The responsibility of evangelism
I told you so
Ezekiel 3:16-21 (NIV)
16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, ’You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
Preposition: We are our brother’s keeper and we are responsible for warning the world of sin. If not we will also be responsible for their deaths
Intro: We have been talking about evangelizing lately as something we need to do. We all know somehow that we should share Christ with people, but I am not to sure we know how truly responsible we are. Many don’t realize how responsible we are for not only sharing Christ but sharing the concept of righteous living.
We are responsible for not only sharing the gospel but also sharing righteous living
Many think its something that they should do when the time arises.
Many think it’s something for the real Christians to do.
Many think it’s the pastor’s job
But this scripture says it’s everyone’s responsibility
Run the story
Tells Ezekiel to give Israel a warning
1. That if we don’t warn a wicked man of his ways and try to dissuade him he will die and his blood will be on our hands
a. We all have been given a message and that’s salvation for mankind
i. In Jesus
ii. All have sinned and fall short
iii. Our wicked ways will separate us from God
iv. And Jesus is the answer
b. We need to warn people of this
i. Need to tell people
c. We need to dissuade people from their wicked ways
i. Yes its our responsibility
ii. To many times we just say its wrong
iii. Admit the problem
iv. But don’t try to dissuade
1. Don’t want to be look at bad
2. Don’t want to offend
a. I’ve been told not to talk about things because it will be offensive
i. Don’t have to say it offensively
ii. But I must give the warning
2. If we do and he doesn’t turn that’s on his hands
19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20
He Had Right To Be Hit
A New York Court of Appeals decided against a plaintiff in an action for damages. A man who was walking along Fourth Avenue stopped on a temporary bridge to watch some work being done on the subway.
A workman advised him to move on, as he was liable to get hurt. The man refused, claiming he had a right to be on a public street. A few minutes later he was struck on the head by a piece of iron from a pipe high above. He was severely hurt. He sued for damages.
The court decided that he was perfectly justified in staying where he was hurt after being warned. However, the warning he had received and had not heeded removed any further obligation on the part of the company. The court explained further that the contractor had no right to remove the man by force. Said contractor had performed his full duty by warning of the peril.
—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
3. He says this is not just for the wicked but for the righteous
20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
a. It’s not what we have done in the past that counts. Its how we are living in the present that’s important
i. To many people are going to die without Christ because no one will tell them
ii. Afraid to say your going to hell
1. Heard it many times “he said I am going to hell” he doesn’t have the right
a. I say we do
When should we worry about ourselves? Are there any warning signs? I will give you a few to warn us all
When To Be Alarmed
If you find yourself...
• coveting any pleasure more than your prayer times,
• enjoying a book more than your Bible,
• reading the newspapers for relaxation more than the Bible or some spiritual book,
• reverencing any house more than the House of God,
• satisfied with any table more than the Lord’s Table,
• loving any person more than that of the Holy Spirit,
• or delighted with any prospect more than that of the return of Jesus,
• THEN TAKE ALARM!!!
• When I can say we will take a year off from all evangelistic ministries and that be ok but fear removing the hymnals
4. But he can be saved
21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
5. Jesus is the answer to our problem
a. We can save someone’s life
b. Don’t we care?
6. Someone warned us
7. We need to warn others.
6033. Jesus And Religions On Sinking Man
According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand.
Confucius saw the man’s predicament and said, "It is evident that men should stay out of places such as this."
Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, "Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world."
Then Mohammed came by and said to the sinking man, "Alas, it is the Will of God."
Finally Jesus appeared. "Take my hand, brother," He said, "and I will save you."
8. When do we give this warning? As soon as possible
"Shall I Sound Alarm?"
On the night of the great Holmfirth (Yorkshire) flood, which caused such disaster some years ago, a man on the reservoir saw the water rise to a dangerous height. He paced up and down for twenty minutes watching, hesitating, and asking himself the question, "Shall I give the alarm?" The fatal moment came; the warning had not been given. The waters rushed over the banks and spread destruction on every hand. A decision twenty minutes before would have saved many lives and thousands of dollars’ worth of property.
