Our Inalienable Responsibility

Intro

Why does God save some and not all? God is sovereign, so why does he not save everyone? Why do some people die without the gospel and sem to be rejected by God?

Illus: Hospital on 4J - cancer ward. Often would sit in one room while someone was dying and then go to the next room where someone with the very same cancer was being released and was in remission.

The question that would always come up is: Why does God allow some to live and seem to just let others die? Does this have any bearing on God’s mercy and love?

A Father who went to work, forgot to drop his kids off at day care and after an hour the kids we found dead. The Father claims he forgot. HIs wife pleads his innocence. Now he is faced with jail and will live with this the rest of his life.

I remember one time after being in Thomson and in the Navy Reserves for about 2 years that this question came up again.

A Father leaves his child in the car while he runs into a local Walmart. He locks the doors. He goes in, not to shop, but to shop lift. He steals a blender and as he returns to the car he realizes he has lost his keys. He calls 911 to let him in and the child is rescued and safe.

I was traveling to Norfolk where I was now serving the COMNAVSURFLANT - surface fleet, OMC. I had just landed at Norfolk Int. Airport and was debarking the plane. As I was going up the ramp to the terminal I hear: “Hey Chaps.” I automatically look as if the person is talking to me. She was. I look again and have no idea who this lady is. She can obviously tell. She looks at me and say: “You don’t remember me do you?” You were with me on 4J at the hospital when I had cancer. You probably don’t recognize me with hair . . .”

Why does God allow some people to recover and go on living while others are condemned to death.

Why? Why a tragedy for one family and a sweet rescue for another?

Remember Malachi

He is prophesying to the Priests of Israel concerning how they have robbed God and disobeyed Him.

Malachi 1:1–3 ESV

The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”

The reality in which we live is God in His sovereignty chooses to save some and chooses to condemn, or pass over others.

Same with salvation. God turns some men to repent and believe, and leaves others in their condemnation to die in their sin and be condemned to hell.

What does this mean for the church? Does this mean we have to go out and defend God? What is required of us?

Evangelize - Share the gospel

J. I. Packer:

Evangelism is the inalienable responsibility of every Christian community, and every Christian man. We are all under orders to devote ourselves to spreading the good news, and to use all our ingenuity and enterprise to bring it to the notice of the whole world. The Christian, therefore, must constantly be searching his conscience, asking himself if he is doing all tat he might be doing in this field. For this also is a responsibility that cannot be shrugged off.

Attributes of Evangelism

What is this “inalienable responsibility” that we have?

(4 & 5) It is a part of the Christian life

Great Commission -

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Paul gives shows us one who is zealous for evangelism

Reasoning in the synagogue and testifying to who Jesus is.

It is how God uses his servants to call other servants

Our evangelistic work is the instrument that He uses for this purpose, but the power that saves is not in the instrument: It is in the hand of the One who uses the instrument. - J.I.Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

(3-4) It is often relational

Paul shared in real life experiences with Aquila & Priscilla

rejected by the government, yet received by Jesus

(4) It will take reason & persuasion

There is a logic to Christianity

Reason and belief working in conjunction

It isn’t blind faith

Hard work

(5)It is a sharing of God’s Word

using God’s Word to show people that Jesus is the Christ

Prophet, Preist and King

(6) It may be opposed & rejected

We often FEAR rejection

It is to be expected in the Christian life

Do you fear God or rejection by man?

(7-8) It is sufficient for a believers sanctification.

Believers need to be encouraged by the gospel

It is not an introductory teaching that we set aside

(9) It is accompanied by Christ .

Paul was given a vision - particular to him

Yet, the truth is the same for us - Christ goes with us

Jesus promises Paul:

Confidence and strength

Boldness to speak

protection

All of this to accomplish what the King wants done so that His Kingdom is built up with saints - fellow believers

Conclusion

So often we look at things from our perspective and we need to realize that is a very limited and narrow perspective.

We don’t know why God does what He does.

What we do know is that we are asking the wrong question.

Why does God save anyone at all?

He sent Paul to share the gospel to many in Macedonia and they rejected it. They rejected God and salvation.

Illus: Caller who called into the WHI and asked why God wouldn’t allow him to believe when he prayed to do so.

This isn’t a mystery to be solved or in which God needs his people to defend him. It is a truth that should do two things:

Remind us of his love and grace for us. Why did he choose me? Why was I able to be led out of that state of deadness and brought to life? Because He is gracious. This is my testimony. Nothing that I have done, but only what God has done.

And, it should show us that he has chosen us to a life of evangelism. It is the Christian’s inalienable responsibility. There are no excuses. There is no need for you to be brought through a step-by-step program in order to be qualified. You have been saved by Jesus Christ, that is sufficient to share with others.

I can’t tell you why some believe in Jesus Christ and others reject him. But, I can tell you that we have all been called in order to glorify God and part of bringing glory to him is through evangelism. When we tell others about Jesus and His gospel God is glorified, either in belief or rejection.

Lord’s Supper - reaching to these promises again that Jesus offers to Paul for his situation, but for us also for our situation:

Fear not - Jesus has rescued us

Speak up - share Jesus with others,

He is with us - He will protect us. No one will take us from the Fathers hand if we are in Jesus Christ

When you again reach out and take of these elements these are the words you should hear - Fear not, speak up, no one will attack you . . .