Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

People Who Hear the Gospel| Series: The People We Meet | 05-25-08

People Who Hear the Gospel
Luke 8:1-21
Series:  The People We Meet

  I. People Who Are Lost.

         A. The Deceived.

         B. The Dehydrated.

         C. The Distracted.

 II. People Who Are Saved

         A. Reap a Harvest of Character.

         B. Reap a Harvest of Converts.

Full Text 

The word, "lost" brings up brings up
 a lot of different feelings.

When you hear on the news that
 someone is lost in the mountains,
you think, "Poor people." 
 You have sympathy for them.

But when it's your own child,
 the feelings are much more intense.

Each of our sons were lost for
 what could be measured in minutes.
But it seemed like an eternity.

Both times there was an intense desperation
 to find our child.

One of our friends took his family camping in the Smokies.
 They did it several times a year.
One time, when their younger 2 sons were
 in their early teens,
they let the boys run up ahead of them on the trail.

They felt the boys were old enough and
 they were always good about staying on the trail and
  this trail did a  loop back to the camp ground.

But when they rounded the bend in the trail, no boys.
 They figured they must have run on back to the camper.

They got back, and no boys.
They searched for awhile and
 called in the park service.
Rangers looked for a time, but
 quit as it got dark.
My friend wanted to search with his flashlight,
 but the park rangers wouldn't let him.

He was frustrated and angry with the park rangers because, not only would they
  not look any longer that night, but
 they wouldn't let my friend go on.

Mom and Dad did not sleep all night--
 especially since the dangers of
  falling off a cliff after dark and bears
   had been pointed out to them.

They next morning at daylight
 the park rangers assembled and
  started out on the search.

A short distance from where
 my friend lost sight of his sons,
here comes 2 cold, hungry boys out of the forest.

They had accidentally followed a fisherman's trail
 down to a stream way below and
  it had gotten dark on them,
 so they piled up some pine needles
  between some tree roots and went to sleep,
   which was the safest thing to do.

But when my friend saw his sons,
 he said he didn't know whether to
  hug them or kill them!
Knowing the feelings of losing our boys for minutes,
 I can't imagine losing them for all night.

But other people have lost loved ones for
 a lot longer than a night.

When the Titanic sank in 1912,
 on pier 54 in New York Harbor,
  2 lists were posted.

The names were separated into only 2 categories:
 "Saved" and "Lost".

When a loved one's name was posted on the "saved" list,
 they celebrated!
But when the name was on the "lost" list, they mourned.

To these people, lost was not just for a night.
 Lost was for the rest of their lives.

There is another "lost" that is for even longer.

The Bible tells us that on the Judgment Day
 all of mankind will be
  divided up into only 2 categories:
   "Saved" and "Lost".

When the Bible refers to lost people
 it means those who are separated from God by sin.

In a very real sense they are drowning in their sin,
 condemned to sink into the depths of Hell forever.

This "lost" is for eternity.

But Jesus came to this earth to
 rescue those who are drowning in their sin.

He said in Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

When the Bible refers to "saved" people,
 it means they have been rescued from
  the consequences of their sin.
 They have been saved from a destiny in Hell
  so they can spend an eternity in Heaven.

Now, just like the people on the Titanic
 could not save themselves
  by swimming to America,
we cannot save ourselves
 from the consequences of sin.

Just like it took a lifeboat
 to save people of the Titanic,
we need a lifeboat to escape sin.

Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, "8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can  boast."

We can't earn Heaven.
 We need a lifeboat.
  And our lifeboat is Jesus!

And because we all know people who are lost
 and need that lifeboat,
Jesus told us in Mark 16:15-16, "15...Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever
 believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

Today we're going to take a look at
 the "lost" and the "saved" people.

Last week we saw Jesus in the home of a Pharisee.
 A sinful woman came in and
  Jesus forgave her,
 she was saved from her sin and
  her life was dramatically changed.

We now come to Luke Chapter 8.
 "1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2and also  some women who had been cured of evil spirits and  diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven  demons had come out; 3Joanna the wife of Cuza, the  manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many  others. These women were helping to support them out  of their own means."

Jesus is going about the area preaching
 the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Whenever you read of the Kingdom of God,
 think, "The Church."

Now, there are a few interesting facts in here.

First, the 12 Apostles are with Jesus.
 They are in a period of apprenticeship.
For now they are traveling with Jesus and
 learning from Him.
Later He would send them out.
Secondly, Jesus and his 12 Apostles are on the move and
 need support to keep going.
They have left jobs and businesses
 to spread the good news.

So a group of women travel with them.
 Obviously they were well to do.
  They were the ones buying the food and
   giving to the poor.

But we also get a glimpse of how
 far reaching Jesus' ministry was.

Did you notice "Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household?"

The word, "manager", carries the idea of
 an officer or high rank.
Cuza was a man of wealth and influence.

Remember King Herod the Great tried to kill baby Jesus
 by slaughtering all baby boys in the region
  who were 2 years old or younger?

Here we have his son, Herod the Tetrarch,
 who we saw arrested John the Baptist.
Later he will behead John the Baptist.

As wicked as this man is,
 he has followers of Jesus
  as some of his top officials,
 and I doubt he even knew it!

Jesus was already making an impact on the world.

Luke 8:4-15.  "4While a large crowd was gathering and  people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: '5A farmer went out to sow his seed. As  he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it  was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.  6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants  withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell  among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the  plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and  yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.'
  When he said this, he called out, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'
  9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in  parables, so that, though seeing, they may not see;  though hearing, they may not understand.
  11This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word  from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be  saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the  word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root.  They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they  fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for  those who hear, but as they go on their way they are  choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they  do not mature.  "15But the seed on good soil stands for  those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word,  retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."'"

Let's begin by looking at
I. People Who Are Lost.

When I 1st went into the ministry
 I thought the world could be won with pure logic.
But I quickly learned that people
 are not always logical!

So we are going to see 3 reasons
 why everyone will not accept God's grace
  and join us in Heaven.

The 1st type of lost person is
A. The Deceived.

Luke 8:5, 12.  "5...As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up."  And then the explanation.  Verse 12.
"12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their  hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."

Satan is the ultimate deceiver.
 He is so good at getting people to
  only look at the immediate fun and
  ignore the long range results.

II Corinthians 4:4 says, "The god of this age [that's Satan]  has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they  cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,  who is the image of God."

Live for the moment!
 Forget about tomorrow!
------------------------------------------------------
Harold Orndorf is the Campus minister
 at Northern Ky. University.
From his website comes this story.
 While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. 
 "Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter.  "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem.  We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
 "No problem, just let me in," says the man.
 "Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
 "Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator.
 "I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

 And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
 Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
 They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

 Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.  Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...
 The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.  "Now it's time to visit heaven."
 So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

 "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

 The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

 So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

 Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

 He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

 The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. "I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

 The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning...... Today you voted."
-------------------------------------------------------

Folks, Satan is a great campaigner!
 He gets people to live for now, not forever.

And they get so caught up in their lifestyle that
 they never stop to consider
  where it will ultimately lead.

Tell a lie and things are ok for the moment.
 But then you have to continually be alert and
  maybe tell some more lies, and
 eventually, generally you get caught and
would have been better off telling the truth to begin with!

And the list goes on and on.

But people only see the short term.
 They see Satan's campaign.
 They are deceived.
 It is like they are wearing armor against
  the love of God.

So, how do we reach these people?
 Sometimes a crack appears in their armor
  when a tragedy strikes.

Whether it be through
 death, sickness, job loss, or whatever,
something reminds them that
 they are not invincible. 
 That they can suffer loss and defeat. 
And they start searching for something more.

That's when you need to simply be there for them.
 Let them cry on your shoulder.
 Be a sounding board when they vent.
 Take them out to eat.
 Mow their grass.
 Simply let them know you care.
And maybe that armor will shatter and
 you can touch someone with the love of Jesus
  by inviting them to come to church with you, or even
  talking to them about how Christ and his Church
   have helped you.

The 2nd type of lost person is
B. The Dehydrated.

Luke 8:6, 13
 "6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture."
The explanation.  Verse 13.  "13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the  time of testing they fall away."

For a plant to survive dry weather,
 it's roots need to run deep to reach moisture.
If the seed is on a rock,
 the roots cannot get down to the moisture and
  the plant dies.
It becomes dehydrated
 (I needed a "D" word so
  all these sub-points start with the same letter!).

Every once in a while you'll see a person
 excitedly giving their life to Christ.
  It's all they can talk about.

They sound like they are going to make
 the Apostle Paul look uncommitted.
They are like the seed that sprouts quickly.

But a short time later,
 they have fallen away.
They do not have deep roots.
They have no moisture.
 They are dehydrated.

When the hot sun comes up,
when a time of testing comes,
 they break.
 They return to their old way of life.

That time of testing could come in the form of
 some terrible event in their life.
Maybe someone they prayed for died.
Maybe there was a serious illness.
Maybe their stock prices plummeted.

Jesus is great when things are going well.
 But when they're not,
  then they become disenchanted and
   can even hate God.

Or maybe the testing is in the form of a temptation.
 They resist for a time,
  but finally give in and
   return to their old way of life.
And they never again go running to Christ.

Now, we all mess up.
 We give our lives to Christ and
  we still struggle with sin.

But the difference is whether or not we repent,
 whether or not we turn back to God with all our hearts.
Whether or not we say with David in Psalm 42:1
 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God."

Sometimes it might just be the daily grind.
 The glamour fades and
  so do they.

You ask them, "Where have you been?" and
 you will never hear them honestly say,
"Well, I'm just a shallow person!"

They will make excuses.
 The kids are in sports.
 Sunday's my only day to sleep in.
 The weather is nice so we went camping or
 The weather is too bad to get out!

Sometimes they will even blame the Church!
 "There are cliques and I don't fit."
 "Someone hurt my feelings."
 "I don't get anything out of the sermons."

And people in the church can believe the excuses and
 get down on the Church themselves.

So, how can we help these people?

I want to warn you, this is a difficult group to reach.
Sometimes it takes a while for these people to mature.
 Sometimes they never return to the fold.

They need to be loved, encouraged, and challenged.
Always let them know they are still loved,
 even though they turned away from Christ.

Encourage them to return.

Maybe even challenge them to do something for Christ.
 Meaningful service brings growth and depth.

You try to remove the rocks so
 the seeds can get down to fertile soil.

The 3rd type of lost person is
C. The Distracted.

Luke 8:7, 14.  "7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants."  The explanation.
"14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not  mature."

In a nutshell, these people are
 so focused on this life that
  they can't be bothered by
   preparing for the next.

They are worried about
 if Aunt Gertrude has cancer, or
 if Susie can get into college, or
 who will be our next president.

And they don't have time to
 worry about what happens after this life is over.

Some are so caught up in their jobs that
 they have no time for anything else,
  including family or Church.

Or maybe it's a sport or a hobby that
 captures all their attention.
Or maybe they live for the next party.

But whatever it is,
 they are spiritually choked by
  "life's worries, riches and pleasures, and
   they are spiritually choked to death."

For these people, it usually takes getting knocked down
 for them to look up.
Aunt Gertrude passes away.
Their company was bought out and
 their job was eliminated.
They are injured and can no longer play the sport.

Then, you be ready with the love of Christ.
 Be a friend and earn the right to be heard.

Secondly, let's look at
II. People Who Are Saved.

Luke 8:8, 15.  "8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."  And the explanation:
"15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

Did you ever think of yourselves as "noble and good"?
 That's the way Jesus sees you.
But, God wants to do more in our lives than
 just save us from sin and take us to heaven.
He wants to produce a harvest in our lives of
 a better personality,
 a deeper character, and
 an enriched testimony.

People who are saved
 A. Reap a Harvest of Character.

Galatians 5:22 says, "22But the fruit of the Spirit is [Now, here's the harvest] love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."

This is what being a Christian is to
 produce in our lives!

Jesus goes on to elaborate on this.  Luke 8:16-18
 "16No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those  who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing  hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed  that will not be known or brought out into the open.  18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever  has will be given more; whoever does not have, even  what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

You are light to the world!
 You don't hide a light in a jar or under a bed.
You put a light on the ceiling or
 on a lamp so it brings light to the dark room.

And even so, you don't hide the love of Jesus
 under a grumpy, scrooge of a personality.
You effect the people around you with
 the fruit of the Spirit.

Don't fake it.
 Jesus says people will see through you.

And as you begin developing these traits,
 Jesus says more will be added to you.

In this way your faith, your relationship with Jesus,
  becomes attractive to others and
  you light the way for the lost to find Jesus.

Did you notice when we were talking about the lost, that
 the way to touch lives is to honestly love people?
Then you have earned the right to be heard
 when someone is seeking.

Christians harvesting the fruit of the Spirit in their lives
 is the most powerful tool Jesus has.

Which brings us to our final point,
People who are saved
 B. Reap a Harvest of Converts.

You see, it is our divine assignment to reproduce,
 not only to bring forth a harvest of character,
 but also a harvest of converts.

Now, some people aren't comfortable with that.
 They think it is reckless to seek to change others.

And yes, you could be hurt along the way
 when someone rejects Jesus
because you might feel like they are rejecting you, too.
On April 10, 1912, Captain Arthur Rostron of
 the ocean liner Carpathian received
  a distress signal from the Titanic.
The message simply said,
 "The ship is sinking. People are going to die."

Captain Rostron immediately turned his ship around and headed for those who were perishing.
He ordered the ship to go at full speed,
 dodging icebergs.
He even ordered that that lights be turned off
 so every ounce of power could be
  directed toward the engines.

They did save the 705 people who were in the lifeboats, some of whom may have died of hypothermia
  had the ship not arrived so quickly.

But they arrived too late to save 1500 who
 perished in the frigid waters.

Later, Captain Rostron was criticized by his peers
 for what they called
"reckless endangerment of his own crew and ship
 to get to the scene of disaster."
But Rostron passionately responded, "When the distress  cry goes out and people's lives are hanging in the  balance, it's not reckless; it's rescue."

When you reach out to others with the love of Christ,
 when you sow the seed,
it is not reckless, it's rescue.

This section of Scripture concludes with
 an interesting little story.
Luke 8:19-21.  "19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, 'Your mother and  brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.'  21He  replied, 'My mother and brothers are those who hear  God's word and put it into practice.'"

If you hear God's Word and put it into practice,
 you are Jesus' family.
 You have a relationship with Him!

If you are one of the lost today and
 would like to become one of the saved,
come forward when we sing in a moment
 and we'll help you confess your belief in Jesus and
 be baptized into Him.
Or if you've already done that and
 would like to place your membership with us,
  come forward as we stand and sing.