Should we have a passion for the lost?
What is passion? Passion is defined as an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction.
Why should we care about the lost?
Why should we be concerned about the unsaved?
Why should we worry about the other person?
Who cares what happens to a person when they die without knowing Jesus as their Savior?
Who cares if a sinner is going to hell?
Who cares if our neighbor or the person we work with or the person who is checking out our groceries doesn’t know Jesus?
We should care!
The truth is that as Children of God we are responsible for the lost souls in our lives.
Paul admonishes Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8 to “not be ashamed to testify about our Lord.”
I think that this is something we can all take to heart. The Apostle Paul had a passion for the lost. It was his greatest desire to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the world.
One way Paul could get the message of Christ to the world was to have others help him get the job done. This was Paul’s legacy and it continues today through you and me.
Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel message and he did not want us to be ashamed of it either.
Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
For Paul to say that was huge because of all the persecution that the Christians faced during that time.
But Paul was not ashamed because he knew and understood the power of the Gospel.
He knew that the Gospel message was the dynamite which blasts away self-complacency, self-delusion, and sinful self-reliance.
Today, I want to give you three reasons as to why we should have a passion for the lost.
PRAYER
Father, open my eyes to see Your Word.
Open my ears to hear.
Open my mind to understand.
And open my heart so I may receive Your Word today.
AMEN
1. We should have a passion for lost souls because we have a knowledge that the unsaved do not have.
Jesus was speaking to His disciples in Matthew 13:10-12 when he said the following…
11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Matthew 13:11-12
This knowledge has been passed on by the first 12 disciples to the first century church and on throughout time to us today.
It is the same knowledge that Paul spoke about and wrote about often.
It is the knowledge of truth that Paul discussed with Timothy when he said, “3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4
The knowledge that we have been given leads to life and it comes from the salvation we have in Christ.
If we have been saved, the knowledge of the Gospel message becomes real in our life because we have actually experienced its power; it’s saving power.
We have the knowledge that God loved us so much that he sent His only Son into this world so that the world could have everlasting life.
It is the knowledge that Jesus left the splendor of heaven to come to this planet to give His life as a ransom for our sins.
It is the knowledge that through Jesus our sins are forgiven.
And it is because we posses this knowledge that we should have a passion for the lost.
Because when you have good news that is as important as this, you have to share it with others. You don’t want to keep this sort of thing a secret.
We should have a passion for the lost because we have a knowledge.
2. We should have a passion for lost souls because we have blessings that come through Jesus.
One could say that membership has its privileges.
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18
This verse should take your breath away. It should fill you with excitement.
Great is God’s faithfulness to His children when they follow Him. This is played out time and time again in the Old Testament when the Israelites turned their hearts to God and followed Him with all their heart, soul, and mind.
God was with them and God blessed them when they were obeying His Laws.
The biggest blessing that we have is the promise of eternal life, it is the promise of salvation that comes through accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, it is the redemption we have as a gift from God. It is the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
What are some other blessings that we as Christians experience because we have Jesus in our lives?
Fellowship with God.
Healing.
Provision.
Love.
Peace.
Forgiveness.
Refuge.
Protection
Strength.
Security.
Laughter.
Joy.
Righteousness.
Courage.
Patience.
A companion who will never leave us or forsake us.
We are so very blessed because of our decision to make God a part of our lives through Jesus Christ.
We should have a passion for the lost because we have blessings through Jesus Christ.
3. We should have a passion for the lost because Jesus told us to have a passion for the lost.
Jesus said many awesome things as He walked on this planet.
Matthew records Jesus saying, 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:36-38
This is also recorded in Luke and John.
In Matthew Jesus also talked about our light shining before all men. He talked about caring for those who were hungry, those who where thirsty, those who were strangers, and those who needed clothes.
Jesus cared about the lost and He wanted us to care about the lost in the world and not only care but do something about it.
Jesus’ last words really open our eyes to this point. Last words are important.
Here are some of Jesus’ last words to His disciples.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
Last words are so very important.
If I were dying and I said to you, “Please, whatever happens to me, promise me that you will take care of my wife and daughters…” What would you do?
If you were any kind of a decent human being, you would honor my request right?
Jesus was leaving. He was going to heaven to prepare a place for God’s children. He knew that He would not be coming back for some time so Jesus gives these instructions to His disciples and to us, “Go, preach, teach, baptize.”
Jesus has called us to be faithful witnesses in our personal lives.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
It is vital that we have a passion for lost souls.
In Ezekiel God gives a warning to Israel that we should heed as well.
18 When I say to a wicked man,
