Rescue the Perishing

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Jude 1:22-23Our souls are worth more than anything this world has to offer; that’s why the heart of God is wrapped up in the matter of soul-winning.Jesus is the supreme example of this and commands us to follow His lead through the Great Commission.Adrian Rogers says, “If you are not endeavoring to bring men to Jesus Christ, you are living in sheer disobedience to your holy call.”Jude 22-23 reinforces the call to rescue the perishing and share the Gospel with this lost world.First, this passage shares the soul winner’s compassion: “And on some have compassion, making a distinction…” (Jude 22).We are motivated by God’s love for us to have compassion on others and share the Gospel with them. Our method of compassion is by way of the Church; the Church’s primary job is to seek the lost and bring them in.Second, we see the soul winner’s compulsion: “...but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…” (Jude 23).The fire in this passage symbolizes the flames of Hell and separation from God. Our fear of our fellow man’s eternal doom urgently motivates us to tell him about Jesus Christ.Finally, this passage shares the soul winner’s caution: “...hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 23).This passage indicates that the ones we snatch from the flames are moral lepers. In Scripture, sin is illustrated by leprosy: a horribly contagious disease that isolated men and labeled them “unclean.” In Leviticus, God instructed Moses to burn the garments the lepers wore with fire, lest they catch the disease. When we deal with lost souls, we cannot let our compassion and compulsion destroy our caution. We must never compromise our own morals to win somebody to Jesus Christ.Adrian Rogers says, “You never bring people to Jesus Christ by becoming like them; you may be with them, but do not become like them.”Jesus was a friend of sinners, and we should be as well; but He lived a holy life, and we should, too.Apply it to your lifeDo you have the soul winner’s compassion for sinners? Pray and ask God to give you a fresh urgency to share the Gospel with others. Pray for His Spirit to protect you, so that the contagion of sin will not touch you as you draw close to sinners.