SERMON: THE WHY OF EVANGELISM

PURPOSE AND PASSION SERMON SERIES #4

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles with me and let’s read Romans 9:1-4a

Romans 9:1-4a New International Version (NIV)

 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.

            -- yesterday, I received a forwarded email from an old boss -- he has just taken over as the head of a large organization in the Air Force, with thousands of people working for him -- it’s a new job -- a new challenge -- and it brought him into command over areas that he was not familiar with

            -- one thing we do in the Air Force when a new boss takes over is give them “immersion” briefs -- we put together a briefing that gives our new boss a picture of what we do -- what our job responsibilities and duties are, how we get the job done, and then how those duties fit into the overall structure of the organization

            -- for instance, when we get a new boss over our squadron at work, my office puts together a briefing to explain to him what the Environmental section does -- we talk about the laws and the regulations we have to follow, and how we help make sure the installation completes its mission while taking into account its environmental responsibilities

            -- we’ll introduce each person that works in the Environmental office and explain what they do and how they do it -- and then we’ll give him a book with more detail on our daily activities -- so, these immersion briefs are really just a snapshot of what we do and how we do it -- and they’re intended to help new commanders get up to speed and understand the purpose of the various sections they may not be familiar with and identify any current issues that are going on

            -- in the email my former boss sent out, he says that he had just completed all the immersion briefs for his new command -- everybody that worked for him -- all the lower-level chiefs and commanders had briefed him on what their various sections do and how they do it

            -- this email was thanking them for all they do and for taking the time to explain to him how everything worked

            -- but then he made a statement that I found profound -- he said he wanted more information from them -- they had told him the “what” and the “how” -- now he wanted the “why”

            -- he wanted to know why they did what they did -- not the laws and the regulations that drove them -- not the technical aspects of how they accomplish their jobs -- but the personal reasons they were doing it

            -- he wanted to know what made them excited about going to work and doing their job every day -- he wanted to know what drove them -- what gave them the purpose and passion to get up and go to work and strive to do a good job -- the “why” of their sections and positions

            -- I started thinking about that after I read his email and started working on this message -- as you know, we’re going through this sermon series, “Purpose and Passion,” on the purposes of the church -- the reason we are here this morning -- the reason why Christ created the church

            -- as we’ve said, the five purposes are worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship -- so far in this series, we’ve looked at worship and ministry -- this morning, we are going to turn to the third purpose of the church -- evangelism

            -- I started thinking about all the sermons on evangelism that I’ve heard -- they’ve always seemed to focus on the “what” and the “how” -- they always talk about the reason we evangelize, which brings us back to our foundational verses for this series

            -- Matthew 28:18-20 says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you to do” -- and we said that Jesus’ command to us to “go and make disciples” was the reason we evangelized -- it was the reason the church reached out to those around us -- because Jesus told us to go and do that

            -- all of us have heard many sermons with that message -- go out and tell others about Jesus because that is what He has commanded you to do

            -- and, we’ve also heard many sermons that got into the “how” of evangelism -- how do you evangelize? -- how do you witness to others? -- how can you share the good news of the gospel of Christ with others in a way that is open and honest and not scary for anyone?

            -- so, we’ve done a good job at understanding the “what” and the “how” of evangelism -- but, rarely have we looked at the “why” -- and I think this is important -- I think this may be one reason why most Christians never witness to another person on a regular basis -- why most Christians aren’t actively sharing their faith with others

            -- we know “what” we are supposed to do -- we know “how” to do it -- but we’ve never really thought about the “why,” other than this is what Jesus wants us to do -- the “why” of evangelism has never been personalized in a way we can understand -- it’s never been truly internalized -- and, because of that, we’ve missed the real reason Jesus wanted us to share the gospel in the first place -- the same reason that made Jesus choose to go to the cross in the first place

            -- evangelism is not about getting more people into the church -- it’s not about just fulfilling a command that Jesus gave us in the Great Commission -- the “why” of evangelism is greater than that -- the “why” of evangelism should be what makes us passionate about telling other people about Jesus -- the “why” of evangelism should be what makes us get up out of bed every morning and say, “Who can I witness to today?” -- that, I think, is what we’re missing in the church

            -- so, this morning, I’m not going to go into the “what” or “how” of evangelism -- I can point you to messages or resources that can help you with that if you need a refresher

            -- this morning I want us to consider the “why” of evangelism so that it might make a difference in the way we look at this command of Jesus and this third purpose of the church

II.  Back to Basics -- What is the Gospel Anyway?

            -- Let’s start by talking about what the gospel is -- when we talk about witnessing to others about Jesus, what exactly are we referring to? -- I think this is important for us to wrap our heads around because it gets right to the heart of “why” we should evangelize

            -- the word “gospel” literally means “good news” -- and if there is good news, then that naturally presupposes that there is also bad news, right?

            -- the bad news is what makes the gospel good -- so what’s the bad news?

            -- the bad news is that we are sinners -- all of us -- I’m a sinner -- and you’re a sinner -- and every other person, except for Jesus Christ, that has ever lived is a born sinner -- as it says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

            -- the reason we are all born sinners goes back to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden -- when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in disobedience to God’s command, they committed the first sin -- and that sin changed them and us -- it changed who they were on the inside -- and they passed the effects of that sin on to each and every person who came from them, including you and me -- it’s almost like sin corrupted their DNA, so it got passed on to every other person ever born -- this is what we call the “original sin” -- it’s a way of describing and acknowledging this sin nature within ourselves that each of us is born with

            -- that’s why you don’t have to teach babies how to sin -- that’s why you don’t have to teach babies to be selfish -- they’re made that way -- they’re born that way

            -- the important thing to remember is that we aren’t sinners because we sin -- we sin because we are sinners -- and there’s nothing we can do about it -- we can’t change ourselves -- we can’t even do good things because all the good we do is tainted with the darkness of sin

            -- the fact is that we’ve all broken God’s law -- and, because of that, each of us in guilty and deserve to be punished -- we have earned God’s wrath and punishment because of our sin -- and the place of God’s wrath and punishment for sinners is Hell -- as sinners, this is the fate that awaits each and every person

            -- but, thankfully, we have the good news that counters the bad news -- the gospel of Christ

            -- while we cannot change ourselves or pay the penalty for our sin, Jesus could -- and so, God chose to send Jesus to earth to show us how to live without sin -- how to live in relationship with the Father -- and then God chose to send Jesus to the cross of Calvary, where He would take upon Himself every sin ever committed -- even your sins and my sins -- and He paid the penalty for them with His body and His blood

            -- Jesus was our perfect sacrifice who atoned for our sin -- who paid the penalty and took on the wrath of God for us -- He suffered in our place so that we might know the forgiveness of sin and might be saved from the danger of Hell -- and He proved that this was true and that He had conquered sin and death when He rose from the dead on the third day

            -- this is the good news -- this is the gospel -- this is the message that we need to get out to everyone we know -- because this is the “why” that should be driving us into the streets proclaiming the great news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins

III.  The “Why” of Evangelism

            -- the thing is our “why” for needing to do evangelism is so much more than doing it because Jesus told us to -- our “why” for needing to do evangelism is so much more than it just being a purpose of the church

            -- our “why” of evangelism has a face -- right now, just turn and look at the person sitting next to you -- that’s the face of evangelism -- that’s “why” we do it -- it’s about saving a person

            -- it’s about realizing that every person you pass today -- if they don’t know Jesus and haven’t trusted in Him in faith for their salvation -- every person you see is going to go to Hell

            -- you know that nice cashier you always chat with in the store? -- the mailman you wave at every day? -- that person who takes your order at the restaurant or stands in line behind you at the bank or passes you in their car on the way to work? -- all of them -- each and every one of them are going to go to Hell and suffer for all eternity unless they believe in Jesus -- unless they hear the good news and turn from their sins and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and salvation

            -- 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 says, “God will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus -- they will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power”

            -- now ask yourself, “do you want that to happen?” -- if your friend was about to make a big mistake in their life that would harm them, wouldn’t you tell them? -- well, this is the biggest mistake that someone can make -- this is not just a momentary event -- this is forever

            -- do you want them to go to Hell? -- can you bear the thought of them experiencing that? -- that’s what we need to really absorb -- that’s what we need to get in our heads and our hearts

            -- this is not a life or death decision -- those are easy -- this is an eternity decision -- this is forever -- and once the door of death closes, there’s no turning back -- there’s no second chance

            -- we see in the face and the eyes of our neighbor the “why” of evangelism

            -- you know, I hate to admit it, but there are some people I just don’t like -- there’s some people at work that if I never saw again, it wouldn’t bother me -- I’d be just as happy going about my life never seeing them or hearing from them again -- and, if you’re honest, you’ve probably got people in your life like that, too -- check your Facebook page or your phone and see who you’ve got blocked -- that’s the person I’m talking about

            -- but, even though I don’t like those people -- even though there’s something about them that turns me off or that causes me to want to avoid them -- I could never wish Hell on them -- never, in my heart of hearts, could I wish that they would suffer unending torment

            -- look back at the passage we opened up with -- Romans 9:1-4a

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.

            -- this is the heart cry of the Apostle Paul -- who had been persecuted by the Jews -- beaten -- stoned -- whipped -- arrested -- thrown in prison -- Paul had more reason than any other to hate his fellow Jews who had done that to him

            -- Paul says in verse 2 that he had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” -- great sorrow and unceasing anguish about what? -- about the fate that awaited his fellow Jews -- about the fate that awaited all who did not come to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and salvation

            -- Paul was so concerned for them -- so filled with sorrow and anguish for them -- that he went on to say in verse 3 that he wished it were possible for him to give up his salvation and be cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers -- in other words, Paul was willing to go to Hell for them if that meant they might be saved -- Paul understood the “why” of evangelism -- he understood the implication

            -- now, of course, Paul, couldn’t do that -- he was a sinner just like us -- he couldn’t pay the penalty for his owns any more than we could, much less pay the penalty for others -- but Jesus could and did -- and that’s the good news we need to make sure everyone hears

            -- Jesus offers freedom and redemption and salvation to all who are willing to take it -- to believe in it and to believe in Him -- who repent of their sins and who receive Him as Lord and Savior -- that’s the good news we need to be sharing

            -- folks, this is serious -- this isn’t just a “fill the church with more people” message -- this isn’t a “we’ve got to do this -- it’s a command in the Bible” type of thing -- this is more serious than that

            -- this is not even people’s lives we’re talking about -- we’re talking about someone’s eternal destination -- this is the “why” of evangelism -- this is why Jesus gave us the command to go and tell others about Him

            -- as Mark Dever said, we can’t wait for those people to realize they are sinners -- we can’t wait for them to feel a sense of need -- we know the truth -- we have the good news they need, even if they don’t know it -- Dever wrote, “We are there as heralds to tell them about a God that made them and a God to whom they must give an account. They have sinned against this judge, and he is good and will punish them, and so they need a savior.” [https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-need-for-evangelism]

IV.  Closing

            -- in the Bible, especially in the Book of Acts, we read of how the disciples dispersed out from Jerusalem and how, everywhere they went, they told people about the good news of Jesus Christ -- about His atoning death on the cross and His resurrection -- of the need for repentance and belief in Jesus for salvation

            -- why? -- why did they do this? -- it wasn’t because they were trying to start churches -- it wasn’t because they were trying to make a church larger -- they did it because they knew the “why” -- they knew what would happen to those people who never repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus in faith for salvation -- they knew that those people were going to suffer in Hell forever

            -- why did Paul desire so much to witness to the Roman Emperor Nero? -- was it just because he wanted to preach to the ruler of the world? -- because he wanted Nero to stop the persecution and the evil things he was doing? -- no, Paul just wanted the opportunity to tell another person the good news about Jesus -- especially a person like Nero who was so obviously in need of redemption and salvation and who could influence so many more if he became a Christian

            -- the “why” of evangelism is wrapped in our love and concern for the eternity of others -- what happens to us when we witness is not important -- if they reject you -- if they embarrass you -- if they belittle you -- it doesn’t matter -- that is a light and momentary affliction compared to the fate that awaits them

            -- Paul and Jesus’ example says that even if they persecute you -- even if they hate you -- even if you don’t like them or don’t like what they are doing -- love them anyway

            -- tell them the good news of Jesus anyway -- make them understand, because this is the most important decision in all of eternity -- as one person said, “it’s better to have never been born, than to not be born again”

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story about D.L. Moody -- Moody was just a regular guy with a regular job -- he wasn’t a trained preacher -- he didn’t go to seminary -- he was a shoe salesman who became an evangelist -- he preached all over the world, and when he preached, the Spirit moved the people and many came to know and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith

            -- one time, when D. L. Moody was evangelizing in various cities throughout Great Britain, some clergymen were jealous of his powerful preaching and wanted to know his secret -- They said to him, "Mr. Moody, we would like to have a word with you -- You come here to London -- you have a sixth grade education -- you speak horrible English -- your sermons are simple -- and yet thousands of people are converted -- We want to know, how do you do it?"

            -- Moody proceeded to invite them in and asked them to look out the window and tell him what they saw -- They mentioned some things going on outside, such as some children playing in a park, and some couples walking -- then they asked Moody what he saw.

            -- According to the account, as Moody looked outside, tears began to roll down his cheeks and onto his gray beard -- one of the ministers, very curious to know what caught Moody's eye that would so affect him, asked, "Mr. Moody, what are you looking at? What do you see?"

            -- Moody replied, "When I look out the window, I see countless thousands of souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find the Savior."  [ Recounted in Lane T. Dennis, "What Do You See?" Share the Good News (September/October 1999), 3. Quoted in Philip G. Ryken, The Message of Salvation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001), 293-294.]

            -- Moody understood the “why” of evangelism -- and it made the difference in how he presented the message -- it made the difference in how people heard the good news when he presented it

            -- we need to understand the “why” of evangelism, too -- we need to look past the “what” and the “how” of the Great Commission and remember the “why” -- you’ll find it in the face and eyes of everyone you come into contact with this week -- and, when you find it, it will change how you hear Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” -- it will change what you do -- it will change the world

            -- let us pray