Who’s On First
Luke 19:10
Back in 1986 I heard Rev. E. V. Hill preach at a pastor’s conference. It was great. He preached a sermon he called, “A Spiritual Homerun.” Today I want to use that sermon as a skeleton for my own.
E. V. told about preaching at a conference in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was to be one of several preachers.
The first speaker was Billy Graham who preached… as you might guess… “Win The Lost At Any Cost.”
His message was greeted with thunderous applause.
The next speaker was from South Africa and he preached, “Feed the Hungry; so that men will see your good works and accept Jesus.”
Rev. Hill tells that the conference was immediately split between the “Winners” and the “Feeders.” All week long the speakers vacillated between the two sides and the crowd cheered their side.
Rev. Hill had the unenviable task of being the closing speaker. He wondered how in the world he could bring the crowd back together in order to have unity.
God gave him just the right message.
Rev. Hill started with a baseball analogy. He asked the question, “In baseball, what do you do after you hit the ball? Do you go running to third base?”
The crowd shook their heads in the negative.
“Do you run to second base?”
Again the crowd responded in the negative… except those who had figured out where he was headed… they did not respond.
Then he asked, “Where do you go?” And the answer came back… “Run to first base.”
That is right… You want to get to first… FIRST
First… before you go to second base
First… before you go to third base
First… before the ball gets there
GO TO FIRST… FIRST!!!
But what is first base for the church? Or… Who’s on first? What’s first base?
What do we call Matthew 28:18-20? The GREAT Commission
What did Jesus say was HIS reason de- etre… HIS reason for being?
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man has come to seek and save the LOST!
Not to heal… not to feed, not to clothe
NOT FIRST… not primarily
TO WIN THE LOST PEOPLE TO SALVATION!!!
Did He say feeding and clothing and healing are not important?
NO!!!
But it is like the baseball analogy.
Second base is as important as first. Third is likewise.
But in baseball… the first and most important base is FIRST.
A Player who skips first base or goes there second will be out.
He has to go to first first.
Listen---
A CHURCH THAT IS NOT WINNING THE LOST—IS LOST!!!
Not lost as in unsaved… but lost in it’s priorities.
The purpose… the FIRST purpose of the church is to SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST… Feed My Sheep… Go ye therefore and teach all nations…
It is the purpose for which God created the church.
It is the mission Jesus gave the church.
It is the calling to which Jesus called the church.
It is the thing Jesus said he would make us to be… fishers of men
It is the thing we do that Jesus promised us He would be with us
But if we do not fish… witness… seek and save the lost… what are we…
Lost… like a little boy who hit the ball and started running to third, but turned toward second, then toward first… but ran into the dugout.
Too many churches are like that… flitting from place to place… from thing to thing… trying to find their purpose.
They are frustrated, ineffective and they look silly.
*I like what Rev. Paul Black said, “If a church does not fish, it will…
1. FIGHT disunity, fussing, in-fighting…
Fussing/fighting/bickering/hard feelings/hurt feelings-Then church has lost its focus!
2. FLEE nothing to hold them, they will fly apart and fly away in times of trouble.
Peter ran when times got Hard/Persecution! (EXPOUND-Things didn’t go like he planned-expound, Lost sight of purpose & ran!)
Church does the same!
When we lose sight of our call to fish for men-We Flee from every little problem!
Little things make us cut & run!
We can’t stand adversity because we’ve lost sight of our purpose
3. FORGET
After all Jesus had taught Peter! After all the miracles he’d seen (EXPOUND)
He forgot everything & said, “I’m going out to fish”
The Fisher of Men had once again become just a fisherman!
When Fishermen don’t fish, they forget the things of God!
Their wants become more important than God’s will!
Their desires become paramount to God’s decrees!
So… for the church… what is first base?
WINNING THE LOST TO CHRIST!!!
Teaching, feeding and helping are all important to Jesus. He did them all the time.
However, they are not the reason God called Jesus to the throne and said, “Son, I have a very important job for you… so I am sending you to earth, to live in the flesh, where you will be murdered to accomplish my mission.
There were others who could feed the hungry and clothe the naked,
There was enough of the created spark in them despite their sin, to cause their hearts to be broken by poverty and suffering.
There were already groups dedicated to helping the needy.
There were already programs in place to meet physical needs.
The reason God sent his Son to earth to be hated and rejected and mocked and murdered was bigger than their physical needs.
It was something that no one else could do for them.
The reason Jesus came was to die for our sins, to pay our ransom and to buy our pardon with His innocent blood.
That is why, the only reason why… Jesus came.
What is first base for the church? SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST.
But in baseball, what do you do after you get to first? Do you raise your hands in victory and go to the dugout? Do your go take the ball from the pitcher and warm up?
NO!!! YOU GO TO SECOND!!!
What is second base for the church? What’s on second?
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing (saving) them and teaching them to observe all things I have commanded them.”
Second base is DISCIPLESHIP… learning to obey the commands of Jesus… Growing in your knowledge of the Word… dying to self and living to Jesus… allowing the old nature to be put to death and being recreated as a new creature in Christ.
GROW them in Christ-likeness
EQUIP them with the armor of the Spirit
TRAIN them in spiritual warfare
The church is not a place to hide from the world and avoid confrontation and persecution… or to retreat and lick our wounds.
The church is like the huddle on the football field… the place you run to get new plans, to get prepared to go on offense against the enemies of God, the place where talk about what went wrong and how to do it better next time.
FIRST… got to first…. Seek and save the lost
SECOND… go to second… Disciple those who are saved.
…………………………………………………………………………
And third… what is third???
Third is the place of BEARING FRUIT.
Third is the place where God comes to us and looks to see if we have the fruits of the Spirit like…
Love, peace, gentleness, self-control,
This is where God checks you out to see if you have love for your brother… your fellow man.
If a church has gone to first… is seeking and saving the lost
And has moved on to second… is discipling the brethren, each growing in Christ-likeness
It will show up in fruitfulness
In love for your brother
In using your gift for Christ
In sharing your faith with others
In feeding, clothing and healing.
And the last base is HOME.
What is home??? HEAVEN.
We cannot stop running, stop trying, stop working and stop advancing until we get home… the Heaven.
So let’s recap…
When you hit the ball…
You do not go to second…
YOU GO TO FIRST… FIRST…WIN THE LOST
Then, you can no on to disciple the saved.
You cannot disciple people UNTIL you get them saved…FIRST!!
Then you go on to third base… BEAR FRUIT.
People cannot bear fruit until they are first saved.
Even then they can bear only squatty fruit… they are not mature.
They must be discipled before they can bear fruit for God.
Then, finally… when we have
Saved the lost
Discipled the saved and
Seen them bear fruit..
THEN… they will be ready to go HOME and receive their reward.
Sooooo… the question is…
WHO’S ON FIRST?
Are we headed towards first base?
*From a sermon When Fishermen Don’t Fish by Paul Black, on sermoncentral.com.
I have a powerpoint for this sermon yoou can contact me to get a copy
