The Burden To Go

This blog post is Part 5 of a series entitled "Unto The Nations" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN. 

Message Date: November 26, 2023

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Well, I do hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Amy, the girls, & I sure did... I posted a video on Thursday morning on our socials encouraging you to take a few moments at some point over the weekend to sit and to contemplate the things for which you are thankful. I did this... I want to share a little of my list with you as we begin this morning.

1. I am thankful for... You.  It is such a joy to serve you here @ DF!
2. God’s hand on our Church. It’s really hard work here as we are rebuilding and renovating and making decisions. It’s been a tough tithe year and we as a Ministry Team are working really hard to make every dollar go as far as it can. We’ve saved in some areas, and we’ve been over-budget in others. But, God has been faithful, and His hand is on us. And for that, I am thankful.
3. Amy. My wife is such a rock in my life. She is smart and beautiful and ferociously loyal to the Lord and our family.
4. Bailey and Brynnan. The Lord really showed off when He gave us these two amazing ladies.
5. A beautiful sunset.
6. A glass of iced tea.

I also made a list of things I’m calling: Pastor Jeffrey’s Unconventional Top 10 List of Gratitude

1.  Smartphone Cameras. My parents have almost zero pics in their home of us growing up. Because they could not afford a good camera, nor the costs to go and print film. My how things have changed. Do you have any idea how many photos you have on your phone? Probably more than you think. I looked this week at my iPhone, and I have 130,917 photos and 6,706 videos!
2. Opposable Thumbs. Think about all the tasks opposable thumbs make possible: holding most things, hitch hiking, thumbs up signs, thumbs down signs, thumb wars, playing marbles, coin tosses, buttoning a shirt, picking your nose, texting, and so many more things.
3. Toilet Paper. Enough said.
4. Toothpaste. Did you know that by the time the Founding Fathers were in their 70’s, (for those who were still living), not a single one of them still had their original teeth. They were near or totally toothless.
5. Pillows. How many of you have a favorite pillow? My wife does. And so do my girls! Have you ever wondered why “the other side of the pillow is so cold? It is due to the fact that the human head radiates more heat than any other part of the body. This is why the other side of your pillow always feels so cool in comparison to the side your noggin is resting on.
6. Silent Farts (toots). A few fun fart facts: The average person produces 1500 milliliters of gas per day. You then expel this gas by an average of 20 farts a day. And this is why the silent ones should bring us all such gratitude. Otherwise, for instance, if you take the average of how many people are here today, multiply that number by an average of 20/day, then divide that by the 1.5 hours we are all in worship together each Sunday, that would mean we would hear an average of: 4,000 toots every time we worship. Now that’s a great quote to put on our socials this week! 99% of toots do not smell. Actually the healthier you are, the more you toot. Yes, you can light a toot on fire. Flatulence is partly composed of flammable gases like methane and hydrogen. So... it will burn!
7. Hugs. I’m a hugger. Troy Charlton is not. So, give him a hug today so he will know what he is missing!
8. Flowers. Do you know that there are over 400,000 types of flowers in the world! And it is a proven fact that the sights and smells of flowers help brighten your day. I believe this is why God gave us so very many varieties of flowers! You may notice as you walk around our campus each week that there are fresh flowers everywhere. We love flowers here @ DF. So enjoy the smells!
9. Big Band + Jazz Music. I’ve told y’all before, my Pepa loved Big Band! We’d sit and listen to it for hours with him. And he and my mother would dance the night away in their living room. We always listened to Big Band on Christmas Day at their house. Now, I love listening to it in my office and at night while sitting on my back porch.
10. Water. Oceans. Lakes. Rivers. Swimming Pools. Waterfalls. Snow. And of course, hydration, and a nice glass of iced tea!

Really, we have so very much for which to be thankful. 

Psalm 100

What is the theme of Psalm 100? Do you notice a theme in this passage? Most might say that this passage is one of thankfulness; of gratitude. And I would agree... somewhat. Although, I would too dissertate that Psalm 100 has an even greater theme than that of thanksgiving and of gratitude. And, in this Psalm, we actually read of this “even-greater theme” 16 times in this short Psalm of just 5 verses. Do you see it? The theme: The Lord. Let’s read it again, and as we do, listen to how very many times the Psalmist directs our hearts to the Lord. Listen to the words: “Lord,” “Him,” “God,” and “He!”

I have to tell you, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series we are ending today: Unto The Nations. We’ve talked about the call we have on our lives both corporately as the Church and singularly as a follower of the Christ to go unto the nations. We have too discussed in tremendous detail the “why” we are to go unto the nations. And last week, we dissected the “how” we are to go unto the nations as we watch, welcome, and weep for the second coming of our Lord. If you missed any of these teachings, I direct you to the DF Podcast. 

Today, our last time of teaching in the Unto The Nations series, I want to end our time talking with you about the potential of what I would call one of the greatest hinderances to you and to me going unto the nations. Answer this question:

What is my greatest hindrance in sharing of the Christ with another?

In my years of counseling with people of all ages, I would say these are the responses I have most received from others whom, being fully transparent, admit that it is not the easiest of choices to share about their faith with another:

Reasons for not sharing my faith:
I fear rejection.
I doubt my ability to say the right thing.
I have concern that I will be ridiculed. (I think this can be a big one for many people.)
I do not think it is important to share about my faith with others.
Any number of other reasons...

There are some here, such as one friend of mine, who weep over the lost… I know my friend has a heart to see that every person with whom he comes in contact knows Jesus as Lord. And another dear friend of mine has such a heart for people – for those who are sick or hurting or alone… she exemplifies compassion for others. And it is inspiring to me personally… and, if I can be so honest, at times quite convicting as well. But for so very many others with whom I have counseled and spoken and prayed with and cried with across this nation during my 29 years of ministry, and I presume with some here today, I find this to be so very true among Christians as it relates to having fear over sharing about Jesus with others:

The greatest hindrance to most Christians in sharing of the Christ with another: Burden. To have a burden is not the hindrance. It is the void of any burden in the life of many Christians that is the greatest hindrance in sharing of the Christ with another. I consider this to be a true statement. Do you? It is the burdens I carry that often shape my convictions and too inspire my motivations upon which I act. The things that burden me are those things upon which I act. I encourage you to consider these 4 questions this morning:

Do I know someone who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus?
Do I pray every day that salvation will come to this person?
Do I weep over the reality that this person may spend an eternity forever separated from God in hell?
Do I have a strategy in place to share with this person who Jesus is to me?

I encourage you to think and to pray over how you just answered these 4 questions and too, to ask the Lord how it is that He wants to use you and change you and give you a true burden for the lost.

I want to tell you a story today that truly stands out as the most amazing God-moment I have ever been a part of spanning the 29 years of my preaching ministry. 14 years ago, I spoke at a The Big Ticket Music Festival in Gaylord, MI. It was an outdoor Music Festival. At the time, “Cardboard Testimonies” were super popular. If you do not know about “Cardboard Testimonies,” you need to! A “Cardboard Testimony” is when someone writes on a large piece of cardboard a burden or a sin or a struggle he/she has within a particular area of life. A person would write on this cardboard, hold it in the air, and, in writing this “thing” on the cardboard, it is as if this person is telling the world: “This is my BURDEN and, tonight, I am letting it go!”

Well, at large Music Festivals, such as The Big Ticket Music Festival, there is a big artist that takes the stage before the speaker, and then another big-time artist for the final show of the night. On this night that I spoke, the artist Toby Mac was before me, and the band, the Newsboys, were the final act after I spoke. At these larger events, a speaker is strategically placed in the middle of these two acts with the hope that, due to the fact that the largest crowd of the night gathers at the main stage, thus the optimal opportunity to present the gospel message to many, many people who hopefully will make some type of spiritual decision for the Lord. Before I tell you what I spoke on, I want to read to you a portion of a letter the President of the The Big Ticket Festival sent to our Ministry Board after the event.

Glen, the President, actually called me several weeks later to tell me that after they concluded their follow-ups over the days post the event, they were astonished to count that more than 2,000 people of all ages surrendered their life to Jesus that night under the stars in Gaylord! Isn’t this awesome! This night was such a God night! What’s so amazing about this moment, as Glen shared in this letter, is of not only the life-change that happened in the lives of those 2,000+ people, but the circumstances that contributed to this anointed night. You see, Glen mentioned that “rivers of people left the stage and walked to the cross” that night. Why is that so very important? It’s really simple…These Music Festivals, as some of you may know, have multiple stages of bands playing throughout the day across the Festival campus. But, as the time approaches for the last two bands to take the Main Stage at night, droves of people make their way to the front of the stage. And once they get there, they stay until the last note of the last song of the last act is over. They don’t dare leave because they don’t want to lose their spot near the stage. And especially at an outdoor venue of 9,000 attendees, as was the crowd on this night, it would be close to impossible, once leaving your spot, for anyone to regain a coveted spot up close to the front of the stage.

At this Festival, there was a massive cross in the middle of this field, and this cross was the location to which attendees would go to receive spiritual counseling and to make decisions for Christ. Glen referenced in his letter that on this night, thousands of people left their spots at the main stage and walked to the cross to receive Jesus as their Savior! I was so impacted by this night that, 14 years later, I still vividly remember the message God gave me that brought about a one-night revival in the town of Gaylord, MI. So… what did I speak on that night? Well, I can tell you this – I didn’t deliver the message I had planned. Glen referenced this as well in his letter. 

And the reason I gave a different message than the one I had planned: “Cardboard Testimonies!” You see, when I took the stage that night, thousands of signs were in the air. Of course, I could not read them all. But the ones I could read, sign after sign after sign, people of all ages had written their personal “Cardboard Testimony.” And so very many of these signs displayed a parallel burden... A burden for the lost. I remember reading signs that said: “I pray for my daddy who does not know Jesus!” “My brother is not saved!” “My best friend needs Jesus.” So very many signs represented the burden these people of Michigan had for someone in their life who they knew needed Jesus. 

They were broken over the reality…They were hurting over the reality…They were burdened over the reality… that unless a daddy, and unless a brother, and unless a best friend found Jesus, a daddy and a brother and a best friend will one day die, leave this life, step into the eternal life, and forever be condemned to the eternal fire of hell. I myself became emotional on stage that night. I shared a story of one in my life from my high school years that I had known did not know Jesus. I said nothing to this person though I had many opportunities to do so. This person committed suicide while I was in college. And, sadly, I am to this day burdened that he is most likely not spending his eternity with the Christ. I then was drawn to this passage that night while standing in front of a sea of people... so inspired and motivated and burdened by the “Cardboard Testimonies”… The passage? The powerful words of Paul, recorded in the book of Romans. Turn there with me, please.

Romans 1:18-32

Church listen… this is the very world in which we live today. Jesus spoke of this very reality that will happen at the end of time in Matthew 24. If you were with us last week, you probably remember that powerful passage as Jesus spoke of the end of times and the “birth pains” we will see as the signs that He is coming soon: 

Look there with me. Jesus said in Matthew 24:10-12: At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…

Do you see this? What is spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24 runs parallel to the words of Paul in the book of Romans. Notice in both passages, mutually Jesus and Paul speak of a people who know right from wrong, of people who actually know God, yet choose to turn away from God and turn to wickedness. They both speak of people who obviously know of the truth… yet choose to ignore the truth. In this letter to the Church in Rome, Paul is so burdened for the Church, that he shares what I believe is the most unbelievable words we, the Church, have to read spoken by a follower of Jesus who is so very fraught over those who do not know Jesus as Lord.

Paul has just shared with us the wickedness that will consume most of humanity.  And then… he writes this.... And, know this - - THIS is the passage upon which I concluded my message that night at The Big Ticket Music Festival 14 years ago in Gaylord, MI: Romans 9:1-3.

Oh, my word! Oh, my word. Can you believe what you just heard Paul say? Read it again: Romans 9:1-3. Do you see it, Church? Paul has just said, in modern English: I am so burdened over humanity’s lust for wickedness, that I wish I were “cursed and cut off” from Christ if this could mean that others will receive Him as Savior and Lord.

Paul was so burdened over the state of humanity, that he spoke these convicting words, he too lived by them, and he gave his life for them.

I find this to be true in my own life. I wonder if you too can admit: I share not because I burden not for the lost. I can say that my heart breaks for the lost. But if I choose to say nothing to the lost, it is as if I am not burdened for the lost. Paul continues writing in this theme of being burdened for humanity. This is when he says in Romans 10:

Romans 10:9-13

Church, what an opportunity you and I have to, as Paul: Allow my burdens to so consume me that I cannot help but speak, and love, and live, and willingly die for the sake of going unto the nations. As I have been sharing with you, we are doing this right here in this community in so very many ways. To name a few: Hickman Elementary – Good News Club, Dollars for Donelson – Over $20k has gone into the community since we launched DFD 2 years ago! And, beginning next month, we are going “unto the nations” right here on our campus each week as we become three churches in one!

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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.