Persuasion of Men Begins with the Lord

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Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

Insights: In today’s verse we see the phrase, “we persuade men.”  It was from these three words I titled this weeks sermon Ministry to Men.  I am using this word men in a universal sense.  It could be men or women.  It is referencing humanity at large.  In today’s verse we see our persuasive ability actually begins with the Lord God Himself.  Notice the verse states we fear the Lord.  This fear is the kind of fear Solomon wrote about in the book of Proverbs when he stated, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”  I contend, at some point, we followers of Jesus lost this reverential fear of God.  We take Him for granted and then wonder why they Lord is not working in the midst of our lives.  Let’s skip the “we persuade men” phrase once again and move to the manifestation aspects of this verse.  Notice we are first made manifest to God and then to the consciences of others.  Manifest means to make known or evidential.  We can see and observe something that is made manifest because it has been pulled out and revealed.  When we are discussing being made manifest to God then we are alluding to our usefulness to Him and His kingdom.  This idea is found in Paul’s other writings when he discusses vessels for noble and common purposes.  Our manifestation before the Lord allows us to be noble vessels which are useful to His kingdom.  We also become useful and manifest to others because we are useful to the Lord.  He equips us, because we have wisdom from our fear of Him and we are useful because we are made manifest to Him.  With this equipping having taken place we are then able to persuade men of the truth regarding the gospel and our Lord Jesus Christ.  I write all of this in order to say, our persuasion of men begins with the Lord.  Beloved, let us cultivate our relationship with Jesus and let us be in awe of what He will do in and through us to persuade others of the truth regarding His saving work.

Questions:

 1. Do you fear the Lord God?

 2. Would others characterize your life as being useful to the Lord God in terms of your service to Him?

Prayer: Father, I all too often fall short in my service and obedience to You.  I know at the end of the day it is because of a relational disconnect on my part.  Help me to be manifest to You, and therefore, useful to Your kingdom.  Grow me in Your grace so I can truly persuade men regarding their need for a Savior.  Amen.

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The Forth Type of Person is the Person Who is a Genuine Believer

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Scripture: Mark 4:20

“And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

Insights: We conclude this weeks Thoughts by Scott with the fourth type of person.  As a review, you will recall the first type was the person who immediately rejected the gospel.  The second type of person was the one who thought the gospel was just too hard.  The third type of person was just too busy.  The forth type of person is a genuine believer.  The first three types of people were not authentically born again.  They were never truly saved.  They may have attended church now and then, but they were never truly His.  This forth type of person, however, truly does belong to Jesus.  Their lives are sold out to Him.  They really have been bought with a price and are no longer their own.  Their gratitude for their salvation is utter devotion to the One who saved them, Jesus Christ.  These new creatures have one distinguishing characteristic and that is fruit.  In other words, true saved people bear fruit in their lives.  Notice from the verse they are not required to bear equal amounts of fruit, but fruit bearing is an evidence of conversion.  There are those who have been spiritually gifted by the Holy Spirit as evangelist.  These type of people bear a hundredfold crop of new believers.  If, however, you have not been gifted by the Lord in this fashion, you are not given a pass.  You are also called to bear fruit.  You ought to desire to bear fruit.  Your crop may be only thirty or sixty fold, but a crop ought to be produced non-the-less.  I hope and pray you are really born again.  I pray if you are really born again that you desire to surrender yourself to the Lordship of Jesus and let Him work in and through you to bear fruit.  May your life bring Him glory as you serve and share Jesus with others.  May you yield a very large crop of new converts for His kingdom.

Questions:

 1. Have you truly entered into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus?

 2. Does your life bear fruit of genuine conversion?

Prayer: Father, I know I am Yours.  I have fruit which has come to be as a result of my devotion to You.  Yet, Lord, I want even more fruit.  Increase my faith and let me be bold for You.  Let me have more opportunity to share the gospel with those in need of Jesus.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.

The Third Type of Person is the Person Who Says, "I'm Too Busy"

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Scripture: Mark 4:18-19

“And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Insights: Today we look at the third type of person.  You will recall the first type of person was hostile to the gospel and immediately rejected it.  The second type of person was the one who found the gospel too hard.  They did not endure through the persecution because they did not have authentic faith with which to begin.  The third type of person is the one who is too busy.  They are being pulled in a thousand directions, and as a result, the Lord is discarded.  These people would not say they did not love the Lord, but their actions would prove the Lord was of no real importance to them.  Beloved, these people are nice people.  They attend church every now and then.  They are just so involved in other activities that corporate worship is a secondary issue for them.  I want you to understand, however, just like yesterday, these people are not born again.  They have never truly given their lives over to the Lord Jesus.  They have never really encountered Him and His life changing grace.  I also want to remind you, just like yesterday, we must never stop sharing the gospel with this type of person.  The reason we continue to share is because our hope and prayer is they will one day receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  If you are one who has often been distracted by the worries of this world, the deceitfulness of its riches and the desire for other things, then let me encourage you to evaluate eternity.  This world will pass away and then we will experience either eternity with Jesus or eternal pain in the Lake of Fire.  What you do with Jesus will determine in which location you end up dwelling.  Nothing on this side of eternity is worth the sacrifice of being eternally separated from God’s love.

Questions:

 1. Do you feel like you are being pulled in a thousand directions?

 2. In the midst of all these options, where does the Lord God fit?

Prayer: Father, people are being bombarded by all kinds of choices in their lives.  As a result, many reject You, O Lord.  I pray You would soften their hearts and help them to seek You and to know You.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.

The Second Type of Person is the Person Who Says, "It's Too Hard"

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Scripture: Mark 4:16-17

“In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

Insights: Today we look at the second type of person.  You will recall the first type of person was hostile to the gospel and immediately rejected it.  Today we see a second type of person who appears to want the gospel, but after a little bit of time, they turn away.  The reason they turn away is because walking in faith with Jesus is hard.  In fact, it is a lot harder than the person bargained.  People at work start to make fun of them.  Their friends stop hanging out with them.  Persecution and affliction for their faith starts to increase.  As a result, they reject the gospel.  Now, I want to make it absolutely clear at this point that the person never actually encountered Jesus as Savior and Lord.  This person was not born again.  This person never really came into saving faith with Jesus.  This type of person may have visited a church for a season, but they were never really Jesus’.  If they had been, then they never would have walked away.  The apostle John speaks of this person and says they never were a part of us (1 John 2:19).  This passage does not negate the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.  Rather, it supports it by establishing the reality that true biblical conversion is the standard by which we observe and witness salvation.  People can play the religious game and act spiritual for a time, but their true faith will eventually bear its real fruit.  If one is of Jesus, then Jesus fruit will be evidenced.  If one is lost, then lost fruit will be evidenced.  One who finds faith to hard will display the fruit of quitting.  They will walk away from the One whom they never truly knew.  Beloved, be mindful not all who “pray a prayer” are truly born again and don’t let this truth hinder you from sharing your faith.

Questions:

 1. Have you ever experienced something that you thought was just too hard to handle?

 2. In that moment, did you press on or did you quit?

Prayer: Father, in this world there are all kinds of challenges.  Lord, help me to walk in Your grace and live victorious in Jesus.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.

The First Type of Person is the Person of Immediate Rejection

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Scripture: Mark 4:13-15

And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?  “The sower sows the word.  “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

Insights: These week we are going to examine the four types of people found in the parable of the sower found in Mark chapter four.  The first type of person is the one most of us think we will encounter when we share the gospel.  It is this type of person that sometimes causes us to experience fear, and as a result, we sometimes cower and do not share our faith.  Beloved, several years ago Thom Rainer wrote a book titled The Unchurched Next Door.  In this book he shared that of all their research only five percent of people fell into this category of hostility toward the gospel.  Yet, Satan, has convinced us the majority of our encounters will be with this type of person.  The reason I surmise this type of person is found in today’s verses is because of the immediacy of the removal of the seed.  Notice Satan immediately comes into this type of person and takes the word which has been sown in them.  It is my contention that the speed at which Satan swoops in is an indication of this persons hard heartedness toward the Lord.  It is, therefore, not a far stretch to assume this person is hostile to the gospel.  There is something I want you to notice regarding this situation.  The seed was still sown into this person.  In other words, we need to share Jesus with them even if they are hostile to the gospel.  We need to share Jesus with them even if they assault us.  We need to share Jesus with them because Jesus loves them.  He died for their sins and He does not wish for them to perish and spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  So, we must share, even if they respond with immediate rejection of the gospel.

Questions:

 1. Have you ever shared your faith and had someone respond with immediate rejection of the gospel?

 2. If the first question has happened to you, then how did you respond?

Prayer: Father, help me to love those who are hostile to the gospel.  Help my heart to feel what You feel when they reject the good news.  Help me to see them as You see them and to understand Your love for them better.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.

Humanity is Capable of Being Saved

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Scripture: Matthew 18:11-14

[“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]  “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?  “If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.  “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Insights: We close this weeks Thoughts by Scott with one last thought regarding humanity.  That thought is all of humanity is capable of being saved.  Jesus came to this earth and died on a cross to pay the necessary payment for the sins of the world.  You are included and I am included in those sins.  We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.  Yet, while we were still sinners, Christ Jesus died for us.  I want you to notice the determination of the Lord Jesus from today’s verses.  There are ninety-nine sheep who have followed after the Lord and you would think the Shepherd would be happy with that kind of percentage.  The passage, however, reveals Jesus’ heart is for 100% success.  He desires for no one to die and spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  As a result, He goes and looks for the stray sheep until He finds it.  Beloved, I wonder why we do not live with this kind of urgency and persistence.  People can be saved.  Their salvation will not be a result of us saving them, but it will be a result of us telling them about the One who actually does the saving, the Lord Jesus.  Let me encourage you to share your faith.  Tell people the good news of the gospel, which is Jesus loves them.  He died for their sin.  He will save them.  All they have to do is pray and ask Him to come into their lives and they will be saved.  Let us preach Christ boldly and fervently.

Questions:

 1. Have you entered into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus?

 2. Do you even recognize your need for a Savior?

Prayer: Father, it is my prayer for Your Spirit to draw on the hearts of all people.  If someone has not entered into a relationship with You, I pray You would convict their hearts to the point of repentance and obedience.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.

Humanity is Often Times a Stumbling Block

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Scripture: Matthew 18:7-10

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!  “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.  “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Insights: The third truth regarding humanity is we are at times a stumbling block to those around us.  I have written on this idea before, but I believe if is appropriate to address it again.  I don’t think people wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “I hope I can trip someone up today and knock the faith right out of them.”  Unfortunately, because sin does reside in our fallen nature, we do cause people to stumble and we don’t even mean to at times.  Beloved, let me point out the seriousness of sin and the stumbling block it can be toward others.  Jesus tells us in today’s verses to deal with our sin as drastically as possible.  He is obviously using hyperbole, but the seriousness of sin is being presented.  As a way of example, let me use drinking alcohol.  Is drinking alcohol a sin?  The answer is no.  Is drinking too much alcohol a sin?  The answer is yes.  In our culture, however, most lost people think it is inappropriate for Christians to drink.  So, when they see one who confesses to be a follower of Jesus in the local bar having a drink, they say to themselves “Why should I change my life, Jesus has not helped him/her from still getting drunk and living a life of sin?”  In that moment, we have become a stumbling block.  Let me encourage you to evaluate your decisions through the lens of the gospel and do all you can to not become a stumbling block to someone else.

Questions:

 1. Have you ever been a stumbling block to someone?

 2. Has someone ever been a stumbling block to you?

Prayer: Father, I have never liked when someone’s actions have caused me to stumble in my faith.  I like it even less when I discover I have made someone else stumble in their faith.  Lord, help me to live life fully dependent on You and to recognize the truth regarding the state of humanity.  With this understanding equip me to see them as You see them and may I not become a stumbling block to them.  Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  I would also appreciate if you would tell your friends to read this blog.  As always, if you have a comment you would like to make regarding this Thoughts by Scott, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.  Thank you.