Print Sermon

The purpose of this website is to provide free sermon manuscripts and sermon videos to pastors and missionaries throughout the world, especially the Third World, where there are few if any theological seminaries or Bible schools.

These sermon manuscripts and videos now go out to about 1,500,000 computers in over 221 countries every year at www.sermonsfortheworld.com. Hundreds of others watch the videos on YouTube, but they soon leave YouTube and come to our website. YouTube feeds people to our website. The sermon manuscripts are given in 46 languages to about 120,000 computers each month. The sermon manuscripts are not copyrighted, so preachers can use them without our permission. Please click here to learn how you can make a monthly donation to help us in this great work of preaching the Gospel to the whole world.

Whenever you write to Dr. Hymers always tell him what country you live in, or he cannot answer you. Dr. Hymers’ e-mail is rlhymersjr@sbcglobal.net.

EVERYONE BRINGING IN THE LOST!

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles

Lord’s Day Evening, July 6, 2014

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37, 38).

Preachers usually think that Christ is saying to pray that God will move church members to become soul-winners. That isn’t completely wrong, but it is more of an application than an interpretation. Yes, we can say that this applies to praying for Christians to be aroused and win souls. But that is not exactly what Christ was telling His Disciples.

Jesus was telling His Disciples to pray that God would send new people into the harvest, right away, immediately, before they were highly trained, before many of them were even saved! After all, hardly anyone was a Christian yet when Jesus said that! The Disciples themselves were not yet trained and at least some of them were not converted. Dr. McGee said none of them were saved until Jesus rose from the dead. It is clear that Judas was not saved. Thomas did not believe the Gospel yet, because we know that he did not yet believe Jesus would rise from the dead. Peter denied the crucifixion, and was rebuked by Jesus for his stubborn unbelief. Yet these men were sent to win souls in Matthew 10. And Christ told them to pray that other new people would be sent to bring in a harvest of souls!

What does that mean for us today? Why, it means that we should send people who are new to the church out to win souls immediately! What else could it mean? If you are here for the first time this evening, we are praying for you to come with us right away to be a labourer in the harvest, bringing lost people to hear the Gospel in our church. Hear the text again,

We are telling you the same thing. We are praying for you to come in and help us bring others into this church to hear the Gospel and be saved. We learn that this is true in at least two different ways.

I. First, Jesus called the original Disciples to win souls immediately.

Please turn back to Matthew 4:18-20. Please stand and read those verses aloud.

“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

That was the very first thing Jesus said to these men, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). There’s a chorus that makes this clear,

I will make you fishers of men,
   Fishers of men, fishers of men,
I will make you fishers of men
   If you follow me;
If you follow me, if you follow me;
   I will make you fishers of men
If you follow me.
   (“I Will Make You Fishers of Men” by Harry D. Clarke, 1888-1957).

You may be seated.

Jesus did not bring them in and teach them the Bible for a few years before He told them to go out and bring others in, as fishers of men. He did not answer all their questions and teach them theology and apologetics, and Christian history. He did not bring them into a Sunday School class for months before He told them to go after others and bring them in. He did not even teach them how to explain the Gospel!!! No! He just sent them out to bring others in, to “fish” for others! The very first thing He told them was “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

I don’t think it’s completely honest to tell you something else. I think we should follow Christ’s example. I think we should tell you right now what Christ wants you to do. Christ wants you to go and get others and bring them in. Christ wants you to go and get someone, and bring them in, right now, right away! Go and get someone and bring them in with you! Stand and sing it again!

Yes, Christ called the first Disciples right away, at the very beginning, to be fishers of men – to be labourers in the harvest – to bring others in right away – immediately! Amen! and Amen!

II. Second, Jesus sent other new people to win souls immediately.

We see that in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. Two of John the Baptist’s disciples followed Jesus to His dwelling place. One of the two was Peter’s brother Andrew. Andrew went out immediately and told Peter, “We have found the [Messiah]..and he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41, 42). The next day Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me” (John 1:43). Philip immediately went to Nathanael and told him he had found the Messiah. Nathanael doubted that it was true. “Philip saith unto him, Come and see” (John 1:46). Philip then took Nathanael to Jesus and Nathanael also became a Disciple immediately.

Andrew brought Peter to Jesus immediately. Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus immediately. These brand new Disciples became soul winners right away, instantly! They did not wait to be trained to win souls. They went out right away and brought others to Jesus, without delay! They just said, “Come and see.”

Another example is given in the fourth chapter of John. Dr. John R. Rice said,

In [John] chapter 4, we learn that when the Samaritan woman knew that Jesus was the Messiah, she left her waterpots and ran to the city to tell the men, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” [John 4:29]. Some were saved there on her testimony, while others came to see for themselves and were saved. Yes, new converts should win souls (John R. Rice, D.D., The Son of God: A Verse-by-Verse Commentary on the Gospel According to John, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1976, p. 40).

Commenting on these examples Dr. Rice said, “Ah, the main thing about soul winning is to go after them. And personal influence is so important that it may not take a profound message or long explanation, if you let people understand that here is the Saviour for sinners and they may have Him. So Andrew brought Peter to Jesus” (ibid.). So the woman at the well brought many Samaritans to Jesus – right away. She became a soul winner the same day that she herself trusted Jesus!

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word” (John 4:39-41).

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee to Gadara. There He met a man who was demon possessed. Jesus cast the demons out of him, and the man was well. This man wanted to go back with Jesus, but the Saviour told him,

“Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him” (Luke 8:39).

This man became a soul winner instantly, telling others how Jesus had saved him right away!

As Jesus was going to Jerusalem He met ten men that were lepers. They cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests at the Temple, “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). One of them returned to thank Jesus. But all of them were sent immediately to witness to the priests in the Temple. Later, that same year, we are told that “...a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). These priests were undoubtedly converted, at least partly, by the testimony of those lepers that Jesus healed. Those lepers thus became soul winners as soon as they were healed by Jesus!

On the Day of Pentecost three thousand people were saved when they heard Peter preach the Gospel. We are told that these new Christians were “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). Dr. John R. Rice said, “The church at Jerusalem with thousands of members saw new converts added to the church daily! Soul winning was not only important: it was almost the sole aim and end of the Jerusalem church and of New Testament Christians!” (John R. Rice, D.D., Filled With the Spirit: A Verse-by-Verse Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1980 edition, page 104).

When people were saved in the church at Jerusalem, they immediately went after their friends and neighbors and brought them in, so “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

I don’t agree with Dr. Rice on some methods, but I completely agree with him that the main thing every church and every Christian should do is soul-winning.

The Apostle Paul came to the city of Thessalonica in 53 A.D. We are told that some Jewish people there believed in Jesus, and a great multitude of Greeks were saved (Acts 17:4). Paul organized these new Christians into a church. One year passed. It was now 54 A.D. Paul was now in the city of Corinth. He wrote a letter back to the church at Thessalonica, which is called “First Thessalonians” in the New Testament. All of the people in that church had been Christians only one year or less. Yet Paul said,

“From you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing” (I Thessalonians 1:8).

The people in that new church had a national outreach to Macedonia and Achaia. They were winning souls by the hundreds, even though none of them had been Christians more than twelve months!

This is the simple method they used. They just said to their friends and neighbors, “Come and see.” And then they brought them to the meetings. This is the method they use in Communist China, where the churches are exploding, growing by the thousands! This is the method they use in Muslim lands, where many hundreds of people are being converted. It works there, and it will work here. Go and tell somebody, “Come and see.” It’s simple, and it works!

This, then, is clearly the pattern of New Testament Christians. We read over and over that those who became Christians instantly became soul winners, bringing their friends and relatives into the churches in great numbers! Each church was an exploding church! May God speak to your heart! May you come into our church and then bring in your friends and family to hear the Gospel and have dinner or lunch with us! Come and help us make this an exploding church! “Fishers of men.” Stand and sing it!

Go and get somebody to come here to church with you! We always have lunch or dinner for them! We always have a birthday party for them! We always have more fun here than any other place in Los Angeles! This church is the happiest place in Los Angeles. Bring somebody with you the next time you come! There’s nothing complicated about it. Just say to them, “Come to church with me. It’s happy and wonderful to be there. Will you come with me this Sunday? Will you come to the party at our church?" Then get their phone number and give it to Dr. Chan, Mrs. Hymers, or Mrs. Salazasr to phone them and get them in! That’s all! It’s easy! Do it! Bring somebody with you the next time you come! You may be seated.

The very first thing Jesus taught His Disciples is the very first thing we must teach you. Jesus says to you this evening,

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”
(Matthew 4:19).

Some of you are here this evening for the very first time. Jesus says to you, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” If somebody brought you here today, the very first thing Jesus wants you to do is to become a “fisher of men.” Bring names and phone numbers from personal evangelism. Bring somebody with you to church next Sunday! Do it! Sing that chorus again.

Karen Yang came here to church for only a few weeks. She immediately became a “fisher of men,” and started bringing people to church. So did Lara Escobar, Thomas Luong, and many others. You can do the same thing! Go and get someone and bring them here to church with you! Do it! Do it! Bring somebody with you! We’ll have lunch or dinner together. We’ll see an old comedy movie. We’ll have a big birthday party. Go and bring somebody to the birthday party here at church! Bring somebody to the party! All of you can say, "Come to the party with me. We're going to have a great time! That's not hard, anybody can do it! Sing the chorus again!

How many of you will say, “I’ll do it! I’ll bring someone to church with me to hear the Gospel and have fun with us!” Please raise your hands. Dr. Chan will come to pray for God to help you do it (prayer).

If you are here this evening and you are not yet a converted Christian, please listen very carefully. The Lord Jesus Christ came down from Heaven and was nailed to a cross, where He died to pay for our sins. They put His body in a tomb, sealed it, and set a Roman guard to protect it. But the Lord Jesus Christ rose physically, flesh and bone. On the third day He rose from the dead and came out of that tomb alive! The risen Christ had fellowship with His followers for forty days. They handled Him, and saw that He was not a spirit. At last Jesus ascended back to Heaven, into another dimension, where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

When you turn from your sinful life-style and trust Jesus, His precious Blood will cleanse you from all sin, and He will give you eternal life. We are praying that you will come to Jesus and trust Him, and be saved very soon. And whatever you do, be sure to come back here to church next Sunday. And go and get somebody to come to church with you next Sunday! Go and do it!

Oh, God, help them to do it! Amen.

(END OF SERMON)
You can read Dr. Hymers' sermons each week on the Internet
at www.realconversion.com or www.rlhsermons.com.
Click on “Sermon Manuscripts.”

You may email Dr. Hymers at rlhymersjr@sbcglobal.net, (Click Here) – or you may
write to him at P.O. Box 15308, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Or phone him at (818)352-0452.

These sermon manuscripts are not copyrighted. You may use them without Dr. Hymers’
permission. However, all of Dr. Hymers’ video messages are copyrighted
and can only be used by permission.

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Mr. Abel Prudhomme: Matthew 4:18-20.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“So Little Time” (by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980)/
“I Will Make You Fishers of Men” (by Harry D. Clarke, 1888-1957).

THE OUTLINE OF

EVERYONE BRINGING IN THE LOST!

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

I. First, Jesus called the original Disciples to win souls immediately,
Matthew 4:18-20.

II. Second, Jesus sent other new people to win souls immediately,
John 1:41, 42, 43, 46; 4:29, 39-41; Luke 8:39; 17:13, 14;
Acts 6:7; 2:47; 17:4; I Thessalonians 1:8.