
03:17: And that's what they call Him.
03:18: It's Yesusi in their language.
03:20: But we went to that place.
03:22: And the Lord led us to that place through old helicopter pilots and everything else.
03:28: That told us where these people were.
03:30: And the first time we went in there was a standoff.
03:32: We thought they were going to shoot at us.
03:34: But the Lord spared our lives.
03:36: And then used those first people that we thought were going to shoot at us.
03:38: As our introduction into the rest of the tribe.
03:41: And He's done an amazing work in that place.
03:43: I do want to pray just one more time.
03:45: Before I say too much about what I have to share this morning.
03:49: And just once again ask God to use this time.
03:51: So Lord, again I thank You for Your Word this morning.
03:54: And again, as I stand up here.
03:57: I'm just reminded Lord that I need to be worked on.
04:01: Just as much as anybody in this room.
04:03: Just because I've got a Bible in my hand.
04:05: And I'm standing behind this big fancy wooden pulpit here.
04:07: And a collared shirt.
04:09: Doesn't mean I don't need to be changed Lord.
04:13: Change me.
04:14: In some way.
04:15: Even this morning.
04:16: Through the power of Your Word as I'm reading it.
04:18: Lord change me this morning.
04:22: Give us all a renewed passion for what You're doing in this world.
04:25: Remind us this morning that You are an awesome God.
04:28: That You're still doing amazing things in this world.
04:32: That there's no one that compares to You Lord.
04:36: Remind us of that this morning.
04:37: Give us just a fresh perspective of You Lord.
04:43: Remind us that You Yourself are our greatest treasure.
04:45: Not anything this world has to offer.
04:47: But You.
04:48: You are our greatest treasure Lord.
04:50: And You are worth giving up anything and everything for.
04:54: To know You deeper.
04:56: And to make Your name known.
04:57: In other parts of this world Lord.
04:59: Again, as I did earlier Lord.
05:01: I ask You that You would do this morning what I cannot do myself.
05:06: That You would change stony hearts like we just sang about.
05:09: Only You can do that work.
05:11: And if You do not do that work this morning.
05:13: Then my time is wasted.
05:16: I'm speaking these words in vain Lord.
05:18: Unless You do what only You can do.
05:20: What I myself cannot do.
05:21: And work in our hearts and change us.
05:24: By the power of Your Spirit Lord.
05:26: I pray that You would work in our hearts this morning.
05:30: Thank You Lord.
05:31: Thank You for Your Word.
05:32: Thank You for the privilege it is to open it.
05:34: This morning.
05:35: Amen.
05:37: Some of you that were in the Sunday School Hour.
05:39: You saw the video footage that we showed.
05:42: And the video footage makes mention.
05:43: Of the fact that God prepared the Tao people that we work with.
05:47: For His message.
05:49: A full generation before we ever got there.
05:51: And I'd like to tell that story to you in detail.
05:54: Because to me.
05:55: That story.
05:56: It just, it shows a glimpse of the character of God.
06:00: And what He's doing in this world to bring every last Tongue Tribe.
06:02: And nation to Himself.
06:04: But the way that story goes.
06:07: When we've been studying the Tao language for quite a few months.
06:10: Probably close to a year.
06:12: And when we've been in Indonesia a couple years.
06:15: There came a point where we were growing very discouraged.
06:19: As many missionaries probably do get discouraged.
06:21: When they go to a new place.
06:22: They're in unfamiliar territory.
06:24: They are trying to learn a new language.
06:26: And there came a point where we were very discouraged.
06:29: We were beginning to grow doubtful.
06:31: If we would ever even learn this language.
06:33: As we were learning more about their language.
06:35: We came to the realization that the Tao language.
06:38: Had both tone and stress in it.
06:41: If I could give you an example this morning.
06:43: If a Tao person was talking.
06:45: And he was talking about the lowlands groups.
06:47: Along their borders.
06:48: That are usually cannibalistic.
06:49: There's a tribe called the Kehu.
06:51: That's traditionally cannibalistic.
06:53: Close by them.
06:54: And if they were looking.
06:55: Talking about those guys.
06:56: And they were pointing at one of them.
06:57: And they said that person eats people.
06:59: They would say.
07:01: Me, me, me, menuki.
07:03: And all four of those me's have different tones.
07:07: They have different lengths.
07:09: That you hold them out.
07:10: And they all have different meanings.
07:11: According to the tone you speak them at.
07:13: And the length you hold them out.
07:15: So we came to this point.
07:16: Where we were realizing.
07:17: That this language was like this.
07:19: And we were thinking.
07:19: We're never going to eat this language.
07:21: On top of that.
07:22: We were very strange to the Tao people.
07:24: All day, every day.
07:25: The people would come up to our house.
07:27: And they would just sit there.
07:28: And watch us.
07:29: They would laugh at us.
07:31: They would just sit in our house.
07:32: We did strange things.
07:33: We looked different.
07:34: We had weird contraptions.
07:36: And by all means.
07:36: The only way I know how to describe it.
07:38: Is that we became pretty much the village television.
07:41: All day, every day.
07:43: People coming up from sundown.
07:45: Sunrise to sundown.
07:47: Coming in our house.
07:47: And just sitting.
07:48: And watching us.
07:49: And just laughing at us.
07:51: They would ask us a question in their language.
07:53: And we were to the point in their language.
07:54: Where we could understand a lot of what was being said to us.
07:57: But we couldn't speak very well yet.
07:59: If anybody studied a language.
08:01: Any of you have.
08:02: You know that there comes a point like that.
08:03: Where you can understand a lot right.
08:05: But you can't speak very well.
08:06: You speak like a two year old.
08:07: You're saying things wrong.
08:09: You're saying comical things.
08:10: People are laughing at you constantly.
08:12: And we were at that point.
08:14: People would watch us all day.
08:15: And just laugh at us all day.
08:17: And we were growing frustrated.
08:19: On top of that.
08:20: My wife and I both had constant bouts of Giardia and Amoeba.
08:25: Because of the dirty foods we were eating.
08:27: We both lost quite a bit of weight.
08:28: I had malaria about a dozen times at this point.
08:31: When we went over there.
08:32: I was 220.
08:33: I was hitting about 160 at this point.
08:35: And we were just starting to ask the Lord.
08:36: We don't even know in the case of our own health.
08:39: How much longer we can stay here.
08:41: Lord what should we do? And we were just sick of being there.
08:44: Bad missionaries.
08:45: We were sick of being there.
08:46: We didn't love the people anymore.
08:48: We wanted to leave.
08:48: We wanted to go home.
08:49: We wanted to see our family.
08:50: Eat good food.
08:51: Ready to give up.
08:53: And a helicopter flight came in.
08:55: To bring us our supplies.
08:56: Because that's how we get our food in there.
08:57: We grow as much as we can.
08:59: And then we also get supplies in by helicopter.
09:02: For us and our four children.
09:03: And my wife.
09:04: And a helicopter brought in some fresh coffee.
09:07: And it was the very next morning.
09:08: And again we were dealing with this frustration.
09:11: And in the morning I was making a cup of coffee.
09:13: Before the sun came up.
09:15: And I was waiting.
09:16: And I was thinking to myself.
09:17: As soon as the sun comes up.
09:18: These tribal people are going to start coming up to our house again.
09:21: They're going to sit in our house all day.
09:22: They're going to laugh at us.
09:23: We're going to be the village television.
09:24: And I was just saying.
09:25: Lord I don't want to deal with this today.
09:27: And I made a cup of coffee.
09:28: I was sitting there waiting for all this to start.
09:31: Because I knew that as soon as the sun came up.
09:33: We would start hearing.
09:34: We would start hearing.
09:36: Bark doors slide back from village houses.
09:38: All around us.
09:40: And they get up with the sun.
09:41: They go to bed with the sun.
09:42: They go back in their house.
09:42: And they close that bark door again.
09:44: And I was struggling with my attitude.
09:46: Asking the Lord for help.
09:47: And about that time.
09:48: I started hearing those bark doors sliding back.
09:51: The sun was coming up behind the mountain.
09:52: And I heard someone clearing his throat.
09:54: That's a Dao doorbell.
09:55: If you want to call it that.
09:56: They don't have doorbells.
09:57: They clear their throat when they're coming.
09:58: To announce.
09:59: To not surprise you.
10:00: I looked down.
10:01: And there was a Dao guy coming up the trail.
10:03: Clearing his throat.
10:04: And I could just see the top of his head.
10:05: His name was Apiawugi.
10:08: Apiawugi had become a friend of mine at this point.
10:11: And he lived in the hut right next to us.
10:13: And as he was walking up to the porch.
10:15: I was thinking to myself.
10:17: Man.
10:18: I was thinking.
10:19: I have to work out a question I can ask him.
10:21: To get him talking.
10:22: Because then.
10:23: If he's talking.
10:24: I won't have to talk.
10:25: And I won't have to be laughed at.
10:26: This is what I was thinking.
10:28: So he was walking up to the porch.
10:30: And I worked out a simple question in my mind.
10:32: He walked up on the porch.
10:33: And we did the morning greeting.
10:34: Which is.
10:35: Nimo me aba.
10:36: Aba.
10:37: Aba.
10:38: And you snap knuckles like that.
10:40: If you don't hear that snap three times.
10:42: You have to keep snapping.
10:44: So.
10:44: Nimo me aba.
10:45: He sits down.
10:47: Good morning friend.
10:47: And I said.
10:48: Friend.
10:49: I said.
10:49: I have a question for you.
10:51: I said.
10:52: We moved here.
10:54: And we built a house.
10:56: And then.
10:57: You moved here.
10:58: And you built a house.
11:00: Right next to us.
11:02: I said.
11:03: Why did you move here? Why did you build a house next to us? Why are you staying here? This is the question I was able to work out in my mind.
11:12: And he looked at me.
11:13: And he got kind of a half smile on his face.
11:15: And he began to tell me a story.
11:18: And he said to me.
11:19: He said.
11:19: Friend.
11:20: He said.
11:20: When I was about this high.
11:22: That's how they all described their age.
11:24: Nobody knows their age in the Dao tribe.
11:26: They don't know years.
11:27: They don't know weeks.
11:29: They know days and months.
11:30: Because of the moon and the sun.
11:32: And the reason I asked him that question.
11:34: Is because the Dao people are semi-nomadic.
11:36: They don't stay anywhere longer than three days.
11:38: But he and his family.
11:39: His wife.
11:39: Wada Mena.
11:40: And their three daughters.
11:41: Built a house.
11:41: And they were staying.
11:42: They weren't going anywhere.
11:44: So I asked him this question.
11:45: And he said.
11:45: Friend.
11:46: When I was about this high.
11:48: He said.
11:48: I woke up in the men's house one morning.
11:50: Because there's men's and women's houses in their culture.
11:53: The men and the women do not sleep in the same house.
11:55: That's very strange to them.
11:57: That Jenny and I do.
11:58: They think it's weird.
12:00: So I woke up in the men's hut one morning.
12:02: Or the men's house.
12:03: And he said.
12:04: All the other men in the men's house were waking up.
12:06: And my father.
12:07: He woke up last.
12:08: And he sat straight up.
12:10: And he said.
12:10: I've had a strange dream.
12:13: So we said to him.
12:15: Tell us your dream.
12:16: Because in Dao culture.
12:17: Dreams are very significant.
12:19: They see them as a window.
12:21: A glimpse into the future.
12:22: That's how they see dreams.
12:24: So he said.
12:24: My father sat straight up.
12:25: He said.
12:26: I've had a strange dream.
12:27: And we said to him.
12:28: Tell us your dream.
12:29: And my father.
12:30: He said to us.
12:30: It was the strangest dream.
12:32: He said.
12:33: There was these strange looking.
12:36: Pale skinned people.
12:38: They hiked up into our valley system.
12:41: Somehow they could speak our language.
12:44: And then.
12:45: They told us a message that was greater than any message we'd ever heard before.
12:50: And then after we heard their message.
12:51: We became so close with these strange looking people.
12:54: That we were like family.
12:55: We were like brothers and sisters.
12:58: And then I woke up.
13:00: And that.
13:01: He said.
13:01: That was the end of my father's dream.
13:04: He said.
13:04: All the other men in the room and myself.
13:05: We just sat there.
13:06: And we just thought.
13:07: That's strange.
13:08: That's a weird dream.
13:10: He said to me.
13:11: He said.
13:11: But then when I saw you and your wife.
13:14: He said.
13:14: When I saw you guys.
13:15: Coming into our valley for the first time.
13:18: He said.
13:19: I saw your strange look.
13:21: He said.
13:22: Your strange looking pale skin.
13:23: He said.
13:24: You walked in here.
13:25: You started trying to learn our language.
13:28: You told us you were here to give us a great message.
13:31: And he said.
13:32: And at that point.
13:33: I remembered my father's dream.
13:36: He said.
13:37: The reason that I built a house right next to yours.
13:40: The reason I'm not going anywhere.
13:42: Is because I'm waiting for your message.
13:44: That's what he said to us.
13:46: I heard that.
13:48: And I thought.
13:49: Surely I've misunderstood something.
13:50: I've heard something wrong in my lack of language ability.
13:53: So I asked him to tell me the whole story over again.
13:55: And he told me the same exact thing.
13:58: And it just blew me away.
13:59: I couldn't believe it.
14:00: Now as we continued to meet people.
14:02: From up and down.
14:03: Two different valley systems.
14:05: In their culture.
14:06: In their tribe.
14:07: Within their boundaries.
14:09: We met one person after another.
14:11: That their fathers.
14:12: Heads of clans.
14:13: In different villages.
14:13: All over their territory.
14:15: Had had the same dream.
14:17: And then when we talked for the first time.
14:19: Semi nomadic people.
14:21: That do not stay anywhere longer than two to three days.
14:24: Stayed for three months.
14:24: As I mentioned earlier in the Sunday school class.
14:27: They stayed for three months.
14:28: They would tell us.
14:29: And I would ask them.
14:30: Do you want us to stop teaching? They would say.
14:32: Keep teaching until our knees are too sore to sit any longer.
14:34: And then we'll tell you.
14:35: Then you can stop.
14:36: I look at that.
14:37: And I think.
14:39: There's no way that that could have happened.
14:42: There's no way that those people would have stayed for three months of teaching.
14:44: And they believed.
14:45: And the Tao Church was born.
14:46: There's no way this could have happened.
14:47: Unless God did what only he could do.
14:50: He prepared them.
14:52: For his message.
14:54: You think about what God does.
14:56: Think about what he's doing here.
14:58: That right there to me.
14:59: Is the same type of power.
15:01: That Jesus talks about in John 6.44.
15:05: When he says.
15:06: No man can come to me.
15:08: No man can come to me.
15:10: Unless the Father.
15:12: Draws them.
15:14: That is what God does.
15:16: And that is what God is still doing.
15:18: In tribes.
15:19: Around the world.
15:21: Not just in the Tao tribe.
15:23: He is drawing people to himself.
15:24: For his own glory.
15:26: And there is not a tribe that he will miss.
15:28: Because there will be people from every Tongue Tribe Nation and people group.
15:33: Revelation 21 is the main text I'd like to look at today.
15:37: And the reason I'd like to look at Revelation 21.
15:40: Is because.
15:40: This last time.
15:41: When we were back in the tribe.
15:43: We came back recently.
15:44: From our last trip there.
15:45: And we were teaching through the last four untaught books of the New Testament.
15:50: That we hadn't taught yet.
15:51: Jenny had just.
15:52: My wife had just finished translating.
15:54: Those last four books into the Tao language.
15:56: And Revelation was the last book we had to teach.
15:59: And a lot of times.
16:00: When the Tao people.
16:01: They hear passages.
16:02: They.
16:03: You know.
16:03: They're looking at things through different lenses.
16:05: Through a different culture.
16:06: Than we do.
16:07: And so we hear things from them.
16:09: That make us also.
16:10: Look at the Bible in a new way.
16:12: And this was one of those passages.
16:14: That the Lord really just used.
16:16: To show us the way He was working in their minds.
16:19: And to help them understand things.
16:21: From their own culture.
16:23: Revelation 21 verses 1 through 6.
16:25: Say this.
16:27: Then I saw a new heaven.
16:29: And a new earth.
16:31: For the first heaven.
16:33: And the first earth.
16:34: Had passed away.
16:37: And the sea was no more.
16:39: And I saw the holy city.
16:41: New Jerusalem.
16:43: Coming down.
16:43: Out.
16:44: Of heaven.
16:45: From God.
16:47: Prepared as a bride.
16:48: Adorned for her husband.
16:51: And I heard a loud voice.
16:52: From the throne saying.
16:53: Behold.
16:54: The dwelling place of God.
16:55: Is with man.
16:57: He will dwell with them.
16:58: And they will be His people.
16:59: And God Himself.
17:00: Will be with them.
17:01: As their God.
17:03: He will wipe away.
17:05: Every tear from their eyes.
17:07: And death will be no more.
17:10: Neither shall there be mourning.
17:11: Nor crying.
17:12: Nor pain.
17:13: Anymore.
17:14: For the former things.
17:15: Have passed away.
17:18: And he who was seated on the throne said.
17:20: Behold.
17:21: I am making all things new.
17:24: Also he said.
17:25: Write this down.
17:26: For these words are trustworthy and true.
17:27: And he said to me.
17:28: It is done.
17:29: I am the alpha and the omega.
17:31: The beginning and the end.
17:32: The thirsty.
17:33: I will give from the spring.
17:35: Of the water of life.
17:36: Without pain.
17:39: So this passage.
17:40: It's a beautiful picture painted.
17:42: Of what this is all culminating towards.
17:46: What the Lord's bringing in.
17:47: Of people from every tongue.
17:49: Tribe.
17:49: Nation.
17:50: And people group.
17:50: Every language.
17:52: What all of that is working towards.
17:54: And it paints this beautiful scene.
17:55: Of a wedding.
17:57: It talks about the new Jerusalem.
17:59: Coming down.
18:00: Out of heaven.
18:01: From God.
18:01: Prepared as a bride.
18:02: Adorned for her husband.
18:04: Where else in the New Testament.
18:05: Do we hear a bride talked about? Who else is it equated to? The church.
18:09: Right? Us as believers.
18:11: We are the bride of Christ.
18:14: We are going to be part of this scene.
18:17: This beautiful bride.
18:18: Presented to Jesus.
18:19: By God the Father.
18:21: At the end of time.
18:22: At the end of all these things.
18:24: This beautiful day is going to take place.
18:26: So.
18:27: You know.
18:27: We can identify with that.
18:28: Those of us in the room that are married.
18:30: You can remember.
18:31: The day that you got married.
18:33: Right? You remember.
18:35: Waiting for your wife to walk down the aisle.
18:36: You remember the joy that you felt.
18:38: The anticipation.
18:39: You've been waiting for probably a long time.
18:42: For this day to finally happen.
18:44: The butterflies in your stomach.
18:45: All the emotions evolved.
18:48: Involved.
18:48: All of the joy involved.
18:50: In such a great day.
18:52: You're sitting there.
18:53: And then she's finally walking the aisle.
18:56: We see this.
18:58: And we can understand it.
18:59: Because we also adorn the bride.
19:01: Right? She's dressed beautifully.
19:03: You remember such a thing.
19:05: And.
19:05: You know.
19:06: Anybody in here that's walked the aisle.
19:07: There's going to come a time.
19:08: We're going to walk it again.
19:10: On this day.
19:11: Except for this time.
19:12: As the bride of Jesus Christ.
19:15: So.
19:15: You think about this.
19:17: In our culture.
19:18: At the end of a wedding.
19:19: There's always a proclamation too.
19:20: Right? You think about what's usually said at the end of a wedding.
19:24: Can anybody think of it? By the power.
19:28: Of the state of Florida.
19:30: By the power invested in me.
19:31: I now pronounce you.
19:33: Man and wife.
19:34: Kiss your bride.
19:36: You know.
19:36: This loud proclamation.
19:37: This thing that's said at the end of every wedding.
19:39: Well.
19:39: On this day.
19:40: Again.
19:41: There's going to be a loud proclamation.
19:43: There's going to be a loud proclamation.
19:45: Announcing.
19:46: That this has finally taken place.
19:48: Except for this time.
19:49: It's going to be different.
19:50: In verse 3.
19:51: I heard a loud voice from the throne.
19:53: Saying.
19:54: Behold.
19:54: The dwelling place of God is with man.
19:56: He will dwell with them.
19:57: They'll be his people.
19:58: God himself will be with them as their God.
20:00: He'll wipe away every tear from their eyes.
20:03: Death will be no more.
20:05: That's going to be an amazing proclamation.
20:07: From that point forward.
20:08: We will be finally.
20:09: With the one.
20:10: That we were created for.
20:12: The one that we were meant for.
20:14: From the very start.
20:16: Do you think that there's any joy.
20:18: That you've ever experienced in this life.
20:21: That.
20:22: Will be greater than the joy we'll experience on that day.
20:25: I don't.
20:27: That is going to be an awesome day.
20:29: When we are finally united.
20:30: With the one that we were created for.
20:33: So again.
20:33: I was teaching this to the Tao people.
20:35: For the first time.
20:36: They were hearing this.
20:37: You know.
20:37: Sitting on the edge of their seat.
20:38: Newly translated.
20:39: First time in the history of their people group.
20:41: Hearing this in their language.
20:43: But they were looking at it differently.
20:45: And the reason why.
20:46: Is because in their culture.
20:48: They don't dress their bride in white.
20:50: The bride doesn't walk an aisle.
20:53: She isn't even presented by the husband.
20:55: She's presented by the entire clan.
20:58: And I'll never forget the first time.
21:00: That a Tao man.
21:01: He asked me.
21:02: He said.
21:02: They call me.
21:04: Which means tall white tree.
21:07: He said.
21:08: We were sitting around talking.
21:10: He said.
21:11: How much did you pay for your wife? He asked me.
21:14: Because in their culture.
21:15: They purchase their wives.
21:16: They buy them.
21:18: And I didn't know what to say.
21:19: I thought about it.
21:20: For a second.
21:21: This is an interesting question.
21:22: And I said.
21:22: Well.
21:23: I got her for free.
21:26: And they didn't know what to think of that.
21:28: They said.
21:28: No really.
21:29: No really.
21:29: How much did you pay for your wife? How much did she cost? Did she cost a lot? I said.
21:33: No lie.
21:34: I got her for free.
21:35: I'm telling the truth.
21:37: And when the.
21:38: In the Tao culture.
21:39: When they're astonished at something.
21:40: You saw in the video earlier.
21:42: That they wear.
21:42: The men wear a gourd.
21:43: It's a hollow gourd.
21:44: That they wear for their clothes.
21:46: And they take their fingernail.
21:47: They just start clicking it.
21:48: And it makes this loud hollow sound.
21:49: Like.
21:50: And they just start shaking their heads.
21:52: And if they don't have a gourd on.
21:53: If they're wearing something else.
21:53: They click their teeth.
21:55: And they go.
21:57: To show that they've just heard something.
21:59: That just blows them away.
22:01: And all these men were doing this.
22:04: And they said.
22:05: So you didn't pay anything? I said.
22:06: No.
22:06: I had to give her a ring.
22:07: You know.
22:08: And I said.
22:08: It's the ring that you guys have seen.
22:09: That she wears around.
22:10: But that's it.
22:12: And then.
22:13: A guy sitting in the back.
22:15: Of the group.
22:16: You know.
22:17: Knowing that all of them.
22:18: Have to pay for their wives.
22:19: He said.
22:20: He said.
22:20: Well.
22:21: He said.
22:22: Next time you go back to your land.
22:24: Get a whole bunch of women.
22:26: And bring them back over here.
22:29: So we can all have free wives too.
22:30: This is what he said to me.
22:33: But the reason this was so astonishing to them.
22:35: Is not only do they pay for their wives.
22:38: They've got an individual piece of shell money.
22:41: That they have to collect.
22:43: And gather.
22:44: For every individual.
22:47: Part of that woman.
22:48: That they're purchasing.
22:50: They only use shell money in their culture.
22:52: For three things.
22:53: They don't use it for food.
22:54: Like we do.
22:54: They don't use money for food.
22:55: They garden.
22:56: Or they hunt for food.
22:57: Their clothes.
22:58: They make them.
22:59: If they're going to use their shell money.
23:01: They use it to buy pigs.
23:03: Weapons.
23:03: Or wives.
23:05: Those are the things they use their money for.
23:07: And not only do they have to use shell money.
23:09: To buy their wives traditionally.
23:11: But their.
23:11: Each individual shell.
23:13: Has an individual name.
23:15: One might be called a Kobawi.
23:17: One might be called a Moka.
23:19: This one down here.
23:20: It's a little bit bigger.
23:21: Might be called a Kobawiyo.
23:23: This one might be called a Mokasinawi.
23:26: Each individual piece.
23:27: Has an individual name.
23:29: And an individual type.
23:31: And when they purchase that bride.
23:33: There has to be a very specific shell.
23:35: For each individual limb.
23:37: Each individual part.
23:39: Of that woman's physical anatomy.
23:41: But they don't always have the pieces.
23:43: So.
23:44: If it's the youngest brother.
23:45: That wants a bride.
23:46: He'll send the older brothers.
23:47: His father.
23:48: The uncle.
23:48: They'll all hike.
23:49: For weeks.
23:50: Sometimes months.
23:52: To other villages.
23:53: Other places.
23:54: Gathering.
23:54: Every individual.
23:55: Correct.
23:56: Specific piece.
23:57: So that they can purchase that bride.
24:00: And then when the day of the wedding comes.
24:02: When they're about to take that bride.
24:03: They.
24:04: All the men get together.
24:05: And all the women get together.
24:06: And they all get in a big delegation.
24:08: And they.
24:08: Lay out those shells.
24:10: In the middle of the village.
24:11: They.
24:11: Put them out on a specific type of.
24:13: Paperish.
24:14: Thing that they make.
24:14: From the cocoon of a butterfly.
24:16: They.
24:17: Lay out all these pieces.
24:19: And they closely inspect.
24:21: Every single individual piece.
24:22: And make sure it's good enough.
24:24: To cover that part of that woman.
24:27: If there's a single shell missing.
24:30: If there's one not there.
24:32: Then that wedding is off.
24:35: The woman is not paid for.
24:37: And.
24:38: It's over.
24:39: They've got to go find that shell.
24:41: So when they're hearing that.
24:43: I got my wife for free.
24:44: You can see why I blew them away.
24:46: Right? And when they are hearing this.
24:48: You know.
24:49: We got talking about this.
24:50: About their culture.
24:51: And about the way that they perceived this passage.
24:53: And we came to the realization.
24:54: Through talking about it.
24:55: That when you think about their marriage system.
24:57: How they have to travel for months.
24:59: To gather each individual piece of that bride.
25:01: So that the wedding can happen.
25:03: Isn't that a beautiful picture.
25:04: If you stop and think about it.
25:05: Of what God is doing.
25:07: Right now.
25:10: He is scouring the earth.
25:13: Every last tongue.
25:15: Tribe.
25:16: Nation.
25:16: People group.
25:17: And language.
25:18: Will be part of His bride.
25:21: Revelation 7.9 says.
25:23: There will be people from every tongue.
25:24: Tribe.
25:25: Nation.
25:25: Language.
25:25: And people group.
25:27: If He misses a single one.
25:30: The wedding is off.
25:32: It won't happen.
25:34: His bride is incomplete.
25:36: It won't be until His bride is complete.
25:39: Until those last people groups.
25:41: Have been brought in.
25:43: Until every last part of that bride.
25:44: Is accounted for.
25:46: That that wedding will happen.
25:48: And He will present that bride.
25:50: To His Son.
25:51: Jesus Christ.
25:53: That is an amazing thing to think about.
25:56: We talked a little bit earlier.
25:58: In the Sunday school class.
26:00: About God's commitment.
26:02: To His own reputation.
26:03: To His own name.
26:04: And we talked through the question.
26:05: What if God were to miss one? What if God were to miss one? What if one is missing on that final day? Even one tribe that's missed.
26:13: That would make God into a liar.
26:14: Wouldn't it? And we know that God is not a liar.
26:17: He will not let Himself be made into one.
26:20: For the sake of His own glory.
26:21: For the sake of His own name.
26:22: He will see to it.
26:24: That His bride is completed.
26:26: There will be people from every tongue tribe.
26:29: Nation and language.
26:30: And that's why I believe He does things.
26:32: Like I mentioned earlier.
26:33: That story about how God prepared these people.
26:36: God has a commitment to His glory.
26:38: I shared that story at a conference.
26:40: In Pena, New York.
26:42: About how God prepared these people.
26:44: Through prophetic dreams.
26:45: And how they stayed.
26:46: And the church was born.
26:47: Because God had prepared them.
26:48: And a lady came up after a conference.
26:51: And she asked me.
26:52: She said, I've got a question for you, Scott.
26:54: She said, what if you would have refused to go? What would happen to those dreams? She asked me.
27:03: And I thought about it for a second.
27:05: Because I mentioned in Sunday school class.
27:07: I wanted to go start a skate park.
27:09: I didn't always want to go do missions.
27:10: But the Lord directed us otherwise.
27:13: And took us to Indonesia.
27:15: But what if we would have refused to go? What if I would have went and started that skate park? What would have happened? Was what her question was.
27:21: As I thought about it.
27:23: I thought, you know what? I said to her.
27:27: If I would have refused to go.
27:30: I believe that God would have raised somebody else up.
27:33: And He would have reached them anyway.
27:37: And it wouldn't have been God that missed out.
27:40: Who is it that would have missed out? Me.
27:43: I would have missed out.
27:45: On being a part of something incredible.
27:47: That God is doing.
27:49: How do I believe that? Because I know God is not a liar.
27:54: God will see to it.
27:56: That there will be people from every last Tong Trab nation and people group.
27:59: He will bring in every last one.
28:02: He will.
28:03: There is no doubt about that in my mind.
28:05: I would have missed out.
28:07: So this is what I told the lady.
28:09: But I continued to think about it.
28:12: And I guess if there is any one thing.
28:14: That I would want people to walk out of here with this morning.
28:18: It's simply a challenge.
28:20: What I'm saying to all of us this morning.
28:22: Including myself.
28:23: Is don't miss out.
28:25: Don't miss out.
28:27: Find a way to get involved.
28:28: Be a part of what God is doing.
28:30: It's not God that misses out.
28:32: It's us that misses out.
28:33: Because He will see to it that the job is completed.
28:35: He will see to it that every last part of that bride is brought in.
28:38: He will.
28:39: He will not let Himself be made into a liar.
28:42: If you can go.
28:43: Go.
28:47: And if you can't give.
28:48: Pray.
28:49: One of my favorite authors.
28:50: His name is John Piper.
28:51: He says there are three options.
28:54: For the church.
28:55: You either go.
28:57: You send.
28:59: Or you're disobedient.
29:01: Or you're disobedient.
29:03: We have a privilege to be a part of what God is doing in this world.
29:05: And it's an exciting thing to be a part of.
29:08: This passage goes on and paints this beautiful picture.
29:13: You know.
29:14: When this proclamation is spoken out.
29:17: He says.
29:17: It says.
29:18: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
29:20: Death will be no more.
29:21: Neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore.
29:24: For these former things have passed away.
29:29: As I read those words.
29:31: I looked up at the people I was reading them to.
29:33: For a second.
29:34: When we were reading those for the first time recently.
29:36: In the Dao tribe.
29:38: And I looked to my right.
29:39: And there were two women sitting there.
29:41: In the class that day.
29:44: One is named Opiawa.
29:45: And the other is named Atadepe.
29:48: Both of those women.
29:50: As I was watching the expression on their faces.
29:53: As they were hearing this verse.
29:55: I realized.
29:56: That both of those women had lost children.
29:58: Within a few months before we got back on the heli this last time.
30:01: One to malaria.
30:02: And the other one.
30:03: Her daughter became a believer.
30:05: And she was paid for.
30:08: By a guy from the last unreached clan.
30:11: That hasn't had teaching yet.
30:12: And when they came.
30:14: And took her daughter.
30:15: And took her over to that village.
30:19: The women decided they didn't like her.
30:22: And after a few weeks.
30:23: The man decided he didn't want her anymore.
30:26: So while she was asleep.
30:28: They beat her to death with clubs.
30:30: And that's how she died.
30:32: And these two women are hearing these words.
30:34: For the first time.
30:35: No more pain.
30:35: No more death.
30:36: No more crying.
30:37: For the first time they're ever hearing this.
30:39: I looked directly ahead of me.
30:41: And there was two guys sitting there.
30:42: Named Kogipia.
30:44: And Dapoit.
30:46: Kogipia and Dapoit both in the last couple years.
30:48: Have lost daughters.
30:49: Probably under the age of two.
30:51: In the course of outreaches.
30:53: Because they wouldn't abandon their post.
30:55: They wanted to see those outreaches completed.
30:57: Their daughters got sick.
30:58: They stayed anyway.
31:00: And their daughters died in the middle of outreaches.
31:02: Both of them.
31:07: Nothing like this anymore.
31:09: And their eyes are as big as saucers.
31:11: As they're hearing this.
31:12: Looking down to my left.
31:13: There's a group of kids.
31:13: Probably all under ten years old.
31:17: And I'm looking at this group of kids.
31:18: And not a single one of them has both their parents alive.
31:21: Not a single one of them.
31:24: A lot of their parents were killed through homicide.
31:27: Before we ever got there.
31:28: When they were just young little kids.
31:30: One of them is named Yoni.
31:32: Another is named Wetapia.
31:33: Another is named Dapipia.
31:39: Another group of kids that day.
31:40: And Mokota.
31:41: Last year he was out hunting birds.
31:44: With his older brother Dapipia.
31:45: They were going around with their bows and arrows.
31:47: And they were hunting birds.
31:49: In the jungle.
31:50: And as they were out in the jungle.
31:52: They didn't realize it.
31:54: But there was two men from an enemy clan.
31:56: From an unreached tribe next to them.
31:58: That were waiting up in the woods.
32:00: To carry out a revenge killing.
32:03: On Mokota's clan.
32:05: They didn't care that those guys were just kids.
32:09: He was only two years old.
32:09: His older brother.
32:10: And they came down out of the jungle.
32:12: And started chasing those kids.
32:13: To try to get one of them.
32:15: The older brother he got away.
32:16: He was close to teenage age.
32:18: And he could outrun them.
32:20: But little eight year old Mokota.
32:22: His legs were too short.
32:24: To carry him.
32:25: The men caught up with him.
32:26: They pinned him down.
32:27: They used their arrows to do everything they could.
32:29: To try to take his life.
32:39: They went to the village.
32:39: Got all the men.
32:40: The men ran back to where he was.
32:43: And they found him.
32:43: They all thought he was going to die.
32:45: They started doing their wails.
32:46: That they do when someone's dying.
32:48: And the few believers there were.
32:49: That were in that village at that time.
32:52: They started praying that God would spare his life.
32:54: And God spared him.
32:56: He ended up coming down.
32:57: And being a part of those last revelation classes.
33:00: And he's become a believer now.
33:01: And he was sitting there listening to this.
33:09: That's the type of scene.
33:11: That we were looking at in Dao recently.
33:14: And it just blows me away.
33:15: The hope that God's word is for these people.
33:18: That have lived in darkness and fear for so long.
33:21: For generations.
33:22: It really is an amazing hope.
33:25: His word is powerful.
33:27: When we went in there.
33:28: We would have said that the life expectancy average was about 35.
33:33: There's only two people with gray hair in the entire tribe.
33:36: And now the life expectancy is going up.
33:38: They've heard that God tells us not to murder.
33:41: And they've stopped killing each other.
33:43: In the believing villages.
33:46: They've heard that God's word talks about when you're in sickness.
33:49: When you have sickness and all that.
33:50: You're to cry out for Jesus for healing.
33:51: And they've stopped their rituals of draining blood.
33:54: And slicing each other with bamboo knives.
33:57: To try to get evil spirit poison out of their bodies.
33:59: And they're living longer.
34:00: They're calling out to Jesus.
34:02: And God is changing that tribe.
34:04: He's revolutionizing it.
34:05: He really is.
34:07: For His glory.
34:09: I've only got a few minutes left.
34:11: So I'd like to read through this last couple verses.
34:14: And then tell you one final story this morning.
34:16: That I believe again paints a picture.
34:18: Of the type of thing that our God is doing.
34:20: To bring in every last Tongue Tribe nation.
34:22: To be part of this bribe.
34:24: But verse 5 says.
34:25: He who was seated on the throne said.
34:26: Behold I am making all things new.
34:30: Also He said write this down.
34:32: For these words are trustworthy and true.
34:34: And He said to me.
34:35: It is done.
34:37: I'm the Alpha and the Omega.
34:40: The beginning and the end.
34:41: To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life.
34:44: Without payment.
34:45: You know this illustration.
34:46: He talks about it is done.
34:48: I'm the Alpha and the Omega.
34:49: The beginning and the end.
34:51: And He puts the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet in there.
34:55: To show this point.
34:56: I mean you think about that.
34:58: He is the origin of all things.
35:00: Before Him there was nothing.
35:04: But He is the end as well.
35:05: He is what's waiting for us at the end.
35:07: He Himself.
35:08: Not any of these little trinkets that we spend our life gathering.
35:12: These photos that we've got up on the walls.
35:14: These neat little things that we've gathered from other countries.
35:17: These beautiful cars sitting in our driveways.
35:20: It's all going to be gone.
35:23: None of it will be left.
35:25: What is waiting for us at the end.
35:26: What our ultimate treasure is.
35:29: Is Jesus Himself.
35:31: It's Him.
35:32: It's Him.
35:33: He is what's at the end.
35:35: None of these other things that we value.
35:37: He is all we'll be left with.
35:39: And He will be enough.
35:40: He will be.
35:42: It's something that we need to be reminded of from time to time.
35:46: I'd like to tell you one final story this morning.
35:49: And it has to do with as we were learning the language.
35:53: There came a point where we started studying a very specific facet of their culture.
35:59: And when we started studying that specific facet of their culture.
36:02: What kicked it off is there was one day.
36:06: Where I was standing out talking to the different men in the village.
36:10: And one of my friends his name was Wikipite.
36:13: Wikipite's passed away now.
36:14: But at that time when he was still living.
36:16: There was one day he was coming back from a long two week journey.
36:19: And I hadn't seen him for a while.
36:20: And the first question you always ask somebody when you haven't seen him for a while.
36:24: In the Tao language is.
36:27: Which means friend.
36:29: What have you heard? What's the news? Do you have any news from your journeys? Because you know there's no televisions.
36:35: There's no newspapers.
36:37: There's nothing like this over there.
36:38: If they want to know what's happening somewhere else.
36:41: Then that's how they find it out.
36:43: So he asks me this question.
36:44: Or I asked him this question.
36:46: And he fills me in.
36:47: And then he asked me the same question.
36:49: And then I'm telling him what's happening in our village.
36:51: During the two weeks he was gone.
36:52: And all of a sudden I'm in mid-sentence.
36:54: And he just stopped me.
36:55: And he said friend, friend, friend.
36:57: He said is it time? And I said what do you mean is it time? What are you talking about Wikipite? And he said you've always told us.
37:06: That when you knew our language well enough.
37:09: You would tell us a message.
37:11: Greater than anything we've heard before.
37:13: You speak well enough now don't you? Is it time? He asked me.
37:19: And we still didn't feel like we were very good in our language.
37:21: But he was right.
37:22: We were speaking well enough to where we could be understood.
37:26: And we knew that from that point.
37:27: That the Lord you know it was time.
37:29: To start teaching these people.
37:30: So the next morning Jenny.
37:32: As the translator on our team.
37:33: She started translating all those key stories from the Old Testament.
37:37: And getting ready for the first time we would teach.
37:39: And I started studying a very specific facet of their culture.
37:42: And asking them the question.
37:44: In your tribe.
37:45: And in your language.
37:46: In your culture.
37:48: When someone is going to tell a great message.
37:51: Or a big story.
37:52: How do they tell it? How do they show everybody.
37:56: That it's an important message.
37:57: And that everybody needs to listen.
37:59: This is what I was asking them.
38:00: What I was studying them.
38:01: Because I wanted them to understand it.
38:02: This is the greatest message they'd ever hear right? So I started studying this.
38:07: And started sitting down with the few old warriors.
38:10: That were still alive.
38:15: And the stories that they tell over and over and over again.
38:17: Because they're just the greatest stories in the culture.
38:20: And we started writing down all these stories.
38:22: Probably close.
38:23: Documented probably close to a hundred of them.
38:25: And as we were comparing all these stories.
38:28: Trying to figure out.
38:29: What in their culture shows that a story is great.
38:31: We eventually.
38:33: Saw that there's two things.
38:35: That every single one of those stories has in common.
38:38: Every one of their great stories.
38:40: The first thing.
38:41: Was that almost always something would die.
38:44: Almost every single time.
38:45: Something would die.
38:47: It would either be a hunting story.
38:48: Or it'd be a war story.
38:50: Or it'd be a revenge story.
38:52: Or something like that.
38:53: But if you think about our culture.
38:55: It's very similar right? You know grandpa would tell his big fish story.
39:00: Where he got that fish.
39:01: Or dad would tell his story about how he killed this deer.
39:03: Or maybe an old war story from World War II.
39:06: You know or something like this.
39:07: It's similar in our culture.
39:09: That was the first thing that every story had in common.
39:11: The second thing was this.
39:15: There was always a natural phenomena.
39:16: That took place.
39:18: Right before that thing was killed.
39:21: Always.
39:22: Whether it was an earthquake.
39:23: Or lightning.
39:25: Or whether it was dark clouds rolling in.
39:27: Or a heavy rain storm.
39:29: There was always a natural phenomena.
39:31: In every story.
39:32: Just before the thing or the animal was killed.
39:35: So if I was giving you an example this morning.
39:37: Pretend right now that you're all Tao people.
39:40: And I'm a Tao person.
39:42: And I'm going to tell you a story.
39:45: From my perspective.
39:47: So this is the way I would tell it.
39:48: I would say alright.
39:50: Friends.
39:50: Friends.
39:51: Oh man I got this crazy story to tell you.
39:53: I went a couple weeks ago.
39:55: I went with my family.
39:57: We went to the garden.
39:59: And we were getting our sweet potatoes for the day.
40:01: We were picking all of our sweet potatoes out of the ground.
40:04: Well my kids were over cutting some sugar cane.
40:06: My wife was gathering some greens.
40:08: We were getting our food for the night.
40:10: And then I looked up to the top of my garden.
40:15: My garden fence.
40:17: So I walked up there.
40:18: And I looked closely.
40:19: And I saw that there were all kinds of holes in the ground.
40:23: And there was wild pig tracks.
40:26: I realized that a wild pig had been eating our sweet potatoes.
40:30: And I thought to myself.
40:32: I've got to get this wild pig.
40:33: If I don't get it my family's not going to have any food.
40:35: How am I going to feed my wife and kids? So we went home that evening.
40:39: We got back to our house.
40:42: And I made a plan that the next morning.
40:44: I was going to go try to get that wild pig.
40:47: So the next morning I got up early.
40:48: I grabbed my bows and arrows.
40:50: I went down to the garden as quietly as I could.
40:53: When I got to the garden I found a nice big tree to hide behind.
40:56: Right close to where that pig had been rooting up my sweet potatoes.
41:00: And I crouched down and I hid.
41:01: And I waited.
41:04: I waited and I waited.
41:06: And then eventually I heard the bushes.
41:08: They were rustling right up close to that break in my fence again.
41:11: I looked up.
41:14: And there was that wild pig.
41:15: He was coming down through that broken fence.
41:18: He was one of the biggest I'd ever seen.
41:20: Big huge tusks.
41:22: A huge wild pig.
41:23: He was coming down through my fence.
41:26: He stuck his nose in the ground again.
41:28: And he started eating my sweet potatoes.
41:31: So I waited until he'd been eating for a little while.
41:33: Wasn't paying attention.
41:34: Didn't know I was there.
41:35: I came out from behind the tree.
41:38: I put my pig arrow in the bow.
41:41: I pulled it back.
41:44: And just before I released the arrow, the sky darkened over.
41:48: It started raining.
41:49: The ground shook.
41:51: And then I released the arrow and I hit the pig.
41:53: And I hit him.
41:54: And I got him.
41:54: He was dead.
41:55: It was over.
41:57: This is the way Wicky Pipe would tell the story.
42:00: Now the interesting thing is there was no dark skies.
42:04: There was no earthquake.
42:07: There was no natural phenomenon that really happened.
42:09: But in the Dao culture, if you're a good storyteller, you always put that in.
42:16: That's the way you tell it.
42:17: And the reason why is because the people listening to the story, they hear that and they start elbowing each other.
42:23: And they say, okay, get ready, get ready.
42:25: Here it comes, here it comes.
42:27: And then I hit the pig.
42:28: And I got him and it fell over.
42:30: And everybody's like, whoa.
42:32: Because they all knew it was coming.
42:35: That is what they put in their culture in every story.
42:38: To show that the story is hitting its main point.
42:40: Its climax.
42:42: The main point of the story.
42:43: So think about this.
42:45: We've been teaching, we taught the Dao people the story of our Creator.
42:50: Starting in Genesis for the first time in the history of their people group they were hearing it.
42:54: And again, we didn't start with Jesus.
42:56: We started in Genesis.
42:58: To lay out a correct foundation for an understanding of God as good in nature, not evil.
43:02: And we built off that foundation.
43:04: We taught through the seven days of creation.
43:06: We taught through the fall of mankind.
43:08: We taught through their deception by the serpent.
43:10: And then eventually through the first murder, Cain and Abel.
43:13: We taught through the Tower of Babel, the story of Noah.
43:15: All these key stories from the Old Testament, one at a time.
43:19: Eventually we got to Abraham and Isaac.
43:21: We talked about the sacrifices that were done in the Old Testament.
43:24: We got through all that.
43:25: We talked about the formation of the nation of Israel.
43:28: We talked about the exodus from Egypt.
43:29: We talked about all these stories.
43:32: Then eventually we talked through the sacrificial system.
43:35: And all the different promises, the prophecies of the coming Redeemer.
43:41: All through Isaiah, through the book of Psalms.
43:43: All these different prophecies of this man, this Redeemer that would come.
43:47: And He would bear the weight of the world, the sins of the world on His shoulders.
43:50: Where He would be born, even what family He would be born into.
43:53: It's all prophesied from the Old Testament.
43:55: We taught for two months before we ever mentioned Jesus once.
43:58: But, then when we finally mentioned Jesus, they knew exactly who He was.
44:04: Because He fulfilled every single prophecy.
44:08: One at a time.
44:09: He fulfilled every single one.
44:11: He was of the right family.
44:12: He was born in the right place.
44:14: Every single one.
44:16: And then, not only that, but going through His life, He starts doing these things that no man, no ordinary man could ever do.
44:22: He speaks, and demons flee.
44:25: Right? What ordinary man could do that, right? Think about this.
44:29: The Dao people are hearing this for the first time.
44:33: Jesus, to leave, and they leave.
44:35: He heals people with His words.
44:36: He proves He's the Son of God.
44:38: Over and over and over again.
44:40: He is the Redeemer that was prophesied.
44:42: And then at the end of His life, they finally got Him.
44:45: These Roman soldiers, they give Him that trial before Pilate.
44:48: And then they have Him up on the cross.
44:50: They've got His hands and His feet nailed into the cross.
44:54: He looks up, and He says, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? And then His Spirit leaves His body.
45:03: And then according to this book, according to the accounts in the Gospels, what happens? The sky darkens over.
45:12: The ground shakes.
45:14: The tombs open up.
45:17: The soldier at the foot of the cross looks up and sees these natural phenomena.
45:21: And he says, Surely, this had to be the Son of God.
45:26: And likewise, the Tao people, they heard those things.
45:29: How the sky darkened over, the ground shook.
45:32: And once again, they were elbowing each other.
45:35: Looking at each other.
45:37: Do you hear this? Are you hearing this? And from that, they understood from their own cultural perspective that the main point of their Creator's story to them, that they were hearing for the first time, the main point, the climax of the story, was Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, and His sacrifice for our sins.
46:00: And then He went on and conquered death itself.
46:03: The third day.
46:05: Think about that.
46:06: When I think about that, when I look at what God did in the Tao tribe, to help those people understand that the main point of His story to them was Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins, it makes me wonder, what else is in this book for other tongues, tribes, nations, languages, and people groups around the world that have yet to hear His story for the first time, and that are still waiting, and that will see something like that in there, that God purposely put in there, and His sovereignty, and His looking forward, and understanding what He wanted to do so that people understand that the main point is His Son, Jesus Christ.
46:47: I wonder what else He's put in this book for those people.
46:51: There is nowhere in this world we can go without confidence that God's going to do something great, and there is not a single tongue, tribe, nation, or language that God will miss.
46:59: Don't miss out.
47:01: Find a way to get involved.
47:03: Find a way to be a part of what God's doing.
47:05: Be a part.
47:06: That's what I'm saying this morning.
47:08: Praise God for what He's doing.
47:09: Praise Him.
47:10: He's awesome.
47:11: He's an awesome God.
47:12: Thank you Lord for Your Word.
47:15: Thank you for your goodness to us, Lord.
47:19: That you are an awesome God.
47:20: That you are alive.
47:21: That you're doing amazing things, Lord.
47:25: Lord, just give us a renewed passion this morning.
47:27: Work in our hearts in a way that only You can.
47:31: Raise up missionaries from within this room.
47:34: Lord, I ask You that You would give the parents in this room the courage to send out their sons and daughters, not knowing if they'll ever see them again, to these places in the world that are waiting for their first opportunity to hear.
47:52: Give them the courage to do that, to stand behind them, to support them.
47:56: Give the grandparents in this room the courage to send out their kids and grandkids.
48:03: Remind us, Lord, that You are our ultimate treasure and there is nothing that we can leave behind, that You are not worth leaving behind, Lord.
48:13: You've told us that there's nothing of fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, there's lands, nothing we can leave behind, that You will not repay a hundredfold in this life and in the life to come.
48:26: We'd be stupid not to make that investment, Lord.
48:29: Help us to understand that.
48:32: Give us a renewed passion.
48:33: Wake us up, Lord.
48:35: Help us to purpose to be a part of what You're doing in this world, to be a part of something great with our lives.
48:40: Thank You, Lord.
48:41: Amen.