Introduction.
I. Every person in the world is a teacher.
II. However, not every person in the world teaches the same things.
A. There are those who teach to impart knowledge about the world.
B. There are those who teach by their example; good or bad.
C. Every parent is a teacher.
D. There are those who teach others the Gospel.
III. Without a doubt, the most important of all of these is the teacher of the Gospel.
IV. No other teaching is more important and carries greater rewards both for the teacher and the student.
V. Why should teaching others the Gospel bring us such great joy?
Body.
I. Because we're obeying God.
A. God desires all men to be saved (I
Tim 2:4; II
Peter 3:8).
B. All of God's work throughout history has been for the purpose of our redemption.
1. The Old Testament tells us that Christ is coming.
a. God literally made nations rise and fall to help prepare the way for the establishment of the church.
b. The world empires contributed:
(1) Babylonians - synagogue worship.
(2) Persians - a respect for law.
(3) Greeks - a common language.
(4) Romans - peace.
2. The Gospels tell us that Christ has come.
a. Christ was willing to give up heaven for us (Phil
2:5-8).
b. He was willing to endure the cross (Heb
12:2).
3. The Epistles tell us that Christ is coming again.
C. Now all of that effort on God's part could be in vain unless we tell others.
1. "God has no hands but our hands."
2. Do any of us want to stand before God at the judgment and tell Him that we were just too shy to talk to others?
D. God has commanded us to teach others about Him.
3. These commands are for each one of us.
a. They are just as important as the command to be baptized.
b. If preachers and missionaries are the only ones in this world doing evangelism; we are in serious trouble.
4. Obeying these commands should bring us great joy (John
4:35-39).
II. Because we're saving a soul from eternal punishment.
A. There is no greater service that we could render for an individual than to teach them the Gospel.
B. Make no mistake about it, our soul is our greatest possession on earth
(Mt
16:26).
2. Yet so often, the condition of our souls and the souls of those around us receive the tiniest bit of our attention.
C. Understanding that our soul is our greatest possession, it should bring us great joy to know that we are helping others to avoid losing their soul.
1. Hell is a place of eternal destruction (Mt.
10:28).
2. Hell is a place of described as a place where the fire will never be quenched
(Mk.
9:43).
3. Hell is described as a place of torment (Lk.
16:23-34).
4. Hell is described as a place of outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
(Mt.
25:30).
5. Hell is described as a place of fire and brimstone where there is never any rest
(Rev.
20:10).
D. Paul said that the Thessalonians would be one of his reasons for rejoicing at the appearance of Christ
(I
Thess. 2:19).
III. Because we are saving our own soul.
A. We have already shown that evangelism is a command of God.
B. If we disobey that command, we will be lost.
C. Ezekiel
3:18-21.
1. It does not matter if the one we are trying to teach obeys or not.
2. It mattes that we put forth the effort.
3. Then our souls will be saved from eternal punishment.
D. I fear that there will be many people at the day of judgment who will have lived their life in every way as a Christian except for one. They never attempted to convert anyone to Christ.
E. Why would we not teach others about Christ?
1. Too shy. That's another way of saying you're ashamed (Mk.
8:38).
2. They won't obey. Doesn't matter, we have to teach anyway (Eze.
3:18-21).
3. I don't know enough.
a. Why not?
b. Do you know how to be saved?
4. I might make a mistake.
a. Join the club.
b. We are not perfect.
5. I'm afraid that I will lose my friends if I try to teach them.
a. If you really love them, you will care about their souls.
b. Which is more important, your friends or obedience to God.
6. There are no valid excuses not to teach others!
7. Just do it!
F. Knowing that our souls are secure should bring us great joy. And who knows, we might actually convert a few.
Conclusion.
I. We all desire to have joy in our lives.
II. What joy we can have by helping to lead others to Christ!
III. It will save their souls and ours.
