Well, international missions is a huge theme in the life ministry of John Piper. That word "missions" has appeared 250 times on this podcast alone. The church has global aspirations. Our ongoing prayer is the prayer of the psalmist. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy. Psalm 67, 4.

Amen. Let the nations join the chorus of joyful praise to our God through Christ. And use us, Lord, in that process. And so we pray regularly here at Desiring God that the Lord would bless our global outreach and our translations efforts and our international travel. But you may be like Pastor John and myself.

We live in large cities in the United States. And here it's very easy to be buffered from the needs of the world. And yet we too are called to feed global aspirations in our own lives and in our own churches. Missions was woven into the fabric of the church from its very inception.

It's why our Savior told his very first followers in John 10, 16, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice." So there will be one flock, one shepherd." Here's Pastor John in a 2011 sermon to explain why we need these words in America today.

I am praying that John 10, 16 will fill you with a confidence that the saving global, worldwide, all peoples, including purpose of God, and your place in it, cannot fail. Will totally succeed. That's the last thing I want to try to make plain. You might say, and you'd be right, we've already seen that.

I mean, if he sovereignly saves as effectively as you say he saves his sheep, he can't fail. Total right. So I could close the book. We could all go to Kenny's house. You know, we're talking about the South Campus, do you? North Campus, doesn't matter. But we're not going to stop because there is so much in this verse I have not said yet that is so massively important for your life and for the mission.

I want you to feel now the thrust of the words, "not of this fold." Are you with me? "I have other sheep that are not of this fold." And then the other thing I want you to focus on is one flock and one shepherd. Those are the two things we're working with for the last few minutes of this sermon.

I have sheep. They're not of the fold. That's already in existence. In that case, a Jewish fold. I could say here, okay, here we are, fold or gather. Here's Bethlehem. He has other sheep besides us. And he must bring them, not necessarily to Bethlehem but to himself. "I have other sheep that are not of this fold," that is they're not of ethnic Jewish Israel.

"I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice. There will be one flock," that is from all the ethnic groups. You may think, "Oh, that's an over-interpretation." Yeah, yeah, it would be if I didn't have a lot of other John statements in mind, but I'll show you, "From all the other ethnic groups around the world with the Jewish sheep in one fold and one shepherd." So what we spent the whole sermon doing so far is emphasizing the magnificent, sovereign salvation that God has worked to save his sheep.

He chose us from before creation. He sent his Son into the world to lay down his life for them. He brought them to himself by his voice. Now here's the reason for emphasizing this second confidence. You would think, I hope you would think, that such a salvation, such a lopsided, God-dependent salvation, that depends on nothing in me for being chosen, nothing in me for being called, would make me humble.

Wouldn't you? You would think that the humblest people on the planet would be Christians. And it isn't necessarily so, is it? Because we're sinners, here's what's happened. It has proved often in history that the church has become ingrown, indifferent to the world, and that our chosenness, our chosen standing, has been wickedly woven into the fabric of ethnocentrism and racism and nationalism.

All you have to do is think about Nazi Germany and all the complicit Christendom in the hatred of the Jews. American race-based slavery and how Christian it all was. And the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. Just to pick three where Christians wove their chosen standing into the horrors of ethnocentrism and racism and nationalism.

And that's what this verse is about. Jesus saw it in his day. Gentiles were hated. To unclean catfish eaters and uncircumcised, we're not going to even enter their house. And Jesus saw it coming. And it's been there every century of this blood-soaked globe of ours. And he gave this razor-sharp warning to all of his flock.

I have other sheep. Don't you dare become ingrown. Don't you dare become us few. Us chosen few. I must bring them. It will cost me my life. May cost you yours. And there will be one flock with one shepherd. From every ethnic group on the planet. Now at that point you have to say, aren't you going beyond the text?

Yes, I am. I'm going all the way to chapter 11. Isn't that a huge jump? Go with me to chapter 11, verses 51 to 52. John records a prophecy of the high priest named Caiaphas about the death of Jesus and what he would accomplish in his dying. And here's the way he says it.

Different language than sheep, but exactly the same point. John 11, 51. He prophesied that as Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation and not for the nation only. Good, good, good. I have other sheep. I have other sheep. Not for the nation only, but also to gather into one, one flock.

In a different terminology, the children of God who are scattered abroad. He could have said the sheep. God's children are scattered. And I'm just focusing on the word scattered here. Like, oh, well maybe they're all in Minneapolis. I don't think so. Maybe they're all in America. I don't think so.

Europe, no. Africa, no. Asia, no. South America, no. Every people group. Now, aren't you going beyond that text? Yes, I'm going beyond the text. I'm going all the way to Revelation 5, 9 because John wrote Revelation 2. Okay. So let's finish it off. Nail it down exegetically. Revelation 5, verse 9.

The saints, the 24 elders, the four living creatures, this is built in out this song over the lamb who was slain to say why he was slain. Why was he slain? Okay, here it is. "Worthy are you to take the skull and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

And you made them a kingdom, one kingdom, and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth." And that's enough for me. Now, I know. I know what he means when he says, "I have other sheep." I must bring them also. And if you agree with me now, you're seeing he's got a global purpose here for this people.

I have other sheep. Must, must. It is a divine necessity, which means not only will you make it to heaven, this mission is going to succeed. He died. You ransomed people for God from every tribe. He died for them. The Father gave them to him. He's going to speak over them how?

Missionaries, or whatever you want to call them, who cross a culture, learn a language, let the voice of Jesus be heard, and the sheep hear, and they come. Don't you love to read those stories? You go into some utterly unknown people group. You take a few months. You try to get it plain, and suddenly lights go on, and a church happens.

Why? I must bring them. That's why. So, we, Bethlehem, must not disdain potential brothers and sisters anywhere in any group. There is so much racism, so much ethnocentrism left over in America that thought we finished it off 40 years ago. We didn't, and you know we didn't. It's in your heart.

It's in my heart. It's in black and white and red and yellow. It's in every heart, and the word that needs to go out continually is I have other sheep. They're in all of those groups. Don't you dare look on any of those groups with disdain as though you don't have a brother there that's closer to you than your mom.

If your mom's not a believer, the bloodlines between you and your brothers and sisters in Jesus is a thicker bloodline than runs in your family. >> That's such an essential point right there. That was from John Piper's sermon on August 13, 2011, titled "I Have Other Sheep That Are Not of This Fold." If you have a sermon clip for me, email me your name, hometown, the sermon title, and the timestamp of where the clip happens in the audio.

Tell me what stands out to you in it. Put the word "clip" in the subject line of an email and send it to me at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org. That's our email address, askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. We are rejoined in studio with Pastor John. We return on Friday, Good Friday.

We'll see you then. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.