The Gospel of the Kingdom

And greetings once again from the Auditorium of Beacon Baptist Church, Kirkpatrick Road, Burlington, North Carolina. And since we can't meet in person, what a joy it is to meet by way of computer, by way of the internet. Thank you for joining us tonight. It is a joy to be able to communicate this way.

To be able to share prayer letters and prayer requests, and of course to open the Word of God and to look into what God has spoken to us. I had a delightful and unexpected telephone call this afternoon from David Cassels in Chelmsford, England. Dear brother in Christ, whom we have known for many, many years, who has preached a number of times here in the Beacon pulpit. He's a wonderful and powerful preacher of God's Word. He pastored in Glasgow, Scotland for a number of years, and then the Lord moved him down to Chelmsford, England, which is not too far north of London. And that's where he is. He's talking about maybe it's time to retire, but he hasn't yet.

However, they are also undergoing COVID restrictions, really more severe than the ones that we have here in this country. And it is not possible for his congregation to meet in person. And so they are doing all of their services by Zoom. And he says it's working out very well. And he has some people who have joined them on the Zoom services that have never been to their church. One of them is a neighbor of his. So it's a real delight to see how the Lord takes difficult circumstances and turns them into blessings and advantages for the interests of Christ's kingdom.

So it was good to talk to him. He wanted me to remember him and his wife Isabel to the church and to thank you, the congregation, for the financial support. We send a little bit of support to them to encourage them. Their church is very small. And so they're there partially on a missionary basis and partly on a small salary from the church. And we're glad to be able to be partners with them in that work of the gospel in the land of England. We also want to extend congratulations tonight to Alan and Priscilla Starnes on the birth of their newest grandson, Logan Timothy Starnes, born on Monday, weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long.

So congratulations to Alan and Priscilla. Our schedule is going along in the same fashion that we have been for some time. For the first couple of months of COVID, of course, we didn't meet at all. And then about three months ago, I guess now, we started having Sunday morning only people present services with careful restrictions. We have every other pew blocked off to keep people at a distance in that direction. And we ask people not to crowd too close together on the pews to observe what is called social distancing, and to wear masks. And we don't shake hands or hug, although it's hard to remember that at times.

We do fist bump or elbow bump. But we are having wonderful services and we are seeing actually the numbers growing incrementally. And we had a very good attendance this last Sunday. And we saw some people back that haven't been to church for many, many, many weeks.

In fact, really since COVID started. So if you're able to come, please do come. There's no pressure. We don't want anyone to come who feels that you are in a vulnerable position and it would not be safe for you to come. But we are being careful. And so far, as far as we know, nobody's gotten sick at church. And we've been having some wonderful services. So please plan to join us Sunday morning at 930 if you are able to do so. We've even had a few visitors along the way.

And that's always a delight. Sunday night at 6 o'clock is a sermon from the Word of God, a message via live stream and an empty auditorium. And again, the same thing on Wednesday night as we're doing tonight. However, we are going to go ahead with our previously scheduled fall Bible conference in October, October 4 through 7, Sunday through Wednesday night. We have traditionally held a Bible conference in the spring and in the fall. And the dates have moved around a bit, but over the last several years they've been pretty standardized. And so the April conference has been the first Sunday, beginning the first Sunday in April, Sunday through Wednesday. And the fall Bible conference has been the first Sunday in October, Sunday through Wednesday.

We had to cancel the April meeting reluctantly, but nobody was meeting at that time. And we have weighed over a good period of time whether or not to try to conduct the October meeting, but we're going to do so, Lord willing. Jim Oreck from Louisville, Kentucky is our scheduled speaker. I have talked to him recently.

He's very happy to come, really eager to come. And so we are making plans for that. So I would appreciate your marking that on your calendar and making plans to be with us. We'll maintain the same cautions, the same precautions that we're maintaining now. But we will meet together for those meetings as little by little, very incrementally, but little by little we begin to return in the direction of normalcy. Our ladies coffee and courage Bible studies are going to be resuming in the fall on Tuesday morning, meeting in the fellowship hall in the fireplace room, a large room where again they will be able to distance themselves in a proper fashion and so forth. So as we feel that it's safe, we are adding things, but we're also being very careful.

Some people are chomping at the bit. When are we going to start Sunday school again? Well, we're not sure.

Not yet. When are we going to have ESL? Some of our ESL students want to get that started again, and we'd love to do it. But we are a little concerned about the closeness that's involved in the classroom situation, but we'll add that as soon as we are able. When are we going to return to Wednesday night into impact clubs, others want to know. And the answer is the same.

Whenever we see that the COVID is going lower, lower than it is now, and when our governor decides that it's safe to move into phase three or maybe even beyond, then that's the time that we'll be doing that. The only other announcement that I would make is if you have a copy of the prayer sheet, which was sent out by email to all of you who are on the in the know email list, and if you're not, we'd be happy to add you. But please note that Erin and Wendy Lynch have discontinued their landline. They're, of course, members at Beacon. And their cell phone numbers are listed in the prayer sheet, on the prayer sheet, on the announcement side, one for Erin and a different one for Wendy. So if you'll take the time to write those numbers down, put them inside your church directory, and you may want to log them in your phone memory as well, but get them in your church directory.

That would be very helpful indeed. We have some praises to share. Rob Conrad had a procedure to remove kidney stones, and it went well. Dale Evans got a good report on a scan that he had.

Josiah Veroy came through his dental surgery just fine. That was a matter of great concern. Our government official of the week is Village of Alamance Mayor Pro Tem Nadine Sharp. She has been involved in one way or another with the government of Alamance for a long, long, long, long time, many years. Please pray for her.

Please thank the Lord for her faithfulness. As we consider members, we do want you to know that Art Pope, who has been back to church two or three times in spite of his COPD, nevertheless now has a cold, and that's just aggravating it because, of course, COPD is a breathing problem, and a cold aggravates fluency and breathing. That's not the right word, but ease of breathing, and so he's struggling with that. Pray please for him. Under the other section, we are pleased to hear that Julius Bouzier is recovering from foot surgery. Pray for him.

Janice Craig, the mother of Duane Craig, is in hospice and is declining. Scott Delory, he and his wife and son moved to the Philippines not too many months ago after worshiping with us over a number of months. Anyway, he has dengue fever. I guess that's how you pronounce it. I see it from time to time on missionary prayer letters. D-E-N-G-U-E. If there's another way to pronounce it, please let me know. I should have looked it up.

But anyway, please pray for him. Mary Hicks, an aunt of Sue Elliott, had a heart attack as in Cone Hospital. Darla Haislip's sister, Rhonda, some of you will remember Rhonda from many years ago. Rhonda lives in Virginia, right on the border with North Carolina. I'm thinking maybe South Boston.

I'm not sure exactly, but anyway. She has a grandson, the son of her son, who was involved in a very serious ATV accident. He's in Duke Hospital ICU with multiple skull fractures, possible damage to his brain. Pray for Tyler Rankin. Robert Sweet continues to have heart issues. Please pray for him.

This is Sarah Cardwell's father. We are fervently praying that the Lord might allow Stuart Waugh to have a liver transplant. He's been scheduled three times in the last several weeks, only to have it aborted at the last minute for one reason or another. And so he is still on the urgent transplant list when a suitable donor becomes available. We're praying for Trevor Johnson.

I'll read a short report from him in a moment. Missionary to Papua, who is home attending to some health and family needs. And likewise Paul Snyder, serving in the same location, is in the USA for treatment of a health condition. And also his daughter Mary Ann, who is being treated as well. We've had a number of families in our church who have been touched by death in the last week. Sue Elliott saw the passing of an aunt, Iva Booker. Missionary Janice Worth, Steve and Janice Worth we have supported first in Scotland and then in England for many, many years, many decades really. And Janice's father, Paul Chandler, died, in fact the funeral was today, in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Steve and Janice were not able to travel because of COVID restrictions and other issues, but that one primarily. Her father, Paul Chandler, was a Baptist pastor for decades and decades and decades. In fact he was 90, well I think 96 when he died, but I think he was still pastoring past the age of 90. But pray for that family. He's a dear man and he's missed by his three daughters. He had a fourth daughter who was with the Lord, but three daughters who are living.

Gary Allred's uncle, Thomas Cook, passed away and Sue Vestal's cousin's husband, Mark Tier, also passed away. Prayers appreciated for each of these families. Denise Marley asked us to pray, moving to another section, the cancer section. Denise Marley asked us to pray for Nancy Bingham who has pancreatic cancer and is having surgery, I guess today was that surgery on the 26th, yes that's today.

And Marie Hobbs has cancer and is declining. Steve Lynch asked us to pray for her. We've been praying for some ESL students who have needs. Pedro Eugenio and his wife both tested positive for COVID-19, but they're now recovering nicely and he's one of those who is chomping at the bit to get back to ESL classes.

He's ready to go. So we thank the Lord for that, for Pedro and his wife. And then we're praying for Maggie Morino who has a mass which is of concern. It hasn't yet been examined.

There's been no biopsy yet to determine the exact nature, but we're praying for this lady that the Lord will be gracious to her. I'll read some missionary communications in a moment as we customarily do on Wednesday night. It's one of the focuses, one of the main focuses at our Wednesday night service. And then when I open God's Word we're also going to be looking at a text of Scripture that has to do with the proclamation of the Gospel to the world, in other words what we call missions. With that in mind I have selected a hymn to read the words tonight by Chris Anderson entitled For the Sake of His Name. Go to the world for the sake of His name.

To every nation His glory proclaim. Pray that the Spirit wise will open darkened eyes, granting new life to display Jesus' fame. Love the unloved for the sake of His name. Like Christ, befriend those whose heads hang in shame.

Jesus did not condemn but was condemned for them. Trust Gospel power for we once were the same. Rescue the lost for the sake of His name as Christ commands snatched them out of the flame. Tell that when Jesus died, God's wrath was satisfied.

Urge them to flee to the Lamb who was slain. Look to the throne for the sake of His name. Think of the throng who will share in His reign. Some for whose souls we pray will share our joy that day, joining our song for the sake of His name.

The chorus says, In Jesus' power preach Christ to the lost. For Jesus' glory, count all else but loss. Gather from every place trophies of sovereign grace.

Lest lice be wasted, exalt Jesus' cross. Will you bow with me in a word of prayer? Father, it is always a privilege to bow before the throne of grace. It is always a privilege to pray to the Creator of the universe, the Creator of every one of us who are listening in to this service tonight. To the Heavenly Father who has made us your children by the giving of your Son, what a privilege it is to come into your presence in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, having been joined to Christ by the work of your Spirit and by the work of faith which you have granted to us by the work of your Spirit. And Father, we come to you to praise you, to thank you, to worship you, and to petition your throne on behalf of those who are in need. We come, O Lord, to pray for the prosperity of the gospel as it is proclaimed around the world.

I thank you for this communication tonight with our dear friend David Cassels in Chelmsford, England. And I pray that you will bless his ministry and his congregation and cause the gospel light to go forth in that location. I pray for those who are listening to the services that come by means of electronic communication and who are hearing the gospel, some perhaps for the very first time. We pray, O Lord, that you will open their hearts and bring them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. We pray now that you will guide our hearts towards those things which are eternal. We pray that you will bless those missionaries who are faithfully proclaiming your word around the world as we ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen. I said I would read an update from Trevor Johnson. And here's the portion of his recent prayer letter that pertains to what's going on with the Johnson family.

We return to the United States to settle in Noah. Noah is their oldest child. He's 15 or 16, I think 16. He wasn't progressing in home school very well. He is now at Missouri Military Academy, a Christian non-denominational military school, and is doing well despite some adjustment. We have felt like parental failures, but the school is good.

And my trip to the U.S. has caused me to get worse in my condition, and I am more fatigued and achy being here in the United States where I cannot rest, and everything costs more. We took our daughter, Alethea, age 13, to a seminar camp for missionary kids, and we are addressing some snarkiness on her part. Others tell me that teenage years can prove challenging, but I was hoping to miss out on all of this. Both kids claim to love the Lord, and Noah even started the Bible study at night before he was moved to a different barracks, so it seems that they are doing well. In the meantime, their father, myself, is trying to recuperate despite pain and to get restarted for about the 50th time on his doctrinal dissertation. In the winter and spring, we plan to visit different countries in case Indonesia keeps blocking my visa. Next year we hope to be healthy enough to serve again in a poor area, but for now we are doing very much in an administrative capacity in Papua.

Trevor Johnson. Silas and Vanjur Campos in Brazil write, Dear partners in the Gospel, By God's grace, Brazil is slowly going back to normal life. After months of reclusion, what a blessing to return to work at the church office. Our people-present services shall begin on September 6. Statistics say that more than 105 million people have died, either from or with COVID-19. That, of course, would be worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization report, the three most promising vaccine studies in the world are relying on scientists and volunteers in Brazil. Through the Fiel ministry, we held an online Bible conference for women. To our surprise, we had more than 2,000 people connected with us. The theme of this three-day event was counseling one another. The main speaker was Elise Fitzpatrick, the author of Council from the Cross.

Vanjur and I also had the privilege of speaking to this group, Silas and Vanjur Campos in Brazil. Tony and Kathy Payne write of their recent arrival back in the States from South Africa. They made really, I don't know if I should call it an emergency trip, but maybe we should call it that because of health issues with Kathy's mother. Dear friends, we arrived in Atlanta yesterday afternoon tired but safe and, Lord willing, free of COVID-19.

We are required to self-monitor for 14 days and isolate. So we are camping in our basement of the home we lived in when we were caring for Kathy's mother. So this must be his mother they've come home for.

I think Kathy's mother may have already passed away. We have already been able to make Skype calls to two families in South Africa in the church, and they assure us of their prayers for us and for the work to prosper in our absence. Won't you please pray that God will use this time to cause the body to function in a healthy manner and grow in grace and in the development of their gifts for the work of the ministry. We will be in touch with more news when we complete the isolation. We will be able to have time with my mother as soon as we complete the CDC required isolation. We have chatted with her and with our children and grandchildren. They are all as eager to see us as we are to see them. We thank the Lord for making it possible for us to make this trip and pray that it will be a very profitable time spiritually.

I can also fill in a little bit of background. They weren't sure that it would even be possible to get a flight from South Africa to America, but they had made it known that they were looking for a flight and wanted to do that, and they got an email, I think maybe from the American Embassy, that said they had a flight that was carrying a number of people that were coming from South Africa to America, and so they were able to get on that flight, and that's how they came home. They are now at this time in Greenville, South Carolina. Finally, the latest newsletter from Piedmont Rescue Mission. They're having to make a lot of adjustments because of COVID. Everything has changed because of COVID, but here's what Tony Honeycutt writes for the August prayer letter. How do we start this letter?

Our minds are going in so many directions. As in our letter last month, we are still praising the Lord for many blessings. We are praising Him that the men are still healthy and our staff have remained healthy. We are also praising the Lord that we were able to reopen the Good Samaritan Super Thrift Store for the public to come in and shop three days a week. As we enter the sixth month of the pandemic, we are all growing weary, but with the full understanding that God is in control and working His will out in this situation.

Our finances are taking a hit now. With a baby bottle boomerang under half of what came in last year, and now with a greater vision banquet date only a few months away, we know we are going to have to go about this fundraiser in a totally different way than in the past. Please pray for us to have wisdom to know how we can raise the money that we need in spite of the pandemic. We have several ideas we are tossing around right now, and we'll definitely have more answers in the next prayer letter.

Community meals will also have to be handled in a totally different way this year. Please pray for wisdom for us to make decisions for each of these events. The men's division and pregnancy services division have been trying to keep things going as close to normal as possible. We are seeing new clients in the pregnancy services on a weekly basis with all safety measures in place. We put a hold on men entering the program, but as of this week we are opening the doors for men to come in under strict supervision and safety measures. We will be taking their temperatures daily, requiring them to wear masks when they are out of their rooms for at least the first two weeks they are here.

Please pray the men stay healthy, even with the new men being brought in. The family shelter is making progress. All the apartment wall divisions have been done, and awaiting inspection before we can move to put up the sheetrock.

The plumber is waiting on the inspector to answer a few questions for him before he starts his work on the bathroom and kitchen plumbing. We need to find someone who can put in windows for us. We need about eight windows put in on the outer walls that is a prefab metal wall. If you know of someone that could help us with this, please let us know.

We are required to have a window in every bedroom that is on an outer wall. We do wish things were moving faster on the shelter, but we are moving on God's timetable, and he knows what is best for us. Please pray for finances for the shelter.

Because of the pandemic, our finances are beginning to suffer in all of the ministries. Thank you for your continued prayer support and financial support. We are praying for all of you.

God bless Tony and Tammy Honeycutt Piedmont Rescue Mission. And now, take your Bibles and open them please to Matthew chapter 24. It's been a couple of weeks ago, I guess.

August 12, that would be two weeks ago, I think. Yes, two weeks ago we entered Matthew chapter 24, Matthew's record of Christ's Olivet Discourse. In preparation to examine more carefully verse 14, which has to do with preaching the gospel of the kingdom to all the world. And we spent our entire time in the first 13 verses of the chapter leading up to our text in verse 14. Because there are so many things in those first 13 verses that sound exactly like what we see going on around us in the world today. Because we already covered those verses and talked about those verses and applied many of those verses to our current world situation and our current national situation. We're not going to do any of that tonight except to read them.

I'm simply going to read them to get our text in its context. Before I begin reading, I remind you that this is Jesus talking to his disciples, his apostles, not long before he went to the cross. They have left Jerusalem, crossed the Kidron Valley, have gone up to the Mount of Olives. From that vantage point, they are looking back upon that temple. That temple is huge. I got a new insight into the largeness of that temple as I've been preparing for my message for this coming Sunday morning. And only to mention that the Romans had built a fort, fortress Antonio, or Antonia, I forget which, named after Anthony, of Anthony and Cleopatra fame. But here the great had built that fortress for the Roman government, of which he, of course, was the leading official during his life. And they built it adjacent to the northwest wall of the temple, the outer courtyard wall of the temple area. That fortress is large. They built it high enough so that from the fortress they could look down into the temple courtyard, which is what they needed to do because that's where riots tended to break out in Jerusalem. In fact, one of those broke out with the apostle Paul.

We'll be talking about that this coming Sunday. But that fort, if I'm understanding correctly, housed a cohort of Roman soldiers, which would be about 600. That would have to be a pretty good sized building to have barracks, rooms, and sleeping facilities for that many members, that many soldiers. And yet when you look at it on a chart, as I have done, it is only just a, it doesn't even cover a quarter of the north wall of the temple area. The temple was huge. Jesus and the disciples are looking back on this huge temple that had been enlarged by Herod the Great, the great builder. He built things all over. He loved to build and he left quite a legacy of building. He built the temple, enlarging it, so it became virtually one of the wonders of the world. It was an amazing structure.

He built the whole city of Caesarea up on the coast, which became the capital city for Roman government in that province. He built other cities. We'll talk about another one of those this coming Lord's Day.

He was quite the builder. And Jesus and the disciples are looking back at this magnificent temple that is just astounding. It really is something that people from many parts of the world would come to just in order to see the magnificence of this structure. And yet Jesus had told his disciples that it was going to be destroyed. And that's the opening verses of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple.

His disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, Not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceive you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached, and all the world is a witness to all of the nations.

And then the end will come. The gospel of the kingdom. Four things. The message, the field, the goal, the culmination.

First of all, the message. What is the gospel of the kingdom? Jesus said, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. What is the gospel of the kingdom? Is that different from what we call the gospel?

Well, no. But there are a number of aspects of it here that will help us to understand it perhaps in a fuller dimension. So what is the gospel of the kingdom? Well, in the first place, it is a message of good news. We know that because of the word gospel. That's what it's called, the gospel of the kingdom. And the word gospel means good news. The gospel is good news.

And what is the good news of the gospel? It is that sinners can be forgiven. Sinners can be cleansed of their sins. Sinners can be made right, made justified in the tribunal of Almighty God. Sinners can be cleansed in order to be brought into the very presence of God. The good news of the gospel is that salvation is possible for sinners.

And that is a great marvel, that it should be so. We tend to take for granted that God saves sinners as if that's very commonplace. Sometimes we argue and complain because God doesn't do it maybe in a greater measure, assuming, as we do, that of course He's going to do that, of course He would want to do that.

Well, the truth of the matter is He does want to do it, but He's certainly not obligated to do it. And the fact that He would save even one sinner is a great marvel, remembering that when the angels sinned, when holy angels sinned against God, they were cast out, no remedy, no salvation, no Savior, no cleansing, no justification, no redemption. They sealed their fate when they sinned. What if God had done the same thing for humanity? The fact that God did deal with the holy angels that way tells us that He's under no obligation to save anyone. He's under no obligation to save a fallen angel.

He is under no obligation to save a fallen man or woman. And yet in grace He does, and that is good news. But when we see it in that perspective, we begin to understand what great news it is, what good news it is. We don't take it for granted when we realize that it is a marvelous, marvelous message. It is in many ways a surprising message that a holy God would care enough about rebellious, hell-deserving sinners to rescue sinners out of their lost condition and to bring them into union with Himself. And so the message of the kingdom is a message of good news. Secondly, the message of the kingdom is a message of Matthew's gospel.

And I don't think I'm going to have time to develop this fully, but there's a very interesting wording in our text in Matthew 24, 14. And we read, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. Why not just the gospel will be preached in all the world? What's the significance of saying this gospel? Well, when you look back on the context of what Jesus has said previously in the Olivet Discourse leading up to the text that we're looking at tonight in verse 14, you don't see anything that looks like the gospel. So Jesus can't be pointing back to something that He's already said to the disciples in this context, this immediate context. He hasn't given them the gospel and then comes back and says, this gospel, that is this gospel that I already mentioned, will be preached in all the world. So how are we to understand this gospel? And the best way that I can understand it is the gospel that has been presented in the book we call the gospel of Matthew, the gospel according to Matthew.

Now there is one aspect that is immediately prior, and so we'll refer to that. The closest thing you can find to a gospel message, I suppose, in the words prior to the text is the one in verse 13. 13 obviously precedes 14.

14 is our text. But in verse 13 Jesus said, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. Maybe that's what Jesus means. He that endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel, the gospel we must call it therefore, the gospel of perseverance. This gospel, he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. That would be the most obvious way to understand that phrase, this gospel.

The problem being that most modern Christians would not consider the words of verse 13 to be a gospel message at all. He that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. That's not the gospel as we think of the gospel. That's not the message that Christ died on the cross for sinners and rose again from the dead for sinners and those who believe in him will be saved.

That's not what this is saying. He who endures to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel shall be preached to the ends of the world. Well, a proper understanding of that message, he who endures to the end shall be saved. And you probably can only properly understand it if you study it out carefully all throughout the gospels, the four gospels. But a proper understanding of that message is that indeed salvation does involve persevering to the end.

It does, we could say, require persevering to the end. And that is not to say that it is perseverance that is the entrance into salvation. It's not perseverance that justifies us before the judgment bar of God. It is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ applied to our sinful record that justifies us before the judgment bar of God. It is the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us that justifies us before the judgment bar of God. But this truth, which is too seldom understood, too seldom emphasized, too seldom proclaimed, is namely that all those who are born again by the work of God's Spirit, all who experienced a new birth, all who are justified by the righteousness of Christ before the judgment bar of God, all of those will persevere in the faith to the end. That becomes a mark of genuine faith. There are people who profess faith who do not have genuine faith.

And you can see that when they don't persevere. Christ's parable of the four soils in Matthew chapter 13 would teach us that. And there we learn that the seed fell first on the pathway, the hard-packed soil, and nothing sprang up. But some of the seed fell in thorny soil and sprang up and was choked out. Other seed fell in rocky soil and sprang up and was choked out or was killed by the heat of the sun.

And some seed fell in good soil and sprang up and continued to grow and produced fruit. And what is that teaching us? That's teaching us that not everyone who professes to believe will endure. Some profess and their profession of faith is choked out.

It's short-lived. Others profess and their profession of faith proves to be lasting. It endures. And Jesus said in verse 13, For he who endures to the end shall be saved, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. In other words, the gospel of perseverance, the gospel that tells us that those who persevere in the faith will, when they die, be transported immediately into the presence of the Lord. They will be forever with the Lord. They have been saved. They are being saved. They will be saved. And perseverance is a mark of that. And Jesus said that gospel needs to be proclaimed.

He didn't even say needs to be. He said it will be proclaimed in all the world. The other elements of the gospel and other parts of Matthew's account I will not refer to at this time. So what is the gospel? It is number one, a message of good news. It is number two, a message of Matthew's gospel, a message of perseverance. And it is thirdly, a message of the kingdom.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. Of the kingdom, an objective genitive. Of the kingdom, the good news concerns the kingdom. The message of the gospel pertains to the kingdom. Now what does that tell us about the kingdom? The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All of these would be synonymous terms. What does this tell us about the kingdom? Well, it tells us the kingdom is present as well as future.

This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed. We also understand that a kingdom will always have a king, otherwise you don't even call it a kingdom. Why would it be a kingdom unless it were the domain of a king? The king's rule over this territory is what gives this territory the name kingdom. It's the dominion of a king. And so the gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed in all the world. Well, who's the king? King Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, you need to understand that the gospel has to do with the king of kings and Lord of lords. It has to do with a sovereign ruler and it has to do with our proper relationship to that ruler.

To become subjects of the kingdom means to come under the rule of the king. Ah, someone will say you are preaching salvation by works. That we are saved by obedience to the king and that's not the gospel. The gospel is we are saved by faith alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Yes, yes, yes, but we need to understand that this saving faith involves the element of submission to the king.

It's a change of heart. What is our condition before salvation? It is a condition of rebellion against the king. Unwillingness to live under his authority, an unwillingness to acknowledge his reign, an unwillingness to acknowledge our responsibility to obey his laws. We flaunt them, we disobey them, we go our own way, we pay no attention to the authority of the king. What does salvation do?

It changes all that. It brings us to repentance. We see our sinful rebellion. We've rebelled against the rightful king and we surrender.

We use that kind of language. We surrender to Christ. We surrender to the king. We bring ourselves under his rightful rule because it is a message of the kingdom. Salvation entails becoming a subject of Christ's kingdom. That's the message that needs to be proclaimed.

But what is the field? Where is this message to be proclaimed? Is it to be proclaimed to the lost sheep of the house of Israel?

Well, when Jesus sent out his disciples on previous occasions, that's what he told them to do. Don't go into the way of the Samaritans. Don't go to the Gentiles. Go to the nation of Israel. Preach the gospel to the Jews.

That's not what he says here. Shortly before the cross, the focus is already changing. It's enlarging, it's expanding. He's getting ready for the great commission that he'll give after the cross. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

And he says essentially the same thing here. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, which is synonymous with all nations that we read in verse 9. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And the gospel, this gospel of the kingdom, will be preached in all the world. In other words, preached unto all nations as a witness to all the nations, preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. So this is the field.

It is the world. Now it is interesting that God takes the responsibility to see that this will happen. And this gospel of the kingdom, and I slipped earlier and said ought to be, but that's not what it says. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Well, Lord Jesus Christ, how can you be so sure? Maybe your disciples won't be willing to do it. Maybe they'll fail in their task. Maybe they won't obey the commission. Maybe they won't take the gospel into all the world.

That's not possible. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached. There we see a statement of Christ's sovereignty. He will see to it that it is preached. He will so move upon the hearts of his people that it will be preached to all the world. Now, Christ takes responsibility for this, but we have a responsibility as well because every child of God who's a member of Christ's kingdom, who has surrendered to the authority of the king, has a desire to carry out his will. And if he tells us that it is his determination, it is his will, it is his purpose that this gospel shall be preached to the end of the world, what do we do but say, Lord, how can I help?

Where do I fit in? Lord, send me. That, of course, will be our response. But thirdly, we consider the goal, and I must move quickly now. What is the purpose of our activity? What are we trying to do in preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the world? Is it our goal to win the world to Christ? Is our goal to enlist as many decisions as possible?

Not according to this text. We are told two things. It is to proclaim the message that is preached, this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, and it is to bear witness to all nations. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached, that is proclaimed in all the world, as a witness to all nations. It is our job to proclaim it. It is our job to be a witness. Our goal is to participate in God's work of redemption. Our goal is to proclaim the gospel, which is the means God uses to bring his chosen ones into union with Jesus Christ, to bring them to faith. What is our part to preach? What is our part to witness? What is our part to bear testimony? What is God's part to make that effective in the hearts of those that he is drawing unto himself?

Our goal is to be faithful in the proclamation of the gospel to as many people as we can, trusting God to use it according to his sovereign will. And finally, the culmination. How long do we continue this work? Until the end comes. Has the end come yet? No. So are we still involved with this?

Yes. We are still gladly, eagerly, desiringly, hopingly wanting to be part of this work, praying that God will allow us to have a part in this great work of redemption. We will faithfully preach the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. We will faithfully witness the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. We will faithfully give that others may go to faraway places with the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. We will pray that God will attend the proclamation with success and will use it to change hearts and lives. We will eagerly participate in this wonderful work of the gospel of the kingdom. And now we shall close in prayer.

Help us, O Lord, to be eager servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, messengers of the gospel whom you will bless and use in this great work. We praise you that Rod Conrad came through his kidney stone procedure and is recovering. Thank you, Lord. We praise you that Dale Evans got a good report. And we thank you that the anxiety and fears for Dale and Charlotte have been relieved. We thank you for the wonderful news of Josiah Veroy's surgery, his dental surgery that was capable of bringing extreme, extreme pain and difficulty to him.

And yet, Lord, in your goodness, you allowed it to go smoothly and to do none of those things and to accomplish the purpose for which it was intended. Father, we want to pray tonight for our government officials and those whom you place in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in this world. We pray for Alamance Mayor Pro Tem Nadine Sharp, that you will guide her and guard her and use her in this task. We pray for Art Pope, that you might touch and strengthen him and allow him to be up and about again. For Julius Bouzier, that you will help him to recover from his foot surgery. For Janice Craig and her declining condition.

For Scott DeLorey in the Philippines, who has this fever, that you might touch and heal him. We pray for Mary Hicks, who is in Cone Hospital with a heart attack. And Tyler Rankin, who is in such precarious condition at ICU and Duke after this accident on an ATV. And we pray, O Lord, that you might spare the life of this young man and restore him to health. We pray for Robert Sweet, that you will give him the relief that he needs with his heart condition. We pray for Missionary Stuart Waugh, who needs a liver transplant. And Trevor Johnson, who needs a restoration of his health.

And Paul Snyder, likewise. We pray for the families of Iva Booker and Paul Chandler and Thomas Cook and Mark Tear, that you might minister graciously to each of these families. We lift up Nancy Bingham and pray that you will minister to her needs and bring her successfully through her pancreatic surgery.

And we pray for Marie Hobbs, who is declining, that you might minister graciously and powerfully to her. And now, O Lord, we give our hearts to you afresh. You have bought us at such great price. We are not our own. We have been bought with a price. O Lord, help us to live in gratitude for the one who loved us and gave himself for us as we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.