Sunday, November 30, 2014 pm
EVANGELISM
“Here AM I, Send Me”
Songs of Evangelism
a.
In Isaiah 6:8 we find
the call of Isaiah. The Lord
has rebuked His people for their unfaithfulness.
He seeks a messenger.
He asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Isaiah responded, “Here am I! Send me!”
b.
There is plenty of work
to be done and a shortage of workers.
Jesus told His disciples, “Do you not say, ‘There are still
four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up
your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for
harvest!” (John 4:35)
“Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers
are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2, NKJV)
c.
WE go because as our
song says, 1) “There is much to do”; 2)Souls are crying in distress – a
lost and dying world needs the gospel; 3) They need my tender sympathy –
I need to care!; 4) There are hungering souls searching; 5)There are
souls lingering on the “brink of woe”, that is they are facing an
eternity in torments. For
all these reasons, we ought to gladly say, “Here am I, send me.”
d.
There is another song,
“The Call for reapers” (#108) which is based upon this same concern for
the lost.
e.
The Lord is looking for
“volunteers”. Will we step
up?
a.
Proverbs 11:30 tells us
that he who wins souls is wise
b.
Jesus in Matthew 16:26
described the value of a soul – what will a man give in exchange for his
soul?
c.
One thought that comes
to my mind as I sing this song is the DESIRE to reach others.
How fervent is that desire?
a.
WE have been entrusted
with the gospel – 1 Thess. 2:4, 1 Tim. 1:11 – these verses are directed
toward Paul and how he had been entrusted with the gospel.
b.
Similarly, we need to
take the gospel to others – Mark 16:15 – the great commission – was
carried out with the help of many other than the apostles, cf. Acts 8:4,
2 Tim. 2:2.
c.
WE have the gospel, will
we keep it to ourselves or will we share it with others?
d.
This song tells us life
is passing by swiftly while millions who are groping for the gospel are
dying. We cannot sit idly as
the world rushes on.
e.
Song #507, Sowing the
Seed of the Kingdom,
similarly reminds us to broadcast the seed of His word
a.
Why did Jesus come to
this earth? “And Jesus
said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is
a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which was lost.”” (Luke 19:9–10)
b.
Earlier in Luke 15 Jesus
taught 3 parables about seeking the lost.
The parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost
(prodigal) son. In each of
these, His point was that when a soul is lost, we ought to be deeply
concerned. And if we can do
something about it we ought to.
c.
We ought to be concerned
about lost souls. 2
Corinthians 5:11, Jude 22-23,
d.
Song #114, “I want to be
a worker for the Lord” expresses this desire to help out in His kingdom.
Song #529, “Bring them
in” is another song that calls for us to go find the lost sheep and
bring them in to His fold.
e.
Are we SEEKING for them?
Are we looking for opportunities to share His word?
a.
Luke 24:32, two men on
the road to Emmaus meet and speak with Jesus not knowing it is Him.
As He tells them that God’s will has been accomplished, when they
finally realize it, ““And
they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He
talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?””
b.
As Jeremiah preached to
a rebellion and hostile Judah of destruction to come, he faced many
persecutions and threats. We
read in Jeremiah 20:9 “Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a
burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I
could not.”,
Similarly, David in
Psalm 39:1-3 finds David saying he will restrain his tongue lest he sin.
He notes he was mute with silence, but “MY heart was hot within
me; While I was musing, the fire burned, then I spoke with my tongue…”
c.
This song reminds that
we should “tell it today” and not hold it in.
Many reasons are given: 1) The name of the Savior is precious to
you; 2) You have been rewarded and blessed in Him and want to share it;
3) You have a hope of rest in His place when this life is over, & 4)
There are souls all around you living in sin.
d.
2 Corinthians 6:1–2
says, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not
to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time
I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
a.
A major part of seeking
the lost is being a good example.
b.
Jesus in Matthew 5:13-16
described us as both salt and light.
Paul in Philippians 2:14-16 said,
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you
may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as
lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may
rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in
vain.”
c.
A good example can do
much good and a BAD example can do great and sometimes irreparable harm.
That is why our conduct is continually emphasized in scripture.
d.
I we want to reach the
lost, it will begin with our realization that we are the only Bible this
careless world will read. We
are the hands that do His work, the feet that lead men in the way they
should go, the tongue that tells of His love and sacrifice for us.
What if the picture we portray is tainted?
Does the world see Jesus in us?
e.
Ye are the light of the
world, #87, is another song that speaks of our example.
Similarly, #527, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning” which is a picture of
a lighthouse saving lost souls describes this as well.
a.
While not my favorite
song, it is a spiritual song we need to sing from time to time.
It reminds us of the urgency and seriousness of our mission.
b.
I do not think that on
the day of judgment we will actually have someone come up to us and
point their finger in our face asking us “Why did you not warn me” and
then they turn around with their heads bowed down and walk away doomed
to eternal destruction. You
watch them knowing that you let the opportunities pass by.
c.
While we may not
physically see this occur at judgment day, we can certainly have a part
in souls being lost. And we
do know that we WILL be held accountable for whether or not we told
others. Ezekiel 3:16-21
finds the Lord calling him as his watchman.
His duty was to watch and WARN.
His accountability was not the result, but to warn the people.
God takes care of the result.
Similarly, Paul said in
1 Cor. 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of,
for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel!”
d.
Let us consider this as
we sing this song.
And
there you have it – some songs (spiritual songs – Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16)
that call for us to seek the lost.
May we as we sing such songs resolve that we are going to do our
best. We are going to pray
for opportunities and look for doors to walk through.
The lesson is yours.