What Christ's Ministers are Sent to Do

Q: What does the Bible say about the mission of Christ's ministers?

The mission of Christ's ministers is to make Christ known and to invite others to Him. The mission of Christ's ministers is clearly illustrated throughout Scripture, particularly in Genesis 24, where the servant of Abraham is sent to find a bride for Isaac. Just as the servant was tasked with sharing the story of Isaac and inviting a young woman to become his bride, so too are ministers called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, making Him known as the Savior and Lord. This is rooted in the belief that Christ is the centerpiece of all Christian doctrine, and our role is to invite others to come and partake in His inheritance.

Q: How do we know that Christ is our substitute?

Biblical illustrations throughout the Old Testament, such as the ram for Isaac, depict Christ as our substitute. The concept of Christ as our substitute is profoundly established in Scripture, particularly through Old Testament figures and events. For instance, the ram caught in the thicket and offered in place of Isaac in Genesis 22 is a vivid illustration of Jesus, who takes the place of sinners, bearing our guilt and sin. This substitutionary atonement is further supported by passages like Isaiah 53, where it states that He was wounded for our transgressions. Ultimately, Christ's sacrifice on the cross fulfills this typology, demonstrating God's plan for substitutionary atonement for His people.

Q: Why is it necessary to be dependent on the Holy Spirit in ministry?

Dependence on the Holy Spirit is necessary for effective ministry and for revealing the truth of the gospel in the hearts of people. In the context of ministry, reliance on the Holy Spirit is essential because salvation and transformation are inherently divine works. As the servant of Abraham prayed for guidance before his mission, so we must seek the Holy Spirit's empowering presence to reveal Christ to others and to convict hearts of sin. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, something human effort alone cannot accomplish. Consequently, without the Holy Spirit's intervention, our efforts in ministry would lack true effectiveness and power.

Q: What does it mean that Christ shall have preeminence?

Christ having preeminence means that He is central in all things, and our mission is to make Him known above all else. The preeminence of Christ is foundational to Christian faith, asserting that He holds the highest position in all creation and is central to the gospel. In Ephesians 1, it is declared that God has placed all things under Christ's authority, thus establishing Him as the supreme figure in history and theology. Our mission, therefore, as Christ's ambassadors, is to reflect this preeminence by directing all our efforts to exalt and proclaim Christ, ensuring that He is at the forefront of our message, worship, and ministry. Everything we do should testify to the greatness and glory of Jesus as the heir of all things.

Q: How should we respond to the gospel invitation?

We should respond to the gospel invitation with personal commitment and repentance. Responding to the gospel invitation requires an individual acknowledgment of one's need for Christ and a willingness to accept Him as Lord and Savior. As illustrated by Rebecca's simple affirmative response to the servant, our approach should be one of faith, saying 'I will go!' It emphasizes that no one else can make this decision for us; it is a deeply personal choice. The Scriptures affirm that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord, we shall be saved. This personal commitment is essential for genuine faith and union with Christ.

Now if you'll take your Bibles
tonight, open them with me to Genesis 24. Let me make just a few comments
before I get into this chapter, dealing with the subject, what
Christ's ministers are sent to do. First of all, we can go back
to the Old Testament and find the mission of our Lord clearly
illustrated and set forth. The ark of Noah lifted his family
above the flood, above the flood of judgment, above the wrath
of God. And that illustrates how that
Christ, by his sacrifice and by his death, lifts us above
the judgments of God and the wrath of God. Christ bearing
our guilt and bearing our sins becomes our ark of refuge. And
then when the ram was taken from the thicket and substituted for
Isaac on the altar. Abraham would, according to God's
directions, slain his son. But the ram was caught in the
thicket, and God instructed Abraham to remove Isaac from the altar
and put the ram in his place. And the ram was slain, its blood
was shed, the sacrifice for sin was made, and Isaac went free.
And that's the picture of Christ, our Charles Spurgeon once said,
if the gospel can be summed up in one word, it can be summed
up in the word substitution. Christ taking my place. Christ
taking my guilt. Christ taking my sin. The sinless
becoming sinful, that the sinful might become sinless. Christ
our substitute. And we see in that ram, Christ
the Lord. It's illustrated, set forth,
the death of the Savior for his people. And then when the old
high priest would go under the veil into the Holy of Holies,
once a year with the blood, with the atonement, that illustrates
Christ our Lord going into the presence of the Father, not with
the blood of animals, but with his own precious blood. Not into
the holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, bearing
the perfect blood, the perfect sacrifice, the perfect atonement,
and obtaining for us eternal salvation. One sacrifice, one
savior, one substitute, one atonement, forever sanctifying those that
believe. And then in Isaiah 53, the prophet
wrote, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised
for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and by his stripes we're healed. So all the way
through the Old Testament, we can find the mission of our Lord
illustrated, the task which Christ came to perform, illustrated
in the Old Testament. We can also find in the Old Testament
the mission of his servants. He said, As my Father sent me,
even so send thou you. And if we look through the Old
Testament, we can find many illustrations of what the ministers of Christ,
and when I say the ministers of Christ, I'm including you,
I'm including the missionaries, I'm including all who witness
for the glory of Christ, all who tell the gospel story, all
who know him, for all of us are preachers, some in the pulpit,
some in the pew, some in the factory, some in the store, all
in the home, all on the street. We're witnesses. And God has
sent us to do something. He has given us a mission. And
I have found that mission illustrated here in Genesis 24. Now Abraham
was, as the scripture says, well stricken in age. He was old,
he knew he was going to die. And he wanted his son Isaac to
have a bride. He wanted his son Isaac to have
a bride not from among the heathen nation, but from his own people.
And so he called in his oldest, most trusted servant. And he
said to that old, trusted servant, I want you to go to the land
of my fathers, and I want you to get a bride for my son. And
the old servant said, well, now suppose that this young woman
is not pleased to follow me back into a strange land to marry
a man whom she's never seen. What am I to do then? And he
said, well, when you go and tell the story and invite her to come
and she turns you down, you come on back home. You just come on
back home. Your job is done. So this servant
went out to the land of Abraham's father, and he stopped by the
well of water where the women came to draw water in the evening
time. He felt his insufficiency, his inability, he felt the heavy
burden and responsibility of this task, and he fell on his
knees and prayed. Now he said, Father, Lord of
my master Abraham, here I am an old messenger, an old servant,
and I'm sent down here into a strange land among a people whom I do
not know. to invite a young woman to come back home with me and
marry my master's son, whom she doesn't know. Now, Father, I
want you to give me divine leadership, because it's impossible for me
to accomplish this alone." And so as he spoke and as he was
done speaking, a beautiful young woman named Rebecca came to the
well to draw water. And I read you the rest of the
story, how she said the very things he wanted to say, and
how he went home with her, How they fed him, gave him a place
to lodge, and the next day he departed, taking Rebecca with
him. Now, I believe in this story
there are about six things that I want to bring out for you quickly
that illustrate the mission of every God-called, every God-anointed,
God-sent servant of the Master. Let me give them to you, six
things that describe our mission, what Christ's ministers are sent
to do. First of all, the Lord Jesus
Christ shall have preeminence. That's the first thing. That
is our mission. That's our whole mission, is
to make Christ known. He shall have the preeminence. In Genesis 24, verse 4, here
are the instructions. Go thou, thou shalt go unto my
country, unto my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. Isaac was the heir of all that
Abraham possessed. Isaac was the heir of everything
that Abraham had. And this servant was to go and
get a bride, to share with Isaac in his inheritance, to share
with Isaac in all of the things that Abraham was going to leave
to him. Now, God the Father hath given
all things unto Christ. Turn to Philippians chapter 2.
In Philippians, the second chapter, the Scripture tells us, in verse
9, that the Father hath exalted Christ, and given him a name
which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. Turn back to Ephesians, chapter
1. God the Father hath given all
things to Christ. Christ shall have the preeminence.
In Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 20, it says, "...which he wrought
in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and sent him at
his own right hand into heavenly places, far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." by
eternal decree, by an eternal covenant, the Father hath given
all things to the Son. By his death on the cross, Jesus
Christ purchased the world. He died that he might be Lord. And we're sent into this world
to invite men, not to a denomination. We're sent into this world not
to invite men to a religion. We are sent into this world to
invite men, not to an association, but we are sent into this world
to invite men to Jesus Christ. That's our mission. Just as this
servant went to get a bride for Isaac, we as the ministers of
Christ are sent into this world to get a bride for God's only
begotten, well-beloved Son. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
5. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18 through 20. Now listen to
this. In 2 Corinthians 5, 18 through
20, Paul said, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself. not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and he hath committed unto us this word, this message
of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. We're the ministers of Christ.
Our whole mission is Christ. The gospel is Christ. The Bible
is Christ. Salvation is Christ. Heaven is
Christ. Eternal life is Christ. And we
are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by
us. We pray you, in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God. God hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation, the word of reconciliation. the gospel of
reconciliation. And we are sent into this world,
I as a minister, you as a witness, this congregation as a church,
to make Christ known. We're not representing ourselves,
we're not representing our brand of theology, we're not representing
our denomination, we're not representing a cult, we're representing a
person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And whether I preach here, or
whether I preach in Madisonville, or whether I preach across the
water, my message is always the same, Christ and Him crucified. That's the reason Paul said,
I am determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. When Abraham called this old
servant in and sat him down and talked to him, he said, go down
among my father's people and get a bride for my son. Go down
there and tell them about Isaac. Tell them of the beauty of Isaac,
and the glory of Isaac, and the inheritance of Isaac, and the
kindness of Isaac, and the compassion of Isaac. You go down there and
talk about Isaac. Don't talk about yourself. Don't
talk about the land up here so much. Don't talk about the houses
we have. Don't talk about the fellowship
we have. Talk about Isaac. Tell her about Isaac. You want
her to love Isaac. You want her to desire Isaac.
You want her to see Isaac. And that's what the Father had
sent us to do, to make Christ known. And then the second thing,
and this is normal, as the servant sat there and Abraham told him,
Now I want you to go down to my father's land, and I want
you to get a bride for Isaac. And this servant sat there, and
this came to his mind, of course it would come to yours, it would
come to mine. In verse 5 of Genesis 24, he said, suppose she's not
willing to follow me. Suppose she's not willing to
come to this land. Suppose she's not willing to
leave her mother and her father. Suppose she's not willing to
leave her brothers and her sisters. Suppose she's not willing to
leave home and come to a land where she's never been to marry
a man whom she's never seen. Shall I kidnap her? Shall I trick
her? And Abraham said in verse 8,
If the woman will not be willing to follow you, then thou shalt
be clear from this my oath. only bring not my son thither
again." Now, my friends, and this is an important area right
here. We want so much for people to
believe the gospel, don't we? I get discouraged when I preach
and no one's converted. I know that I've got a good message
to declare. I know that What I'm telling
is so. I know this is the Word of God.
I know that men are in danger of eternal condemnation, eternal
damnation. I know that Christ is the only
Savior. I know how wonderful He is. I
know what He's done for me. I know what He's done for some
of you. I know what He means to me. I know what He means to
you. I know how wonderful Christ is. Just as this servant knew
how wonderful Isaac was. He'd helped raise that boy. He'd
been in that home all of Isaac's life. He had been close to Isaac,
and he knew what a great lad he was, and what a fine man he
was, and all of these wonderful things about him. And he wanted
so much for some fortunate young lady to become the bride of his
master's son. And I know how wonderful Christ
is. And when I tell men the gospel and tell them about Christ and
the peace he gives and the joy he gives and the hope he gives
and the comfort he gives, it's just discouraging to me when
men will not receive it and will not believe it and will not confess
him. But my friends, we are not to use gimmicks. We are not to
use tricks. We are not to use our carnal
reasoning to persuade men to come to Christ. To receive Christ
the Lord must involve a personal willingness. To receive Christ
the Lord must involve a personal responsibility. To receive Christ
the Lord must involve a personal commitment. And I'm not to use
pressure. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 33. Now
listen to this. In Ezekiel chapter 33, verse
8 and 9. You know, Abraham said to this,
the servant said, well, Master, what if she's not willing to
come? Well, Abraham said, you tell the story, and you tell
it truthfully, and you tell it loud and clear, and you make
it known. If she's not willing to come,
that's all you can do. And here is Ezekiel chapter 33,
verse 7, the Lord said, Son of man, I have set thee a watchman
unto the house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth, and warn them from me." You go warn people,
warn them of death and judgment and condemnation and hell. When
I say to the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if
you do not speak to warn him, that wicked man shall die in
his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless,
if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, And if he
do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but
thou hast delivered thy soul. All in the world that a minister
of the gospel can do is to tell men the consequences of sin,
to warn men of the certainty of death, to warn men of the
surety of judgment, to warn men of the condemnation of eternity,
eternal condemnation, separation from God Almighty, and to invite
them to come to Christ. If they will not turn, if they
will not repent, if they will not believe, if they will not
receive Christ, we've delivered our souls. That's all we're sent
to do. I'm not sent to buttonhole you. I'm not sent to trick you. I'm
not sent to employ gimmicks to get a profession out of you.
Turn to Acts chapter 20. In the 20th chapter of Acts,
Paul deals with the same thing. In Acts chapter 20, verse 26,
listen to what the apostle said. In Acts 20, 26, I take you to
record this day. I take you to record this day
that I am pure from the blood of all, all to whom I have preached,
all to whom I have witnessed, all to whom I have testified,
I am pure from your blood. For I have not shunned to declare
unto you all the counsel of God." My friends, God's people will
be made willing in the day of God's power. And if men are not
made willing, willing to turn from sin, willing to repent of
sin, willing to receive Christ, willing to bow at the feet of
the Son of God, willing to receive Him as Lord and Savior, nothing
that I can say and nothing that I can do will avail on their
behalf. God must make them willing. It
is ours to deliver the message. It is ours to plow, it is ours
to plant, it is ours to water, it is God who giveth the inquiry. It is the Lord of the harvest
who makes the seed to grow. It is the Lord of the harvest
that quickens the dead heart and the dead soul and reveals
effectually the loveliness of his Son. Turn back to Genesis
24. was going to leave all to Isaac. He was going to give everything
to Isaac. The Heavenly Father hath given
all things to Christ. He said, All authority is given
unto me in heaven and earth. The Father judges no man, but
hath committed all judgment to the Son. Everything is Christ's. Everything in heaven, earth,
and under the earth is all given to him, and every knee shall
bow, and every tongue shall confess that he is the Lord. And we are
sent as Abraham's servant was sent here into your land to get
a bride for his son, to share with Christ in his inheritance,
to share with Christ in his glory, to share with Christ in his riches. And we come to you to deliver
the story, to tell the message, and that's all we can do. Now
then, the third thing. In Genesis 24, The servant is
dependent on the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 24, verse 12, verse
11, And he made his camels to kneel down without the city,
by a well of water, at the time of the evening, even the time
that women go out to draw water. And then he prayed, O Lord God
of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed, this
day and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Brethren, if
my voice is the only voice you hear, if my voice is the only
voice you hear, as I preach from this word, nothing effectual,
nothing eternal, nothing of any value will be accomplished in
you or for you. You've got to hear him speak
who speaks in power. You've got to hear him speak
who speaks from heaven. You've got to hear him speak
who speaks through his word. Was it Christmas Evans who in
his study one Sunday morning prayed, Lord, I've gone into
the pulpit by myself for the last time. If you don't go with
me, I'm not going. How dependent we are upon God's
Spirit to break the heart, to convict of sin. Paul summed it
up in 2 Corinthians 2. Turn over there with me and read
his words. In 2 Corinthians 2, verse 15. Listen to the Apostle Paul. And
if any man could have depended upon his own wisdom, Paul could
have. If any man could have depended
upon his own education, Paul could have. If any man could
have depended on his experience, Paul could have. If any man could
have depended upon his power of persuasion, Paul could have.
If any man could have depended upon his fame, he had an open
door to the castle of kings, and even to the sect of the Pharisees,
and to the synagogues, and to the common people. But listen
to him. He says in 2 Corinthians 2, verse
15, We are unto God a sweet saver of Christ, in them that are saved,
in them that perish. We got a message for both of
them. To the one we're the saver of death unto death, and to the
other the saver of life unto life. And who is sufficient for
these things? Now this servant, this servant
of Abraham was old and ugly. He had been with Abraham a long
time. The scripture said he was the oldest servant. How could
he get a young, beautiful woman to follow him? He couldn't. How
in the world could he get a young, beautiful woman to follow an
old, wrinkled, gray-headed servant to a land that she had never
been, to which she'd never been, to marry a man she'd never seen?
He couldn't. And even so, I do not have the
beauty of my master. not anywhere near it, not one
ten-billionth of a degree. So I don't call you to myself.
I call you to Christ. I don't point you to my beauty
or to the beauty of this congregation. I point you to the beauty of
the Son of God. This servant was not only old
and ugly, he was poor. He was but a servant. He could
talk about the riches of Abraham. He didn't own He could talk about
the riches of Isaac, but he couldn't show them because he didn't have
them. And I can tell you about the
glory of Christ and the beauty of Christ and the riches of Christ.
I cannot show it to you. The Holy Spirit will have to
reveal it. I cannot show it to you. There's no way that I can
show you his grace. There's no way that I can show
you his glory. There's no way that I can show
you his riches. So I cry, O Spirit of the living
God, who is sufficient for these things? We need divine help. Turn to John 16, and our Lord
said he'd give it. In John chapter 16, verses 7
through 12, listen to this. John 16, 7 through 12. We don't
depend upon ourselves. We don't depend upon our wisdom,
or our logic, or our knowledge, or our education, or our ability.
We depend on the Spirit of God. In John 16, verse 7, the Master
said, "'Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient
for you that I go away. If I go not away, the Comforter
will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send
him unto you. And when he is come, he will
convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.
It's the Holy Spirit who breaks the heart. It's the Holy Spirit
who reveals Christ. It's the Holy Spirit who gives
faith in the Savior. Our Lord said, No man can come
to me except my Father which sent me. Draw him. And then in
John chapter 1, verse 10, He said, As he came unto the world,
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, his own
received him not, but as many as received him. To them gave
he the authority, the right, the privilege to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born,
not of blood," that is, not of family inheritance, not of the
will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born of God. What is the mission of Christ's
servant? It's to make Christ known. It's to exalt the Master. It's to call attention to Christ.
and we're dependent on the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit
who must reveal our message to the heart. It's not to the ear,
it's to the heart. It's not to the mind, it's to
the heart. It's not to the eye, it's to the heart. Now then,
in Genesis 24, I want you to notice something else. So this
servant felt like that he had found the right one. Everything
fell out like he asked God to cause it to fall out. He felt
like he'd found the right one. She'd listened to him. He'd gone
home with her. And so he walked in and the family had prepared
a scrumptious meal. Oh, they had everything that
anybody could want. And he came in and he wanted
to tell them why he was there. And they said to him, they said,
Let's sit down and eat. Put food on the table. Let's
fellowship. Let's socialize a little bit.
We'll get around to this message in a little while. First of all,
let's have a nice time. Let's have a good time. Let's
eat and drink and be merry and socialize, and we'll get around
to your message in a little while. Listen to verse 33. There was
set meat before him to eat, and he said, I will not eat. I will
not eat until I have told mine errand. My mission is more important
than these things. I will not be sidetracked. I am determined to tell you why
I'm here, and I will not be sidetracked. I've traveled around a little
bit. I've been in a lot of churches. I've preached to a lot of people.
And I have found a lot of churches and I have found a lot of ministers
who have been sidetracked. They have been sidetracked for
some good cause. Eating is a good cause. I tell
you, if you've traveled a long way, like this man had, and they
set before you a fine, beautiful meal, and you're hungry. That's
important, and that's a good cause. And also they provided
you a place to clean up and some fine clothes to wear and comfortable
shoes to put on. Those are important things, and
they're good causes. But he said, I'm not going to
eat, I'm not going to fellowship, I'm not going to drink, I'm not
going to sit here and socialize until, first of all, I've told
you why I'm here. And I've seen good men, whom
I believe to be servants of the living God, who have been sidetracked
by some good things, and I feel like some important things. They've
been sidetracked by hypocrisy. They've dedicated their ministries
to what's going to happen. not what's happening now, to
the reign of Christ on this earth at a future date, not to the
reign of Christ in the hearts of men now. I've seen men sidetracked
by giving their ministry to fighting communism. I've seen others sidetracked
by giving their ministry to education, intellectualism. I've seen men
sidetracked by giving their ministry to the resurrection of dead prophets. and the praise of past Puritans. I've seen men dedicate their
ministry to everything under the sun except one thing, and
that's the mission God sent them on, to make Christ known. And this faithful servant said
to the parents of Rebecca and to the friends of Rebecca, I'm
not going to eat, I'm not going to socialize, I'm not going to
get involved in all these other things until I tell you why I'm
here. I'm here to get a bride for Isaac. And that's my mission, and that's
my message. And I'm not going to do anything
else until I've done that. And my friends, that'll take
a lifetime. I'm not near through. When I
get old and gray and feeble, if I'm permitted to stand in
the pulpit, my message is still going to be Christ and Him crucified. Charles Spurgeon said, any sermon
that does not contain ruin by the fall, regeneration by the
spirit, and redemption by the blood, ought not to have been
preached. Ought not to have been preached.
Now you think about that. If we preach baptism, let's preach
baptism as an identification with Christ in His death, burial,
and resurrection. If we preach the Lord's Supper,
let us preach the Lord's Supper as setting forth His death till
He comes again. If we preach practical obedience,
let's preach practical obedience as being identified with Christ
and fulfilling His will for His glory. Whatever we preach, let
our message be Christ. And that old servant sat there
and he said, I'm not going to eat with you. until I tell you
why I'm here. I'm not going to socialize with
you until I tell you why I'm here. I'm not going to be involved
in any of these other things until I tell you why I'm here.
I'm here representing my master's son. And we're going to settle
this matter of Isaac before we deal with anything else. And
this matter of Christ is not going to be settled before he
comes again. So we've got a full-time job. Now then, I don't want to
shock you, but I want you to listen to me a minute. Look at
verse 49. Verse 49. Now, the servant of
Christ is sent to make Christ known. Christ has the preeminence. The servant of Christ is sent
to declare the Lord Jesus Christ. We are dependent absolutely completely
on the Holy Spirit. We must make Christ known, whether
it's Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, whether it's
in a Bible conference, whether it's in a missionary conference,
whatever kind of conference it may be, whether we're writing,
or whether we're radioing, or whether we're sermonizing, or
whether we're witnessing, or whether we're talking to our
family and our friends, our message is Christ, the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now then, but the servant of
Christ is not a beggar. And I want this known, and I
want it declared, I want it published, I want everybody to be fully
persuaded that I am an ambassador of a king. My Lord is not a beggar." He said, this servant said down
here in verse 49, he told him the story. He said, My master
Abraham has left everything to his son Isaac. He said, His son
Isaac is the heir of everything that Abraham possessed. His son
Isaac is going to reign in wealth and power and grandeur and glory. And I'm asking your daughter
to be his bride and share with him in everything he has, everything
he is. I'm asking her to go and be the
wife of my master's son and to share with him in everything. If she'll go, you tell me," verse
49, and if not, you tell me, and I'll be on my way. I'll be
on my way. Now, brother, that may seem a
little hard to you, but I've been sent your way by the Holy
Spirit. There's such a thing as effectual
grace, there's such a thing as common grace. Almighty God invites
some, and he warns everybody. Almighty God informs some and
He calls some, but I've been sent your way. God's permitted
you to hear the gospel of His grace. Almighty God has permitted
you to hear the gospel of His Son. The free offer of the gospel
has been presented to you. Christ has the kingdom! Christ
is the heir of all things, and you have been invited to share
in that kingdom. You've been invited to share
in that kingdom, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, to
be what he is, to have what he has, to be seated with him in
the heaven. Now then, will you come with
us? If you will, we'll rejoice. However, if you won't, you tell
me, and I'll turn to the right or to the left, but I won't bother
you anymore. That's what the servant of Abraham
said. You tell me. I got a letter this week from
a young man in Lucasville Correctional Institute. He wrote to me. He's 35 years old. And he said,
I'm interested in your message. I'm interested in your gospel.
I'm interested in what you have to say. But there's no need for
me to tell you, these are his exact words, there's no need
for me to tell you that I'm a Christian after hearing one sermon. I may
fool you, but I cannot fool myself. I cannot fool myself. Now you
may, I'm not asking you to make a profession and fool and deceive
me and the church and the people and the town, you know, it's
in your heart. Will you deal kindly with my
Master?" I'm not asking you to deal with me. I'm not asking
you to deal with the deacons of this church. I'm not asking
you to deal with the elders of this church. I'm asking you to
deal with the Master. Will you deal kindly with my
Master? Will you deal truly with my Master? Will you do business with my
Master? If not, you tell me. And I'll
go to somebody else, because my master is a master. He's not
a beggar. He's a king. And he's worthy
of your worship. And he's worthy of your reverence.
He's worthy of your fear. And then here's the last thing.
The servant put the question directly to Rebecca. Her father said, I can't answer
for her. Her mother said, I can't answer for her. And my friend,
I'm not being critical, but you ask me why I don't sprinkle infants,
why I don't have you mothers and fathers bring your babies
down here and sprinkle water on their heads and claim to regenerate
them or include them in the covenant. You can't speak for that child.
Father, you can't speak for that child. You'd like to. You can
bring them up in the things of the Lord. You can be faithful
to God's word. You can witness to them. But
that child has got to answer for himself. And mama, you can't
answer for that child. And brother and sister, you can't
answer for your brother and sister. There's no way in this world
that I can make my sister love Jesus Christ. There's no way
in this world that I can make my brother love Jesus Christ.
There's no way in this world that I can make my neighbor love
Jesus Christ. The question has got to be put
directly to that individual. Listen to it in verse 57. They
said, We'll call the damsel, and you inquire at her mouth. That's what I'm doing right now.
There you see it. Mother can't do it for you, and
Daddy can't do it for you, and brother and sister can't do it
for you. It's not a family matter, your relationship with Christ.
It's a personal matter. It's not a family matter, this
thing of your receiving Christ. It's a personal matter. No one
can repent for me. No one can weep for me. No one
can have godless sorrow over sin for me. Nobody can believe
for me. No one can receive Christ for
me. No one can confess Christ for
me. No one can bow and worship Christ
for me. I've got to do it myself. The scripture says, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, if thou shalt believe
in thine heart God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. And so they sent for her, and
they called her in there, and she stood in front of that old
servant, much like you're sitting in front of me tonight. And that
old servant said, Rebecca, in my father's house there's
a young man. handsome beyond words. In my
father's house is a young man beautiful beyond description.
In my father's house is a young man from whose lips the grace
of God flows. Rebecca, in my master's house,
in my father's house, there's a young man who hath all things
committed unto him, wealthy beyond words, wealthy materially, wealthy
in every way, spiritually, emotionally. In my Father's house, as a young
man, from his hands and from his lips flow the peace of passionate
understanding. From him comes cleansing, and
renewal, and regeneration, and life, and wisdom, and holiness,
and beauty, and strength, and hope, and life eternal. Would
you marry him? Would you go with me and be his
wife?" Listen to her. And she said, I'll go. I'll go. She didn't sit there and argue.
Well, I'm not worthy. But I'm not beautiful enough.
Well, I don't have any signs. I haven't had a feeling or experience. She just said, I'll go. I'll
go. The old songwriter wrote it this
way, Come you sinners, poor and needy, Weak and wounded, sick
and sore, Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love,
and power. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor fitness fondly dream. All the fitness he requireth
is to feel your need of him. Come you weary, heavy laden,
bruised and mangled by the fall, if you tarry till you're better,
You'll never come at all. And your answer, I will arise,
I'll go to Jesus. He will embrace me in his arms,
in the arms of my dear Savior. Oh, there are ten thousand charms. That's what we're sent to do.
That's our mission. That's our message. Now then,
will you go? Will you go? Will you bow? Will you receive him? Will you
trust him? Will you be eternally, vitally, personally united by
faith with the Lord Jesus Christ? If you will, right now in your
heart, receive him. Our Father, much like the servant
of Abraham, we feel our total insufficiency and inability. We know a little bit by experience,
by thy grace of the beauty of Christ, or that others might
see it, We know a little bit by thy grace and through the
revelation of thy Spirit of the peace that comes from knowing
Christ. We know by experience and the
revelation of thy Holy Spirit what it means to be vitally,
personally united with him, all that others might know. By the
power of thy Spirit, now work in their hearts as you worked
in ours, open their eyes as you opened ours, and reveal Christ
to them. And let their reply to the invitation
of the gospel be, I'll go, I will arise and go to Jesus. He will
embrace me in his arms, in the arms of my dear Savior. Oh, let
10,000, John. In Christ's name we pray and
for his sake. Amen.

What Christ's Ministers are Sent to Do

What does the Bible say about the mission of Christ's ministers?

How do we know that Christ is our substitute?

Why is it necessary to be dependent on the Holy Spirit in ministry?

What does it mean that Christ shall have preeminence?

How should we respond to the gospel invitation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

What Christ's Ministers are Sent to Do

What does the Bible say about the mission of Christ's ministers?

How do we know that Christ is our substitute?

Why is it necessary to be dependent on the Holy Spirit in ministry?

What does it mean that Christ shall have preeminence?

How should we respond to the gospel invitation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book