Whom Shall I Send? Series

“WHOM SHALL I SEND?” Isaiah 6:8

FBCF – 12/1/24

Jon Daniels

INTRO – We begin LMCO Week of Prayer today. Here’s one real-life reason we receive this offering every year.

- Missionary video

Here’s another reason:

- Michaela – young lady studying to be a missionary w/ IMB. Met her last week in NOBTS cafeteria where she’s working right now as she studies counseling at the seminary. Planning to be a part of Project 3000 – IMB sending 300 missionaries out to go find & engage the 3000+ people groups in the world who have no Gospel presence & she’s one of them. I’m praying there will be some young person in our church who will hear that call, too!

When you give to LMCO, 100% of LMCO goes to support those in the video; you’ll be supporting Michaela; & you’ll be supporting over 3500 international missionaries serving all over the world. Let me tell you what these missionaries did in 2023:

- Engaged 1036 unique people groups

- Shared Gospel w/ 870,798 people

- Led 141,206 people to faith in Christ

- Baptized 116,992 people

- Discipled 269,571 believers

- Trained 12,618 people in church planting

The missionaries in the video – Michaela in the cafeteria at NOBTS - & every one of those 3500 missionaries have, at some point in their lives, heard the Lord clearly speak to them & say, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And every one of them has said, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”

EXPLANATION – Isaiah 6:8

The prophet Isaiah lived in a day much like ours. The people of Judah had developed a sense of arrogance toward God. They thought, “I mean, after all, we ARE God’s chosen people. He delivered US out of bondage in Egypt. He gave US the promised land. He has blessed US in so many ways. There’s no way He would bring judgment against us. No way He would allow us to suffer.” Unfortunately, they found out that God will not wink at sin & the consequences always bring great suffering until confession & repentance happens.

So many in our world are in the exact same boat. Let me stop right now & say: Maybe even some in this place or watching this service are in that place right now.

- You’re flirting w/ sin

- You think God is going to wink at your sin

- You’re taking your chances

- You’re ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit that you feel when you read your Bible or sit in a worship service when the Gospel is being preached.

- You’re thinking, “Well, I’m not as bad so some of those REALLY bad sinners.”

If that’s you, I want to plead w/ you to stop RIGHT NOW, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS WORSHIP SERVICE, & cry out to the Lord!

- Maybe you need to cry out to Him & be saved! Then do it! “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!” (Romans 10:13)

- Maybe you need to cry out to Him in brokenness & confession & repentance over your sin. God spoke through prophet Malachi to these same children of God & said, “Return to me & I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7). He says that same thing to us today! So do that today! Return to Him!

Back to the call of God in these verses from Isaiah.

APPLICATION – The ONLY right response to God’s call is to say, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”

What does that mean for us today? What does that mean for YOU today?

- Does that mean you need to commit your life to be a missionary? It might. I believe there are those here who need to do that.

- Does that mean you need to commit your life to be a pastor or in some type of ministry? It might. I believe there are those here today who need to do that.

- Does that mean that you need to commit your life to share the Gospel w/ those who are lost? Answer to that is not, “It MIGHT.” Answer: YES! Absolutely!

All around us are people who need to know about Jesus.

- That He alone is the Savior of the world

- That He loves them w/ an everlasting love

- That He will save them forever if they will come to Him in repentance & faith

Some of those people are very much like us – Dress the same – Act the same – Talk the same – Same political views – Run in the same circles – Go to same school – Live in same community or in communities like ours – May even attend same church.

Outwardly, you’d never know that inwardly they are lost & bound for hell. They cover it up really well. They know the church lingo. They smile & talk as if there’s nothing going on inside of them.