The Urgency Of Evangelism Series

“THE URGENCY OF EVANGELISM” Luke 14:15-24

FBCF – 1/14/24

Jon Daniels

INTRO – "Wrong Way Reigels" – 1929 Rose Bowl – California vs Ga Tech - Roy Reigels played on Cal football team. Scooped up a fumble & ran the wrong way for 60 yards before a teammate stopped him on the 3 yard line. Ga Tech team tackled him there & blocked punt a few plays later. Cal lost game 8-7. Reigels known as "Wrong Way Reigels" for the rest of his life.

Too many Christians are running away from the goal of winning as many people to Christ as possible.

- Remember sermon series is “Don’t Stop!” – Importance of discipleship from the moment of new birth to the moment of our last breath.

- Evangelism (sharing the Gospel w/ a lost person) & discipleship (helping a saved person grow in their walk w/ Jesus) are not divorced from each other.

o Evangelism leads to discipleship & discipleship leads to evangelism.

o It’s not an “either-or” proposition – It’s “both-and.”

o You lead a person to Christ so that they will become a disciple of Jesus. And a disciple of Jesus will in turn lead others to Christ.

But the sad truth is that there are a bunch of “wrong way Reigels” in the Church today! So many of us are running away from both evangelism AND discipleship. That needs to change. And it needs to change in THIS Church today!

- In the hour that you & I are in this worship service, 6000-7000 people will die in our world.

- And the vast majority of them will die w/out knowing Jesus Christ & they will go to hell.

The Church - & THIS Church in particular – must develop a deeper compassion for the lost & a deeper urgency for evangelism. This urgency is at the very heart of “Making Much of Jesus!”

EXPLANATION – Luke 14:15-24 (Dante read passage)

This passage gives a clear picture of the Lord’s great invitation to EVERY person to come to Him & be saved. And it also shows the flimsy excuses that so many people give to that invitation.

v. 15 – “eating bread in the K’dom of God” refers to the future messianic banquet, a feast that will be given by God for all of His people.

- Revelation 19:9 – “…Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…” – when we who are the Church, the Bride of Christ, will be forever united w/ our Groom, Jesus Christ!

This man thought he would be at the banquet simply b/c he was a Jew. Thought he was entitled – privileged – deserving – more important than others.

- Same is true today. Some think they’re going to make it to the end time party b/c they’re a good person – a churchgoer – a church member – a deacon or SS teacher – a preacher or church staff member – a person w/ a strong Christian heritage in their family – a good family man – a good mama.

o My family – 7 of us who are pastors/ministers or married to a pastor.

o But that makes us no more worthy of making it to the end time party than someone whose family is filled w/ criminals.

Jesus told this parable to correct this man’s misconception of the Great Banquet of God that is coming one day. And this parable will help us understand the urgency of evangelism that should permeate the Church today.

APPLICATION – Making much of Jesus will increase our urgency for evangelism.

WE MUST TELL THEM…. WHY?

B/C JESUS HAS FINISHED HIS WORK – v. 17 – “…everything is now ready…”

Jesus has finished His work. He’s done everything necessary to purchase & provide our salvation.

- He came to earth.

- He died on the cross.

- He shed His blood.

- He rose from the grave.

- He ascended to heaven where He’s seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us even now.

- We are not waiting on Him to do anything else, except to return to get us one day soon.

Since everything is ready, it’s time now to issue the invitations to come to the banquet. That’s our job. We need to invite “MANY” to the banquet. And the only way anyone can come to the banquet is to know Jesus!

IN SPITE OF THEIR EXCUSES – v. 18-20 – “But they all alike began to make excuses…”

The excuses will come as soon as we start inviting folks to Jesus.

- Too wrapped up in work – v.18 – Work is not bad – in fact, it’s good. But people will use taking care of business as an excuse for not taking care of the most important business of all – the business of coming to Jesus to be saved.