What Is Wrong With Our Gospel?

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.