Making a Difference

The Value of One Luke 15

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, was asked to share a few thoughts: “When everybody was fleeing that building, and the cops and the firefighters and the EMS people were heading up into it, do you think any of them said, ‘I wonder how many blacks are up there for us to save? I wonder what percentage are whites up here? How many Jews are there? Let’s see—are these people making $400,000 a year, or $24,000? No, when you’re saving lives, they’re all precious…I’m convinced that God wants us to…value every human life the way He does.” Mayor Giuliani was referring to physically saving lives. But his words are true, and they ring just as surely in regard to rescuing people from an eternity apart from God: “…they’re all precious…God wants us to…value every human life the way He does.”

In Luke 15 we find a shepherd searching for one lost sheep, a woman searching for one lost coin and a father waiting for his wayward son to come home to show us how highly he values a single soul.

Look what he says in Luke 15:10 “10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

This brings us to the question why is one soul so valuable?

A soul is eternal

God created the Human soul in his image Genesis 1:27 “27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Because of this it means that our soul is eternal. Since sin entered the world our bodies decay and die, but our soul never dies.

How many of us wake up on the morning and begin thinking about eternity?

How many of us wake up thinking about the fact that one day we will die?

Most of us if not all of us don’t think about these things every day, and certainly the lost don’t think about these things because Satan actively works to distract us with the here and now

Something mind blowing to me that we will never understand with our finite minds is eternity, but we only have this short life, or what one preacher called the dash that goes between the date of your birth and the date of your death to prepare for it.

Even the best life on earth that ends without Christ will bring the worst eternity.

Jesus taught this principle when he said this in Mark 8:36 “36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

In our everyday lives we must remember that every person we come in to contact with has a soul

The next reason we find one soul to be so valuable is because Heaven and Hell are real.

Not only is it true that a soul will live forever, but the Bible is clear that their are only two eternal destinations for the soul: Heaven or Hell

Jesus spoke of both places in his teaching, but he spent more time talking about hell than heaven

Luke 16:22–24 “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.”

The Bible clearly tells us that if we don’t receive Christ as our savour we will spend eternity in a lake of fire, but if we receive Christ we will spend eternity in heaven.

Revelation 20:15 “15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

1 Peter 1:3–5 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

As Christians we must remember that every person we come into contact with (Our family, friends, coworkers, cashier at the grocery store, the homeless guy on the side of the road) will spend eternity in either heaven or hell and that thought should motivate us to tell others the way of salvation which is Jesus Christ

The next way we find for one soul to be so valuable is Jesus is the only way to heaven

A Welsh Pastor named John Dyer wrote these words “A man may go to heaven without health, without riches, without honors, without learning, without friends; but he can never go there without Christ.”

If you’re saved this morning there was a moment in time where you realized that Christ was your only hope of salvation. You turned from trusting in yourself and trusted in Christ

Some today will tell us that there are many ways to heaven, but thats not what Jesus told us in John 14:6 “6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Peter declared this same truth in Acts 4:12 “12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

We live in a world that believes “all roads lead to heaven” but we must boldly and lovingly declare that their is only one road that Leads to heaven and that is Jesus Christ and what he did for you and me.

To Seek and to Save Luke 19:10

If you were to write down your purpose statement for your life in less than 20 words what would it say this morning?

All of us are here for a purpose and if you are a Christian, no matter what your vocation might be God has placed you here for a purpose as well

Jesus gave us his purpose which we should adopt as our purpose as well in Luke 19:10 “10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Some people come up with a purpose statement for their life, but then their life doesn’t reflect the purpose they wrote out, but everything Jesus did with his 33.5 years on earth went back to this purpose

Remember the Pharisees were always getting on to Jesus because of the publicans and sinners he hung around, one time this was the reply of Jesus Mark 2:17 “17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus was willing to rearrange his schedule for a gospel encounter

John 4:1–4 “1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria.”

He would stop what he was doing to reach people as we see with the blind man in Mark 10:46-52.

He would seek out people who couldn’t come to him as he did with the crippled man by the pool of Bethesda in John 5:2-9.

Ultimately everything Jesus did was for the purpose of reaching the world with the Gospel.

Right before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he gave a commission to the Church which is still our mission today

Matthew 28:18–20 “18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Go

God has Given us the power to Go

When we purpose to go with the gospel, we do it with the assurance that all the power of God is behind us. And when we don’t go with the gospel, we’re doing it against the authority and command of Christ. This command involves action—you can’t go while doing nothing. Jesus isn’t just asking us to make a mental assent that people need the gospel, and He’s not telling us simply to be part of a church that is reaching out with the gospel. He is calling us to personal action—to go to people who are lost and tell them how they can be saved.

Win

We shouldn’t be winning people to ourselves but we should be winning them to Christ

Baptize

Our job doesn’t end the moment someone gets save, in reality it has only begun. Baptism is an act of obedience to Christ, and it identifies us with Christ.

Teach

Discipleship is necessary in the Christian life

None of us know everything their is to know so we should continue to learn and grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Owning the Mission

Hundson Taylor said “The great commission isn’t an option to be considered; its a command to be obeyed

Make a commitment

The evangelist D.L. Moody used to tell the story of a lady who came to him criticizing his methods of attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody had only received a fifth-grade education, had poor English skills, and was aggressive in seeking people out and pointedly asking them if they were saved. God blessed his preaching and witnessing ministries greatly, but some people took offense at his style. Moody’s reply to this critic was gracious. “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” “I don’t do it.” “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

We should all commit to own the mission that God has called us to do

Set a plan

Jesus Himself was intentional about preaching the gospel. He planned specific times and sent His disciples out with specific places in mind.

Luke 10:1 “1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.”

Seek God’s help

When it comes to sharing the gospel, it’s important to be able to clearly explain salvation, and it’s helpful to learn questions or statements that bring people to consider spiritual truth. But ultimately, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. Witnessing is not salesmanship; it’s dependent on the power of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:3–5 “3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:”

Prepare a message

I believe one of the main reasons people hold back from sharing the gospel is because they’re not quite sure was to say

If you have trusted Christ you know the Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to share the Gospel with others, but it is possible.

All that being said a failure to plan is a plan to fail, so its important for us to know what to say and so over the next couple of weeks we are going to try and help prepare all of us to share the good news of the Gospel.

I’ll close with this quote “the Great Commission begins with the command to go. No amount of knowledge of how to share the gospel can compensate for a lack of engagement in doing it.”