An Invitation to Consider
Sermon Title: An Invitation to Consider
Sermon Text: John 1: 19-52
Successful Soul Winners Have:
I. A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST Jn 1: 37, 40
A. There Is A Commitment In Salvation – (John 3:3, 7) (I John 5:12)Before anyone can witness, they must know what they are talking about! You have to be saved before you can share!
B. There Is A Confidence In Salvation – (v. 41) (Ill. 2 Pet. 2:10; 2 Cor. 13:5) The prospective soul winner must have his/her salvation nailed down. When there is a lack of confidence in one’s own salvation, there will be a lack of power in one’s witness. (Ill. It is possible to know for sure – 1 John 5:13; 5:1)
C. There Is A Clear Testimony Of Salvation – (. 41)The prospective soul winner must think his own salvation experience through in detail. Only then can he tell others what has happened in his life. (Ill. Your most powerful illustration of salvation is you own personal experience with Jesus Christ.) (Ill. Andrew was able to share with Peter what he had already experienced of Jesus Christ.) (Ill. The Demoniac in Mark 5:20)
II. THEIR PRIORITIES IN ORDER John 1: 41
A. They See The Sinner’s Condition (This is what we call a "burden for the lost") (Ill. Andrew was burdened for Simon Peter!)
1. His Present State – (Eph. 2:1-3; Eph. 2:12) (Ill. If this doesn’t move our hearts, then we are made of stone and have forgotten where the Lord brought us from! – Isa. 51:1)
2. His Prophesied State – (Ill. Luke 16"19-31; Psa. 9:17) The soul winner knows that men are headed to an eternity apart from God, 2 Thes. 1:8-9, and he is moved by this knowledge. He has a desire to snatch men from the jaws of destruction. (Ill. The Gospel has the power to do just this!)
B. They Sense The Urgency Of Their Need –
1. The soul winner knows that the night is coming in which no man can work, John 9:4.
2. He knows that life is just a vapor and that men are perishing without the promise of another minute, James 4:14; Pro. 27:1.
3. He knows that the window of grace will close with the return of Jesus in the rapture – 2 Thes. 2:11.
4. The soul winner knows what the lost sinner has no inkling of, he knows he is lost from God, Hell bound and hopeless, apart from the salvation that can only be found in Jesus Christ!
C. They Seize Every Opportunity – The soul winner looks for the open
door of opportunity wherever it may appear. Sometimes even nudging open a door that is only cracked a little. However, if the Lord is not at work, then the soul winner is wasting his time! (Ill. John 6:44; John 6:65) This thought raises some questions:
1. Doesn’t God love everyone? Yes He does, but they
cannot be saved at the time of their choosing.
2. Can’t anyone just call on the Name of the Lord and be
saved? Yes, but only when the Lord is drawing them unto Himself. Generally speaking, if the Lord is not drawing, there will be no interest in what the soul winner is saying, no evidence of conviction and no desire to make a profession.
3. What does the soul winner do? He is sensitive to the Lord and His leadership. He watches the person he is witnessing to and he seeks to sense what the Lord is doing in the conversation. Remember, not every contact is a time of reaping! It may be a time of sowing seed orwatering, but that is just as important in the eternal picture. Our duty is to Go…Tell!
III. A PROPER VIEW OF CHRIST John 1: 41
A. His Person – The soul winner knows who Jesus is. The soul winner knows He is the Son of God, (Ill. Simon Peter – Matt. 16:16). You don’t have to be a theologian nor must you be able to quote all the relevant Christological passages, but you must be aware of who it is that you are representing. (Ill. This is what separates us from the cults! They are all wrong on the Person of Jesus.)
B. His Performance – The soul winner needs to know what Jesus did. We need some basic things nailed down in our hearts! We need to be comfortable talking about:
1. His Virgin Birth, Isa. 7:14, and sinless, 1 Pet. 2:22
2. His Virtuous Life 2 Cor. 5:21ans impeccable.
3. His Vicarious Death – On a cross, dying a horrible death for sinners, Isa. 52:14; Rev. 5:9 – (Ill. sfazw – Butchered, slaughtered). (Ill. Never be afraid to proclaim the saving power of His Blood – Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18-19) (Ill. Many are, but it’s still the Blood that saves from sin!)
4. His Victorious Resurrection – Matt. 28:1-6 – Remember a dead Savior saves no one! Thank God He lives!
5. His Visible Return – This is the blessed hope of the believer and something worthy to be shared with the lost and dying. The same Jesus who died, was buried and rose again is returning to receive His people unto Himself, (Ill. John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).
7. You have to know who He is before you will be able to share Himwith another. It doesn’t require a degree, but it does demand prayer and study of His Word.
C. His Power – The soul winner knows that Jesus has the power to save all who will call upon Him by faith! (Ill. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 1:12) (Heb. 7:25 – He is able to save! Able = "dunamai" – It means to have power residing in one’s self or one’s resources. It is explosive power! Jesus possesses the power to dynamically save the lost sinner. He is able!) Ill. Eph. 3:20 – He can save you, or your contact, better than you think He can!
D. His Promise – The soul winner needs to know that Jesus is not only able to save, but that He is willing as well! He doesn’t have to be coerced into loving and saving the sinner, He stands always ready to receive all who will come to Him by faith – John 6:37; John 7:37; Rev. 22:17)
IV. v. 42 A PASSION FOR POINTING MEN TO JESUS John 1:42
- A. He Alone Is Our Message
I will preach only Christ crucified.
B. He Alone Is Our Mission – We are to bring men to Jesus. Not to our denomination, to our church, to ourselves or our way of thinking. When we go into His fields, we are to remember that He must have the preeminence, Col. 1:18. If He is lifted up, men will be drawn unto Him – John 12:32.
C. He Alone Is Our Master – Matthew 28:18-20 sheds some very
Notice three very important facts from this passage:
1. He Will Go With Us – v. 20 (Heb. 13:5)
2. He Will Guide Us – v. 20 (John 16:13)
3. He Will Gift Us – v. 18 (Matt. 10:19; John 16:13-15)