The Seven Biblical Signs of the Times
The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing personal responsibility in preaching the Gospel and walking with God to manifest the Spirit in our lives.
Lewis Sperry Chafer emphasizes the personal responsibility of every Christian to preach the Gospel to every creature, highlighting that this ministry is not just for the Church as a whole or the clergy, but for every individual believer. He stresses that failing to prioritize this eternal responsibility can lead to powerlessness, fruitlessness, prayerlessness, joylessness, and a lack of spiritual vision. Chafer calls on saved individuals to see themselves as God-appointed witnesses to His grace and to actively participate in sharing the Gospel in various spheres of life.
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The Lord Jesus appointed one particular thing for Christians to do in this age, -- the good news of His saving grace is to be preached to every creature. This ministry is not committed to His Church: it is committed to the individuals who form His Church. Nor is it committed to the "clergy": it is committed to every member in His blessed body. The undertaking has too long been considered the responsibility of an indefinite combination of people, with the resulting woeful effect that what is everybody's business is nobody's business. Fond hopes have been entertained that if each individual did a little, the corporate whole would somehow discharge its commission. On the contrary, we are not even sent out two by two. In every particular it is a personal obligation. It is a personal ministry which is to be accepted by the one who has been saved as his supreme responsibility and business in life. We have made no adequate adjustment of our lives to the mind and will of God for us until we have recognized that our own first and highest business in life is to preach the Gospel to every creature. Failing to put these eternal responsibilities first, we may expect to be powerless, fruitless, prayerless, joyless, and lacking in spiritual vision and understanding. These priceless blessings are wrought in the Christian by the Spirit, but He cannot manifest Himself in us and through us if we are not willing to walk with God.
I call upon every saved person to rid himself of the blighting impression that some Organic church as a whole is appointed to do this work, and to look upon himself as a God-appointed witness to the Gospel of His Grace. Put yourself back of God's great project.
By prayers and gifts we can reach the whole world; but there are smaller worlds within the world. We may preach the Gospel in the world of business, of profession, of labor, of home cares. Our avocation may pay expenses; our calling, though it may be limited to personal work, is to witness to His grace. Be a tent-maker if God so calls, but, like the tent-maker of Tarsus, be able to say, "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel." No substitutes can be accepted in this service. It is our individual service to God. It is our own expression of love to Him. He has told His love to us by the gift of His life. So, also, we may tell Him of our love by the gift of our lives.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Personal Ministry of Preaching the Gospel
- A. It is a personal obligation
- B. It is a personal ministry
- C. It is a supreme responsibility and business in life
- II. The Failure to Recognize Personal Responsibility
- A. Results in powerlessness, fruitlessness, and lack of spiritual vision
- III. The Importance of Walking with God
- A. Necessary for the manifestation of the Spirit
- IV. The Call to Every Saved Person
- A. To recognize personal responsibility and be a God-appointed witness
- V. The Scope of the Ministry
- A. Reaching the whole world, and smaller worlds within it
Key Quotes
“We have made no adequate adjustment of our lives to the mind and will of God for us until we have recognized that our own first and highest business in life is to preach the Gospel to every creature.” — Lewis Sperry Chafer
“Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.” — Lewis Sperry Chafer
“He has told His love to us by the gift of His life. So, also, we may tell Him of our love by the gift of our lives.” — Lewis Sperry Chafer
Application Points
- Recognize your personal responsibility in preaching the Gospel and take action to fulfill it.
- Make walking with God a priority in your life to manifest the Spirit and fulfill your ministry.
- Be willing to surrender your life to God and use it as an expression of love to Him.