(Mat 6:33 KJV) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
A. The lost need to be told about the Saviour. But we often offer no more than excuses to God as to why we do not talk to them. Zig Ziglar offers this on the subject.
"Often I have heard people say that they would witness for Jesus if only they could talk or think like so and so. If they just had someone else’s ability, what couldn’t they do for Jesus. I have often wanted to reply by saying, "My friend, you would not do a cotton-picking thing with someone else’s ability if you are not using the ability you already have. You’re kidding yourself, and that’s not even being honest. The truth of the matter is you already have the ability necessary to be a successful witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ll just use what God has already given you, you will be given more to use, but it you don’t use what you have, you’ll lose it."
B. We are told to seek God’s kingdom before any other pursuit. We are told to seek His righteousness for our lives before we seek any other thing. How do we seek for His kingdom? We do it by working to accomplish His will. The only time we will do that is when we have made Him the captain of our destiny, the master of our journey, the lord of our lives.
The lost are dying every day. All over this world thousands of people are leaving for eternity even as we speak. Can’t you hear their cries in your soul as you think of their fate?
C. Listen to four calls that come to your spirit. Four calls that are asking you to become a witness to your lost friends and family. Four calls that come from four directions.
I. Hear the call that comes from above.
A Their is a call that comes to the listening ears from the almighty God of heaven and earth. Isaiah heard it.
1 (Isa 6:1-9 KJV) "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. {2} Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. {3} And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. {4} And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. {5} Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. {6} Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: {7} And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. {8} Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. {9} And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not."
2 Can’t you hear it today, God is calling for faithful witnesses to tell the hell bound about the only source for salvation. The lord Jesus.
B We are sent by God to tell the world anout Jesus. The great commission of Mat. 28 tells us first of all to go.
1 One fellow wrote. Frogs sit and wait until their food walks, flies, or swims past. Then they move into action. Lizards go out in search of food. In the frog world, everything comes to those who wait. In the lizard world, everyone would die of they sat and waited. Our current culture climate is not conductive to frog ministries. "Come to" strategies no longer work. It’s a "go-to" world.
2 God’s heart is the heart of a father and jesus is the shepherd searching for the lost sheep, will you not hear the call and go?
II. Hear the call from beneath.
A This is a terrible cry, it is a cry of hopelessness. Listen.
(Luke 16:19-31 KJV) "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: {20} And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, {21} And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. {22} And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; {23} And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. {24} And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. {25} But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. {26} And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. {27} Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: {28} For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. {29} Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. {30} And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. {31} And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
A Real people go to a real hell.
B The only hope for your friends is if you tell them about the Jesus of the Bible "Moses and the Prophets".
C Those who leave earth without Jesus have nothing but eternity of pain to look at.
(Rev 20:11-15 KJV) "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
D Who all do you know that will suffer for eternity? what will you do to stop it?
III. Listen to the call from within.
(John 16:8-11 KJV) "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: {9} Of sin, because they believe not on me; {10} Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; {11} Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
A As a child of God you have the Holy Spirit in you. He is there for many reasons, but one of them is to tell you what God’s will is for your life. And God’s will is for you to be a witness to all those who you come into contact with. How do I know? (2 Pet 3:9 KJV) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
B I am in awe when I sit and listen to people talk. They talk about all the places and people that they know around here. I am here to tell you that if you know someone, then God has you in accountability to tell them of the Saviour. (Ezek 33:7-9 KJV) "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. {8} When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. {9} Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."
C Do you want clean hands at judgement day? The start telling people about Jesus.
You lived next door to me for years
We shared our dreams, our joys, our tears,
A friend to me you were indeed --
A friend who helped me when in need.
My faith in you was strong and sure
We had such trust as should endure,
No spats between us ever rose
Our friends were alike, also our foes.
What sadness, then, my friend, to find
That after all, you weren’t so kind.
The day my life on earth did end
I found you weren’t a faithful friend...
For all those years we spent on earth,
You never talked of Second Birth,
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Christ Who’d make me whole.
I plead today from hell’s cruel fire
And tell you now my last desire,
You cannot do a thing for me,
No words today my bonds will free.
But do not err, my friend, again,
Do all you can for souls of men,
Plead with them now quite earnestly
Lest they be cast in hell with me.
IV. Hear the last call, the call from without.
A This call is the loudest you will hear, it comes from the lost around you.
B You see them every day, you know their lives are wrecked, you think they are having fun, but inside they are desperately searching for Jesus.
1 They are searching, looking for fulfillment in alcohol, drugs, sex, power, wealth.
2 But in reality what they need is Jesus.
C No person in their right mind would want to go to hell. But there are many in our world who do not know about the reality of hell. Only you can tell some of them. I will never know them and they would never listen to me. But they will listen to you. Your their friend, your their relative. It is your responsibility.
Will you listen to the calls that come to you from above, beneath, within and without?
