Why Every Believer Should Be a Soul Winner. (4)

Five Eternal Reasons

2 Corinthians 5:10–21 (KJV)

Theme:

Every believer is responsible to reach souls because of coming judgment and eternal realities.

One day, every one of us will stand before Jesus Christ.

Not in a crowd. Not as part of a group. But individually.

No one will speak for you. No one will answer for you. And nothing will be hidden.

The Bible says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”

In that moment, it will not matter:

how busy you were

how successful you were

or how comfortable your life was

What will matter is this: What did you do with what God gave you—especially the gospel?

Because while we sit here today, people all around us are one breath away from eternity.

And God has chosen us the church to reach them.

That is why Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”

Tonight, as we complete our challenge

I want to preach on this thought: Why every believer should be a soul winner: Five Eternal Reasons

I. Because We Know What Is Coming

(vv.10–11)

“We must all appear…” “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord…”

We will all face Christ (v.10)

its Certain — “must all appear”

its Personal — “receive… done in his body”

we will be Evaluated — “good or bad”

We will all face Christ (v.10)

The lost will face judgment (v.11)

“terror of the Lord” is real

This produces urgency

That is why Paul says: “Therefore, we persuade men” (v.11)

This is Not a passive belief, but active effort

Key Statement: What we know about eternity should move us to action.

II. Because We Know The Love of Christ

(vv.14–15)

“The love of Christ constraineth us…”

That word constraineth means: to press, to compel, to leave us no other option.

This is not casual Christianity.

This is a life gripped by the love of Christ.

I am compelled to tell others because…

His love was demonstrated at the cross (v.14)

“That one died for all…”

Christ did not die for a select few

Christ did not die for the deserving

Christ died for all

Every person you see:

the neighbor next door

the coworker you talk to

the stranger you pass by

Christ died for them.

I am compelled to tell others because…

His love was demonstrated at the cross (v.14)

His love leaves us no other option but to go (v.14–15)

If His love carried Him to the cross,

then His love in us ought to carry us to the lost.

We don’t get to pick and choose who is worth witnessing to.

If He died for them, they are worth reaching.

I am compelled to tell others because…

His love was demonstrated at the cross (v.14)

His love leaves us no other option but to go (v.14–15)

His love changed our purpose (v.15)

“…that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves…”

We are no longer self-centered

We are no longer living for comfort

We are no longer living for convenience

We now live:

for Christ

for His will

for His mission

And His mission has always been clear: “To seek and to save that which was lost.”

Key Statement: If Christ loved us enough to die for us, we ought to love others enough to tell them.

III. Because We Are New Creatures

(vv.17–19)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…”

Salvation is not a small adjustment. It is not behavior modification. It is a complete transformation.

We Have a New Position (v.17)

“In Christ”

Old things passed away

All things become new

We are no longer who we used to be.

And because we are new, we no longer live like the old life still owns us.

We Have a New Position (v.17)

We Have a New Mission (v.18)

“…who hath reconciled us to himself… and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”

God didn’t just save you from something. He saved you for something.

You have been given a ministry:

not just pastors

not just missionaries

but every believer

Your mission is to help bring others to the saving knowledge of God.

We Have a New Position (v.17)

We Have a New Mission (v.18)

We Have a Precious Message (v.19)

“…hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”

That word committed means entrusted.

God has placed the gospel in your hands.

Angels don’t preach it

Governments don’t spread it

Institutions don’t carry it

God gave it to us.

Key Statement: The gospel is not just received—it is entrusted.

IV. Because We Represent Christ

(v.20)

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…”

We are to be soul winners because…

Our identity demands it: we are ambassadors

An ambassador:

does not speak for himself

does not represent his own opinions

represents another kingdom

We belong to a different world. We represent Heaven on earth.

Where you go:

Christ goes

His message goes

His name is attached to you

Our identity demands it: we are ambassadors

Our authority guarantees it: God speaks through us

“…as though God did beseech you by us”

Think about that.

When you speak the gospel,\

it is as if God Himself is pleading through you.

You are not just sharing your story. You are delivering God’s message.

Our identity demands it: we are ambassadors

Our authority guarantees it: God speaks through us

Our responsibility is clear: we must speak

“…we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God”

We stand in His place. We speak in His stead.

If we stay silent… who will tell them?

Key Statement: We are Christ’s voice in this world.

V. Because We Have the Only Message that Matters

(v21)

“He hath made him to be sin for us…”

This is the heart of the gospel.

A Message of Necessity

Man is not just sick—he is lost. Man is not just struggling—he is condemned.

Without Christ:

there is no hope

there is no forgiveness

there is no heaven

People don’t just need encouragement. They need salvation.

A Message of Necessity

A Message of Substitution

“He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin…”

Jesus took:

our sin

our guilt

our punishment

The sinless One became sin for us.

A Message of Necessity

A Message of Substitution

A Message of Exchange

“…that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

This is the great exchange:

He took our sin

We receive His righteousness

We get what we did not deserve, because He took what He did not deserve.

There is no other message like this.

No religion offers this. No philosophy explains this. Only the gospel saves.

Key Statement: The message we carry is the only message that saves.

Conclusion

One day, we will stand before Christ.

And on that day, the question will not be:

How much did you accumulate?

How comfortable was your life?

How successful did you appear?

The question will be: What did you do with the gospel?

Who did you tell? Who did you warn? Who did you try to reach?

We know what is coming.

We know the love of Christ.

We have been made new.

We represent Him.

And we carry the only message that saves.

So the question tonight is not: Should we be soul winners?

The question is: How can we not be?

Let’s not leave this challenge unchanged.

Let’s go:

with urgency

with compassion

with boldness

And let’s persuade men.