People need the LORD

People Need The LORD!

I Corinthians 6.9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

With all the sin in the world, in our nation, around us we can become easily withdrawn. It is also possible for the church to become ingrown, not wanting to allow people close who need the Savior. It is hard to watch sin in action. It is hard to see people inflict pain on themselves. It hurts to see souls destroy themselves. Some situations today have no visible solution if people do come.

Jarrid Wilson, assistant pastor of Harvest Fellowship of Riverside, CA took his life this week. He is the second “high profile” pastor to do this in recent days. Please, please, please pray for Pastors! Especially the younger ones. There is a lot emotional pressure as well as spiritual pressure on pastors today. People’s lives are so messed up with sin. It is overwhelming to lead a flock today. Sin has taken a toll on people.

We can feel awkward in the presence of those who do not believe.
We wish we didn’t have to even know about sinful living, no less watch the nation move away from God.
Habakkuk 1.3
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.

This morning we are going to look at truths which we can forget as we contend with sin in this world.

We are in a spiritual battle. Sometimes it with with the enemy. Some of it is over the lost, those without Jesus, living in sin.
To the church at Corinth Paul wrote about those who were living in sin, And that is what some of you were
We need to reach these people listed here. They need Christ! They are our mission field. We need to pray for their salvation more than we are disgusted by their sin.

Jesus reached out to prostitutes and demon possessed people. He changed them. That is what they were. He transformed them. He did not indulge them.

We look at some of these situations today and we wonder how can this be made right? We must not forget we are people of Hope!

It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn't want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.


The ninety nine and the one lost sheep in Luke 15.1-7
The Prodigal Son in the same chapter.

We are looking at Biblical Truths on how we should view and interact with the lost.

1. Sinners Need The Saviour.
Luke 19.10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Zacchaeus Luke 19
Nicodemus John 3
The Woman at the Well John 4
Sinners are the victims of the enemy, not the enemy.
11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

All teachable moments for the church.

Lost in sin.

Bitten by the serpent.

Bound by the enemy.

Frustration by Fulton J. Sheen
Mark 5.1-20
1. What Sin Did To Him
* It defiled him.
* It divided him.
2. What Society Did To Him
* It banished him
* It bound him
3. What The Saviour Did For Him
* He cleaned him up
* He sent him home

In need of Jesus.
Everyone needs God.
Everyone needs forgiveness.
God has placed eternity in the hearts of men.  Ecclesiastes 3.11


2. We Must Pray For The Lost.

They are lost in sin.

Rescue the perishing... Bring them to Jesus.
Fanny Crosby’s story about this hymn
Prodigals
LORD, Bring back the prodigal sons and daughters!

Ephesians 6.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Pharisee and Tax collector in the temple
Luke 19.9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fasttwice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

3. Tough Mind Towards Sin/ Tender Heart Toward The Sinner
We cannot compromise with sin.
Romans 6.1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
We are not helping people when we condone their sinful life styles.
We are hurting the next generation when we excuse sin.

We are not to condemn them either. This is walking a tight rope. It is called Grace. It is amazing!
John 3.17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 12.47 For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

If we judge or we condemn we are missing the mark. Let’s be like Jesus, full of Grace and Truth.

Balance, too much tenderness we will condone sin.
Too much toughness we will condemn the sinner. Both are wrong. Jesus is the Answer

Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth. He offered hope to everyone. We follow Him when we do the same.

4. Pray
We pray for people to be healed and we should.
We need to pray more for people to come to Christ and be saved.
Matthew 10.28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them.
John 6.44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Pray they will listen to the invitation from Christ.

People need the LORD.A