From His Heart

Guest (Male): If Jesus is the only way, what happens to those who have never heard the name Jesus? That's a good and important question.

Guest (Male): Here's Pastor Jeff Schreve.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: There are 6.8 billion people in the world. There are billions of those 6.8, they've never heard the name of Jesus. So how does God deal with someone like that who's never heard the name of Jesus? Does God have a different program and a different plan for them, the person who has never heard?

Guest (Male): Is there any hope for those who've never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Or do they come to God some other way, as many today suggest? This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us today as he answers one of the tough questions that Christians often dread to consider. And the question is the title to today's message: What About Those Who Have Never Heard? The message is from Pastor Jeff's seven-lesson series, "Now That's a Tough One," answering the difficult questions of life.

Guest (Male): And Pastor, you know there are many tough questions we could ask, and in this series, how did you decide on the topics to study and include in this series?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: That's a good question, Larry. I just kind of looked through the scripture and just in my own mind, what are the things that cause me to really question, and what if people ask me before concerning, well, how could this be true, or how could that be true?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And for instance, you know, for those who've never heard the Gospel, how could they be condemned if they've never heard about Jesus? You know, those are basic questions that people have, and deep questions, and what does the Bible say concerning those questions?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And so, in this series, we just try and pinpoint those areas where people have an itch and scratch where they're itching and say, "This is what the Bible says concerning this key question."

Guest (Male): Well, thank you, Pastor. And we invite you to open your Bible now to Romans Chapter 1 and join Pastor Jeff for the lesson, "What About Those Who Have Never Heard?"

Dr. Jeff Schreve: We're in a series on tough questions, and tonight we want to ask this tough question, "What about those who never heard?" I mean, there are 6.8 billion people in the world. There are billions of those 6.8 who have never heard.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Can you imagine how many people? Just one billion people. They've never heard the name of Jesus. So how does God deal with someone like that who's never heard the name of Jesus? Does God have a different program and a different plan for them?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: We want to ask some questions tonight that all revolve around the main question, those who have never heard. What about those who have never heard? But I want us to think through some questions as we answer that main question. First question, "What do we know to be true?" Let's just lay the foundation and the groundwork here.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: What do we know that we know that we know is true? Number one, there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. We know that that is true. Acts chapter 4, verse 12. Peter was preaching to the Jewish religious leaders and he said this, "There is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: No other name. You're not coming in through any other name. There is only one name that God recognizes that gets you into heaven, and that's the name of Jesus. Jesus said in John chapter 14 and verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: No one comes to the Father. What about the pagan in Africa? No one comes to the Father but through Me. There is no other way. And God is completely fair and just.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Look what the scripture says in Genesis 18:25. This is what Abraham, he asked this question of God. He said, when he was talking about God destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and he thought about his nephew Lot, he said, "Far be it from You, God, to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You, shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?"

Dr. Jeff Schreve: I mean, what kind of a world would we have if God, the judge of all the earth, weren't a just God? We'd be in a world of hurt if you couldn't count on God being just. How would you like to go to court and you knew that the judge was crooked? That the judge could be bought off, that the judge wasn't going to judge fairly. What kind of a judge would that be?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And sometimes we get the idea in our mind that God might not be a fair God. See, we think about the person who never heard, and we immediately say, "Well, you can't judge a person, God, who has never heard." And we kind of slam God, in our own hearts and our own minds, we think, "Well, if God does this, then God's not just, so God can't do that."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And we forget that God is a righteous judge. Psalm chapter 7 and verse 11. God is a righteous judge. Acts chapter 17 verse 31 says this, that He will judge the world in righteousness. God is righteous.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: I love what the scripture says in Ezekiel chapter 18. God was speaking to His disobedient, rebellious people, and they were saying that the way of the Lord wasn't right. And God said, "Yet you say the way of the Lord is not right. Hear now, O Israel, is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?"

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Hey, I'm the righteous judge of the universe. I'm the thrice holy God of the universe. My ways, God says, are right. You're the ones who are not right. You're the ones who are not just. You're the ones who are corrupt. You're the ones who are unholy. It's not Me.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: So we know there's salvation, no salvation apart from Jesus Christ, and God is completely fair and completely just and altogether holy. And then one other thing I didn't put in your notes, God loves everyone.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God loves everyone from the pagan in Africa to the President of America, God loves everybody, and He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus Christ died for everyone. First John chapter 2 and verse 2 tells us that.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: He Himself is the propitiation, the satisfaction, the covering for our sins, and not for ours only, John said, but also for those of the whole world. In the deepest, darkest, remotest jungle, the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for those people that live there, for those people who have never heard.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: So we know God is just. We know that there's salvation, no salvation apart from Christ, and we know that God loves every person. So question number two: Okay, so what about those who have never heard? We've built the foundation. Now let's ask and answer the key question. What about those who have never heard?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: We'll look at Romans chapter 1, and I'll begin reading in verse 18. The scripture says this: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress and hold back and hold down the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God has communicated with all people everywhere. The verses we just read tell us that God has communicated. We talk about those who have never heard, that's in our minds. That's what we think. Well, they've never heard the Gospel, but that's not what Romans 1 says.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Romans 1 says, "Hey, God's communicated with those people." And the Bible says in Titus chapter 2 and verse 11, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to some men." No, it doesn't say some men. It says "all men." "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God has communicated with every single person everywhere. And see, first of all, the Lord has spoken through the voice of conscience. Look at verse 19 again. It says, "Because that which is known about God is evident within them."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Evident. That means to bring to light, to make clear. God has brought to light. He has made clear the knowledge of Him. It's evident within people. Anytime God makes someone, He makes someone in His image. And He puts within that person a conscience.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: It's the inner voice, the moral compass that God puts in there, and inside that conscience, God builds people with the knowledge of God. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 11 says, "The Lord has put eternity in men's hearts."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And people know just based on creation, just innate knowledge, the way God created them, that God is real. Now, they may not know everything about Jesus Christ, but they know about God. That doesn't make them a Christian, but it gives them knowledge and understanding in a rudimentary sense about God.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: It's evident within them. Now, it's normal and natural for people to believe in God because it's within their conscience. A man has to kick his conscience to death to not believe in God.

Guest (Male): God is evident even within our very conscience, but that's not enough to gain salvation. Pastor Jeff returns in just a moment with another way that God reveals Himself to everyone. Stay with us. Today's lesson on From His Heart is called, "What About Those Who Have Never Heard?" From Pastor Jeff's seven-lesson series, "Now That's a Tough One," answering the difficult questions of life.

Guest (Male): And you can get a copy of this series when you go to fromhisheart.org, click the Listen link. There, too, you can also listen to any messages that we've already aired and also get Pastor Jeff's sermon notes. Again, that's fromhisheart.org, click the Listen link.

Guest (Male): Well, if you're breathing, you're struggling with life in relationships, jobs, finances, illnesses, family, and much more. But for those who know the peace that passes understanding, when Christ is at the center of your life, you know that prayer is a haven from the troubles of this world. We need prayer. God wants us to pray, and we can rest and find peace in the midst of the storm through prayer.

Guest (Male): If you'd like for people to pray for you, people from around the world, we invite you to go to fromhisheart.org, click the Prayer tab. There you can leave a prayer request for all to see from around the world, and you can also pray for others too. And when someone sees and prays for you, they'll click a button that says, "I prayed for you," and you will be notified by email that someone is praying for you. It's completely anonymous, but you will be comforted to know that you are being lifted up by others around the world.

Guest (Male): And you can do the same for many requests that come through to us, praying for others. Again, click the Prayer tab on our homepage at fromhisheart.org. You'll be blessed and you'll be a blessing to others. Now, let's continue with today's message called, "What About Those Who Have Never Heard?" Here again is Pastor Jeff.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Not only has God spoken through the voice of conscience, God has spoken through the voice of creation. Verse 19 again, "Because that which is known about God is evident within them." That's the inner voice, the voice of conscience. "For God made it evident to them." That's the outer voice, that is the voice of creation.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Verse 20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes." God is the invisible God. "But since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen." You and I can see the invisible attributes of God through nature, through what has been made, "have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: The voice of creation tells us that there is a God. Tells us that God exists. The Bible says in Psalm 19, verses 1 and 2, "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak. Night after night they make Him known."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Abraham Lincoln said this, "I can see how it might be possible for a man to look upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look upon heaven and say there is no God." You just look at the stars, you look at the sun, you look at the moon, you look at the things that are around us and you ask this question, "Where did all that come from?"

Dr. Jeff Schreve: You don't have to be some scientific mathematical wizbang to know that nobody times nothing can't equal everything. Right? Zero times zero equals zero. And if you've seen the movie "Expelled" that Ben Stein did, it's funny how he talks to these big-time scientific gurus, these atheists that just espouse evolution, and they're so convinced.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: He says, "Well, where did it all start?" "Oh, we don't know that." He said, "Well, how did life begin?" "Well, I think it was Richard Dawkins, the guy that wrote 'The God Delusion' or whatever the name of his book was." He said, "Well, it could have been an intelligent alien that began life."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: He won't say it's God because he doesn't believe in God, because he's kicked his conscience to death and says there is no God. But it's ridiculous. There has to be, if there's a creation, there has to be a creator, right? Because nobody times nothing can't equal everything.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Look at this watch I have. Suppose you were to say to me, "Jeff, I like your watch. It's really a nice watch." "Hey, who made that watch? What's the manufacturer of that watch? Who's the manufacturer of that watch?" I said, "Nobody made this watch." "Nobody made the watch?" "No."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: The parts just commingled together. This watch is a product of evolution. Used to be a button. Then it became a compass. Then it was a pressure gauge, and then it became a speedometer, and ipso facto it's a watch, and who knows what it's going to be a million years from now?

Dr. Jeff Schreve: How stupid is that? It's really stupid. We know if there's a watch, there had to be somebody that made the thing. You don't just throw a bunch of junk parts in the washing machine and put it on spin cycle for a million years, and out comes a watch. That just doesn't work. And see, so God has spoken through creation.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: I love what Adrian Rogers says about that. He says, "It takes ten times more faith to believe the monkey story than it does to believe the Word of God." Ten times more faith. He said, "You know, everybody's talking about the missing link." He said, "The whole chain is missing." I mean, there is just no evidence that we have evolved from apes.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God says in His Word that there is evolution within the species. There's not evolution outside of the species. You know, they like to, the scientists like to test a fruit fly because fruit flies reproduce a lot. So you can mess with the fruit fly and he reproduces all the time and so you can see things more quickly. You're not going to do that with whales because it's going to take a long time to see things with a big mammal like that, but they do the fruit fly.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And then they'll mess with the fruit fly and his genes and all that stuff. But you know what they find out? No matter how much you mess with the fruit fly, and no matter how weird you can make him, he's still a fruit fly. He doesn't become a June bug. You know, there is no evolution between the species. It's within the species.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And things can change, and they can adapt, but they're always the same thing because God has set that up, that things beget things according to their kind. You and I beget children after our kind. Now they might be taller, they might be stronger, they might be this, they might be that, but they're still human beings.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And so creation tells us that there is a God. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. God has spoken through the voice of creation. He's spoken through the voice of conscience. He's spoken to people everywhere, no matter where they live, and so He's left all men without excuse.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: No excuse. That's what verse 20 says. That the divine nature of God, and His eternal power, His invisible attributes have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. The pagan in the deepest, darkest jungle, he can go outside and he can see what God has made, and God said, "Because of the conscience I've given you, because of the voice of creation that you've seen, you are without excuse."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: See, nobody's ever going to come up before the judgment seat of God and say, "I am innocent because of ignorance." God says, "Oh no, you're not ignorant. You're not ignorant. You've heard from conscience, you've heard from creation. You've got general revelation of Me, and so you can't say you were innocent because of ignorance."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God says, "You're guilty as charged." See, it's a misnomer to really talk about those who've never heard. They may never have never heard Billy Graham, but that doesn't mean they've never heard from God. And Acts chapter 14, verse 17 says that God did not leave Himself without witness. God witnesses of Himself to people.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: But what happens? People reject the knowledge of God. They reject the voice of conscience, they reject the voice of creation. And that's what the scripture goes on to say, verse 21, "For even though they knew God." Now they didn't know Him in terms of a personal relationship with Him, they knew about Him from conscience and from creation. "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: "Professing to be wise, they became fools." The Greek word there for fools is the English, where we get the English word "morons." They professed to be wise, but they became morons, "and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their heart to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them, for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Did you know that in the primitive cultures, you go out into the jungle somewhere in some far off land to a people group that you only see on National Geographic or something like that? Did you know that those people all believe in a God? They all worship some kind of God. They're all fearful of making their God or their gods angry.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: All cultures, all those primitive cultures, they're not atheistic. They know there is a God, but they rejected, as the scripture says in verse 13, they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness.