Just How Important Missions Really Is
Luke 2:49
DATE: 1 May, 2005 AM PLACE: BBC Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Luke 2:41-49)
A. Jesus is twelve years old
B. He and his family have headed 60 miles from Nazareth down to Jerusalem for the yearly Passover celebration.
C. For a whole week, they have spent time together with family remembering God’s supernatural deliverance from Egypt, and the value of the blood of the Passover lamb
D. Once all the festivities of the week were over, Joseph gathered his wife Mary, and all his children together and headed back home to Nazareth
E. Everyone was with them, except Jesus, who purposefully stayed behind in Jerusalem – a twelve year old, staying by Himself in the big city of Jerusalem
F. After a day’s journey, Momma Mary gets a bit worried because she can’t find Jesus. Throughout all the caravans they searched only to conclude they must turn back and return to Jerusalem to search for young Jesus
G. After three long days since leaving Jerusalem, they return to the Temple where they had last seen Jesus, only to find Him there, sitting, and stumping all the lawyers, and scribes, and Pharisees, and teachers with His questions and answers!
H. Oh how sternly Mary rebuked her son – and rightly so. She had been worried sick, and the whole family had been worn out searching for this eldest son of the home
I. But, simply, and swiftly, Jesus gently reminded His mother and step-father that He had a very special job to do – even at 12 years old
1. A job that His REAL father had given Him to do
2. A job that out-weighed family, and traditions and all the cares of this world
3. A job that demanded His attention, even from 12 years old
4. He called it, “His father’s Business!”
J. This morning, and this whole month, I want us to look hard at the efforts of our Lord to win souls to Himself. I call it the “Action-Filled Life”
K. Most people are stressed out with life’s pressures, and worldly cares, but do little to nothing of OUR Father’s business!
L. We need to trade-in our apathy about spiritual things, and replace it with Christ’s constant attention and activity concerning the redemption of lost souls! We are saved by God’s grace, by receiving eternal life as a free gift – without works! But once we got saved, we had a job to do (Eph 2:8-10)
M. This month we are going to look at the Activities of a Christian’s life
1. As Rescuers
2. As Ambassadors
3. As Evangelists
4. As Changers
5. And finally as Victors
II. Message
A. What Is God’s Business? He is in the Search and Rescue Business!
1. There are many people in Ireland that make up what is called Search and Rescue – well-trained professionals who act quickly and effectively in the searching out, finding, getting to, and ultimately rescuing people in danger – no matter how far away they may have gotten!
a. They respond to trapped or lost mountain climbers
b. They race to sinking sea vessels off the coast
c. They rush to a flood area searching for victims
d. It is a very important business to be in, and everyone of us who would ever need them would be forever indebted to their bravery and determination to accomplish their “mission!”
2. How much more important when we are dealing with the eternal souls of men and women, boys and girls!
3. For God, it started back in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:6-9)
a. Man went astray, and was in danger of being lost forever
b. And God, instead of walking away, came and began a search for anybody who would let Him save them
4. It culminated in the coming of Jesus Christ (Mt 1:21; Lk 19:10)
5. And Jesus compares just a single human soul with all the worth of the universe (Lk 9:25; 15:4-7)
6. Jesus came:
a. For sinners (Mt 9:12,13)
b. For the lost (Isa 53:6)
c. For those who could NOT save themselves (Rom 5:6)
7. Thank God He is still seeking out those who are lost and in danger
8. THAT is what Jesus was doing that day, and what he did EVERY day of His life – seeking and rescuing sinners
a. A Samaritan woman in John 4
b. A religious rabbi in John 3
c. A midget tax-collector named Zacchaeus up in a tree
d. A murdering zealot named Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus
9. AND, that is OUR business, if we are truly born again (Jn 17:18, 20:21; Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47-49; Acts 1:8)
B. How Serious is Our Task?
1. We have basically already seen that EVERYONE, absolutely everyone is lost – no exceptions!
2. But what does it really mean, to be “lost?”
3. Lost means:
a. Away from God, missing, astray
b. Unable to get home
c. Without God and without hope
d. Completely away from God – not near to God, or “on the right track” or “not too far off course” – or “just a little wayward”
e. Separated from God – a big, insurmountable distance between us and God
4. And that is only the tip of the iceberg - Mankind as a whole is:
a. Under the dominion of the devil (2Cor 4:4)
b. Going completely against God
c. Already condemned by God (Jn 3:16-18)
d. Under the wrath of God (Jn 3:36)
e. Facing an eternity in hell, forever and ever
1) Mt 3:7 – it is something to flee from
2) Mt 23:33 – it is something that is final and disastrous
3) Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
4) Our hearts ought to be stirred as we realize the fate of a soul who dies without Christ. Hell is described as
a) A lake of fire
b) A bottomless pit
c) A horrible tempest
d) A place of everlasting burning
e) A furnace of fire
f) A devouring fire
g) A place of torments
h) A place of everlasting punishments
i) A place where people pray but are not heard
j) A place where they cry for mercy but find none
k) A place where they wail but are not helped
l) A place where they curse God over and over again
m) A place where they can never repent
n) A place of filthiness
o) A place of weeping
p) A place of sorrow
q) A place of outer darkness
r) A place of where people have no rest day or night
s) A place where they gnaw their tongues
t) A place of blackness and darkness forever
u) A place where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched
v) A place where they are tormented with burning brimstone
w) A place from which the smoke of their torments ascendeth up forever and ever
x) A place where they do not want their loved ones to come
5. Dear folks, THAT is the danger the souls of people are in – all peoples!
a. Whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, intelligent or dumb, black or white – everyone is in immediate danger (2Cor 6:2)
b. No one has any guarantee of life 10 minutes from now
c. No one has the promise of a long life, and another chance to be saved
C. How Do We Accomplish That Task?
1. Broken (Mt 23:37) – weeping over the lost condition like a mother weeps over the near death condition of a son or daughter just being pulled out of an auto accident
2. Burdened (Lam 3:48-51) – carrying the responsibility for getting people out of danger (Acts 26:18)
3. Trained (Mk 1:17) – the reason why many Christians get discouraged in the search and rescue business is because they attempt to do noble and dangerous deeds, only to fail, simply because they have not gone through training – Soul-Winning Class, Discipleship, faithful church attendance getting clear preaching and teaching on how to see folks saved!
4. Together – we MUST learn how to work as a TEAM of Christians, sowing, planting, watering, mending, helping, prodding, always bringing people closer and closer to faith in Christ (1Cor 3:6,7)
5. Determined (Jn 9:4) – not wishy-washy, or haphazard, but determined, even if everyone else falls out, to finish the job (Mt 26:37-40)
6. Going – not waiting always for the right moments, or the right conditions (Eccl 11:4), but going TO people where THEY live, where THEY are struggling (Mt 28:19) – cant’ expect trapped climbers to come down and come to you if they are in danger! Same with souls!
7. Dependent – dependant not upon his own wisdom and intelligence and personality, but solely on the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)
8. Until the Trumpet blows!
III. Conclusion
A. We need to trade-in our apathy about spiritual things, and replace it with Christ’s constant attention and activity concerning the redemption of lost souls! We are saved by God’s grace, by receiving eternal life as a free gift – without works! But once we got saved, we had a job to do (Eph 2:8-10)
B. This month we are going to look at the Activities of a Christian’s life – we call it, being busy doing God’s business!
C. What Is God’s Business? He is in the Search and Rescue Business!
1. Jesus came:
a. For sinners (Mt 9:12,13)
b. For the lost (Isa 53:6)
c. For those who could NOT save themselves (Rom 5:6)
2. Thank God He is still seeking out those who are lost and in danger
3. AND, that is OUR business, if we are truly born again (Jn 17:18, 20:21; Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47-49; Acts 1:8)
D. How Serious is Our Task?
1. Mankind as a whole is:
a. Under the dominion of the devil (2Cor 4:4)
b. Going completely against God
c. Already condemned by God (Jn 3:16-18)
d. Under the wrath of God (Jn 3:36)
e. Facing an eternity in hell, forever and ever
2. Dear folks, THAT is the danger the souls of people are in – all peoples!
3. Are YOU in such a danger?
4. What about a loved one?
E. How Do We Accomplish That Task?
1. Broken
2. Burdened
3. Trained
4. Together
5. Determined
6. Going
7. Dependent
F. Until the Trumpet blows!
Craig Ledbetter, Ireland
MSN Messenger: craigled@hotmail.com
AOL Instant Messenger: IrishPreacherKJV
Skype: godsman1611