Expository Preaching Blog #33 – “People Need Jesus First!”

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July 9, 2022 is a date that will forever stick in my mind. It is the day my sister called me to tell me that our mother’s heart had stopped and that she had just been rushed to the hospital. It was a shock to us all. She died at 97 ¾ years old (she counted her years in fractions at that age) a few days later.

February 7th is another such day. It is the day my father died many years ago after having a short illness for only few weeks. He was only 48 years old. He had been perfectly healthy up to that point. This happens to people all the time. It happens every day. It happens all around the world. We do not see it coming.

Sometimes people just die unexpectedly for either known or unknown causes. Sometimes death is expected and we know it is coming soon. I used to be a hospice chaplain. I saw a lot of expected deaths. Sometimes there are accidents and incidents that kill people. Those are always a shock to our system. It is a fact of life. People die. No one gets out of this world alive. It has happened for over 6,000 years and it will happen until the end of the world.

My question is this. At that point, what is the most important thing to that person who died? Is it their history? Is it their job? Is it their finances? Is it their notoriety? Is it their family? I believe that point the only thing left of any importance is “Did they know Jesus?”

This is why I believe that a great majority of preaching that takes place in our churches is a complete waste of time. As I write this I am listening live to a sermon from a church close to me. The subject of the sermon was on prayer. Now don’t misunderstand me, I believe in prayer. Prayer is a very good thing. Every Christian should pray. The Bible speaks a lot about prayer. He also talked about worship and what Christians should do in their lives and in their churches. I frankly could not disagree directly with anything he said. But I believe there is one major thing is missing. Jesus is missing.

Jesus is not lost but man is lost. People do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This the major thing. This is the main thing. To me most of the time this the only thing. You can be as moral as you want. You can pray, read the Bible, attend church, sing, fellowship, study and spend time with other Christians but if you don’t know Jesus, all of that is a waste. You can be moral. You can be religious. You can be righteous in everything you do. If you don’t know Jesus Christ all of those things are in vain.

As I get older the more I know dead people. I have had many family members, friends and even coworkers die in the last several years. It will not stop and it will not slow down. But my only question in my mind is “Did they know Jesus?” Nothing in this life goes with us into the next except the saving blood of Jesus Christ. That is eternal. I can’t take any things of the world with me. The only thing I can take is family, friends and loved ones. But that is only if they know Jesus. So my friend that has read this to the end. Do you know Jesus? If not contact me through this blog or my Face Book page. I would love to show you how if you don’t already know.

 

Rev. David Johnson

Former Pastor

First Baptist Church of Austin, MN

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