Seeking The Lost, For All The Wrong Reasons

I think that we all have done some things with the wrong

motives in our hearts.

A. When we were little, we didn’t misbehave if we

at all thought that there might be a reward coming.

1. We were actually phonies...we weren’t

being good because we loved and honored

our parents.

a. We were only good for what we could get

out of them.

** Lets not look too pious and innocent......we all did it at

one time or other.

Some parents even slipped into a dangerous trap by

rewarding their children for being good.

A. Children should be good......because they should

be good.........NOT for any kind of reward.

1. Rewards should not regularly be attached to

proper behavior.

a. If we let this happen, our children will

need to be bribed into proper behavior.

1.) If we don’t have a bribe....we may

have a ball of trouble on ourhands.

Children are not the only ones who do things with

improper motives.

A. Adults can be just as bad, Even in the Church, we

see many things done from improper motives.

A. Many try to win over the lost for some

of the wrong reasons.

I. It’s a “numbers game” to some.

Matt. 22:10-14 - 10“So those servants went out into the

highways and gathered together all whom they found, both

bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a

man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12“So

he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without

a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13“Then the

king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take

him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be

weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14“For many are called,

but few are chosen.”

** We must understand that not all will choose to put on

“robes of righteousness”.

1. This is even more true as we, daily approach the

the “days of Noah” that Christ promised would

happen just before He comes back (Matt. 24:37).

A. We aren’t a success if we don’t reach some

arbitrary number of bodies in the pews.

1. This motivation will allow for a lot of

“adjustments” to achieve the number goal.

a. The worst thing that can happen to

someone who has this mindset is to have

someone physically leave the Church.

1.) It may not even matter that they

spiritually “bailed out” long ago.

a.) This concern isn’t especially

a concern for a soul that is

now headed to ultimate

torments.

b.) The concern for this person

does not extend to finding

out what is wrong......long

before this person decides to

physically leave.

** The important thing for this individual is that the

numbers went down.

1. What this individual wants.........more than

anything else........is BIG NUMBERS!

II. Then there are those who work very hard at winning

those who are of the world........because they view them

as a challenge.

A. There is a certain amount of pride involved in this

view of conversion.

1. It may not be perceived by those who don’t

understand.......this person wants to be

applauded for being able to convert a really

“hard customer”.

a. A drunk.

b. A prostitute.

c. A person with a mean streak.

d. An atheist.

** Don’t get me wrong......it’s great that this happens and

it will still be effective for the person coming to Christ..

but it might also be the undoing of the proudful person

who is only in it for the challenge.

III. I am convinced that some people only work at winning

souls, because others are.......a form of envy and

jealousy.

Phil. 1:15-16 - 15Some indeed preach Christ even from

envy and strife, and some also from good will: 16The

former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely,

supposing to add affliction to my chains.

A. There is always the danger of peer-pressure being

the motivation for work in the Kingdom.

1. Again, the results of the work may be very

good and quite positive, but the heart of the

person doing the work may be sick and even

nigh unto death.

a. God can and will use anyone to further

the gospel.......he even used a donkey, in

the Old Testament to correct a man......

but let me say that it was not to the

donkey’s credit......it was credited to the

one receiving the instruction.

** Nobody should be preaching, teaching, or going out of

their way to win lost souls because they feel that they

are in some kind of contest with their fellow Christians.

IV. Next, we come to the type who views every warm

body as a dollar sign.

I Peter 5:2 - 2Shepherd the flock of God which is among