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A lost person must come to Jesus for salvation. However, left to himself, he will not come. Indeed, he cannot come. Jesus said,

“No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44).

Whether a person will be converted or not rests entirely upon the sovereignty of God. “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Only He can draw a sinner to His Son. If God draws him to Jesus, he is saved. If he is not drawn, he remains lost and will go to Hell. On the surface, it appears to be a rather shut and closed case. Is there any role then, any duty, for the Christian in the salvation of the lost? To the hyper-Calvinist, the answer is “no.” They reason that since salvation depends completely on God, there is nothing that they can do or should do to win the lost.

This attitude was shown clearly when William Carey announced his desire to go out as a missionary to preach the Gospel in India. An old hyper-Calvinist minister at that meeting shouted,

"Young man, sit down: when God pleases to covert the heathen, He will do it without your [help] or mine."

We agree with William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions. God commands us to go out and bring in the lost to hear the Gospel preached. It is our duty to obey. We disagree with hyper-Calvinism as expressed by that aged minister. Not to go out would be disobedience, laziness, selfishness, and sin. My text speaks more upon this subject,

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.”

Although God, and God alone, draws a sinner to His Son, He frequently uses means. The most common means is His use of men to bring sinners to His Son.

C. H. Spurgeon said,

But many make a mistake about Divine drawings. They seem to [think] that God takes men by the hair of their heads, and drags them to Heaven, whether they will or not; and that, when the time comes, they will, by some irresistible power, without any exercise of thought or reasoning, be compelled to be saved. Such people understand neither man nor God; for man is not to be compelled in this way...God never acteth with men as though they were blocks of wood, or senseless stones... My text says as much as this, ‘I drew them with cords;’ – not the cords that are fit for [a bull], but ‘with the cords of a man;’ – not the cart-ropes with which men would draw a cart, but the cords with which a man would draw a man; and, as if to explain Himself, the Lord puts it, ‘I drew them with bands of love.’ Love is that mighty Power which acts upon a man. There must be loving appeals to the different parts of his nature, and so he shall be constrained by Sovereign Grace (C. H. Spurgeon, “Silken Cords,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Pilgrim Publications, 1978 reprint, page 445-446).

Due to their wickedness, lost people are frequently described in Scripture as animals, such as heifers (Hosea 10:11), dogs (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), beasts (Psalm 73:22), and goats (Matthew 25:32, 33). Yet, God in His grace does not deal with sinners as animals. He deals with them as men made in His image. He appeals to their reasoning ability and especially to their feelings.

God uses Christians as a means of grace to draw sinners to Christ. Certainly, He uses called men to preach the Gospel (Romans 10:14, 15; Ephesians 4:11, 12). But there are other duties that men can do to become the “cords” and the “bands” that God will use to draw souls to Christ.

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.”

I. First, be God’s cord in bringing in the lost.

The Hebrew word for “cord” means a rope. The lost must be lassoed and brought in with a rope. As we heard last week, Jesus calls us to be laborers in His harvest. He instructs us to pray for others to be sent forth as well (Matthew 9:38). The lost will not come to church unless you bring them in. Jesus commands you to bring them in. God can use you as an effective cord through which He will draw in the lost.

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18: 24).

As you go out to get names and numbers from the lost, be very friendly to them. That is how you create a human bond. Whether they come to church or not has a lot to do with whether you were friendly to them. The phoners can be friendly to them, but we are only a voice at the other end of the telephone. They met you and have an experience of what that was like. When we call and invite them, they will think and feel, “Do I want to come to a church event with people like him?” If you were friendly to them, they are much more likely to come. Being friendly is often more of a draw than being of the same generation or race. Many of us were brought in by someone who was not our age or race. God can use you like a cord and draw them to church.

You can also be a human cord, or rope, that God can use to draw in your family and acquaintances to church. The Apostle Paul said,

“I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (I Corinthians 9:22).

This is a very wise and tactful way to bring your family and acquaintances to church. You already know a lot about them. You know their likes and dislikes. You must create a personal cord or bond so that they feel they have something in common with you. It could be anything. Find out what they like and, within Scriptural bounds, try to talk about it with them. Find out what interests them and share your enthusiasm over it. They will feel that you’re interested in them. That’s good. That’s what the Apostle Paul did, and God used him mightily to bring many to Christ.

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.”

II. Second, be God’s band in loving the lost.

Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary defines “bands” as:

“Something intertwined, dense, thick” (Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary of the Old Testament, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon, 1980, No. 5687, page 112).

This is similar to the word translated “cord” in my text except that it is significantly stronger. The “cords of man” forms a connection with a man. The “cords of love” is more significant. It is an “intertwined, dense, thick” cord. It is significantly stronger, binds tighter, and the effect is more influential on the man. The love here described is the equivalent of the New Testament Greek word agape or agapao. This is the kind of love that only God and the truly converted have. W. E. Vine said that the true Christian with agape love has “a desire to help others to seek the Giver” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Fleming H. Revell, 1966, volume III, p. 21). In other words, the true Christian will have the desire to bring souls into the church to hear the Gospel.

Sharing agape or Christian love to the lost will form “bands of love” upon them. It will cause them to feel close and connected to you. You “Reapers” and other brothers and sisters, show the multitude of lost people who come to church on Sunday genuine Christian love. It will profoundly affect them for good. May God draw them through you into our church. May you be a means of grace in their conversion.

The early church father Tertullian, quoting the pagans in third century Rome wrote,

“Look,” they say, “how they love one another”...“and how they are ready to die for each other” (Tertullian’s “Apology,” Chapter 39.7, circa 200 AD).

The pagans were amazed with the love of the early Christians. The Christians loved one another, and the pagans felt that these Christians loved them as well. Such supernatural love they had never experienced. The Christians served as “bands of love” through which God brought many thousands to Christ.

May our Christian love be like that of the early Christians toward each other, and especially toward our multitude. Let them feel that we are true disciples of Christ, and may it be as “bands of love” to them (John 13:35).

William Carey was not discouraged although he was denounced by that elder hyper-Calvinist. He went on to publish “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.” He later went to India and translated the Bible into the common Indian language. He was greatly used of God in bringing many souls to Christ. Many others were inspired by his example and followed him to the mission fields.

If sinners are going to be converted, they must be drawn to His Son by God, through hearing the Gospel. “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

Our pastor preaches Christ crucified to the lost at every service (I Corinthians 1:23). We must pray that the Gospel preached to our multitude might be effectual in their salvation.

This is harvest time! Go out to the college campuses, streets, and malls. Get the names and numbers of these prospects. Bring them in to your steward. Bring in your family and acquaintances. Be friendly to them. Love them the way that Christ does. Be zealous, steadfast, and faithful. May God use you as the “cords of a man” and as “bands of love” to bring souls into our church. Amen.

(END OF SERMON)
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