Let's Get Excited About Soul Winning - May 22nd, 2022
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· 131 viewsHuman judgment is challenged by God’s love and transformed into compassion that shares the good news.
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10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Pre-Opener:
[I have a confession] I am like most male drivers: I don’t stop for directions. Ever. It’s in The Real Man’s Handbook, chapter 3. “Never stop for directions” is part of what it means to be a man. The “ask for directions” gene is on that second X chromosome that men are missing.
Most men think getting from A to B is simply a matter of confidence. If we believe in ourselves hard enough, then we can get anywhere. It’s navigation by confidence. And the worst thing that can happen to a male driver like me is when I actually do “figure out” where I am or where I went wrong. Every time we “figure out” our way, it reinforces our confidence. It grows our sense of direction.
The only thing that can undermine a man’s confidence in driving is a woman in the car. You can fill a car with men who don’t know where they’re going. Do you know what they do? They “figure it out” together. They share their confidence with each other until everyone is sure that they know the way.
But put a woman in the car, and the first thing she says is, “Do you know where you’re going?” “I think we’re lost.” “I’ve seen that house before.” They say, “Pull over and ask him for directions,” and it can be some guy who’s clearly as lost and aimless as you! You think you can figure out any misdirection, and a woman thinks anybody but you can do it!
[Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), Lk 15.]
Introduction
Introduction
Illustration - Do you remember the first time you ever realized that you were hopelessly lost?
Luke 15
SUBJECT: How did Jesus challenge religious teachers’ condemnation of his mixing with tax collectors and sinners, viewed as outcasts from society and alienated from God?
COMPLEMENT: He taught that God cared deeply for them and intentionally sought to find and recover them.
EXEGETICAL IDEA: Jesus challenged religious teachers’ condemnation of his mixing with tax collectors and sinners, viewed as outcasts from society and alienated from God, by teaching that God cared deeply for them and intentionally seeking to find and recover them.
HOMILETICAL IDEA: Human judgment is challenged by God’s love and transformed into compassion that shares the good news.
[Julian R. Gotobed, “Luke,” in The Big Idea Companion for Preaching and Teaching: A Guide from Genesis to Revelation, ed. Matthew D. Kim and Scott M. Gibson (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021), 442.]
Sub-intro:
As Jesus continues to describe what it means to be an heir of the kingdom, he turns to describing God’s attitude toward the “lost” people who come into that kingdom. In Luke 15:1–32, Jesus offers three pictures of rejoicing over something that was lost that has been found. And in each instance, the person who finds what was lost throws a feast. The specific reason for Jesus sharing these three parables about lostness is to explain why his ministry is focused on the population that the religious elite haughtily identify as “sinners,” unworthy of their attention. This is not God’s attitude toward even the lowest prodigal who nonetheless “comes to himself” and repents.
[Douglas Mangum, ed., Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament, Lexham Context Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), Lk 15:1–32.]
As someone said on Twitter recently, “Satan’s true masterpiece is the Pharisee, not the prostitute.” Their grumbling provides the context for [this one parable] in Luke 15.
[Thabiti Anyabwile]
A. Let 's Get Excited
1. Let's get excited about Jesus
2. Let's get excited about the gospel
3. Let's get excited about salvation
4. Let's get excited about soul winning
This story is similar as the first story about the lost sheep, but it is also different.
* A lamb was lost in the first and a coin in the second.
* The lamb strayed from its owner in the first, but the coin was lost by the owner in the second.
* The lamb was lost in the wilderness, but the coin was lost in a home. People wander from God when they get out into the wilderness of this wicked world, but they can also wander from God when they are in church.
* The search for the lamb was motivated by pity for it, but the preciousness of the coin motivated the search in the second story. Our Lord seeks us out, just like He sought out Adam and Eve in the garden, because He pities us, but also considers us to be precious. We are valuable to Him.
* The sheep was lost because of its foolishness, but the coin was lost because of carelessness and inattentiveness. We wander from God because of stupidity and foolish living, but we also wander because we are careless and not paying attention to the choices we make and their consequences, until it is too late. ~Rod Mattoon, Treasures
B. Joy in the Presence of Angels of God
1. Not only by angels, but in their presence
2. Christians in heaven made happy each time another is saved on earth
3. Why is soul winning so important?
II. Body
I. Because of the Value of the Soul (Luke 15:8-9; Mark 8:36)
I. Because of the Value of the Soul (Luke 15:8-9; Mark 8:36)
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
1. The mad race to possess things
2. The title deed to the earth would not be enough to compensate for the loss of a soul
3. How much attention we give to the body
a. Fitness, dressing up, fixing up
b. The millions spent on health care
4. Compare this to the small amount spent on winning souls
Rod Mattoon said, “That lamb is like us. We are like sheep, beloved, that have a tendency to stray or wander. It seems to be in our nature. The picture here can be one of a lost sinner, but a more accurate picture is one of a Christian that has gotten away from God. This lamb was in the fold and has wandered off.”
* Isaiah 53:6a—All we like sheep have gone astray;.…
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned every one to his own way;
And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
* Proverbs 27:8—As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest,
So is a man that wandereth from his place.
* 1 Peter 2:25—For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
5. Think how little time is spent or money invested by the average church in soul winning
The point would have been clear to Jesus’ listeners: the sinners with whom He was associating were extremely valuable to God. (Cf. similar wording in vv. 6, 9.)
[John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 244.]
If there is any difference in the two passages, it is in the detailed description of the woman’s effort, which focuses the picture on the effort given to finding the lost coin (Ernst 1977: 454) . . . The emphasis is on the joy and celebration that comes from finding what was lost . . . The courts of heaven are full of celebration at the coming of a sinner to God. Heaven’s joy and the angels’ desire for sinners to come to God is to be matched by the efforts of those who seek to serve God.
[Darrell L. Bock, Luke: 9:51–24:53, vol. 2, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1996), 1303.]
B. Because of the Reality of Both Heaven and Hell
1. Believers go to heaven when they die
a. What a wonderful confidence this is!
b. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
c. To die is gain
2. But it is equally true that lost people go to hell
a. The forgotten teaching of our day
“Sin is a destroyer. Satan is a devourer” ~ Anyabwile
Charles Spurgeon comments:
The prodigal, when he said, “I will arise and go to my father,” became in a measure reformed from that very moment. How, say you? Why, he left the swine-trough: more, he left the wine cup, and he left the harlots. He did not go with the harlot on his arm, and the wine cup in his hand, and say, “I will take these with me, and go to my father.” It could not be. These were all left, and though he had no goodness to bring, yet he did not try to keep his sins and come to Christ. (“Number One Thousand,” 340)
b. Few sermons preached on hell anymore
The same noisome attitude that characterized the wilderness generation and led to their destruction had taken hold of the Pharisees and scribes as they misinterpreted the ministry of Jesus.7
7 The issue of whom one could legitimately eat with was not confined to the ministry of Jesus. Table fellowship with sinners set the stage for table fellowship with Gentiles. It arose early on in the Christian mission when the question became, How should one relate to Gentiles? Peter required a special vision of what no longer should be considered clean or unclean prior to the arrival of messengers from the Gentile centurion, Cornelius; even then he balked at entering a Gentile’s house (Acts 10:1–33). And he was called to task by the circumcision in Jerusalem for actually going to those who were uncircumcised and eating with them (Acts 11:2–3). Paul testified that the matter had not yet been settled when at Antioch, Peter, Barnabas, and others were persuaded by men from James not to eat with Gentiles (Gal 2:11–14).
[David E. Garland, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 612.]
3. Consider who cares if a sinner goes to hell (Luke 16)
II. Because of the Victorious Celebration in Heaven over One Repentant Sinner (Luke 15:10)
II. Because of the Victorious Celebration in Heaven over One Repentant Sinner (Luke 15:10)
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
C. Because of the Swift Passing of Time
1. Today marks another landmark of time in our lives
2. It seems but a moment since we began the new year
3. How many opportunities were lost?
Believers should be engaging the lost in meaningful relationships. Often in the church, however, I see the opposite. We withdraw from the multitudes for fear of compromising our testimony. As a result, there is no one around to testify to! Evangelism requires time and energy, like the shepherd’s and woman’s search, in order to capture the lost. Some searches even take years, but our Lord calls us to get out among people and build the relationships that allow us to draw others to God.
In our fast-moving and busy culture, developing such relationships can be hard. The best opportunities come from work, school contacts, and neighbors. In each case opportunities exist that can lead to deeper relationships. One member of our church had a creative idea to meet unbelievers. He and his wife home-schooled their children and also were active in the church, a combination that made finding, much less pursuing, the lost difficult. They decided to have a “Who Are Those Guys?” party. They invited their neighbors over for ice cream and a cookout. Whoever wanted to come and meet the people they lived next to but rarely got to know could do so. They now hold the get-togethers periodically in order to build relationships with the people God has placed them next to. That type of initiative is good example of how to apply this text about searching for the lost.
Lunches at work provide another opportunity. Over a period of weeks, months, or even years, we can build relationships where we communicate in a caring way that we are praying for fellow employees. There are numerous possibilities for evangelistic contact, once we commit ourselves to look for opportunities. Jesus calls us to be on the lookout for the lost, just as he was, and to be prepared to take the initiative in helping them find their way home to God.
[Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 409–410.]
4. How many dropped from our ranks?
5. The importance of reaping at all ages
D. Because of the [Imminent] Coming of Jesus
1. We are one year closer to the coming of Christ
I had some clothes altered recently, in the course of which I met a Jewish-American tailor. He told me about making a trip to Israel several years ago. He said, “It’s a strange thing, pastor; I’ve never been there before. I’m not a religious man. I don’t go to the synagogue. But when I got off that plane in Israel, I said to my wife, ‘We have come home. We were meant to live in this place.’ Ever since then, I’ve been making plans to sell out and go there. I know I won’t live as well. I can’t make as much money and have as many comforts. But somehow, that’s home.”
We must have some sense of our true home in order to be aware of being lost. If you know you are lost, have been lost, and will be lost in the future, it’s a gift. That awareness is a prerequisite for coming home. I love the story of the little boy who used to play in the park every day under a statue of General Grant on horseback. In time, his family decided to move from the city, and he went out to say good-by to all his playmates in the park. In a last gesture of farewell, he stood under the statue he loved and said very tearfully, “Good-by, General Grant and whoever that is on your back. I will miss you.” He was already homesick. Your homesickness, your longing to be where God is, is God’s good gift to you.
In our Scripture there are four lost items—a sheep, a coin, a prodigal son, and his elder brother. The first three are obviously lost. The fourth is lost and doesn’t know it. He is the tragic one. He does not have any awareness of lostness. He never strayed or broke the rules, and yet he missed out on the gift of the father’s extravagant love.
Shakespeare said that the wise man knows himself to be a fool. The fool thinks he is a wise man. Let me rephrase that and say, “The wise person knows when he is lost, understands the source of his homesickness, and returns to a father who loves him.”
P. T. Forsyth, the great English preacher, said, “The only way to the Father is through the far country.”
[Bruce Larson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Luke, vol. 26, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1983), 237–238.]
2. Signs of His coming multiply
The Winter 1991 issue of the University of Pacific Review offers a chilling description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster: There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were “playing around” with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. These men were trying to see how long a turbine would “freewheel” when they took the power off it. That was not a smart move for sure.
Taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous, and reckless thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computer-driven alarm systems.
One by one the computers would come up and say, “Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!” And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results. There was an explosion and nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the history of the world. Why? Two men were stupid and reckless.
Beloved, the instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril, and tragically, at the peril of innocent others. When we stray from God, the Scriptures shout, “Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!” Yet, we make choices that are devastating to ourselves and others. We are like sheep that have recklessly strayed from the shepherd as Jesus illustrates here. ~ Rod Mattoon, Treasures
3. The time of our opportunity to witness is shrinking
4. Jesus may come before this year has ended
When the woman found her lost coin, she rejoiced with her friends. What was lost was now found. When people trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, or if a backslidden Christian gets right with God, there is rejoicing in Heaven over their repentance. The angels of God love to see people turn their hearts over to the Lord and turn from their sinful ways. Angels are very concerned about our attitude toward God.
* 1 Peter 1:12—Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
* Revelation 3:5—He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Beloved, these two stories amply illustrate the extremity of the Almighty’s sympathy for the souls of men. They show that God is concerned about us. Let me ask, “Do you know Christ as your Savior? If so, are you living your life for Him?” If not, then turn from your sinfulness today.
When Thomas Jefferson attended college, he fell in love with a beautiful young lady, Rebecca Burwell. He was crazy about this girl and wanted to marry her. He wasn’t sure, however, about her feelings for him. He finally scrounged up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage. When the moment arrived, he fumbled and bumbled through the proposal and could not spit it out. Several months later, he tried to propose to her again but still struggled to ask her.
Within a few weeks, Rebecca announced her marriage to one of Jefferson’s friends, Jacquelin Ambler. To add insult to injury, Mr. Ambler, not knowing about Jefferson’s feelings for his fiancee, asked Thomas to serve as the best man in the wedding. Thomas Jefferson’s opportunity slipped through his hands and was lost.
Beloved, we too, can lose opportunities and let them slip through our fingers. If you are a Christian, today is the day to live your life for Christ. Don’t waste your time and opportunities.
* Ephesians 5:15–16.… See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
If you do not know Christ as your Savior, you can die without the Lord. This is why you should make no more delays in turning to Him.
* 2 Corinthians 6:2b—… behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Praise God for the extremity of the Almighty’s sympathy for sinners!
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
[Rod Mattoon, Treasures]
Conclusion
Conclusion
A. Consider the Possibilities
“The church has nothing to do but to save souls,” said John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. “Therefore, spend and be spent in this work.” ~ Wiersbe, BEC
B. What May Happen if You Get Excited About Soul Winning
Note - Consider this Object for illustration: Bring the Garmin GPSMAPS 66i, as clincher, discuss how once I recognize I'm lost, it serves no use for remedy until I signal SOS with location for help to come save me. Without the signal, I remain in my lost condition. This can be applied to helping guide those to whom we witness on how to activate that signal in prayer for salvation.
The appeal which He is thus making to the sinner. No appeal could be more forcible than that which is thus made by the great love of God,—the overflowing joy He has in saving. Wilt thou continue in sin, and rob both God and the angels,—yea, and thyself too,—of such a joy? All heaven would rejoice over thy salvation, and wilt thou not be saved? Wilt thou persist in wandering, in worldliness, in ungodliness? Art thou determined to be lost when God is so bent on saving thee?
The encouragement thus held out to the returning sinner. Look at [this parable]! Is there one word of discouragement? Does not each of them say, Come? Is God not bidding thee welcome, stretching out his arms? What joy it would give God to pardon and to bless thee! What a song would be sung in heaven over thy repentance and return! Shrink not back; turn not away; be not afraid, the gate is open, and thy God stands beckoning thee in.
What a comment is this verse on Christ’s tears over Jerusalem! His sorrow was sincere and true; so is his joy in the day of the sinner’s return. His tears were real and genuine; so are his songs. All is real, both the sorrow and the joy.
What a force does this passage throw into such words as these; Ye will not come to me; him that cometh to me I will in nowise cast out; if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
What a great thing must salvation be! And what an important and precious object must a sinner be! So much love, so much sorrow, so much seeking, so much joy in connection with him!
~ Horatius Bonar, Light and Truth
[Outline Adapted from: Roger Campbell, Preach for a Year, #8; Kregel]