“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.
Some of the people who need to know Jesus are very different from us – Different socioeconomic status – Different race – Live a different lifestyle – Live in a different community – Vote differently – Talk differently – Different religious views or have no religious views at all.
- Earlier this week, sitting in coffee shop in Madison working on this sermon. 3 women walked in wearing burkas – the traditional garment worn by Muslim women that fully covers the body & face. Immediately obvious that their belief about who Jesus is would be so different than mine & what the Bible says. They believe He was a prophet, but they don’t worship Him or believe that He is the Son of God & the Savior of the world.
- So interesting in that I had just watched the missionary video, so I was thinking about them their work on the other side of the world. At same time I was thinking about us as a church & our work of Making Much of Jesus on this side of the world.
Here's the deal: Whether that guy is wearing the same Mossy Oak or Sitka camo as you or wearing a Punjabi turban – Whether that woman is wearing the same Golden Goose sneakers or Ugg boots as you or is barefooted – Whether that person voted for Trump or Harris; is gay or straight; is white or black; is married or divorced; is religious or an atheist; lives in a million dollar mansion or is homeless & freezing on the streets of Jackson; lives in America or in the mountains of Chechnya – THEY NEED JESUS & YOU & I MUST DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO TELL THEM ABOUT HIM!
- We’ve got to GIVE – 10% of our budget each year plus other funds for mission efforts. In the proposed 2025 budget, FBCF will give over $273k to do mission work, & that’s not counting our extra missions offering throughout the year. In fact, everything in our budget ultimately has to do w/ the work of the Gospel & Making Much of Jesus!
o This month, set aside some amount of money that you are going to give to someone in need - $2, $20, $200 – Set it aside & pray & ask God who you are supposed to give it to.
- We’ve got to GO – Not just on mission trips but have the “GO” mindset EVERY DAY! Every day that you walk out your door, you are on a mission trip that day!
We cannot & we must not let anything ever get in the way of this calling from the Lord.
- Spurgeon: “If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness, it is in the matter of sending the Gospel to a dying world.”
Think about these things:
THE ONE WHO IS CALLING – “And I heard the voice of the Lord…”
v. 1-3 – THIS is who is calling us – the thrice-holy Lord Almighty. The seraphim are angels who are serving at His throne & give us an understanding of the majesty of our Lord who is calling us. Their 6 wings show us 3 things:
- 2 wings to cover their face b/c of the power of the radiance of God’s glory.
- 2 wings to cover their feet showing the humility that is necessary to come into the presence of God
- Fly w/ other 2 wings so that they can quickly move to serve the Lord
This majestic, holy, awesome, powerful, sovereign Lord Almighty is who is calling us.
- It’s not me or some other pastor, preacher, or evangelist who is calling, although God uses us to issue HIS calling
- It’s not an angel who is calling
- It’s not your personal preferences that are calling
It is GOD who is calling!
- The same God who called out to Jonah to go preach in Nineveh
- The same God who called Moses from the burning bush to go set God’s people free
- The same God who called Samuel as a child to be a prophet – “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
THAT’S who is calling us! And He’s calling to you & me right now. Question is: ARE WE LISTENING?
THE QUESTION OF THE CALLING – “Whom shall I send, & who will go for us?”
The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”—He wants willing volunteers to serve Him & go into this town, this county, this state, this nation, & this world to tell as many people as possible that Jesus Christ ALONE is the Savior of the world!
- He’s doesn’t want begrudging volunteers
- He doesn’t want boastful volunteers
- He doesn’t want bound up volunteers – bound up in their sin – Look @ Isaiah’s response to seeing the holiness of God – v. 5-7
He wants willing volunteers, humble volunteers, repentant volunteers. Question is: IS THAT YOU? If it is, then here’s your only right response:
THE RESPONSE TO THE CALLING – “Here I am! Send me.”
Sermon last week, exclamation points in Psalm 100 – emphasize a point; express strong emotion. Here’s another exclamation point verse!
- Isaiah emphasizing that he will go, & expressing his willingness to go w/ strong emotion.
- Not a wimpy response, but a definitive answer to God’s question.
This must be our response, too! “Here I am! Send me!”
- Send me across the room
- Send me across the street
- Send me across town
- Send me across the country
- Send me across the world
- “I WILL GO!”
CONCLUSION – COME ON, CHURCH! LET’S GO!
