He That Winneth Souls - Part 3 of 3

You know who's a wise man? The man that uses his money, and his time, and his talents, and all he has to bring a glorious reward later on. How silly it is to live for today. How silly it is that my money, my time, my influence, and my talents should all be used for a present, frivolous moment, and be wasted and gone forever.

That's not sensible. That's not wise. But here the scripture says in Daniel 12, 3, that they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.

What a, what a silly thing it is. How foolish, how thoughtless to waste your time in a way that brings no reward. In 1 Corinthians, the third chapter, the scripture says so plainly that one day the fire shall thrive a man's work of what sort it is, and if any man's work be burned, he shall suffer loss, not lose his soul.

Not lose his soul, he shall suffer loss, but if his works are by, he shall receive a reward. Not that your soul is lost when you get to heaven and you find that you have money in your souls, but that your reward is lost. And I want to lay on your heart now that this is a terrible sin to live as if there were no heaven, to live as if God didn't reward soul winning, to live as if your house and your car and a tile bath and the other luxuries or comforts of life, as if those things mattered by the sight of the weight of any mortal soul.

One of these days you'll be mighty glad if you won soul. I preached a funeral sermon for a boy in Fort Worth, and the father came to me the next day and said, I've been so much comforted by your sermon. Our 12-year-old boy has gone to heaven.

He said, I was out in the garage this morning and I found his roller skates and his ball and bat and glove. And he said, I decided that, oh, my heart clutched and I thought if Scotty only had his toys, he would enjoy them. Then I laughed to myself to think why in heaven Scotty has the angels and everything God himself could provide, and so I shouldn't think about that.

And I looked down the long street toward my big tent and awning company, said this businessman, and I said to myself, old fellow, you better get your mind off your toys. You'll go off and leave them one of these days. You better get your mind on something that'll last forever.

And I want to lay on your heart this sin of ignoring eternal verities and filling your mind and thought with the things of the world. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. I know that we soul winners are called fanatics and fools.

I know that many times evangelism is mocked at, but when they come in from the north and the east and the south and the west to sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the kingdom of God, I think I'll be mighty glad that I was away from my home and I left other business and I put my soul into the matter of keeping people out of hell. Oh, the glad reward for those that win souls. And what a silly fool any of us is who neglects souls and lives for today in the pleasures and comforts and the fame of this life.

That's sin number six. Now the seventh of the seven sins of those who do not win souls is spiritual manslaughter or soul murder. I call your attention to a solemn scripture over in Ezekiel chapter 3, verses 17 and 18.

God says, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman under the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word of my mouth and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life.

The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. God's going to hold you to account. You don't have to get everybody saved, but you have to warn them or meet God who'll say you have blood on your hands.

Oh, the foolish alibis we give, how will they sound when you meet the Savior and you find you've let people go to hell? You didn't mean it. You didn't do much about it. You just let them go.

I had a postcard when I lived in Dallas, Texas and broadcast on a radio station. And an old man, about 81 years old, wrote to say, I've been hearing you on the radio. I'm not saved.

Won't you come and see me and pray for me? I have a cancer. The doctor says it won't last long. I hope you'll come and tell me how to be saved.

I was so busy. I was in a big revival campaign. I planned to go tomorrow.

I put that card up on my desk and said, I'll go tomorrow. But tomorrow I was busy in two services a day, leading my own singing and writing the advertising. Oh, I never could get there it seemed.

The radio mail held me up and day after day. It was postponed until in two weeks time I finally set a man to see this old man. He found the people had gone to his funeral.

Oh, I meant to win him. I had all I could do. But I wish now I'd missed a meal or missed a night's sleep and made sure that poor old man knew how to meet God.

What will I say to Jesus Christ if he asks me why I didn't go when that man begged me to come to tell him how to be saved before he died? I say, what a sin it is that we'll have blood on our hands or souls unwarned. So then Jesus, hear the scripture says, that his blood will I require at thy hand. Ezekiel was a literal watchman to Israel about physical life and death.

But we're watchmen to poor immortal souls and God have pity on us. We'll be ashamed if we have to face him. And if we have not warned then my message is about done.

These seven sins of those who do not win souls are these. First, disobedience to the Great Commission, the main command of Jesus Christ. Second, it's lack of love.

If you love me, keep my commandments. The third sin of those who do not win souls is not following Jesus. Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men, Jesus said.

The fourth sin is not abiding in him for he said if you abide in me you can bear much fruit, you can get people saved. And again, number five, it's a sin of dishonesty and a sacred trust. You remember Paul said, I'm a debtor to the Greeks and barbarians and the wise and free and so as much as in me is, I'm ready to preach the gospel to them at Rome also.

And sin number six, it's a folly of a short-sighted fool not to win souls and to be occupied with anything else. And then sin number seven, it's spiritual manslaughter. Blood on your hands, poor unsaved souls you might have warned and God will require their blood at your hands.

In Christ's dear name, Christian, turn from this sin of not winning souls and confess it as a sin. Never mind about all your talk of a deeper life unless it makes your soul winner. Never mind your claim to holiness or sanctification or to everything else if it does not make your soul winner.

Oh God, give us the fullness of the spirit and the deeper life and sanctify us and make us fully and separated. But all of that will mean nothing except as it really makes us do what Jesus said to do. Won't you do that today and turn from this sin of not winning souls.

Thank you.