Teaching The Lost

Fruit Bearing  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Introduction

Greetings…
Last week we began a new series of lessons meant to examine the reality of what God means when he said we were created in Christ Jesus “for good works” with the theme being “Fruit Bearing.”
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
In the lesson last week we examined how…
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches (Isaiah 11:1; John 15:5) and that the purpose of the branches is to “bear fruit.”
If we do not “bear fruit” we will be “taken away” by the Father but if we do bear fruit we will be pruned by the Father so as to bear more fruit.
John 15:2 ESV
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
This morning, we are going to start looking at specific ways we are to be bearing fruit for God.
Romans 7:4 (ESV)
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
The first “fruit bearing” work we are going to look at is that of “Teaching The Lost.”
It might be the most well known but also one of the most important, so with that in mind let’s examine our lesson for today.
When it comes to bearing fruit by teaching the lost we must understand…

It Take Time

We Must Make Time.

Teaching the lost is not something that can be done without the use of our time.
It often will require us sitting with friends, family, or others for several hours over several different days.
The apostles rightly said that teaching the lost takes a lot of time to accomplish.
Acts 6:2 (ESV)
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.”
Didn’t Jesus demonstrate to the apostles just the opposite when he washed their feet?
Yes, and the apostles were not opposed to serving tables but only admitting that they were expected by God to “get the message out” and the time it takes to do so cannot be “filled” with serving tables.
To teach the lost we must take time to “go to where others are” and teach them.
Peter left home to go to Cornelius’ home.
Acts 10:22–23 ESV
22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
Philip was told to “go and find a man studying in a chariot.”
Acts 8:26–29 ESV
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
We could continue but you know what Jesus command the righteous to do.
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Mark 16:15 ESV
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Summary

Teaching the lost the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to take time out of our busy schedules.
It is going to use up the time we have allotted for other things in our day and cause us to reschedule.
When it comes to bearing fruit by teaching the lost we must understand…

It Takes Effort

We Must Study.

We not only need to be avid readers of God’s word but we must take the time and make the effort to actually study God’s most precious word.
How can we be expected to teach someone the saving message of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ if we ourselves have no idea how to navigate God’s word to do so.
2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
We must study to know why “studying God’s word” is so important to one’s salvation so as to be able to explain that to the lost needing salvation.
Romans 10:17 ESV
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
We must study to know why belief, faith, and faithfulness is so important in God’s plan of salvation and why the lost should sacrifices everything for it.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
We must study to know why dedicating our lives to Christ by turning from sin and living for Christ is so important in God’s plan of salvation and why they should “desire this in their lives.”
Acts 17:30 (ESV)
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent
Luke 14:33 ESV
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
We must study to know why confessing Jesus as “the Christ” and “my Christ” before men is so vital to someone’s salvation so we can explain such to the lost.
Romans 10:9–10 ESV
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Matthew 10:32–33 NKJV
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
We must study to help the lost understand the importance of being immersed in that watery grave.
Romans 6:3–5 ESV
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Yes, we obeyed the gospel and we must be able to then turn around and explain why we did to others who need to hear that saving message as well.
Not only does it take effort to bear fruit in teaching the lost because of the study we must put into God’s word but we must also understand…

We Must Put Ourselves Out There.

It takes a lot of effort for people to “put themselves out there” in teaching the lost God’s word.
It is not the most “comfortable” thing to do, go to someone, seek to study with them, and then show them what they are missing spiritually from God’s word.
Most people assume they are spiritually fine; rare is the person who is seeking because they know differently.
It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to put ourselves out there.
However, we must not forget that when we put ourselves out there God is with us.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Revelation 21:3 (ESV)
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

Summary

It takes a lot of physical and emotional effort to bear fruit for God by teaching the lost.
It takes a lot of effort to help those in spiritual need.
And the reality of it all is that to bear fruit in teaching the lost…

It Takes Longsuffering

We Must Suffer To Help Save.

Teaching the lost means telling people they are “not saved” and in “danger of hell.”
Neither one of those are something people typically want to hear or are happy at finding out.
Because of this when we teach the lost persecution will happen.
Prison is a possibility.
Acts 4:1–4 (ESV)
1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
Physical harm is a possibility.
2 Corinthians 11:25 ESV
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
Becoming someone’s enemy is a possibly.
Galatians 4:16 ESV
16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Teaching the lost also takes longsuffering because…

We Must Be Willing To Accept Defeat.

The harsh reality is that most of the people we try and teach the gospel to will reject it.
Jesus himself could not reach very many in the grand scheme of things while here on earth.
Matthew 23:27 ESV
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
We must be willing to except that not everyone we love, care for, and want to obey the gospel and be faithful children of God will do so.
That doesn’t mean we give up teaching those that have rejected it.
The Jews often rejected Paul’s teaching of the gospel to the point where he would stop teaching them for a time.
Acts 13:46 ESV
46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
However, we find he still loved them dearly and would go back to them over and over.
Acts 17:1–2 (ESV)
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures

Summary

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Conclusion

With all that said, IT IS WORTH IT!!!
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Invitation
Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Philippians 2:6–7 ESV
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Romans 10:17 ESV
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Acts 17:30 ESV
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Matthew 10:32–33 NKJV
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Romans 6:3–5 ESV
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
1 John 1:7 ESV
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
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