Why Should I Evangelize?
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 40 viewsPaul helps us to see the purpose of evangelism
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Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
INTRO: How many questions have you asked this week? We often ask questions because we have a desire to learn. And amid those questions, we tend to ask “WHY?”
Now, sometimes this is because we truly are searching for something deeper- other times this question is posed out of pride or apathy.
How many of you have asked a question like this:
Why should I work hard at my job?
Why should I study for school?
Why should I obey the rules?
Why should I clean my room?
I’m not just talking to the teenagers!
We ought to ask these questions because indeed sometimes we need help finding purpose and value in what we are doing.
After all, it’d be a real shame to waste our whole life doing things that had little value.
Well, Christians tend to ask another “Why” question and that is “Why should I evangelize?”
And when we hear that word, “evangelize” we need to understand what exactly we are saying. The simplest way to define it is:
Evangelize (verb) - “the act of sharing our faith (the good news of Jesus Christ) in hopes to convince others to repent from their sins and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior”
Now look, some folks like to get into a debate about evangelism or discipleship and try to place one above the other. Look- it’s two sides to the same coin. Evangelism is where we begin, discipleship is where we continue the work.
So, most believers recognize that, as Christians we should shine the light of the Gospel. After all, Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He ascended into heaven and left us with the Gospel mission. [Great Commission]
BUT- most Christians I know struggle to evangelize. I’ve heard several reasons- “I’m not equipped, that’s the pastor’s job, I don’t know any lost people…, etc.”
But, if we’re honest, these are excuses. What we really need is the proper inspiration.
ILL: It’s amazing what the right inspiration will do. I know a guy who didn’t care anything about working. He was content to mooch off mom and dad. That is, until he met a certain young lady and realized that if he wanted to take her on a date, he’d need to exhibit some personal responsibility and get a job! That seemed to be a good motivator.
As we follow Paul’s letter into the second half of chapter 5 today, we are going to see several inspiring reasons that you and I should and in fact must evangelize. And you’ll notice a lot of “therefore”s in this passage- that is a sign that this message builds upon our reflections from last week through all our inspirations today. At the end, we will see the climax of Paul’s discourse.
I want to encourage/ inspire you to take out your bulletin and sermon guide so you can take notes as we go… Now, you might be thinking “there are several points”, but take courage, it’s really just one main point with a few subpoints… (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) Anyway, we will move through them quickly. But we better get rollin’, so let us lean in and learn together, “Why Should I?”
First,
We Should Evangelize Because We Know the Fear of the Lord (11)
We Should Evangelize Because We Know the Fear of the Lord (11)
(READ v. 11)
The fear of the Lord is the understanding and recognition of His holiness; his power; his being.
Friends, we talked last week (v.10) how everyone would stand before the Lord to be judged and when we recognize this fact along with the reality of our brokenness, we can come to no other conclusion but that we are on dangerous ground.
ILL: There is a scene in ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ when Mr. Beaver tells Susan that Aslan (the ruler of Narnia) is a great lion. Susan is surprised, since she assumed Aslan was a man. She then tells Mr. Beaver, “I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” She asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe, to which Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.”
Here is what that means- God is absolutely good. He is perfect, infinite, righteous, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, forever wise, and forever sovereign. But he is not safe.
You see, we are sinful and cannot enter His presence in that sinful state lest we be destroyed. It’s not unlike the sun- the sun is good- it’s heat and light make life possible. But the sun is not safe- even millions of miles away, it can burn our skin. (especially those of us who are melanin deficient) And the closer we get to the sun, the more dangerous it is!
We know that we are sinners in rebellion against God, AND we know He has made a way to enter His presence safely- BECAUSE we know this we are inclined to share it! And not only share it, we persuade others because of this awesome reality.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
Because we know the danger that awaits, we speak boldly and clearly- You wouldn’t just let your child walk off a cliff, would you? You wouldn’t just let your neighbor drink poison, would you?
God desires for us to draw near to Him and we can only do this through our perfect High Priest, Jesus.
We should evangelize because we know the fear of the Lord.
Next,
We Should Evangelize Because the Gospel is for Everyone (14)
We Should Evangelize Because the Gospel is for Everyone (14)
(READ v. 14)
It is the love of Christ that led Him to that old cross, where He would take upon Himself the penalty for my sin and yours.
Jesus looks at humanity with compassion and offers freely what we could never accomplish. Jesus spoke of this love in:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Paul states that he was controlled by that love which Christ has for His creation. Look closely- not the love that Paul had for Jesus, but the love that Jesus has for us.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Like that old Gospel song- “Because He loved me, my Savior died, on that cross was crucified; no greater love for mortal men has ever been known...”
One reason Paul was so intent on sharing the Gospel message was because he understood that God’s desire was that none would perish, but that ALL would come to repentance.
Because there is not a single person who is beyond the reach of God- because the price that was paid could not be higher, you and I carry a message of hope and rescue, not of condemnation.
Jesus died so that ‘whoever’ would turn from sin to Him, would be saved.
We should evangelize because we know the fear of the Lord and because the Gospel is for everyone.
Next,
We Should Evangelize Because We Value the Gospel We Received (15-17)
We Should Evangelize Because We Value the Gospel We Received (15-17)
(READ v. 15)
Because we have been redeemed, we no longer live for our own selfish causes, but for Christ who died and rose again on our behalf!
ILL: There is no greater sign of gratitude and appreciation than one who uses the gift they received. My wife loves to give gifts. And I think it puts a smile on her face when I wear a shirt she bought me or use the tools she gave me because she knows I appreciate her gift.
Jesus gives us the gift of life so that we will live for Him.
For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
So, if we properly understand the magnitude of His gift through His death, burial, and resurrection, we will joyfully live to please Him.
Folks, do you intend to look at the cross of Christ- your sins hung on His body, and walk away unchanged? NO!
Look down to v. 16 (READ)
I believe what Paul is getting at here is that we are more than flesh and blood. Though once he saw people as such, even seeing Jesus as just a man, NOW, because of the Gospel applied to His own life, he recognized, as did C.S. Lewis,
“There are no ordinary people. You’ve never talked to a mere mortal...”
IOW, we will all spend eternity somewhere. Some will spend eternity rejoicing around the throne of Christ. Others will suffer the punishment of eternal hell.
And so we look to share the Gospel in light of the eternal consequence!
Verse 17 reiterates this point- (READ)
Every person who is in Christ is a new creation. We live by a new set of rules and standards. The old has passed away! There is no room for arrogance and hatred.
Paul’s life was an example- before he met Jesus, he cared nothing about the Gentiles and knew nothing of the grace that Jesus preached. Oh, but what a change happened in Paul. He was a new creation!
And so are you, friend. If you are in Christ, you have received His mercy and salvation and you have a whole new set of values and priorities.
We should evangelize because we know the fear of the Lord, the Gospel is for everyone, and we value the Gospel we received.
Next,
We Should Evangelize Because We Are Commissioned (18-19)
We Should Evangelize Because We Are Commissioned (18-19)
Look with me at verses 18-19 (READ)
Now, we’ve studied the Great Commission, and I imagine that Paul had already shared that with this church. But here, he leaves nothing to ponder:
We have been handed this mission by Christ. We are all ministers of reconciliation- How do you like that for a job title? (I thought about printing out some business cards for you all, but we didn’t have room in the budget. )
To reconcile is to make peace between enemies. So, we have the job of making peace between God and His enemies- those who are not followers of Christ.
What does that look like?
Christ came to reconcile the world to Himself. He did that on the cross. We are here on planet earth still today so that we can meet people wherever they are in this world- in their sin and shame; in their confusion and chaos; in their trauma and pain; in their weakness and worldliness- we meet them there, and walk them to the cross of Calvary.
Hey listen, you don’t have to have all the answers! You don’t have to ‘fix’ anyone! All you have to do is show them the way to the Jesus!
Look again at v. 19- He has committed to us the word (message) of reconciliation.
That’s our role- the message of reconciliation, not counting their trespasses against them, but instead helping them see their trespasses laid upon Christ.
Oh friend, what an honor and duty.
We should evangelize because we know the fear of the Lord, the Gospel is for everyone, we value the Gospel we received, and we are commissioned.
But finally, I want to point you Paul’s conclusion. Why should we evangelize?
We Should Evangelize Because the Need is Urgent (20-21)
We Should Evangelize Because the Need is Urgent (20-21)
Paul says in v. 20a “We are ambassadors for Christ...”
An ambassador is one who speaks on behalf of another. So we speak on behalf of Christ.
But you might ask, “Why?”
Here’s the thing- Jesus is seated on His throne. But, because we are in Christ- Because His Holy Spirit lives in us, our authentic Christian lives reflect Christ.
It’s just how that works! You cannot genuinely say, “I love God” or “I am a Christian” and not have a life that demonstrates your transformation from death to life. (remember, you are a new creation!!)
But hang with me here: look at the second half of v. 20 (READ)
I want you to soak in the passion and urgency of this reality. Underline the words “appeal” and “beg you”.
Look, I don’t want to alarm you, but you need to grasp this… maybe scratch that. I need you to be alarmed for a bit:
Without Jesus, there is no salvation. Verse 21 makes this clear. In Christ, salvation is available, mercy is abundant, life is eternal. But unless Jesus is both Lord and Savior of your life, there is no payment for your sins!
You and I cannot have this understanding and act like it isn’t URGENT! We must not look at our neighbors and pretend that they won’t one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
We must not allow the fear of awkwardness to override the reality of life and death. There are people all around you that are on their way to spending eternity in hell.
Let me ask you: If not you, then Who?
WHO will share the gospel with your kids? Who will love them enough to tell them the TRUTH?!?
If not you, Who will tell your friends and neighbors?
WHO will care enough about the ones you love to plead with them over their very souls?
Don’t you see friends, The price has been paid, but the message still must be proclaimed!
This is why I preach and plead with you to live authentic lives. It’s because I see the lost in this community- I see their precious lives headed towards an eternal hell and I am determined to make sure they have to step over me on their way.
We should evangelize. We must evangelize. So let me encourage you to begin.
Make the first steps:
Parents be intentional in talking about this with your kids. I know you love them. I know you desire for them to trust in Christ… so talk to them. Pray with them. Model genuine faith in your home.
Form relationships with your neighbors or others in your community. Pray for them. Invest in them. Start somewhere.
It’s worth it.
And if you find yourself uninspired to evangelize, then it is you who I plead with this morning: Be reconciled to God! I’d love to share with you how you can trust Him as Lord and Savior today.
[Pray}
Discuss: What has been your personal attitude towards evangelism?
Discuss: Who can you begin praying for and speaking to with intention about the Gospel?
Discuss: Evangelism is not a program, it’s a lifestyle that reflects our love for Christ and His love for the world. What does that mean to you?