WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR GOSPEL?
MATTHEW 9:36-38 WHEN HE SAW THE CROWDS, HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE HARASSED AND HELPLESS, LIKE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD. 37 THEN HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, "THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW. 38 ASK THE LORD OF THE HARVEST, THEREFORE, TO SEND OUT WORKERS INTO HIS HARVEST FIELD."
ROMANS 10:13-15 FOR, "EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." 14 HOW, THEN, CAN THEY CALL ON THE ONE THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED IN? AND HOW CAN THEY BELIEVE IN THE ONE OF WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD? AND HOW CAN THEY HEAR WITHOUT SOMEONE PREACHING TO THEM? 15 AND HOW CAN THEY PREACH UNLESS THEY ARE SENT? AS IT IS WRITTEN, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!"
INTRODUCTION: RIGHT NOW, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A SERIES OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES TO ASSIST THOSE OF US WHO ARE REPUBLICAN IN DECIDING WHO SHOULD BE OUR NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SUBSTANCE FROM THESE DEBATES – IN OTHER WORDS, IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO DISCERN THE VIEWS OF THESE CANDIDATES, IT HAS ALSO BEEN EASY TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM – AT LEAST IN THE EYES OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES.
THIS IS A VERY AFFECTIVE STRATEGY. WE LIKE TO FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVES. THE PROBLEM IS, WHEN EVER CANDIDATE IS PUBLICIZING WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERY OTHER CANDIDATE, THE END RESULT IS THAT WE REALLY WANT NONE OF THE CANDIDATES!
YET, THERE IS A VALID POINT TO LOOKING AT WHAT IS WRONG. WHAT IS THE SAYING, “IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT.” IT IS JUST AS VALID TO SAY, “WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT WRONG SO WE CAN FIX IT.”
PROPOSITION: THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH OUR GOSPEL, AND WE NEED TO FIX IT!
ULTIMATELY WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR GOSPEL IS EITHER IGNORANCE – KNOWING WHAT TO DO, OR NEGLIGENCE – NOT DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
I. GOSPEL WRONG #1 –IMPROPERLY DIRECTED PRAYER AND THE PROCESS OF CORRECTION
a. WE NEED TO SEE PEOPLE THE WAY JESUS SEES PEOPLE
i. NOTICE THE TEXT, “WHEN JESUS SAW THE CROWD”.
ii. WE CANNOT SEE WITH OUT LOOKING.
iii. ARE WE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED JESUS?
b. WHEN WE LOOK AT CROWDS, WE TENDS TO SEE NUMBERS, BUT WHEN JESUS LOOKS AT CROWDS HE SEES NEEDS!
c. WHEN JESUS SEES THE NEEDS HE IS MOVED WITH COMPASSION
i. THE WORD MEANS TO FEEL DEEP SYMPATHY
ii. THE REASON JESUS IS SYMPATHETIC TO THEM
1. THEY ARE HARASSED – TROUBLED AND DESPONDENT
2. THEY ARE HELPLESS – THROWN TO THE GROUND
a. JESUS SEES THAT THEY ARE HELPLESS WITHOUT GOD
b. JESUS SEES THEY ARE WITHOUT DIRECTION
3. THEY ARE LIKE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD
a. DEFENSELESS. ONLY DEFENSE A SHEEP HAS IS TO RUN, AND THEY DO NT DO THAT WELL EITHER!
b. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PROTECTION OF THE SHEPHERD
c. THEY ARE BOTHERED BY WOLVES WITHOUT THE SHEPHERD
THEY HAVE NO SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
d. JESUS SEES A WORLD FULL OF HELPLESS SHEEP.
e. THE WORLD IS WHITE OR RIPE FOR HARVEST
f. THE HARVEST IS ALL AROUND US
g. IN THE MIDST OF THIS GREAT TROUBLE, JESUS ASKS US TO PRAY
h. THE REASON WE PRAY IS FOR GOD TO ACT.
i. WHAT IS INTERESTING IS WHAT GOD THE SON WANTS US TO PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER ABOUT
i. HE DOES NOT WANT US TO PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE
ii. HE DOES NOT WANT US TO PRAY FOR THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE
iii. JESUS WANTS US PRAY FOR THE CHURCH!
1. ASK THE LORD TO SEND WORKERS OUT INTO THE HARVEST
iv. WHAT IS THE RESULT OF NOT PRAYING THIS WAY
1. BELIEVERS WHO GO OUT INTO THE HARVEST WHO ARE NOT SENT BY GOD OUT INTO THE HARVEST!
2. THEY ARE GOOD INTENTIONED
3. THEY HAVE A HEART FOR PEOPLE
4. THEY SEE THE NEED OF PEOPLE
5. BUT THEY ARE NOT SENT OUT BY GOD
6. AND THE RESULT IS DIRE!
DO YOU REMEMBER THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. THE SOWER GOES OUT TO SOW AND SOWS SEED ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOIL. HARD SOIL, SOIL WITH WEEDS, ROCKY SOIL, AND GOOD SOIL.
WHAT I PERCEIVE IN THIS PARABLE IS THAT AT FIRST GLANCE THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN APPEARANCE BETWEEN THE SEED SOWN ON ROCKY SOIL AS SOWN ON GOOD SOIL. THE DIFFERENCE BECOMES APPARENT WHEN TROUBLE COMES, ONE WILTS AWAY AND THE OTHER ENDURES.
THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONE GOING OUT WITH A BURDEN AND ONE GOING OUT WITH A CALLING!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR GOSPEL IS THAT WE HAVE NEGLECTED TO PRAY FOR GOD TO SEND PEOPLE OUT TO THE FIELDS OF THIS WORLD WITH A CALLING FROM HIM, NOT JUST A BURDEN FROM THEMSELVES.
THERE IS CONVICTION AND THERE IS CALLING.
WE ARE NOT PRAYING FOR GOD TO CALL PEOPLE INTO THE FIELDS.
THE GOSPEL BREAKS DOWN BECAUSE FOR ALL THE PRAYING WE ARE DOING, WE ARE NOT PRAYING AS GOD WOULD HAVE US PRAY – FOR THE CHURCH!
THERE IS NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD WHERE THERE IS NOT A HARVEST, BUT THERE ARE MANY PLACES IN THIS WORLD WHERE WELL INTENTIONED BELIEVERS HAVE GONE, BUT THEY HAVE GOD WITH A BURDEN, NOT A CALLING FROM GOD.
WE NEED TO STOP PRAYING FOR MISSIONARIES, AND START PRAYING FOR GOD TO CALL MISSIONARIES OUT OF HIS CHURCH.
WE NEED TO PRAY MORE FOR GOD TO CALL PEOPLE OUT INTO HIS FIELD THAN WE DO PRAYING FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE FIELD.
AND THERE IS ONE OF TWO REASONS WE ARE NOT PRAYING FOR THE WORLD THE WAY GOD WANTS US TO PRAY FOR THE WORLD; EITHER WE DID NOT KNOW AND ARE IGNORANT, OR WE KNOW THAT WE ARE THE CHURCH, AND IF WE START PRAYING FOR GOD TO SEND WORKERS FROM HIS CHURCH INTO THE WORLD, HE MIGHT JUST SEND US!
II. GOSPEL WRONG #2 – SYSTEM BREAKDOWN
a. ACCORDING TO OUR TEXT THERE IS A GOD-GIVEN DESIGN FOR THE PROCLAMAITION OF THE GOSPEL.
i. GOD SENDS HIS SERVANTS
ii. HIS SERVANTS PREACH
iii. PEOPLE HEAR
iv. HEARERS BELIEVE
v. BELIEVERS CALLS
vi. EVERYONE WHO CALLS IS SAVED
b. WHAT YOU AND I NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND REMEMBER IS THAT BELIEVING IS BASED ON HEARING, AND HEARING IS BASED ON PREACHING (SOMEONE GIVING THE MESSAGE)
c. WITHOUT THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL THERE CAN BE NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRUTH OF SALVATION AND NO DECISION MADE FOR CHRIST.
d. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PREACHING WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS COMMUNICATING TRUTH.
i. THE WORD PREACH MEANS TO HERALD OR ANNOUNCE
e. TO THE ONE WHO BRINGS/COMMUNICATES THIS GOOD NEWS IS GIVEN THE BLESSING OF “BEAUTIFUL FEET”
i. BEAUTIFUL HERE MEANS TO BE IN FULL BLOOM
ii. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN WE ARE COMMUNICATING THE GOSPEL, WE ARE IN FULL BLOOM. WE ARE OUR MOST BEAUTIFUL AS A BELIEVER!
f. WE NEED TO ASK IF THERE IS ANY PLACE IN THE SYSTEM GOD HAS ORDAINED WHERE THINGS CAN BREAKDOWN?
i. WILL EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD BE SAVED? YES! SO THERE IS NO BREAKDOWN THERE!
ii. WILL EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES CALL? YES AGAIN! SO NO BREAKDOWN THERE!
iii. WILL MANY WHO HEAR BELIEVE? YES! SO, ONCE AGAIN, NO BREAKDOWN THERE!
iv. PEOPLE WILL HEAR WHEN WE PREACH TO THEM, AND GOD IS STILL IN THE BUSINESS OF SENDING HIS SERVANTS, RIGHT? YES! SO THERE IS NO BREAKDOWN IN THE PLAN OF GOD YET.
v. THEN, BY CONCLUSION THE ONLY POSSIBLE AREA OF BREAKDOWN POSSIBLE IS WHEN THE SERVANTS OF GOD DO NOT PREACH THE GOSPEL TO ALL PEOPLE.
g. GOD WILL NOT USE OTHER WAYS OF COMMUNICATING HIS TRUTH TO PEOPLE. THERE IS NOT ONE RECORDED TIME IN THE BOOK OF ACTS WHERE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL WAS NOT ADVANCED APART FROM A HUMAN AGENT.
i. EVEN THOUGH CORNELIUS HAD A VISION OF WHAT GOD WANTED, IT TOOK PETER TO BRING HIM UNDERSTANDING!
h. BELIEVERS TODAY ARE FOR THE MOST PART AN UNJUST PEOPLE!
i. THERE ARE MORE THAN 5,000 PEOPLE GROUPS TOTALING AROUND 1.5 BILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE “UNREACHED” OR “UNENGAGED”
1. TO BE UNREACHED MEANS THAT THERE IS NOT A POPULATION OF BELIEVERS IN THAT GROUP SUFFICIENT TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO THAT GROUP.
2. TO BE UNENGAGED MEANS THAT NO CHURCH, OR ORGANIZATION IS EVEN WORKING WITH THAT GROUP. IN OTHER WORDS THEY DON’T CARE WHETHER THESE PEOPLE KNOW CHRIST OR NOT.
a. THEY ARE BORN, LIVE, AND DIE WITHOUT EVER HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE GOSPEL.
b. AN NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THAT SITUATION!
ii. WE ARE UNJUST BECAUSE WE POSSESS THE GOSPEL AND REFUSE TO GIVE OUR LIVES OR TIME, OUR TREASURE TO MAKING IT KNOWN AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD.
WE NEVER NEED TO ASK THE QUESTION AGAIN – CAN I FIND/KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR MY LIFE, I NEED TO ASK MYSELF IF I AM WILLING TO OBEY GOD’S WILL FOR MY LIFE!
