POPULARITY
Hosted by William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
3 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
2 episodes with William Borden
3 episodes with William Borden
Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. You can follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). You can also email me with any questions or comments @ contact at PrayforChina dot us. You can also find easy links to everything we are involved in @ PrayGiveGo.us. Summary: First, I talk about how John Piper read my blog to thousands of young people at three missions conferences, how we became friends, and the book I gave him today. (3:40) Speaking of Borden of Yale, I discuss William Borden’s missionary call at a student mission’s conference in 1906 and his arrival in Cairo in January 1913 (15:05). Finally, I take a look at the mixed legacy of Jimmy Carter. (27:00) My Burden for the Truly Unreached (The Blog Piper Read and Promoted) https://chinacall.substack.com/p/my-burden-for-the-truly-unreached-fbc The Millionaire Missionary in Cairo (New Year’s 1913): BordenofYale.com https://chinacall.substack.com/p/new-years-day-in-cairo-1913 https://chinacall.substack.com/p/egypts-open-doors https://chinacall.substack.com/p/borden-of-yale-loved-football In the News: Carter’s Death and China Legacy https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/15/us-recognizes-communist-china-dec-15-1978-1060168 Carter Propaganda from China https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202501/1326169.shtml Interview with President Carter re: China https://www.cartercenter.org/news/features/p/china/president-carter-on-normalizing-relations-with-china.html Pray for China: Gansu is matched up with my home state of Oklahoma for prayer. See which Chinese province your state is praying for @ PrayforChina.us!
Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. You can follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). You can also email me with any questions or comments @ contact at PrayforChina dot us. You can also find easy links to everything we are involved in @ PrayGiveGo.us. Summary: First, I talk about how John Piper read my blog to thousands of young people at three missions conferences, how we became friends, and the book I gave him today. (3:40) Speaking of Borden of Yale, I discuss William Borden’s missionary call at a student mission’s conference in 1906 and his arrival in Cairo in January 1913 (15:05). Finally, I take a look at the mixed legacy of Jimmy Carter. (27:00) My Burden for the Truly Unreached (The Blog Piper Read and Promoted) https://chinacall.substack.com/p/my-burden-for-the-truly-unreached-fbc The Millionaire Missionary in Cairo (New Year’s 1913): BordenofYale.com https://chinacall.substack.com/p/new-years-day-in-cairo-1913 https://chinacall.substack.com/p/egypts-open-doors https://chinacall.substack.com/p/borden-of-yale-loved-football In the News: Carter’s Death and China Legacy https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/15/us-recognizes-communist-china-dec-15-1978-1060168 Carter Propaganda from China https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202501/1326169.shtml Interview with President Carter re: China https://www.cartercenter.org/news/features/p/china/president-carter-on-normalizing-relations-with-china.html Pray for China: Gansu is matched up with my home state of Oklahoma for prayer. See which Chinese province your state is praying for @ PrayforChina.us!
Welcome to this New Year's mashup edition of China Compass and the Prison Pulpit! Nearly every week, I mention the Appendix to my little book, Unbeaten, which details my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China in 2018. This appendix, entitled Remember My Chains, is the written version of a message I’ve given all over the world about how to pray for the persecuted church. You can get my book and the sermon, Remember My Chains, at Unbeaten.vip, or read it for free on Substack where it was just posted yesterday: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/remember-my-chains The following notes follow the basic flow of today's podcast... Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com William Borden’s plea for more missionaries to serve in China: Beginning in September, he managed to visit at least thirty colleges and seminaries before sailing for Egypt in December. Spending one to three days in each place gave opportunities for private conversations as well as meetings. On many occasions, with the background of his experience at sea he would ask, “Are you steering or drifting?” ... Often Borden would meet one to whom it seemed too high, with another question: “Are you willing to be made willing?” “If ten men are carrying a log…nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end, and you want to help, which end will you lift on?” .... In proportion to the population at the time, there were five hundred times as many ministers of the gospel in the United States as there were ordained missionaries in China. Wang Yi on the need for more evangelistic, church planting pastors in China: "Our churches are becoming crowded with middle class professionals. The gospel needs to enter the city more deeply. It must enter the drains, enter in with the petitioners and the marginalized peoples. If your church still has no pastors; if there are no pastors in your city, your community, or even your street; if your company has a GM but there is no pastor there; if the university you work for has a Party committee secretary but there is no pastor, then I must ask: do you know the average ratio of prostitutes to pastors in China? Do you know the ratio of thieves to pastors, of corrupt officials to pastors?" Wang Yi’s New Year’s (Twenty Year) Resolutions... Read the full letter: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/wang-yi-family-newsletter-11-27-2018 A Couple of New Year’s Stories from Northwest China: 7 or 8 years ago tonight, my team and I got chased all over a Chinese village on New Year’s Eve… 19 years ago tonight my father and I almost got ourselves killed in China, in more ways than one… Recommended Resource: Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com
Welcome to this New Year's mashup edition of China Compass and the Prison Pulpit! Nearly every week, I mention the Appendix to my little book, Unbeaten, which details my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China in 2018. This appendix, entitled Remember My Chains, is the written version of a message I’ve given all over the world about how to pray for the persecuted church. You can get my book and the sermon, Remember My Chains, at Unbeaten.vip, or read it for free on Substack where it was just posted yesterday: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/remember-my-chains The following notes follow the basic flow of today's podcast... Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com William Borden’s plea for more missionaries to serve in China: Beginning in September, he managed to visit at least thirty colleges and seminaries before sailing for Egypt in December. Spending one to three days in each place gave opportunities for private conversations as well as meetings. On many occasions, with the background of his experience at sea he would ask, “Are you steering or drifting?” ... Often Borden would meet one to whom it seemed too high, with another question: “Are you willing to be made willing?” “If ten men are carrying a log…nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end, and you want to help, which end will you lift on?” .... In proportion to the population at the time, there were five hundred times as many ministers of the gospel in the United States as there were ordained missionaries in China. Wang Yi on the need for more evangelistic, church planting pastors in China: "Our churches are becoming crowded with middle class professionals. The gospel needs to enter the city more deeply. It must enter the drains, enter in with the petitioners and the marginalized peoples. If your church still has no pastors; if there are no pastors in your city, your community, or even your street; if your company has a GM but there is no pastor there; if the university you work for has a Party committee secretary but there is no pastor, then I must ask: do you know the average ratio of prostitutes to pastors in China? Do you know the ratio of thieves to pastors, of corrupt officials to pastors?" Wang Yi’s New Year’s (Twenty Year) Resolutions... Read the full letter: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/wang-yi-family-newsletter-11-27-2018 A Couple of New Year’s Stories from Northwest China: 7 or 8 years ago tonight, my team and I got chased all over a Chinese village on New Year’s Eve… 19 years ago tonight my father and I almost got ourselves killed in China, in more ways than one… Recommended Resource: Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com
In this episode, we explore what it means to live a life with no reserves, no retreats, and no regrets. Paul's testimony in Philippians 2:16-18 reminds us that following Christ is worth every sacrifice, as our labor is never in vain when it's offered to Him. We also share the inspiring story of William Borden, who gave up wealth and privilege to serve Christ. Discover how you too can live a life fully committed to Christ—without regret.
In this episode, we explore what it means to live a life with no reserves, no retreats, and no regrets. Paul's testimony in Philippians 2:16-18 reminds us that following Christ is worth every sacrifice, as our labor is never in vain when it's offered to Him. We also share the inspiring story of William Borden, who gave up wealth and privilege to serve Christ. Discover how you too can live a life fully committed to Christ—without regret.
Welcome to the China Compass Podcast (from Lima, Peru)! Today, I start by looking at China's "take" on the assassination attempt on former president Trump, and how the Commies use the news for their own propaganda purposes... A nation under strain: What the Trump assassination attempt reveals about America https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202407/16/WS669660aea31095c51c50e67b.html Trump T-shirts that flooded Chinese retail sites after the shooting have disappeared https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-china-t-shirts-disappear-online-rcna162042 *China Compass is brought to you by Pray for China: www.PrayforChina.us --- Follow @chinaadventures for daily prayer updates! Today's featured province is Guangdong (aka, Canton). After a quick overview of this heavily populated region, it's story time. I talk about the time I was almost robbed with a pair of scissors while taking a midnight nap, my first experience with Chinese beggars, and my first encounter with the Chinese police, that almost stopped my career in China even before it got started. *Unbeaten is my story of being arrested, interrogated and deported from China in 2018: www.Unbeaten.vip Finally, we tackle some new China Compass Q&A, followed by William Borden's account of the Guangdong "boat people" in 1904. *Borden of Yale is a classic missionary biography written by Hudson Taylor's DIL: www.BordenofYale.com
Welcome to the China Compass Podcast (from Lima, Peru)! Today, I start by looking at China's "take" on the assassination attempt on former president Trump, and how the Commies use the news for their own propaganda purposes... A nation under strain: What the Trump assassination attempt reveals about America https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202407/16/WS669660aea31095c51c50e67b.html Trump T-shirts that flooded Chinese retail sites after the shooting have disappeared https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-china-t-shirts-disappear-online-rcna162042 *China Compass is brought to you by Pray for China: www.PrayforChina.us --- Follow @chinaadventures for daily prayer updates! Today's featured province is Guangdong (aka, Canton). After a quick overview of this heavily populated region, it's story time. I talk about the time I was almost robbed with a pair of scissors while taking a midnight nap, my first experience with Chinese beggars, and my first encounter with the Chinese police, that almost stopped my career in China even before it got started. *Unbeaten is my story of being arrested, interrogated and deported from China in 2018: www.Unbeaten.vip Finally, we tackle some new China Compass Q&A, followed by William Borden's account of the Guangdong "boat people" in 1904. *Borden of Yale is a classic missionary biography written by Hudson Taylor's DIL: www.BordenofYale.com
Scripture: Mark 8:22-38 Speaker: Scott Meyer Summary: The message explores the concept of life's interruptions and their profound impact on our perspectives and actions. Drawing from personal experiences and biblical narratives, Scott highlights how unexpected events, like the assassination of JFK or the Challenger explosion, leave lasting marks on individuals. The focus then shifts to Mark 8, where Jesus heals a blind man in two stages, illustrating a deeper lesson on spiritual perception and understanding. Peter's reaction to Jesus' prediction of his suffering and death is examined, emphasizing the difficulty of aligning personal expectations with divine purposes. Ultimately, the message calls for a committed discipleship that embraces sacrifice and service, encapsulated in the story of William Borden, who lived by the principles of "No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regret."
Jade Greenfield • Selected Scriptures • Please note, due to technical difficulties, this recording skips brief portions of audio.
Jade Greenfield • Selected Scriptures • Please note, due to technical difficulties, this recording skips brief portions of audio. • Sundays in July
Send us a Text Message.King Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922. The world was astounded by the vast treasures found there. Those treasures were buried with King Tut for a purpose. Today we look at the treasures and their purpose. Then we will drop in on a young man named William Borden and take a look at his treasures and their purpose.Support the Show.
Devocional do 25/11/2023 com o Tema:"Sem arrependimento" Em 1904, William Borden, membro de uma família americana muito abastada, terminou o curso do ensino médio em Chicago e ganhou de presente uma viagem num cruzeiro marítimo Leitura bíblica:Provérbios 11.23-28 Versículo Chave: Entregue o seu caminho ao SENHOR; confie nele, e ele agirá (Sl 37.5).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When I (Shawna) sold fragrant candles I was told in a training session never to try to sell a fragrance I don’t like. “People know if you’re being fake”, I was told. In the book of Romans Paul tells us “Love must be sincere.” We talk about loving, and honoring one another with all sincerity, even when it’s hard to do. When Jesus walked the earth many people recognized that he performed miracles and spoke with authorities. But those who knew him best knew that he often pulled away to be alone with the Father. Do you regularly pull away to be alone with the Father? Imagine being impressed at a young age to serve God overseas…and that you come from a family of means. You get to see the world as a young man and come back to get your education at a prestigious university. You turn down great job opportunities to pursue your missionary dreams, but enroute to do so, you catch a fatal disease. Was that life wasted? It wasn’t for William Borden. “Who am I?” And “Why am I here?” In a children’s book called You Are Special, Max Lucado introduces us to someone who knows where to find the answer to both questions. Shawna shares the story and challenges us to be like her. “I felt intimidated because of the qualifications to be a Deacon.” That’s how Ben felt when he was nominated to serve the church. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he was already qualified to serve. Our desires are gifts from God. What?! Yep, only when the enemy gets into the mix do our desires lead us away from God. What if we recognized that they are actually gifts from God meant to draw us to closer to Him?Support the show: https://give.moodyradio.org/fall-share?v=def&appeal=MRWM&_gl=1%2a142i9we%2a_ga%2aNTE4MTE5MmUtY2U1Yy00YmQ3LWU4MmUtNjEwYTQ5YzAyODRj%2a_ga_4WH1937046%2aMTY5NTExODEwMS4yOTkuMC4xNjk1MTE4MTAxLjYwLjAuMA..&_ga=2.197426156.215784306.1695059984-1182841406.166859587See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jade Greenfield • Selected Scriptures • Steadfast
Jade Greenfield • Selected Scriptures
William Borden of Yale Lives of Great Christians . #NightLight #RTTBROS. #NK #NormanKissinger Tune in tonight is Norman opens up a brand new series on the lives of great Christians. Studying the lives of past Christian leaders enables us to develop in our discipleship. You will be taking on great adventures and see how they handled conflict and obstacles. Our Podcast, Blog and YouTube Links https://linktr.ee/rttbros Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. RSS feed https://anchor.fm/s/127be410/podcast/rss https://linktr.ee/rttbros
Chalee and Chelsea continue their summer series on Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms by Tim Challies. This week we discuss William Borden. It is a sad story, but truly revolutionary. Please join us. Also, Chalee is discovering fermented foods. So, she challenges Chelsea to a taste test in another episode of homemade or store bought. Challenge: Sauerkraut.
Wrath, Rewards, & Regrets “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.” -William Borden's tombstone (1887-1913) “No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” -William Borden “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.” -2 Cor. 5:10 Read Revelation 11:15-19 Wrath, Rewards, and Regrets Let's Pray! Anticipation Brings Praise! V. 15-17 As we get closer to Christ's Second Coming, Heaven is bursting with anticipation about Christ's coming reign, and the righting of all wrongs! Wrath and Rewards V. 18 For those who haven't repented, turned to Christ, and had their names written in the Book of Life, there will be the Great White Throne Judgment we'll talk about in Revelation chapter 20. But there is also a judgment just for believers, sometimes referred to as the judgment at the Bema Seat, because that is the Greek word used in 2 Cor. 5:10 when it says believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. “Consider, to provoke you to good works, that you shall have from God, when you come to glory, a reward for everything you do for him on earth.” -John Bunyan Quoted in Randy Alcorn, The Law of Rewards, 70 WHO will be at the Bema seat of Christ? Believers only, those who have repented of their sins and trusted Jesus alone for salvation- everyone there will be receiving the ultimate reward, eternity with God! If we're going to Heaven based on what Christ has done, and all our sins are forgiven, WHY will Christ still judge us? Because everything we do on earth matters! “I hope to grow rich in Heaven by taking care of orphans on earth!” –George Whitfield “Divine service performed here three times daily.” -Ruth Graham Now some object to this saying, “Danny, if you talk about rewards too much, people will lose sight of grace!” I have three answers to that objection- 1. I believe part of our time before Christ at the Bema Seat Judgment will definitely make clear to us that we're only saved by grace- 2. There are too many times the Bible and Jesus Himself tells us to do what we do in part for future reward to overlook this key teaching! 3. This goes to the nature of how people are wired! Now you can do two things with that truth: You can keep living for earthly priorities and have regrets on that day! Or you can re-order your life around kingdom priorities! What is between wrath, which we won't experience, and rewards, which are based on what we do for Jesus? Regrets Can what will be a future regret turn into a future reward? If you don't try to restore that relationship now, it will be a regret at the Bema seat. If you do try to restore that relationship now, it will be a reward at the Bema seat! In all you do, take the eternal view!
William Borden wrestled with whether to join a fraternity. Read or listen to find out what was troubling him. John MacArthur's anecdote about joining a union (Source 1; Source 2). This episode is also available as a blog post: http://the-end-time.org/2021/09/15/do-we-think-like-this/
Dr. William Borden tells listeners how to control their cholesterol to prevent heart disease.
William Borden . . . amazing
Kevin Belmonte joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about his just-released biography of William Borden, Beacon-Light.
Step back in time on Chris Fabry Live as we look at another fascinating person from history. Have you heard the name, William Borden? He was a wealthy young man who surrendered his life to service to Christ. He only lived 25 years, but you'll be encouraged by his devotion and dedication to bringing others the message of the Gospel. Hear about "Borden of Yale," on Chris Fabry Live.
In this episode, Kessler discusses the story of William Borden and how the examples he set can impact us.
"By the world's standard he was a failure," wrote Bernie May. "Even worse, he was a fool. 'What a waste,' his friends said when he died. 'He had everything and threw it away'" His name was William Borden, of the wealthy and famed Borden family. His family had made millions in the milk business back at a time when money was scarce.
William… nessuna riserva, nessuna esitazione, nessun rimpianto.
William Borden nació siendo millonario. Después de graduarse del colegio, sus padres le regalaron un viaje alrededor del mundo junto a Walter Erdman, un ministro y misionero. Durante su viaje visitó sitios y estaciones misioneras en Japón, China, India, Egipto, Siria y Turquía. Este viaje fue transformador para William y sembró en él el deseo de convertirse en misionero a pesar de que su padre nunca estuvo de acuerdo. En 1905 ingresó a la Universidad de Yale. William se decepcionó por la frialdad espiritual en la universidad, así que junto a un amigo iniciaron reuniones de oración y lectura Bíblica antes del desayuno. Al final de su primer año, se reunían 150 estudiantes. En el último año de su carrera, 1300 estudiantes hacían parte de las reuniones. Estableció la primera misión de rescate en New Haven. Gracias a su labor en esta zona, en un año, 14000 personas asistieron a la iglesia, 17000 recibieron una comida caliente, y 8000 encontraron un lugar para dormir. Su pasión inspiró a muchos de sus compañeros al ministerio. Después de graduarse de la universidad, William rechazó muchas ofertas de trabajo antes de matricularse en el seminario de Princeton. Al graduarse emprendió camino hacia China. Pero llegó primero a Egipto para aprender el idioma árabe. Pero a los pocos días contrajo meningitis y murió a sus 25 años. William Borden usó su herencia y su fortuna familiar para patrocinar las misiones, la predicación del evangelio y la ayuda social. Después de que la noticia de su muerte llegase a Estados Unidos, cientos de jóvenes entregaron su vida a las misiones. SÍGUENOS Sitio web: http://biteproject.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/biteproject Podcast: https://anchor.fm/biteproject Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biteproject/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biteproject/ CRÉDITOS Conductor: Giovanny Gómez Pérez. Guión: Giovanny Gómez Pérez. Edición del audio: Alejandra Narváez. Música: Envato Elements.
William fa una scelta folle…
La storia vera di William Borden, giovane e audace missionario.
I'm reading a biography of the short missionary life of William Borden, turn of the last century. It's called Borden of Yale '09 by Mrs. Howard Taylor. It's considered to be a good bio of the young millionaire who gave it all up to be a missionary, but tragically died before he reached his intended field. It's a good book that paints a sweet picture of a godly man raised in a godly family. This biography led me to knowledge of G. Campbell Morgan, who apparently is one of the 20th century's great expositors. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://the-end-time.org/2021/04/12/heres-why-we-should-read-old-books/ I use the NASB translation. Link to The Internet Archive Open Library on G. Campbell Morgan: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL215594A/Morgan_G._Campbell
Sixteen-year-old William Borden hops aboard a steamer in San Francisco and begins a year-long journey around the world before starting his college studies. As he travels through mysterious foreign lands such as Japan, China and Egypt, the Holy Spirit begins to do an unexpected work in his heart that changes the course of his life and puts him on a path to preaching Jesus among Muslims in China!
A friend once confided in me that her husband would take off his wedding ring, lay it on the kitchen counter and say, “I’m going out.” He felt he could have all the benefits of marriage while acting like a single man. As crazy as that sounds I think there is a similar belief among Christ followers. We want all the promises of covenant relationship with God while behaving like we did before we met God. Jesus warned his followers to consider the cost of following Him. A young man by the name of William Borden had the world by the tail. He was born into wealth and with it endless opportunities. His High School Graduation present was a trip around the world. On that trip William felt the call of God on his life. He would leave all the comforts of home to be a full time missionary in China. He studied and prepared for a lifetime of serving God on the mission field but became ill and died at just 25 years old. He never made it to the mission field. William knew the cost was not simply giving up his future in the family business but giving all of who he was for the cause of Christ. He died with no regrets. And his life and death inspired many to follow hard after Christ. To follow Jesus is to live like He lived – serve like He served. Scripture says the way of Jesus is to humble yourself and elevate others. To give up your dreams of being the hero to become a hero maker! In the self-promoting culture we live in, serving and elevating others will stand out like light in the darkness. Shine today! *Program note: Scott Curtis is filling in for Perry La Haie on this edition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Un$trapped: Biblical Wisdom on MoneyPart 2: Stewardship not OwnershipMatthew 25:14-15, 19 (NIV) – “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey….19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.Three Truths about Stewardship:1. Stewardship is a Trust not a PossessionMatthew 25:14 (NIV) – “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) – You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.2. Stewardship is Management not OwnershipThe MASTER was the OWNER.The SERVANTS were the STEWARDS.Psalm 24:1 (NLT) – The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.Matthew 25:16-18 (NIV) – The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.MAKE ALL YOU CAN. SAVE ALL YOU CAN. GIVE ALL YOU CAN.—John WesleyWise Money Management:• Give 10%• Save 10%• Live on 80%Foolish Money Management:• Give 0%• Save 0%• Live on 110%3. Stewardship is Faithfulness not RecklessnessMatthew 25:19 (NIV) – “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.Matthew 25:20-21 (NIV) – The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.' 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'Matthew 25:24-25 (NIV) – “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,' he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'Matthew 25:26-30 (NIV) – “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'“Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”—William BordenStewardship is a trust managed faithfully,not a possession owned recklessly.
William Borden was born to a wealthy family, but when he was challenged by a friend at Princeton University, he gave away his millions. Years later he wouldn't even allow himself the luxury of a car, when he rode through the teaming streets of Cairo, Egypt on a bicycle. His desire was to reach people at their level, and he did just that. His motto: No reluctance, no regrets, no retreat.
Today’s Scripture reading comes from Daniel 1:8, quoting from the NASB: “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” Born in the 1880s, William Borden was the son of the notable producer of Borden’s dairy products. Responding to the call of Christ on his life. William renounced his life of affluence and traveled to Egypt to prepare for the mission field. He contracted meningitis in Egypt and died at the age of 25. Later, his parents found in his Bible the words “No Reserves,” dated shortly after he rejected fortune in favor of missions. In another place in his Bible he had written “No Retreat,” dated after his father told him he would never work for the Borden Company again. Shortly before he died in Egypt, he added the phrase “No Regrets.” Those six words defined young William Borden’s life resolve: “No reserves, no retreat, no regrets.” Daniel lived his life with similar resolve toward God as did William Borden. At a young age (some estimate twelve to fourteen), Daniel was taken captive and placed in service in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. When confronted with assuming a Babylonian diet of food forbidden by his scriptural teachings, Daniel declared he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food and wine. Instead, he asked for vegetables and water in place of the king’s food and wine. What will loyalty and faithfulness to God get you? In Daniel’s case, first, it got him the favor and compassion of his chief training official. Daniel made his declaration not to defile himself with an alternate plan in mind. Though a youth, Daniel’s request reflected his trainer’s concern that he not lose his life by compromising his responsibility to assimilate Daniel and his three friends into the Babylonian culture. Daniel did not stage a hunger strike. He asked that they be given vegetables and water for ten days followed by comparison with the other youth in appearance and training. Daniel’s request was reasonable, and his trainer agreed to the trial. Daniel’s loyalty and faithfulness to God also netted him a host of knowledge, intellect, wisdom, and the ability to understand visions and dreams. God did not stop there. Daniel and his friends’ loyalty to God resulted in an audience with Babylon’s decision maker, King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar observed the wisdom and understanding of Daniel and his friends and found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all of his realm. Though efforts may be taken to change one’s worldview, believers must decide on Scriptural hotspots or points of no compromise and maintain faithfulness to God. Daniel’s resolve helped him to discern a wise, alternate plan. Christ followers can expect to “…hear a word behind you, saying: ‘This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.’” Doubtless, Daniel’s wise request was in response to hearing God through prayer and study of the Scriptures. Discerning wisdom is not an overnight process. Spiritual wisdom accompanies the practice of spiritual disciplines, particularly when prayer and Bible study are hallmarks. Daniel’s practice of spiritual disciplines readied him with a wise response when his circumstances demanded compromise. // Points to Ponder Over the next week, here are 3 points to ponder during your personal time of reflection or with a small group or mentor. First, are there cultural issues that you defend or reject which oppose God’s clear teaching? Consider that, like Daniel, you may be assuming responsibility for other believers under your influence. Second, how do you respond when you feel your “rights” have been violated? Are you willing to give up your rights for the good of someone else? Third, in what areas of faith have you declared, “No reserves, no retreat, no regrets?” // About the Narrator MAJ Marissa Dey serves in the United States Army. // Purchase a Copy Call the OCF Home Office at 800-424-1984 to purchase a paperback copy of the book, or buy a Kindle version at Amazon.
Here it is in writing - Get John O'Leary's book, "In Awe" as it's another life changer, just like his first book "On Fire" was. You have heard me say it and now it's in written in words too to remind you. ;-) This story is about William Borden and these 3 life-changing mindsets of his. These are powerful. No Reserves - not leaving anything in the "tank" of our lives. No Retreat - not backing down from tough things we have to do just to settle for an easier life. No Regrets - this one probably is one that I've been focusing in on more and more as it seems my life (and all of our lives) is really just speeding by. These are some powerful thoughts that John O'Leary shares in his book that I'm putting my own thoughts & ideas to them. I hope it helps to get you thinking about these 3 too. Thanks for listening. Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on Apple Podcasts and ITunes or other services where you find this show. Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/ on Twitter: @coachtosuccess and on Instagram at: @coachjohndaly You can also head on over to https://www.coachtoexpectsuccess.com/ and get in touch with me there on my homepage along with checking out my Top Book list too. Other things there on my site are being worked on – especially my blog page where I am back to blogging now.
As production continues daily on the episodes that will make up the full first season of Crack Tales, we offer this mini-episode. In Episode 0 we introduce you to William Borden, podcast writer and host and we explain a little bit about what crack is. The mini-episode also includes a short story written by the host and wonderfully narrated by Seattle's Jason Toews. The full season is coming soon. Enjoy!Music for Crack Tales is provided by Cornell White for CornellWhiteMusic and Attack Productions Music Group APMG. All music copyright 2020. More of Cornell's music can be found at Soundcloud.com by searching CornellWhiteMusic (one word).More of Jason's work can be found at www.thefifiorganization.net.A huge thank you to both of them!
During the coronavirus crisis, how are Christians to understand essential and non essential jobs and businesses? Catechism question number two - What is God? And who was William Borden. The remarkable story of a young man sold out for Christ.
During the coronavirus crisis, how are Christians to understand essential and non essential jobs and businesses? Catechism question number two - What is God? And who was William Borden. The remarkable story of a young man sold out for Christ.
Join us for the 14th episode of the One Link Podcast, where we discuss the life of William Borden.
William Borden made headlines in the early 20th century for giving his entire fortune away, the equivilent of 40 million dollars in todays money. Half to the work of God in the US, and half to overseas missions. Was it worth it to give it all away? It was asked of Job’s motivation; did He […]
Kevin Belmonte is back as a guest, this time talking with Wayne Shepherd about his new, yet-to-be-published biography of William Borden, a Chicago millionaire who was on his way to China as a missionary when he died as a young man.
Kevin Belmonte is back as a guest, this time talking with Wayne Shepherd about his new, yet-to-be-published biography of William Borden, a Chicago millionaire who was on his way to China as a missionary when he died as a young man.
1 David Brainerd, Hudson Taylor, William Borden. 2 Missionaries of NCF.
Voices in missions today tell us we should all become “global Christians.” In this episode we answer what that means and how to do it—with all the resources everyday believers need to stay informed. If you missed one of the resources or books we recommended, here’s the list: Joshua Project Operation World Mission Network News The Global Missions Podcast Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper Missiology by John Mark Terry Introduction to Global Missions by Zane Pratt, David Sills, and Jeff Walters Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes by Ian Murray Borden of Yale by Howard Taylor Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot Want to ask a question for a future episode? Email alex@missionspodcast.com. Powered by ABWE International.
This Lord’s Day we will celebrate “Go Global” Sunday. It is our special yearly emphasis on taking the good news of God’s grace to the far corners of the globe. The basis for our global goal is the grace of God in Christ. Because we have come to know His grace experientially, we are motivated to give generously and go courageously till all the world has had an opportunity to experience the same gift. William Borden was heir to his family’s massive wealth. As a young man he was already a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world as a graduation present from high school. He was sixteen. He went to Yale University and there impacted his campus powerfully for Christ. He eventually surrendered his future to become a missionary to Muslims and to “go global.” He renounced the wealth and comforts that could have been his and set sail. He never made it there. He died at 25 years of age of spinal meningitis, contracted in Cairo, as he studied Arabic. When the news of William Borden's death was cabled back to the U.S., the story was carried by nearly every American newspaper. "A wave of sorrow went round the world . . . Borden not only gave (away) his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it (seemed) a privilege rather than a sacrifice" wrote Mary Taylor in her introduction to his biography. He had written in his Bible, “No retreat, no reserves, no regrets.” God wants us to live that way as well. He wants us to “go global” because his grace is global.
What does Surrender mean to you? We listen to the Infinitum community, reflect on the life of the young William Borden, and join Danielle Strickland and Phil Wall in conversation. The music in this is provided by: Lee Rosevere, Sergey Cheremisinov and audio effects from www.freesfx.co.uk Episode five
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. The 2014 Rhoda G. Sarnat Lecture, “Neuroscience, Therapeutic Action, and Clinical Pragmatism: Experiments in Adapting to Need,” was given on October 24, 2014, at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. The speaker was William Borden, PhD, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Service Administration. In this talk, William Borden reviews recent developments in the science of mind, showing how emerging models of development validate differing conceptions of therapeutic action across the foundational schools of thought in contemporary psychotherapy and strengthen our understanding of facilitating processes in integrative practice. Drawing on the case of an individual diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, he considers core elements believed to foster neural plasticity and integration over the course of psychotherapy. Borden shows how emerging perspectives in neuroscience reaffirm the basic values and principles of clinical pragmatism, bridging scientific and humanistic domains of concern, and emphasizing the importance of comparative approaches to understanding, the practical outcomes of ideas in a given situation, and the crucial role of collaboration and experiential learning over the course of intervention. For a complete description, visit ssa.uchicago.edu/neuroscience-therapeutic-action-and-clinical-pragmatism.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. The 2014 Rhoda G. Sarnat Lecture, “Neuroscience, Therapeutic Action, and Clinical Pragmatism: Experiments in Adapting to Need,” was given on October 24, 2014, at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. The speaker was William Borden, PhD, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Service Administration. In this talk, William Borden reviews recent developments in the science of mind, showing how emerging models of development validate differing conceptions of therapeutic action across the foundational schools of thought in contemporary psychotherapy and strengthen our understanding of facilitating processes in integrative practice. Drawing on the case of an individual diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, he considers core elements believed to foster neural plasticity and integration over the course of psychotherapy. Borden shows how emerging perspectives in neuroscience reaffirm the basic values and principles of clinical pragmatism, bridging scientific and humanistic domains of concern, and emphasizing the importance of comparative approaches to understanding, the practical outcomes of ideas in a given situation, and the crucial role of collaboration and experiential learning over the course of intervention. For a complete description, visit ssa.uchicago.edu/neuroscience-therapeutic-action-and-clinical-pragmatism.
King Tut and William Borden were both born into great wealth. Borden died in Egypt as a missionary. He gave most of his money away to missions. King Tut was buried with gold chariots and other riches within a series of 3 gold tombs. The ancient Egyptians beleived they could take their riches into the afterlife. King Tut's riches remained buried for over 300 years until discovered in 1922. What a contrast between two men both buried in Egypt. You can't take earthly treasures with you when you die.
The story in the introduction is about William Borden. Part 38 in The Gospel According to Luke
Introduction It still amazes me as I think about it, just the significance of the moment in redemptive history as this young rabbi sits on the rocky hillside overlooking Jerusalem surrounded by just a small handful of ordinary men, and makes an extraordinary prediction concerning human history. This one verse that we're looking at today, Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” That prediction that Christ made on that hillside would be one of the costliest predictions that Jesus ever made. It would cost the lives of thousands and thousands of his choice followers over two millennia in the years to come. It would bring pain and disease and injuries, and tears and torture and blood and tragic funerals, and incalculable sorrow to those who would see that it happened. The preaching of the gospel in every nation has been incalculably expensive. And examples are bound from church history, and we ought to immerse ourselves in them for our own edification, lest we think too highly of ourselves and our own achievements. Immerse yourself in church history. These are your brothers and sisters, you're part of a royal family. October 8, 1732, a sailing vessel pulled away from the wharf in Copenhagen, Denmark. On board were John Leonard Dobber, a potter, and David Nitschmann, a carpenter, who were leaving the security of their jobs and their families in Copenhagen to become the first Moravian missionaries. In a prayer meeting, they had both felt the strong call of the spirit to come and minister the gospel to the slaves of sugar plantations at St. Thomas, in the West Indies. They knew the only way to reach them would be to enslave themselves, to become slaves themselves, to reach these lost people. One of the men left a wife and children begging him on the wharf not to go - reconsider and stay. But the call and the heart of God for these slaves in the West Indies was even greater than that pull, the pull of home. And as the ship pulled away from the docks, these men lifted the cry and those waiting on the wharf heard it: “May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering.” Amen to that. May Jesus get what he deserves for dying on the cross. And that became the resonating heartbeat of the Moravian missions movement, and the cost they paid was very high. So also the cost of Adoniram Judson who buried two different wives and six children in five different locations for the cause of the gospel, whose sorrow over the shocking loss, sudden loss of his wife Ann was so profound that he dug his own grave and stared into it for weeks in deep despondency waiting for God to kill him, but pulled out of it and led hundreds, even thousands of Burmese to faith in Christ. He laid his life on the line to fulfill that aspect of Jesus' prediction that we're looking at today; this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in Burma as a testimony of that nation, then the end will come. That spirit, that drive to fulfill the Great Commission was in the volunteers of the student volunteer movement, the early part of the 19th century. You've heard of them, they're the ones that pack their belongings in their own coffins because tropical illness made the life expectancy somewhere between 18 months and two years. So why waste extra baggage with boxes? They just packed their stuff in their own coffins and they died for the gospel from fevers. That same spirit motivated William Borden, who was a 1909 graduate of Yale University, heir to the Borden family fortune, was converted to Christianity, gave his life to become a missionary to the Muslims in China. He never made it. He died of spinal meningitis during his training in Egypt. His grieving parents were given his Bible, in it they found in one place the words, “No reserve.” Nothing held back. And next to those words “No reserve” was a date placed shortly after he had renounced his family fortune in favor of missions. And at a later point, he had written the words “No retreat.” That was dated shortly after he was diagnosed with meningitis, and just before he died, “No regrets.” What a spirit! I want that spirit in me, I want that spirit in this church. No reserve, no retreats, no regrets, everything for the gospel. That's the kind of commitment it takes to fulfill Jesus' prediction. Now, how is it that Jesus sitting on that rocky mountainside overlooking Jerusalem could predict that 20 centuries of his followers would be willing to make these kinds of sacrifices to get it done? That's the focus of the sermon today. Basically, in a nutshell, what I'm gonna say is only the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit over the hearts of the followers of Jesus to lay down their lives for people that have never met would make these words come true. And that kind of sovereign power is at work still today. I'd like to see it at work in this church, as it has been, and I wanna see it continue to work here, that we might help fulfill Jesus' prediction. That's what this sermon is about. The context of Matthew 24:14: Jesus had made a prediction, a shocking prediction of the destruction of the temple. Not one stone left on another, every one would be thrown down. The disciples come to Jesus privately on the Mount of Olives, they ask him about it. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And so Jesus begins teaching them about the end of the world, about the destruction of Jerusalem and other things, Matthew 24, the rest of the chapter, and then on into 25, really, it's all of a unit. Speaking about the end of the world and the second coming of Christ and the way that we are to prepare for it. Last week, we looked at the first section. In my opinion, Matthew 24:4-14 describes the events on earth between the first and second comings of Christ. What will life be like between those two events, the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ? He begins in verse 4 and 5 with a warning against false Christs, false prophets, false teaching. Verses 6-8, he talks about what he calls the beginning of birth pangs: wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places. These kinds of things. General convulsions of a sin-sick planet, that it would be a difficult place to live. And then in verses 9-13, I think he's talking about the specific sufferings of the people of God, what kinds of trials and temptations and sufferings are gonna come on his followers themselves. They'll be hated by all people on account of him. They're gonna be arrested, they're gonna be persecuted, they're gonna be put to death. Some are gonna betray and turn away from the faith and betray their own brothers and sisters in Christ. And there is a need in verse 13 to stand firm to the end. Only those people who stand firm to the end will be saved. And then he gives this one verse, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” And this is, in its context, a sign of the coming of Jesus Christ, the steady irresistible advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is evidence and proof of the same day coming back of Christ. The fact that we can see the progress that's happening right in front of us. And friends, it's accelerating. In our own lifetimes it's going faster and faster, it's exciting, what a thrilling time to be alive, but it's evidence of signs of Jesus' return. The advance of the gospel. Not a Command But a Prophecy Christ’s Saving Purpose Now, as we come to verse 14, one of the central points I wanna make is that this is not a command but a prophecy. There's no word of command here. Now, Jesus came into the world, we were told, to seek and to save the lost. Very plain. He came into the world as a rescue mission, that we were lost, we had no hope. Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Came to save us from our sins. That's why he came the first time. It's why he shed his blood on the cross, that's why he died. It's also why he's waiting to return, he's waiting for the second coming so that individuals may be saved, so that people can repent and come to faith in Christ. That's why he's waiting. 2 Peter 3 teaches us this in verse 9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And then in that same chapter, in verse 15, “Bear in mind,” said Peter, “that our Lord's patience means salvation.” There are specific elect people, they were chosen before the foundation of the world, the Bible teaches us, and the gospel has to reach them. Paul says he'll endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may hear the gospel and be saved. That's why the Lord's waiting. It's not for no purpose. It's to get this work done. The gospel work. Many Commands for Evangelism Now, I said this, this is not a command in verse 14, I'll say more about that in a moment, but there are many commands concerning the Great Commission. All you have to do is go to the end of this gospel, the most famous of all of the commissioning statements. “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” Verse 18 and following, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you, and surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age.” There's the command. Commands are not lacking, we're commanded to go, commanded to make disciples, we're commanded to baptize them, we're commanded to teach them to obey everything. And this command was going to be across all the eras of church history. “Surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age.” It's a lasting, abiding command on the church and on you individually, and me too. So there's the command also in Mark 16:15-16, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” So there's the command. We have it in Matthew 28, we have it in Mark 16. At the end of the book of Romans, Paul speaks specifically of the command to take the gospel. He speaks of “the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him.” There's the word command even. There's no doubt about it, we are commanded to do this. And if we love Jesus we'll obey him. The Lesson of the Commands: We Have an Obligation And the lesson of the command then is that we have an obligation to the lost. Paul speaks of this obligation, the sense of being a debtor, we owe something. In Romans 1:14-16 he says, “I'm obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.” I owe them a debt. “That is why I'm so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” So Paul says, “I owe Greeks and I owe non-Greeks, I owe everybody the gospel.” And so this is not in any way paying Jesus back for what he did in saving him. We're not saved on a mortgage payment plan, friends. And you pay it off in installments with good works, that is faulty thinking, that's not the debt. Paul owes other human beings the gospel, and he's going to discharge it by preaching, that's the lesson of the commands. We should not feel any less an obligation. In 1792, William Carey, the father, so-called, of the modern Protestant missions movement wrote a tract entitled this, “An Inquiry into The Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.” Carey was there arguing against the passive view of the sovereignty of God, that because God is sovereign and he can do everything without human agency, that we don't need to do anything. And if God wants to convert the heathen, he can do it on his own time and in his own way. He's writing against that view, though he himself believed in the absolute sovereignty of God, he still said, “We need to use means.” We ought to do stuff, that’s the 21st century version of “Use means." We have to do stuff to get the heathen, the lost people converted, we have to get - in Carey's day - we have to get on ships and sail to India and set up a mission station and study the Hindu languages, and we have to preach the gospel plainly to them in those Hindu languages, and we need to translate the Bible into their native languages, and we need to set up a press to print those Bibles, and we need to teach them how to read their own language so that they can understand the Bible, we need to do all of... Those are the means. We need to use means to the conversion of the heathen, but we have an obligation to do it. This is NOT a command... it is a Sovereign Declaration Okay, that's the lesson of the commands. But I already said that this verse isn't a command. This is not a command here, this is a statement of future fact, it's a sovereign statement of future fact. “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” And I'm celebrating that sovereign declaration with you today. It's going to happen. Absolutely, certainly going to happen. He is not telling his apostles something they should do, he's telling them something that will most certainly happen. That's what he's telling them. Something that will most certainly come to pass. It is absolutely certain. In effect, Jesus was saying that witnesses filled with the burning heart of love for Christ and the lost, filled with the Holy Spirit, will travel over the burning sands of the desert and through forbidding rocky and snowy mountain passes, and they’ll go across the seemingly endless, boundless waves of the South Pacific to cannibal filled islands there, and they will be willing to pay this price to get the gospel preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. This will absolutely happen. The Prophecy Explained Message: “This Gospel of the Kingdom” Now, what I wanna do is I wanna go very carefully word by word, phrase by phrase, through this one, this one verse, and explain it to you. First, the message. “This gospel of the kingdom.” This gospel. The word “gospel” comes straight over from the Greek language meaning “good news.” I'm not gonna break the Greek word apart, but literally, it's got a prefix and a central root that means “good news.” And this good news of the kingdom, this good news of the kingdom, the idea is of a king, sovereign, who sits on a throne and rules, the King of the kingdom of heaven is really the unifying theme of the gospel of Matthew. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. From the very beginning of Matthew's gospel, the genealogy and right on through, we get a sense of the right Jesus has to rule over us and rule in this world, the kingdom, Christ himself, the centerpiece of that kingdom. And that is the good news, the good news is the King. The good news is God Almighty seated on a throne. That's good news. Jesus said earlier in Matthew's Gospel, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.” And I explained when I preached on that passage, the yoke represents Jesus' right to rule over your life. His kingly authority to govern you and move you right or left, or have you go straight. The kingly rule of Jesus. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus is inviting you to come into the kingdom with those words. There'd be no sense in me preaching on this one verse without inviting any who have never trusted in Christ to come and trust in Jesus. Take that stubborn neck of yours, that stiff neck of yours that's been rebelling against God all these years. We all know about that. We still struggle with our own stiff necks; we're all the same. Put it under Jesus' yoke and you'll never regret it. Come to Jesus, follow him. Let his blood shed on the cross be sufficient for all of your acts of rebellion. Past, present and future. Come to Jesus. This is the kingdom, this is the good news, because what you're gonna find when you come into the kingdom is the perfection of the king, and how good and delightful he is, and how wonderful it will be to sit at his table and to talk with him and to obey his commands. It's good news, the kingdom. And I love what it says, "this gospel of the kingdom.” This one that's going on right in front of you. He's speaking to men who are unique in redemptive history, they were the apostles, they were the eyewitnesses of his glory, Peter calls himself. They saw things you and I didn't see, they heard things with their own ears we don't get to hear. They were the eyewitnesses. They were the first link in the chain of church history, right to Jesus, the incarnation. And they saw what he did and what he said, they heard his words. When the woman anoints him with expensive perfume, he says, “Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” So there was a sense of, there were little camcorders, little recorders, taking in the history of Jesus, taking in the events of his life, just being there. And don't worry about them forgetting, because it says in John 14, “The Spirit, the Comforter, the Counselor, will come and he will remind you of everything I said to you.” Ordinarily, they may have been very forgetful individuals. Not when it came to Jesus' words and actions; they remembered everything, wrote it down for us. This gospel, the one about Jesus, that's the message. Method: “Will be Preached” What is the method? Well, it's going to be preached, it's going to be proclaimed by word, messengers are gonna go and they're gonna stand up in front of people and speak words about Jesus, and without that, no one gets saved. It says in Romans 10, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call on the one in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in one of whom they've never heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.’” The good news about Jesus, the good news. Somebody's gotta go and tell him a biography, they gotta go and tell them about Jesus, who he is. They don't know who he is, never heard of him. Some people have to go and they have to preach this message, because “faith comes by hearing,” it says there in Romans 10:17, it's got to be preached, it's got to be proclaimed. Nowadays, there are some so-called “new evangelicals” who have a heart for social work, a heart for the urban scene, a heart for decaying cities and physical suffering they see brought about by sin, and they ought to because Jesus had a far greater heart for those things that they did. But they're saying foolish things, some of them, like this one: “Preach the gospel. Use words, if necessary.” Where in the world did that come from? We're told St. Francis of Assisi said it, he disavows all knowledge of it, according to the internet anyway. “He never said it,” he says, or at least some Catholic scholars are saying he never said it. Well, it doesn't matter whether he said or not, some evangelical so called are saying it. You wanna know what they're saying? Just let the gospel ethic, just the good life that comes from being a Christian, just so shine around the people of your lives that they're just gonna get saved by watching you, how good you are. Well, to start, I would suggest, if you're married, just ask your spouse if that's gonna cut it. Alright? Am I just so good that people just by watching me are just gonna wanna come into the kingdom? And that will end your career right there on that one. “Preach the gospel. Use words, if necessary.” Let's try this one on for size: “Feed starving children. Use food if necessary.” Friends, the food is necessary to feed the starving children, and the words are necessary to get these people saved. We've got to proclaim this message, we've gotta tell them about Jesus, we've gotta speak to them. That's the method that God has chosen, the preaching of the gospel, and he's got reasons for doing it, but I don't have time to say it, it just humbles us to just hear a preached message and believe it, and we get saved. Scope: “In the Whole World” Thirdly, look at the scope. It's going to be done in the whole world. In the whole world. Jesus' eyes are on the whole world. Sitting on that rocky Mount of Olives looking out over Jerusalem before his death, he's thinking about the whole world. Yes, he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, but his heart was always for the whole world. Now, the Greek word here means “the inhabited world,” the places where people live. I believe that sin, the curse of sin has made some uninhabitable places of the world. I don't think it was that way from the beginning, but it's that way now. And so therefore, this is not talking about uninhabited places, but actually the Greek here intensifies it, “the whole of the inhabited world. The gospel is going to be preached in the whole of the inhabited world, not a single inhabited place will be missed. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. So there's no strategy needed for the uninhabited portions of the world, you don't need to go to Antarctica, you don't need to go to Northern Greenland, you don't need to go to the seabed of the Pacific Ocean and preach to those nasty-looking creatures down there. We're going where people are living their lives, the inhabited world, that's where we're going, and we're going to preach to them. Purpose: “As a Testimony to All Nations” And what is the purpose? Well, it's going to be preached as a testimony, it says, to all nations. The word testimony, in my mind at least, brings the sense of a court trial, some kind of a proof's given, this kind of thing. It's an effort to persuade. And so the proclamation is going to be an effort to persuade, to prove something, to perhaps reluctant audience. And the nature of the proof has to do with the identity of the King, King Jesus. Who is he? What did he do? And of their need to repent and come into the kingdom. They need to have a testimony about this, the evidence of the deity of Christ, the proof of his miracles, the testimony of eyewitnesses who saw him physically, bodily, raised from the dead on the third day. We're gonna give testimony about these things, we're going to give persuasions. The evidence that the prophets brought forth that Jesus didn't suddenly appear on the stage of redemptive history, but his coming was long expected. Come thou long expected Jesus. He came in fulfillment of the prophets. We've got to bring all of this evidence out and reason with people, and explain and prove from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. There's a testimony there, and it's going to be given, it says, to all nations. Again, we have this Greek word “ethne” from which we get “ethnic,” it has to do with the understanding that we in missions have come to really relatively recently, that it's not enough to go just to the political nations, like the political nation of India. William Carey brought the Gospel to the political nation of India, years, centuries ago. But Donald McGavran, a missionary there, a very careful observer of cultures and languages and customs and habits, said, “You know, there are just thousands of different people groups or identifiable ethnic groups, ethnes, so to speak, here in India. We've got to take the gospel to each one of them.” And so there is this understanding that we're going to cultural, linguistic, identifiable people groups. And they need to hear the gospel. Jesus is saying they will. Jesus is saying they're going to hear. Every ethnic group on the face of the earth is going to have a clear proclamation of the testimony of the Gospel. Result: “And Then, the End will Come” And what is the result? Then the end will come. The end will come. For us who have believed in Jesus, it's a good end. For those who have not believed in Jesus, a dreadful end, more than you can possibly imagine, but the end is going to come. We're not going on like this forever. The end is coming. The Power Behind the Prophecy The Absolute Sovereignty of God Alright, well, that's word by word, through the verse. Let me talk now about the power behind this prophecy, there is a power behind these words. These are not idle words spoken by some man sitting on a rock. This is the Sovereign God telling us what he's going to do. The absolute sovereignty of God. Only God, in my opinion, can make any kind of certain statement about the future; none of us can. I mean, that's even down to the small details of weather, or who wins a sporting event or other things like that, only God knows really. But how much more is it true that only a great God can make a great proclamation like this and make it come true? The sheer number of things that would have to happen to make this occur are boggling to the mind. No one missionary could do all this. No one generation of missionaries could do all this. It was too immense even for the faith-filled and faithful apostles to achieve, too big a job for them. Christ is predicting the mobilization of generation after generation of men and women who will be willing to lay down their lives for the cause of the gospel. Christ knows full well that some of these servants will die in the effort, they will fall into the ground and die, in the language of John 12. He knows that, and what Christ is stating here is, no matter how high the cost, this is going to get done. The Power of the Holy Spirit over Human Hearts So how can that happen? How can he be so certain? How can we know that this most certainly will come to pass? The sovereign power of Almighty God guarantees this. And specifically, the link down to earth is the power of the Spirit of God over individual human hearts to turn them from sin and selfishness and get them to do his will. And I think that's powerful. That he can do that. Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” And you're not going to be able to live the way you used to be living. You're not gonna do the same things you used to be doing. When the Holy Spirit comes on you, you're going to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. You will go when the Spirit comes on you. Take a minute, and I wasn't gonna do this, but look over in Ezekiel 2. I think this may be the simplest statement you'll find in the whole Bible about this power that I'm referring to here, the power of this sovereign Spirit of God over your heart and mine. Look at Ezekiel 2:1-2. “He said to me,” this is Ezekiel, “he said to me, ‘Son of man’” - that was God's name for Ezekiel - “‘son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak to you.’” Verse 2, “As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet.” That's about as simple, mathematical as you're ever gonna get. The command comes, “Stand up on your feet.” The Spirit enters, and he found himself standing on his feet. That's the first step of the missionary journey right there. I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will come on us and get us to stand on our feet, and to do the things that God has commanded us to do. And he has that power. And there is a mysterious combination between the command, “Son of man, stand on your feet,” and the Spirit coming and empowering obedience to that command. It’s a mystery, you can't have the one without the other. We have to have the sense of the command of our king, but then the power of the Holy Spirit to make it so. So go back to Matthew 24:14, but I think this is the display of it, the Holy Spirit has the power to transform our selfish hearts and turn them to God and to others. He has that power. THe Power to Thrust Out Laborers … Even at Great Cost Jesus, in Matthew 9, “When he saw the crowds, that they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out laborers into his harvest field.’” Well, the words “send out” in the NIV are a bit tame. “Ekballo” is the Greek word. “Throw them out.” Alright, it's the same word used for casting out demons, the same kind of power that can cast out a demon can thrust out laborers into the harvest field. Amen and Amen. He has the power to come on you and get you to change the whole way you live, so that from then on, you're doing something different. Change your career, you change your life, you change the direction and the flow of your life, and you do something different from then on. Now, here he's saying, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to do it.” So he's involving us in God sending out the Holy Spirit to do that. It's just amazing how deep and mysterious all this is, but we are to pray to the Lord of the harvest saying, “God send them out, drive out those laborers into the harvest field." A Holy Compulsion And so I think what we're talking about here is a holy compulsion that just comes over you, you're just compelled by the Spirit, as Paul refers to in Acts 20. “And now compelled by the Spirit, I'm going to Jerusalem.” There's a compulsion of the spirit. There are examples of this over and over in the Bible. Look, for example, at Jeremiah 20. Don't turn there now, but in Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah comes to God and says, “Oh Lord, you deceived me about my job description, you never told me how awful it would be to do this job.” Aside, I'll say it again. I think Jeremiah had the hardest ministry in the Old Testament. I would rather be anybody in the Old Testament than Jeremiah. What a tough, tough job to be there, to be the one to turn out the lights on Jerusalem when the Babylonians were done with the place, to sit there over the hill and weep over it, as flames are just dying out and the smoke is rising and everyone's dead or gone. And you get to be the one to predict it and be there when it happens. And to be hated by the ones you are... Tough ministry. But at any rate, Jeremiah goes back to his employer, back to God and says, “You deceived me, oh, Lord.” But then he goes on and says this, “If I say I will not mention him or speak anymore in his name, his word is like a fire in my heart. It's like a fire shut up in my bones. I'm weary of holding it in. Indeed, I cannot hold it in.” That's a compulsion that comes over you by the Spirit, you can't do anything but this work of God. So also the Apostle Paul. His work was linked together with his salvation. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, the one that you're persecuting. Now, get up and go into the city and you'll be told what you must do.” Well, the word “must” became pretty obvious to Paul immediately what that meant. He had no choice. And so in 1 Corinthians 9:16, he says, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe unto me if I do not preach!” That's a compulsion of the spirit that comes on And how does it work? Well, I've thought about this and I think it works by love. I really think what happens is the Spirit comes and moves love in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, it says, “For the love of Christ constrains us” - or compels us or controls us, different ways to translate that - “because we have concluded this, that one died for all, and therefore all have died, that he who died for all should no longer live for themselves, that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for him who died for us.” Basically, there's a kind of lifestyle I'm proclaiming here today, lifestyle of full on flat out obedience to the Great Commission in whatever role God has for you. And the alternative is that you should live for yourself. Those are your two options. I really believe it. It really just comes down to that. And Paul is saying that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for him who died for us and was raised again. Well, what moves him to do it? The love of Christ constrains us. Now, I meditated on that phrase, it's a little tricky, and I think it may even be meant to be. What is this love of Christ constrains us mean? Is it the love we have for Jesus or is it the love that Jesus displayed in his life for sinners? How about both? How about we don't choose? How about we love Christ so much we want to get on a ship and go and say, “May the lamb get what he deserves,” that we can live like that. I just love Jesus, am filled with the love that I have, that Jesus get what he deserves. The love of Christ, the love we have for Jesus. Or could it be the kind of love that Jesus displayed for sinners in dying on the cross for them? I wanna live like that. I think it's both. But in any case, it constrains us. The same Greek word is used in Luke 12:50. Jesus speaking about his own crucifixion, “I have a baptism to be baptized with. And how constrained I am until it's finished. I can't turn to the right or the left, I've got to finish this work.” Well, again and again in church history, servants of Christ have spoken like constrained people. They've talked like this. Hudson Taylor is a prime example. He was called to be a missionary to China. He went there, he had some very indifferent experiences with the mission agencies. The missionaries were all on the coastline of China, none of them venturing out much into Chinese society, they're living comfortable lives in the mission stations, and he was becoming disillusioned. He decided to go native, go inland to become kind of as Chinese as he possibly could be. He went with the Chinese hairstyle and garb and all that, so much that people that saw him and knew before thought, they didn't recognize him at all, thought he was just a Chinese man. The mission group there rejected his methods entirely and his zeal, they didn't want any part of him, so he went back to England for many reasons, but to raise support. And then he says this, he was just thinking about the inland regions of China. On Sunday, June 25th, 1865, he said, “Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge. I wandered out on the sands alone,” listen, “in great spiritual agony. And there the Lord conquered my unbelief.” He had seen a map of China, and he called it the accusing map of China, had huge sections of the country, none of them had ever heard of Jesus, called it the accusing map. And this was the burden on him, the inland regions. “In great spiritual agony, and there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service. I told him that all of the responsibility as to issues and consequences must rest with him; that as his servant it was mine to obey and follow him, his to direct, to care for, to guide those who might labor with me. Need I say that the peace of God at once flowed into my heart. It was indescribable.” So there's a man constrained. He lived the rest of his life for this one burden, and that was to bring the Gospel to the inland regions of China. The Prophecy Fulfilled: Already and Not Yet Now, this prediction of Jesus, is it fulfilled? Can I say the words with great joy? Almost, almost, but not yet. I know it's not yet 'cause we're here. Jesus hasn't come back yet. He said, “And then the end will come.” The end hasn't come, there's still work to be done Already: Huge Portions of the World Reached with the Gospel But there's less work to be done now, a lot less than there was 50 years ago. The progress has been astonishing. Friends, this isn't a losing battle. If you're a bandwagon person, this is the bandwagon to jump on, this is the one to pitch in on and get involved. This is the one to invest your life in. This one. This is going to win. It's amazing, there's not a geographical nation on earth that doesn't have a vibrant church. That could not have been said 25 years ago. I mean, all of the United Nations type nations, all of them have witnesses. That was not true when I was in college. The Berlin Wall was still standing then, there were countries like Albania, others like Mongolia, Morocco, some of those Northern African nations, Muslim nations, there were no churches there, that's no longer the case. Praise God. And then once Donald McGavran gave the idea of the unreached people groups, they started counting them, and the count down's been going down. 24,000 in 1950, the estimate was. When I was in college, the number was 17,000. In 1992, it was down to 11,000. In '96 estimates put it around 9,000. It's about half of what it was when I was in college. Today, joshuaproject.net, who keeps track of these things, puts the number at 6,644. It just keeps coming down. And many, many local churches have adopted unreached people groups and have just made it their focus to be sure that there's a Gospel Church planted in that unreached people group. It's just incredible the kinds of things that are happening, I don't have time to go through the statistics. Bottom line is the church is exploding and growing all the time. Listen to this, in A.D 100, there were 360 non-Christians, estimate, 360 non-Christians for every one believer. Today, the number is seven to one. Get this one, this is even better, I love this. In A.D 100, it was estimated that there were 12 unreached people groups per local church congregation. Today there are 500 local congregations for every unreached people group. See, all we need to do is get the other 499 congregations together and choose an unreached people group and go reach them. Boy, they're gonna be overwhelmed when all 500 churches show up to reach that one unreached people group. Not Yet: The Work Still to Do Friends, this is a doable task, but there's still work to be done, there's still just four billion people have never heard the name of Jesus. Most of them, the 10/40 window, the longitude lines there, the 10/40 latitude lines, the 10/40 window. Muslim nations, India, China, there's a lot of work to be done, and it's still true that Americans spend... American evangelicals spend more money on dog food than they do on missions. May it never be. Applications Rejoice in the Sovereignty of Christ Bottom line, can I say this just application, let's rejoice in the sovereignty of Christ, let's see what he's achieved already, let's give him the praise and the glory of 20 centuries of astonishing achievement. Say, to God be the glory for what you have done. To God be the glory for raising up men and women who are willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. Be Confident in the Final Outcome And be confident, very confident in the final outcome: he's going to win. Pray Confidently for More Laborers for this Vast Harvest Based on Matthew 9, pray confidently to the Lord of the harvest to send out, thrust out, laborers into the harvest field. Pray it a lot, pray it fervently. Pray it confidently. But you know what might happen if you start praying that prayer, you know what might happen? He might actually send you out into the harvest field. Pray for it. Draw near to God every single day. Draw Near to God Daily If you don't have a heart for the nations, if you don't have a heart for missions, it's because you're distant spiritually from God, this is his heart, he's made it plain everywhere. Kevin quoted, I think it was Psalm 67, that's God's heart, that the nations might praise him. If that's not your heart, you're distant from God. Draw near to God, fix your relationship with God first, repent of known sin. Have your quiet times, draw close to him, and say, “Lord, give me a heart for the nations, and give me a heart for the lost coworker that's in the next cubicle.” It's all of a piece. It's all together. So draw close and ask God to give you an unreached people group to pray for. Go to joshuaproject.net and choose one. You get to pick the continent. I mean, whatever you want, go pick one and pray for it for the rest of the year, 2010. Be Earnest Not to Be Left Out And this is the one that convicted me the most, it is absolutely guaranteed, absolutely guaranteed that Jesus will finish this, that this promise will take place, but it's not guaranteed that I'll have anything to do with it. There's no Bible verse that tells me that, I, Andy Davis, will have anything to do with Matthew 24:14, or you. There's no guarantee that FBC Durham will be having anything to do with this at all 20 years from now. We have got to be faithful. We have got to say to the Lord, “Make me... Please don't pass me by, please don't leave me behind, please don't, as you move on ahead in success and triumph, leave me out. I wanna be part of it, Lord. Give me a burden, give me a heart after the nations, give me a heart after missions, so that I can be part of what you're doing in the world. And make sure that my local church is part of it, too. I don't wanna go to a church that's not not doing this, I'll leave that church. I wanna be a part of a church where this command is our command. This prediction is our command, we are moving out based on this, praying for unreached people groups, praying for the missionaries we have sent out.” Pray for FBC to be a Launching Pad for Missions Pray that FBC would be a launching pad for missions. We've seen a lot of brothers and sisters go out from here. Heavenly, what a joy. But I would say the overwhelming majority, if not all of them, came in here with a preconceived or pre-sense of call to the missions, and what we did was, we tried to shepherd that and be good stewards of it and furthered it long. Praise God that that happened. But I'd like to see someone who comes in here even today, without even any thought of missions, and then through the ministry of the church, through the influence of other brothers and sisters in Christ, develop that call and we launch them out in five years. That would be awesome. Wouldn't that be great? Pray that that would happen in this church. Close with me in prayer.
I. The Words of Dying Men Please take your Bibles and turn in them to 2 Timothy 4 as we continue in our series boldness and faithfulness in the gospel. We're going to be looking at 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1-8, and considering some of Paul's final words to Timothy and to the church. I know, it's interesting, the final words of dying men and women are usually stripped away of hypocrisy, and pretense and they really do get to the true heart of what people really believe. There's no time anymore for putting on a show and some of those final words, even of famous people can be quite revealing. I came across some of these this week, Napoleon right before he died said this, "I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the Earth to become the food of worms, such is the fate which so soon awaits the great Napoleon." It's a word of discouragement isn't it? A word of regret? How about Mahatma Gandhi... Mahatma Gandhi, who is a world renowned Hindu leader, not long before he died, he said this, "My days are numbered. I'm not likely to live very long perhaps a year or a little more. For the first time in 50 years I find myself in a slew of despond. All about Me is darkness, I'm praying for light." Isn't that fascinating? Mahatma Gandhi said that, right before he died, he rejected Christ and at the end of his life, words of regret. 19th century French statesman, Talleyrand wrote these words on a scrap of paper, and put them on his night stand right before he died, "Behold 83 years passed away. What cares, what agitation, what anxieties, what ill will, what sad complications and all without results, except great fatigue of mind and body, and a profound sentiment of discouragement with regard to the future and of disquiet with regard to the past." Now here's a man that people said had accomplished great things he looked back and said, it was worthless he died with regret. Paul’s Death Speech: Triumph The Apostle Paul was not this way. When he reached the end of his life, he died with a note of triumph with a trumpet sound of victory he points the way to Christians, throughout all generations, how they may live may serve Christ and may die with no regrets. I want to live that kind of life don't you? I want to reach the end of my life and have no regrets. The Apostle Paul in these verses and in his whole life, shows us how. Listen to the words of Chapter 4, Verses 1-8 and note the tone of triumph in Paul's words. "In the presence of God who will judge the living and the dead and in view of his kingdom and his appearing. I give you this charge, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Correct rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction, for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine, instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. But as for you keep your head in all situations, endure hardship do the work of an evangelist. Discharge all the duties of your ministry for I'm already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in-store for me a 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 longed for his appearing." Isn't that a triumphant thing to say at the end of your life? And Paul, as you know, in this book has been giving Timothy final words of advice to get him ready to take leadership in the church. And these are some of the final words of that final letter but here we see no regret, we see triumph. Paul did not have a ministry of tickling ears, but rather of transforming lives and because of that, he had no regrets at the end of his life and he's going to give to Timothy, one central charge here. II. One Final Charge: Preach the Word! (vs. 2,5) Well he is given a series of charges up to this point. But one charge kind of sums it all up. In verse 2 he says, "preach the word." And he's going to give a series of motivations that buttress that charge. The first one's in verse one, he says, "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead and in view of his kingdom and his appearing, I give you this charge." Do you see what Paul's doing here, in Verse 1? He's opening Timothy's eyes to an invisible spiritual world that's around us all the time. He's bringing Timothy right into the very throne room God. He's reminding him that Jesus Christ someday, will judge everything that he's done, he will assess all of his life works. Do you think that was very real to Paul? Of course, he was about to die, he knew that very soon he would be facing that invisible God whom he had loved and whom he had served. So it's the work of a pastor, of a preacher to bring the people right into the presence of an invisible God. None of you has ever seen Jesus Christ. And yet all of you who are true believers in him you love him and you yearn to see him. Well the word in the mind brings you right into the presence of that invisible God. And that's what Paul seeks to do is motivation number one, in the presence of God, he says, "and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead." He reminds Timothy of what he said earlier in 2 Corinthians. He said, "All of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the things done in the body, whether good or bad." every one of us has to do that. Now, if you're a Christian, you're free from having to stand before him and suffer condemnation for your sins, Jesus did that on the cross. If you're a Christian, you're free from that. But none of us are free from the assessment of that final day. Well we have to give an account for how we spent our time. What we did with our spiritual gifts. For everything we have to give an account. And Paul as his final motivation to Timothy is reminding him that very soon he Timothy would have to stand before God and given account and he's saying, Timothy. Be ready. Be ready for that day. I'm ready for it you be ready for it too. And so he says I give you this charge. Now, the word I give you this charge is a solemn charge a sense of warning. A sense of assessment coming and therefore the need to be ready for it, a charge. And he says I'm giving it to you in view of Christ's kingdom and his appearing. So we've got the view of the judgment seat or the judgment throne of Christ and also the kingdom, and the appearing of Christ, this can only mean the second coming of Christ, by the way. Christmas time, we celebrate the first coming of Christ. Paul mentioned that first coming earlier in his letter here. But now he's definitely talking I think about the second coming of Christ, and he says either way Timothy your life is going to end in one or the other way, you're going to die and you're going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, or Jesus Christ himself, will return and set up his kingdom Jesus Christ will return in Kingly power. Either way, you have to stand and give an account so be ready. Centrality of God’s Word (vs. 2) Do you see what he's saying in verse one it's a strong motivation. But then he gets in verse two to the central charge, he says, "Preach the word." Preach the Word. Now again, we see the centrality of God's flawless word. Now, you know last week we looked at just four verses on that. There's so much more we could have said. But in 2 Timothy 3:16, he says that All scripture is God breathed. Do you remember? And it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, training in righteousness. That's where we ended up last week. And now he's saying take that, perfect word, that pure word of God and preach it, preach it all. Don't just preach, your favorite parts, preach everything so that the body of Christ may be built up. Remember, we saw the two-fold aspects of the Word of God. It's to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It's also to take us newborns who don't really know Christ as well and bring us on in maturity, it's even to take those who are more mature and bring them on into Christ-like perfection. That's the purpose of the word of God. And so, he tells him. Preach the word. Now I can imagine some kind of a PR executive from an ad firm or ad agency in New York, sitting God down and saying, "You know something we're entering the 21st century, we can't do this preaching thing very much, longer. People's attention spans are always getting shorter. We need a kind of a multi-media presentation here. That's what's going to really build the church. Yeah, that's what we need. Some churches actually are going that way. They feel that the time of preaching has ended. God said, no. Actually, in the very first century, the Apostle Paul called it the foolishness of preaching, he acknowledged that it's just a simple thing that God uses to build the church, but for 2000 years, he's been building the church this same way, preach the word Timothy, preach the Word. Preparedness of God’s Messenger (vs. 2) And then he says in verse two, "Be prepared in season and out of season." Be prepared. Really, you could say a better translation would be urgent. Have a sense of urgency in your preaching, Timothy. Be urgent in your preaching. Now, why is there a need for urgency? Preaching should never be cold or listless but always with a sense of urgency. Why is that? Well, it's very simple. If you look through the scriptures of the many promises of God, and God has made many promises, hasn't he? Rich promises, promises of eternal life to all who believe in Christ incredible promises, but, you'll search the Scriptures in vain for a single promise that any of us will be here tomorrow. None of us has that day promised to us we have today, we have now. But none of us certainly has tomorrow. James chapter four says this what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Where I live out in Durham, there is a man-made lake out there, and sometimes when I drive, I see a steam or a mist coming up off the lake I don't know what causes it. I think there's probably a meteorologist that could explain it to me, but it's always kind of mysterious going over that bridge, I hope to not take a left or a right and go into the lake. But there's this kind of steaminess. When I come home in the late afternoon or evening it's gone. It's disappeared. It was there for a little while and then it's gone. James says, that's what our life is like. Just here for a short time and then we're gone. And so he says, "Be ready in season and out of season." What that means is, whether it's a convenient time for you, Timothy, or not, the ministry is not always convenient. It's not always convenient for the hearers either. God's timing is not our timing. Be ready all the time Timothy to preach the Word. Variety of God’s Methods: All Verbal And then he gives a series, of methods here in verse two, a variety of God's methods, and you're going to notice that they buttress that first charge to preach the word, he says, "Correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction." Notice that the... All of those are words. You're using words to do every one of them also notice how similar it is to 2 Timothy 3:16. Go ahead and look 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is God breathed. And it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." Well, you get pretty much the same list here in chapter four, verse two. So, Timothy, as you preach the word, you're going to be doing in people's lives, the very same thing that the Word of God was meant to do. You're going to correct them. You remember last week I got a lot of compliments on my gyroscope illustration, so I'll use it again, second week in a row. But you remember the gyroscope was always true to its axis never turned off, and then if the ship would turn or lean one way or the other, the gyroscope would tell a computer and it would right the ship. Well, that was the purpose of the Word of God. Now it's saying that the servant of God. A brother or a sister in Christ, is supposed to do that in each other's lives. We're supposed to come along and say, "Hey brother, you're leaning a bit. There's something wrong with what's going on in your life. You need to correct your course. Are we really supposed to do that for each other? That seems kind of nosy. Maybe even a little judgmental. Well, if you feel that about correct how much more about the word rebuke, see rebuke is what you use when correct doesn't work correct, means you come in there and you say, "Hey something's wrong, you might want to attend to this and the person in humility and just with that Christ like attitude says, "You're right, I want to hear that." And so they're ready to accept the wisdom. Does that always happen? No, ask my wife a number of times she gives me well-founded advice. And I say, "You know, you're right, that's a good thing. I need to do that. Sometimes, I do. Sometimes I don't. Why? Because I've got pride. I don't want to hear that. But I need to hear it. And then... So we get the correction of the Word of God. Sometimes we need a rebuke. Now, what is to rebuke? Well, I think probably if you went to the locker room at half-time of a basketball coach, any basketball coach in the area whose team had been a little flat in the first half, wasn't playing defense. Maybe throwing the ball away a little bit, getting lazy. You'd hear a string of rebukes that would make your ears tingle. You see? We accept that, from a coach don't we? The coach has our best interest at heart. We're even willing to let him yell at us because we know that he's really pulling for the team, and if we'd listen to him, we'll make the change. Maybe I'm the point guard and I have been sloppy with the ball throwing it away. Or maybe I'm supposed to do rebounding I'm not boxing out. The coach gets right in my face and says, "You're not doing your job!" Now, that's okay for a coach, but is it okay Timothy for a minister of the Word of God. It's not just Okay, it's commanded here, correct and rebuke it says. What that means if they don't listen to correction you need to use stronger medicine. Sin is the enemy of the church, Timothy. So get busy and do it. Now, did Jesus do this kind of thing? Did Jesus use rebukes? All the time. In Revelation 3:19, he says, "Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be earnest and repent." I hope that doesn't blow your image of the gentle Jesus, and mild. Jesus was constantly rebuking his disciples when they were sinning and he shaped them and formed them, to be like, himself. I think as I look at American culture today and I were to circle the one virtue that we in popular culture, hold to be the highest, it would not be truth, would it? It would be tolerance. Acceptance of one another. Won't you agree. As you look at the polls, today and as you look at the situation in our culture wouldn't you say that tolerance is a thing we hold... Hold to be the greatest virtue? But tolerance in this sense is harmful to the church. If we just accept one another's sinfulness, the church careens down, a path from which is very difficult to get it back. Now Timothy, you need to speak the truth to brothers and sisters, you need to speak to them honestly, and truthfully. How many of you can testify to a good friend, a good brother, a good sister in Christ, that is willing to come alongside you and tell you the truth, when you need to hear it. Now, that's a true friend, but we're supposed to be that way with each other. But then he says those two may be considered negative correct and rebuke, but he also says encourage. Now, Mark Twain said about this, he said, "I can live a whole year on a good compliment. Are you like that? Could you live a whole year on a good compliment? I know I could. You have to be careful it doesn't go into your head. But how much more, if a brother, or a sister, filled with the spirit comes alongside and says, "You know, I really appreciate the ministry, what you're doing in our church..." We need you to do that. You're a valuable member of the church. So we correct and rebuke, but we also encourage we find what God is doing in that person's life. And we bring it up like, fanning something small in a small flame up into a larger flame with the words of encouragement. But he says, "Do it with great patience and careful instruction." Great patience means you can't give up. People don't change easily, do they? It's not going to be overnight, with this process. Stay with it Timothy. Stay with it, don't give up so easily. And use careful instruction. Again, we see the role of the Word of God and of doctrine. You could translate careful instruction, the NIV doctrine, sound teaching, keep using it Timothy. It's what strengthens the church like a flow of pure water. Keep telling them the truth, and they will grow. So that is the central charge in Verse two. Preach the Word and do all these ministries, under that so that people grow in maturity in Christ. III. People Will Resist The Sound Doctrine But then he gives a second motive in verses three and four. The prevalence of false teachers. I really should say, the prevalence of false listeners. It's the bad audience syndrome. Okay. And this is what he gets to. He says, "The time will come when men will not... " look at this, "put up with sound doctrine…" They won't endure it. It's like a burden. To listen to good teaching, good Bible teaching. They're not going to put up with it anymore. Instead to soothe their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. Bible teacher Marvin Vincent put it so well. If people desire a calf to worship, a ministerial calf maker is readily found. You can always find somebody to build that idol for you if that's what you really want. People aren't going to put up with it. Put your finger here in 2 Timothy 4, and flip over to Isaiah chapter 30, and you'll see how long the same thing has been going on. The bad audience syndrome. In Isaiah 30:10 it is talking about Israel. They are rebellious people, deceitful children, children listen to this, unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction. They don't want to listen. And look at this, "They say to the seers, 'see no more visions' and to the prophets, 'give us no more visions of what is right. Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy illusions. Leave this way. Get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel.'" That is the bad audience syndrome. Stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel. I don't want to hear it anymore. Those people are not enduring sound doctrine. They want pleasant things, they want illusions. They don't want the truth from God. And so these people are going to gather a large number of teachers. Maybe some of you have collections as a hobby, maybe a stamp collection, or a coin collection these days, people are collecting those sports cards with autographs on them. You're never sure if they're genuine autographs or not. But, people collect them. These people the bad audience syndrome, those people collect bad teachers, they don't want just one they want a whole number of them, they're going to heap up the number of bad teachers. Why? Because I think they know in their hearts that they're hearing bad doctrine. So if you get a lot of people saying, maybe it just might be true. So they heap up a large number of false teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear, that tickling of the ears. Now, what does it mean to tickle someone's ears? If I were to stand up here, and tickle your ears, what would I be doing? Well, I think there's different things. I could use flattery for example. I could tell you all that you look wonderful, and that you're the best audience I've ever preached to and I just love your clothes. Every one of you look great and the attentive looks on most of your faces. I think it's just marvelous. You're a great audience. That's called flattery, Paul rejected it, threw it away like the garbage that it is. 1 Thessalonians, he said, "You know, that we never use flattery, nor do we put on a mask to cover up greed. God is our witness." We don't use that kind of thing. So that's one way to tickle people's ears. Another way is to entertain them. I love a good story, I really do, I like to tell stories, I like to hear stories. I think the time on Sunday morning, would be far more entertaining if I just stood up in front of you and told you a series of homey tales one after another, but you know something none of you would grow in Christ, not one of you. It's what you could call spiritual junk food. It disappears after a little while and accomplishes nothing for the Kingdom of God. I'm not going to tickle your ears, I'm not going to flatter you, I'm going to tell you the truth, if I'm a true teacher. And that's what the Apostle Paul told Timothy to do. Don't tickle their ears. There's enough people around there who'll do that. And in verse four it says, they're going to turn their ears away from myths... Or turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. There's a violence actually in the Greek language here, they're going to rip themselves up out of the truth and turn away to something else. It's like a bone that comes out of a joint. That's a strong word that Paul uses here. They're going to jerk away from the truth and turn to something else. And what does he call it, he calls it a myth or myths. Now, What is a myth? This week, my wife bought the book, D'Aulaires’ book of Greek Myths. I don't know if you ever seen it before. It's a beautifully illustrated, volume of Greek mythology. It's got stories about Zeus and Apollo and all those kind of things. I loved to read those stories when I was growing up. And it's very educational. The one thing about all those entertaining tales is that none of them are true, not one of them, they're all false. They're very entertaining and they're interesting, but they're all false. That's the difference between truth and falsehood. You can call it a myth. A myth is just a charming story invented from someone's imagination. Do you know we have myth makers today? I was reading the other day about Robin Williams ever heard of Robin Williams, he's got a new film out. Do you know what the film's called, What Dreams May Come. Do you know what it's about? It's a Buddhist view of the after life, and people are going to be coming all over the country and they're going to a money to see what Robin Williams thinks about the afterlife. Basically, a Buddhist framework. I've not seen the movie, but I've seen previews of it. And do you realize that Hollywood with computer-aided graphics now can create incredible illusions? It's just incredible what people... I saw a program on this the other day on PBS. Some of you may have seen the movie Titanic, I didn't see it, but do you realize that the mass quantities of people on the ship most of those people didn't exist, they were computer generated people. I didn't realize that, but what they did was they were able to imitate the motions of human beings from far away. It's cheaper than getting actors. That's what they did, they didn't want to get a bunch of actors, so they used a computer to generate the illusion of tons of people on the ship, waving. They weren't real people. And actually, the man said there's coming a day when there may be a computer generated movie star who doesn't even exist, and people won't know it. They're just going to go and see this person, they're going to watch this film week after week, and he won't even exist and no one will know it's a computer generated person. And they said they're having trouble with the hair when they get the hair down, and it looks realistic then there'll be a computer generated... This is all a myth. Robin Williams view of the end times and of life after death is a myth. And people are going to go to movies all over the country and they're going to be polluted by this myth because they don't know the scripture, they don't know that reincarnation, is not scriptural. Hebrews 9:27 says that it's appointed for all of us to die once. And then to face judgment. That's the truth. Robin Williams teaches a myth. And so Paul says to Timothy. You have to keep your head, in verse five, you have to keep your head in all situations. In other words, keep clear thinking. There the word literally means keep clear of intoxicants. I don't think Timothy was given to drinking or drugs or anything like that. He's just saying, be clear in your thinking so that you can answer each generation of myth. You need to be able to take the scriptural truth, and bring it home to the hearts of the people. And then he tells him endure hardship. Be willing to put up with difficulty in the ministry. Be willing to put up with persecution and physical trials. And he says, do the work of an evangelist. An evangelist is someone who takes full-time, all the time, to preach the gospel to people who need salvation. D L Moody is a great example of this. You know D L Moody made a commitment that he would not go to bed every night if he had not shared the Gospel with somebody sometime that day. Can you believe that? And there was a time that he hadn't. And he got up out of bed, put his clothes back on, and went out and found somebody and preached the gospel to them. Thankfully, he didn't live in a rural area, he was in the city and he found somebody on the street, he would have been looking a long time knocking on the door of the neighbor. You again? And this kind of thing. But to D L Moody was committed to being an evangelist, he was committed to preaching the Gospel. So Timothy also, you must be. Discharge All the Duties of Your Ministry And then, finally, he says, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Really the word means fulfill your ministry. There's an image in a sense that Jesus has sent before Timothy, a vessel like a Gold Cup, and it's empty at the beginning of his ministry and he's filled Timothy up with a spiritual gift and with opportunities, one after another, and he's to be poured out into that empty cup until it's all full up. Isn't that a beautiful image and that's what the Apostle Paul saw in himself. IV. Paul’s Completed Mission And so he reaches for his third motivation, the predictions of Paul, he says in Verse six, "I'm already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure." Isn’t that powerful? He predicts that he's about to die. And so that's a motivation for Timothy. Timothy. I'm about to leave. The church needs leaders, Timothy step forward. I'm about to be gone. Now he takes this image from the Jewish sacrificial system. Of a drink offering. I don't know if you've heard about this, but it was a small amount of wine and it was poured on the sacrificial fire. Can you hear the hiss as the wine goes on to the flames and just goes up, goes up in sacrifice to God, that's the way Paul saw his life, poured out for God, offered up as a sacrifice. And he said, "I'm already being poured out like a drink offering." Notice it's passive. I'm not pouring myself out. Jesus is pouring me out. He filled me up and now he's pouring me out. And when I'm empty, he'll take me home. Isn't that powerful? Everything put inside me, God put there for a reason. I want to use it to build the church. That was Paul's attitude. I'm already being poured out like a drink offering. And the time has come for my departure Timothy, very soon. Paul would be let out of that cell. He would go up to that place of execution and he would kneel down and a Roman sword would flash through the air, and end his life. His spirit would be separated from his body and it would go up to an incredible reception. An incredible reception. And he says there is in store for me, a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will award me on that day. And why will the righteous judge, award this crown to me? Because I have fought the good fight. Because I've finished the race. I kept the faith, I persevered Timothy in my ministry. Fought the Good Fight What does he mean when he says, I fought the good fight? He's talking about a wrestling match, a struggle. There was a struggle in Paul's life. It was an internal struggle with his own sin, nature. He's a man, or a human being just like you. And he struggled with his sin nature. He said in 1 Corinthians 9, he said, I beat my body and make it my slave, lest after I've preached to others I may not be disqualified from the race. So he kept himself under control and he was never disqualified, was he? He kept faithful to God. But even more was the struggle with Satan. Can you even imagine the number of times that Satan whispered in Paul's ear to stop doing that ministry? Paul, haven't you suffered enough. Haven't you done enough for God? Give it up. Stop. And he never listened, no matter what the cost, no matter how much suffering he kept going. He stayed the course, it was a marathon and he finished the race. And he kept the faith. He never changed his doctrine and he never broke faith with the Lord who gave him this command, and so he has a crown of righteousness. Now, what does that crown made out of? Not any earthly gold. It's that... That aroma of sacrifice of life that goes up in a gaseous form up to heaven and God takes that gas and weaves it together into a beautiful crown and sets it on Paul's head. It's his own... His head, it's his own good deeds. Done in service to Jesus Christ, God never forgets any of them. Hebrews 6:10 says God is not unjust he will not forget. He's not going to forget anything you do for him Timothy so be faithful. That crown of righteousness is mine, but it's not just mine, it's yours as well. That crown is given to any, to all who have longed for his appearing. Am I speaking to people today who long for the appearing of Jesus Christ. Do you long to see him. Don't you want to see him face-to-face? Do you long... Do you long to see him glorified in this sinful world to see him given what he truly deserves, by a world that has so long ignored him? Don't you long for that. If so then you are ready to receive a crown of righteousness. Any who have longed for his appearing. Well, part of that longing is to put your life in to serving him to make that kingdom coming a reality by preaching the gospel faithfully. At the beginning of my sermon today, I told you a series of names of people who died with regret. I want to close with a story of someone who died the other way. In 1904, a man named William Borden, who was a member of the Borden dairy family, ever heard of Borden dairy products? William Borden finished high school and was given as a graduation gift, a world cruise. So he traveled around the world and while travelling through the Far East, he became burdened by the sight of people who had idolatrous worship systems and who did not know Jesus and he committed himself, on that boat to be a missionary. Upon returning home he spent four years at Yale, and then three years at Princeton seminary preparing for that life, that missionary service. And while he was in school, he turned to the back of his Bible and wrote on the last page of the Bible. These words, "No reserves." That means he would hold nothing back, for God. He would give everything to God. No reserves. Well as his ministry... Or as his preparation for ministry ended and it was time for him to go, he started selling all of his possessions, started giving away his incredible resources and the family was saying, "We need you to run the dairy, business". And he said, "No, I can't. I'm called to be a missionary." And so he gave away millions of dollars, emptied himself of those things and below the words no reserves, he wrote the words, "no retreat. No retreat." He was never going to turn back, he was going ahead with his plans to be a missionary. On his way to China to witness to Muslims there, he contracted cerebral meningitis and died within a month. The world grieved and said it was a tragic loss and said, "What a waste? If he had stayed in America, he could have done so much good here." A friend found his personal effects, found his Bible, and opened up to the back of the Bible, saw the words, "no reserves" and below it written, "no retreat." But below that was the final entry. "No regrets." William Borden died at age 25, with no regrets, because he gave everything for Jesus Christ. It's my desire that when I reach the end of my race, when I reach the end of my struggle I'll have no regrets. It's my desire that the people of First Baptist Church, will have no regrets either, that we can say, "I have fought the good fight, I've finished the race, I've kept the faith. Now there is in-store for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord himself will award to me on that day." Now If I'm speaking to you and you've never heard this before and you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I can't even describe the regret you'll have on Judgment Day. It's immeasurable. But if you come to faith in Christ, today, now, you can live with no regrets. And when you see Jesus you'll have a welcome, you can't even imagine.
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