I wrote this sermon and in turn to Exodus chapter 20 I had already written the sermon
But when I woke up this morning, you know, sometimes you sleep on something and then it just something pops into your mind
I was working on my sermon last night and I woke up this morning
I remembered what my parents taught me when I was just a little kid and I hadn't thought about this in so long
But I can remember it like yesterday. I can picture the face of my dad
I can I can picture our old house and I remember him explaining this to me when I was just a little kid
And here's what he explained to me
He said when you see these parts of the world where Christianity is just barely existing or totally
Non-existent and so, you know like some of these places in Asia where it's just everybody's Buddha is just non-existent
Christianity less than 1% or whatever
He said whenever you see a group of people that seem like they've just never heard the gospel or they just seem like there's no
Christianity there he said what that means son is that in the past
Their parents and their grandparents or great-grandparents have hated God and rejected the gospel and these
Children are suffering for what their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents rejected
That's the way my parents explained this to me when I was a kid. That's how they explained it
They said it's not that the gospel has never gone to these places
They said throughout history missionaries have always gone all over the world throughout history just like they're doing right now
It's just that a lot of these places their parents and their grandparents rejected it and they're suffering for that now
And we have to go reach the new generation with the gospel
Look at Exodus chapter 20 verse 4 says thou shalt not make unto thee any
Graven image and boy that immediately brings what to mind Asia whether it's Buddhism or Hinduism or Shinto or
Jainism, you know what? It's a lot of idolatry
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth
Beneath or that is in the water under the earth thou shalt not bow down myself to them nor serve them
Why why don't you want to serve them for I the Lord thy God? I'm a jealous God
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and fourth generation of them that hate me
Cambodia Thailand Burma. Hey, if you're gonna hate me and not even want to retain me in your knowledge
And you're gonna turn my glory into the image like a man or a beast
You can have all these idols and worship idols and bow down to idols
I'm a jealous God and I'm gonna punish you and your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren
folks an
Idolatrous nation suffers for three to four generations. That's what the Bible says, you know
We often hear this verse of well
You know the iniquities of the fathers are visited upon the children under the third fourth generation put it in its context
What's the context graven images idolatry and and you know what?
Here's the key them that hate me folks when people hate God. They're not just hurting themselves
They're hurting their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren
Now look I don't want you to get the wrong idea here and think that you know, oh they're doomed
They can't be saved folks. They can be saved, but it's gonna be harder to get them saved
It's an uphill battle to get them saved
Why because of the sins of the fathers because of the idolatry because of God hating grandparents God hating great-grandparents
God hating parents folks
What do you think is gonna be more likely for you to get saved growing up in a Christian home or growing up in a home?
That hates God that should be obvious. So even though we all have our own free will even though we all make our own choice
Obviously someone is way more likely to get saved if they're growing up in the United States of America
Than in these places that have just rejected God for centuries
Missionaries came they rejected them missionaries came they rejected them folks
It's hard to get them saved, but they can still be saved folks
There are nations that are cursed by God today
But even a nation cursed by God you can still have the individual get saved and even become a great man of God
How about Simon the Canaanite Canaanites were a nation that was not blessed by God God cursed the Canaanites
But Jesus in his hand-picked assortment of disciples
Specifically chose a Canaanite why just to show us that the individual can still be saved and do great things for God
So number one we said Asia's and spiritual a terrible spiritual condition
I'm not gonna lie to you and get up and tell you that Asia's condition spiritually is okay
It's in terrible condition spiritually number two. It's not because they've never been evangelized. They've been evangelized
They rejected the gospel number three
It is not because God doesn't want them to be saved go to first Timothy chapter 2 and folks there are people in this world
Who have this philosophy that is just sort of God's will that Asia be a heathen land and God planned it this way
And you know well God just plant he chose the United States right after he chose Israel
He chose the United States, or you know the point is that's why we have the two flags
You know we got the American flag Israeli flag actually we got Palestine flag anyway
So never thought you'd see that in an IFB church, huh?
We're gonna pose for pictures with it afterward like the Easter bunny, but look here's the thing God is not up in heaven
Saying well, you know, I just I just like white people. I just like black people
I just don't really like Asians that much you you really think God's a respecter of persons folks
God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance
And so it's not that God doesn't want them to be saved. It's not that God doesn't like Asia
Hey God likes Asia as much as he likes Europe or America look God is not a respecter of
Persons God wants all men to be saved. It's not God's fault that Asia's in that is the condition that it's in
It's Asia's fault that Asia's in the condition that it's in
I'll read you a few verses while you're turned to first Timothy 2 Matthew 24 14
Jesus said this gospel the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come
Matthew 28 19 go you therefore and teach all
Nations mark 13 10 the gospel must first be published among all nations. That's God's will Luke
2447 that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning in Jerusalem
Romans 1 5 by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name
Look at first Timothy 2 3 for this is good and acceptable on the side of God our Savior
Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth God wants to have all men to be
Saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth for there's one God and one mediator between God and men the man
Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time
Whereunto I'm ordained a preacher and an apostle I speak the truth in Christ and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles in faith
and verity God
Wants all nations to be saved God is not willing that any should perish so don't get this
Calvinistic type view that basically is well God is just ordained God just planned for you know
The US and and Europe and different places maybe to have had these great Christian movements throughout history
But you know he's just got a plan for these people to just be doomed and all go to hell wrong
His plan is for those people to be saved. He is not willing that he should perish