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…What is your most valuable possession? Some would answer by saying, “my __health__,”
“my family,” “my wealth,” “my abilities,” and the like. Yet if you know
Christ the Lord as your personal Savior from your sin, then none of these
are your greatest possession. The greatest thing you possess is the __treasure__
of the Gospel. It is priceless!
…See the godly man near death, it is not his family, fortune, nor his fading
abilities that sustain him, it is the
Gospel, that provides him with living __hope__. It is the greatest
treasure in the universe!
…The Lord Jesus commanded us to take the Gospel to the __whole__ world.
(Matt 28:18-20) Man’s greatest __need__ is to be reconciled to holy
God. The Gospel is mankind’s __only__ hope. However, Jesus tells us
that there is a time to stop giving out the Gospel to lost men and women.
THREE CONSIDERATIONS CALLING US TO EXERCISE DISCERNMENT WHEN
PRESENTING THE GOSPEL TO THE LOST.
…the treasure of the Gospel isn’t to be wasted on men who __despise__
its truth, having a hardened contempt for God.
I.
It Is The Command
of The Lord Jesus That We Are To Be Busy In Giving Forth the Gospel To All
People Everywhere. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8)
A. All
men and women are
__born__
lost and under condemnation because of sin. Each man and woman, without
Christ, is on a journey that ends in Hell. There are
__no__
exceptions. None!
B. There
is only
__one__
way to be saved, it is through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
…all other __religions__ and faiths will only
take one to Hell. (1 Timothy 2:5)
C. The
Apostles carried out this mandate in their day and went everywhere presenting
Christ. (the book of Acts…tells the story)
II.
It Is Surprising To
Hear The Lord Jesus Tell Us To Stop Proclaiming The Gospel To Some People.
(v.6)
The Great Commission is not a command to engage in
__mindless__
evangelism. We are to exercise great discernment.
A. We
must first present the Gospel to all…for “faith comes by hearing…” We may
have to tell it over and over before it is understood. “Keep fishing!”
B. As
we are
__faithful__
in this, God will use us to “save some.” Some of those hearing it will be
drawn to salvation, but not all. Everyone does have a response to it, even if
it is
__total__
rejection of it.
C.
Jesus tells us of
“dogs” and “pigs”. These are one class of people, not two, who have heard the
Gospel, and have rejected it, and who oppose it with a
__vicious__
hard-heartedness.
1.
__Dogs__
in the ancient day were not usually house pets, but wild filthy scavengers.
2.
Pigs were not
to be owned or eaten by the Jews, due to their filthiness.…So both of these
animals
__picture__
sin-hardened men returning to their filthy lifestyles after rejecting God and
His wonderful Gospel. These manifest a contempt for God, in
__rejecting__
His only remedy for their sins. These behave like spiritual dogs and pigs…
(2 Peter 2:22)
D. Jesus
calls us to use discernment in recognizing “pigs”, and to turn
__away__
from them. We are to move on and give the Gospel to others.
1.
Jesus did this
in His ministry. (Luke 4:30) He left His
__home__
town of Nazareth when they would not hear Him. In fact, they tried to
__kill__
Him.
2.
Jesus told His
disciples to “shake off the dust and go elsewhere,” when the message was
rejected. (Matt 10:14)
3.
The Apostles would
“move-on” if the Word of God was rejected…
…Paul…(Acts 13:44-46) …he left those who rejected the Lord, turning to
others…
…Paul…(Acts 18:5-6) …”your __blood__ be upon your own head, from now
on I go to others”
III. It
Is Important For Us To Never Forget The Pricelessness Of The Gospel. (v 6)
A. Speaking
of the Gospel and related biblical truths, Jesus tells of its
__worth__.
1.
It is “sacred,” which means holy. It
is all together rare. It is distinctly different from any other thing. It
is precious. It is
__never__
to be thought of as common.
2.
It is likened
to
__pearls__,
which in the ancient day were the rarest and most valuable jewels.
Priceless.
B. We
are not to continue to expose the priceless
__Gospel__
to vile men who have rejected it.
LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES:
1. Be
active in sharing the treasure of the Gospel.
2. When
some reject Christ, know when to stop sharing the priceless Gospel of Christ.
3. Know
that the truths of God's Word are not for the world, but for God's children.
4. For
"Dogs and Pigs", let the message of Christ live through your life!!
5.
Perhaps you are lost and not saved. Cry out to the Lord and be saved.
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