Sunday, August 16th
Do You Care That the World is Going to Hell?

Welcome to The Journey Church. I'm Pastor Brannen Neumeister.​

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I want you to imagine waking up on a battlefield. The air is thick with smoke. You hear the clash of steel, the cries of the wounded, and the desperate screams of people calling for help. As you look across the field, you see an enemy advancing without mercy.

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But what catches your attention isn't the enemy. It's the people between you and the enemy. They have no armor. No weapons. Many of them don't even realize they're in danger. They wander carelessly across the battlefield as if they were blind and deaf, completely unaware that every step brings them closer to destruction. And one by one they fall, unable to rescue themselves.

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Then you notice someone sitting just a few feet away. It's your friend. He's stretched out in a lawn chair with a cold drink in his hand. He smiles, waves you over, and says, "Come sit down." You stare at him in disbelief and ask, "What are you doing? Don't you see what's happening?" He takes another sip and says, "Don't worry about it. I know how the battle ends. We win.”

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What person could possibly sit back and relax in the middle of a battlefield? But this is exactly what the church so often does today. We’ve grown indifferent to a world that is spiritually blind and headed toward destruction while Satan continues to wreak havoc.

On the day of His crucifixion, Jesus encouraged his disciples with these words: 

John 16:33 (ESV): “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I am  thankful for the peace that Jesus brings! But notice why we have peace: because the world, meaning everything on earth that is under the sway of evil and opposed to God, that world has been conquered by God. Christ overcame it in victory through his death on the cross and he called his church to partake in that victory:

1 John 5:4 (ESV): For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Those of us who have believed in Christ have not only been called to proclaim the victory Christ has won for us through the gospel but also to live out that victory by overcoming the world alongside Him. If salvation were simply about us as individuals gaining personal victory, God would just zap us up to heaven and celebrate, but he doesn’t. He awakens us to the battle going on around us so we can fight alongside Him in victory. So in addition to tactic of division mentioned the last couple weeks, I’ll add another: indifference. Indifference is incompatible with the gospel.

What could be more important in a battle than knowing your enemy? As Pastor Paris reminded us, we have to stop fighting each other or blaming God and start recognizing the real enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And you would be amazed at how much the Devil accomplishes utilizing the weapon of indifference. 

He uses it against the unbelieving by blinding them not only to the solution for the desperate condition of their souls, but that they even have a problem in the first place:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV): In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

If someone does not see the seriousness of their sin and what it leads to, nor do they comprehend the value of their soul and the great lengths Christ went to redeem it, the result is indifference toward their soul, and the damage sin does to it. But even when God does open someone's eyes, so they see their sinfulness and they see the glory of Christ, the Devil doesn’t give up. If Christ has already given us victory over the world, what is left for Satan to do except try to make us lose sight of that reality or become indifferent to living out that victory? You’ve heard these verses before as we focus on bearing fruit this year:

2 Peter 1:5-9 (ESV): For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

According to scripture, if you aren’t bearing fruit then you’re so nearsighted that you act as if you were still spiritually blind; as if God never opened your eyes to the destruction that sin leads to and the great love He has shown you through his Son.  The result is indifference: it does not matter to you if you bear the fruit that honors God and attracts your neighbor to know Him too. 

But if God has opened your eyes to the spiritual realities around you, don’t wander aimlessly through life as if you were still blind. Walk through life as someone who has been transformed and now has the eyes and heart of Jesus. What does that look like?

Matthew 9:35 (ESV): And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

Can you imagine how exhausting it must have been for Jesus. Every single town he entered, crowds clamoring to have Him minister to them, endless lines of people calling out for help. But did Jesus view them as a burden? As people with their own issues that they needed to figure out on their own?

Matthew 9:36 (ESV): “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus looked past the externals of these people: the poor, the dirty, the decrepit, the annoying and he SAW them. He saw the depth of their need. They were people harassed by a devil and sin wreaking havoc on their bodies and souls. And they were helpless. They didn’t know God, the shepherd of their souls who could deliver them. And Jesus had compassion, literally “he was moved in his guts”, He was deeply stirred within himself for these people. And this mission was never intended to be Jesus’ alone:

Matthew 9:37 (ESV): Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

See the issue isn’t the harvest: God is always at work preparing people to come to know Him, the issue is the laborers to go collect that harvest are few. So, Jesus called His disciples to pray for more laborers, not to go instead of them but to go in addition to them. In the next chapter, Jesus commissioned these same disciples to go reach lost sheep, imitating the shepherd who had reached them. He calls us to do the same.

We have so many excuses why we don’t reach the lost. “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” Most of us don’t. It might not be our spiritual gift, but obedience is not limited to those with a particular gift for it. “I don’t feel prepared enough.” What steps are you taking so that you feel more prepared? “What if I say the wrong thing?” You don’t need to be an expert. If you know the gospel, your own story and what God has done in your life, you can share with others about Jesus. “What if they ask me a question I can’t answer?” just be honest that you aren’t sure and study, so you know the next time. “I’m nervous or it's going to feel too awkward.” I get that one, it's natural to feel nervous, but you would be surprised how many people are open to have a conversation if you approach them respectfully. And if it is awkward; it's not the end of the world! We don’t need more excuses. We need to see how Jesus sees, feel how Jesus feels, and do as Jesus did. 

If you’re like me then you’ve felt guilt over this before, I’m not evangelizing to others enough. Maybe you’re feeling that guilt creeping in right now. Let me nip that in the bud by reminding you that guilt is never our motivator in the Christian life.  Do you have to be guilted into jumping into a river to save your child or grandchild? Would your love for them not be enough on its own? Was Jesus motivated by guilt? Or compassion? The solution to our indifference isn’t guilt, it's the gospel. 

Isaiah 53:5-7 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

I was the one who sinned against God, but Christ took the consequences of my sin upon Himself. I was the sheep that went astray, but the shepherd Himself became like a sheep, a sacrificial lamb. Even when he was oppressed and afflicted by humanity, He made no objection but laid down His life so that we might live. As we heard in Pastor Ben’s message a couple of weeks ago, there is nothing more freeing than the gospel. It should feel freeing, not constraining to share that message with others too. As the gospel transforms us, the more we find that freedom.

So how can we cultivate the eyes and heart of Christ in us to free ourselves to openly share that message with others with compassion rather than fear or guilt? 

1. Read your Bible. Why did we spend 4 weeks talking about how to study your Bible? So that you would pick it up and seek the opportunity to encounter the living God and be transformed by Him. So that you might see the world the way he sees it, and love others the way he’s loved you, and that might change the way you act. 

One thing I want to add to what we preached on: As you study, hear and feel the heart of God expressed in scripture.  You’ve heard the parable of the lost sheep, how God is like a shepherd who though he has 99 sheep in his care will gladly go out searching for the one that went astray. In fact, that is exactly what God did for you and me. Hear how Jesus ends that parable:

Luke 15:7 (ESV): “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Hear the joy of God in the lost coming to know Him and hear the sorrow of God over the spiritually blind who refuse to repent and share His joy and His sorrow:

Luke 19:41-42 (ESV): And when he (Jesus) drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

One of the reasons I feel so connected to Paul is that you can feel his heart for people in his writings:

Romans 9:1-3 (ESV): I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Who showed a greater and more consistent love to God than Paul? Seeing himself as the chief of sinners, he was more aware than most of the greatness of God’s mercy and that’s the reason he freely gave up all he had to gain more of Christ. But hear his words. The one who was most aware of the great gift he was given, the one most unwilling to compromise in any way that would hinder Himself or others from gaining Christ, was also the most willing to consider giving up the gift he valued most so that others could experience it instead.

That is an otherworldly kind of love. The more you come to know God, and become aware of the depths of your sin and the grandeur of the mercy and grace He has shown you, naturally the more your desire will grow that others may come to experience that love for themselves. The great thing is none of us have to give up grace for others to gain it; because there is no shortage of grace in God.

2. Spend time with believers who have a heart for the lost: When we don’t feel the way we ought to about something, we need to see it in the heart of others.

On the wall in my office, I have an image of George Whitefield preaching. Whitefield was an Anglican preacher, but he was banned from many Anglican church pulpits because of his evangelistic preaching style. But he had the conviction that the lost needed the gospel, so he took it to the people himself, preaching in the fields to 10s of thousands. Some tried to drown out his voice with noise, others threatened him, some were skeptical of his message but the thing about Whitefield was that even those who disagreed with him couldn’t deny the genuine love he had for them. Listen to what a biographer wrote of Him:

“He could seldom manage a sermon without weeping…” You blame me for weeping,” he would say, “but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves, although your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction, and for aught I know, you are hearing your last sermon and may never more have another opportunity to have Christ offered to you?” 

That is the heart of Christ toward the lost. If we don’t have it, we need to see it in others and adopt it and those with whom we speak need to see it in us. How can we speak of the destruction that sin has wrought in people's lives, leading them towards a Christless eternity without tears or anguish in our hearts? Do we not believe it or have our hearts just grown cold and dull?

You can read about men and women throughout church history: David Brainerd praying for hours in the snow with tears for the lost, missionaries who gave their lives to reach unreached people. But you don’t have to just read about it, the word says to 

Hebrews 10:24 (ESV): “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

A couple of weeks ago Mark Yzermans, Fred Kadelbach and I went out to the Scott County Fair to pray with and share Jesus with people. Did I have some anxiety, yes, I almost always do. Were there a few awkward moments and uninterested people, sure. But there were also a lot of people open to talking and one of the key takeaways as a group was how good it was to just spend time with people that love Jesus, love the church and love the lost. 

That’s part of the reason we emphasize the value of having fellowship and bible study in smaller groups like our community groups. Not only does it provide an environment to learn but it serves as an opportunity for the hearts of others to rub off on you. God is always at work in our lives: answering prayers, providing opportunities to love others like Jesus; it’s a great encouragement to hear how God is using others and it can even awaken you to the areas of your life where God is calling you to act but you’ve grown indifferent.

3. Pray and Pray and Pray:

Do you believe that God can give you boldness where you feel fear? Do you believe God can give you peace in the midst of discomfort? Do you believe God can show up in His strength even when you feel weak? Then ask God to provide and trust that he will. 

God didn’t prescribe a specific way to share the good news. He didn’t say though shalt preach on the street corners. But he did command us to go and make disciples and with the promise that He has empowered us to overcome the world just as he did. So, pray, trust and obey. 

It can be as simple as asking your waitress if there’s anything they’d like prayer for and offering them the gospel, a tract or a Bible if they seem receptive. Trust me, if you walk through life with your eyes open and a heart for others like Jesus and you ask God to give you opportunities, He will give you opportunities. But regardless of what you do, don’t be content with indifference.

Don’t be content with this idea that I received this great gift from God and I’m thankful for it, but not thankful enough to tell anyone else about it. Don’t let Satan lull you back to sleep, causing you to forget the spiritual realities God awoke you too: friends, family, neighbors, coworkers thinking they are perfectly fine, blind to the enemy seeking to devour them and the grace and love that can be found in Christ. If you have tasted and seen the goodness of God don’t sit at the buffet while others starve. If we don’t tell them, how will they know?

Romans 10:14 (ESV): How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Next week: What is This Baptism Thing All About?

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Message Questions

1. In the opening illustration, the problem was not that the person in the lawn chair didn’t know the battle was won, but that he became comfortable and indifferent while others were in danger. Why is indifference toward those who are spiritually lost incompatible with the gospel?

2. What does it look like to “overcome the world?”

3. Pastor Brannen said the gospel, not guilt, is the motivator for the Christian life. What has been your experience with guilt and gospel as motivators?

4. Which excuse are you most tempted to use to avoid sharing Jesus with others and why is it a bad one?  😁

5. How did Jesus and the apostles demonstrate how we ought to view those around us? What prevents us from viewing them this way?