Why is it that so many people have no time for Jesus? Most people know who he is. Most people have heard of what he did. Most people know why he did what he did. Yet, still, most people do not have time for Jesus. What does this say about those who have no time for Jesus? It probably says they do not love him. And, that must mean if they don’t love him, they do not really know him, because to know him is to love him.

Now I know that what Jesus did for our salvation was two thousand years ago. But it seems to me that people discount that and are more focused upon desiring a more current or recent something from him. The Cross and all that happened then seems so unrelated to people today. What I think is that people just don’t understand their sinfulness or they are not willing to admit it.

Even so there is still a great deal of people who go to church regularly, and some, part of the time. I am aware that there are many who truly are believers in Jesus Christ. But as a whole it does not seem that Jesus himself, and an important relationship with him, is significant to most people. My friends we need to realize how much Jesus loves us and live a more fully committed life to him.

How often do you hear the Lord’s name mentioned in a proper manner? How often has a stranger come up to you and wanted to tell you about Jesus and his love for you? How much do you even hear people outside the walls of a local church building even carrying on a conversation about the Lord? The only people who want to talk to me about the Lord outside of my church family is some cult like the Mormons, or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, both of which have a distorted view about God, Jesus and the Bible.

May I ask you a question? Do you love Jesus? Please think about it a few minutes before you answer. Now when I say do you love Jesus I am talking about the Jesus of the Bible. If you say you loved Jesus, what are you doing to get others to know him? He is the One who died upon the Cross for the sins of the whole world, which includes me and you. This alone is more than enough to show the magnitude of His love for us.

God’s Word Says We Have All Sinned:

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 For since by man came death, ...For as in Adam all die,... 1 Corinthians 15:21a-22a

For those of us who have been saved, we are to love, obey, and serve him, and part of that service is to tell of his love to other people.

What Sin Has Caused:

* It has turned beauty to ugliness. (Youth to old age)

* It has turned happiness to sorrow.

* It has brought tears to eyes.

* It has brought sorrow to the heart.

* It has brought a curse instead of blessings.

* It has brought pain and suffering.

* It has brought discouragement and hopelessness.

* It has brought life to death.

* It has turned the earth into a cemetery.

What Sin Does:

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: Proverbs 8:36

* Sin leaves a void, or emptiness, unfulfilled lives.

* Sin causes guilt, fear, anxiety, condemnation, uncleanness.

* Sin makes one impure, immoral, corrupt, shameful, cheap.

* Sin always has negative consequences.

* Sin is attractive, deceptive and destructive.

* Sin promises a lie is true, but its pleasure does not last.

Sin Can Not Be Hidden:

...behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

* God sees all sin.

* God sees the covered up sins.

* God sees the sins of the heart.

* There is NOTHING hidden from the Almighty.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:14

For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luke 8:17

Jesus has come and paid for all sin so we can be free to love and serve the living God. He took away the condemnation of all those who confessed and repented of their sin and trusted him as their Lord and Savior. But do you see a rush by people to receive this salvation? Do you see people anxious to be in some true Bible teaching, preaching church? Do you ever hear of someone who was so worried that they might die and go to hell that they wanted to get saved? Do you see church members, or any others, out trying to get people saved?

Do people ever think about what it means that Jesus, God’s only begotten Son came into this sin cursed world leaving heaven’s paradise to die for creatures such as us! Not only has no one loved all of us so much, but no one has ever done as much for us as Jesus has. In fact, Jesus is the cause for every and all blessings we receive each day. Still, have you heard of anyone beating on the church doors trying to get in and thank him? Truth is we can hardly get a good crowd to even come to church without giving them some pizza or tacos, or some kind of special entertainment to accompany the program. And, the minister must be a good “speaker” who knows a lot of funny stories. We don’t want a rip snorting Holy Ghost filled preacher preaching with passion. God have mercy on us.

I am disturbed that the public seems to have no need for the one who loves them so much. I, also, am upset that the professing church is doing very little to get these spiritually blinded souls into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How to Reach Someone:

The best way to get people interested in church and living for the Lord Jesus is for God’s people to fall more in love with the Lord themselves, and live the way we are instructed in God’s Word. The church today looks just like the world! We talk like the world. We act like the world, and many smell like the world.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

Have you noticed that many places have traded the old hymns for the new “stuff” and the King James Version of the Bible for the modern translation. Now I use some of the new translations in my study, but when it comes time to preach, nothing is like the old KJV. This year marks the four hundredth year of the King James Bible and think of the many souls that have been saved by its being preached and taught.

The loss of interest in souls by the churches is evidence of our lack of love for the Lord Jesus. Love for the Lord is shown by love for souls. Jesus loves souls. He died for the souls of men.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

Folks, people just don’t have time for too much church! A few go for all the services. Some go for Sunday school and some just go to preaching. Others go occasionally. Then there are some who go at Christmas, or at Easter. Let’s not be the type of Christian that only loves Jesus on a holiday!

Once people go to church they think they’ve done their duty for that day. But nothing is farther from the truth. We do not need to go to church just to please God, but going to church is for our own soul’s wellbeing. We are the ones who need to hear the Holy Scriptures! We need to hear them so that we may learn how to love the Lord God as we should and as he rightfully deserves to be loved! Oh, how we need to love Jesus as we should. But far too many spend too much time trying to satisfy the flesh, and far too little time taking care of their soul.

No Love:

Do you remember how in the gospel of Matthew in 8:28 we see a story of how demon possessed swine fell over the cliff and into the sea and drowned once the demons entered into them. The owners of the swine wanted Jesus to go away, completely ignoring the power of His works. They did not love Jesus. The Pharisees and the Romans did not love Jesus. In this twenty first century do we love Jesus?

Love for Jesus should be a driving force in our lives. Taking us to our prayer closest, giving us an interest in souls, causing us to reach deeper into our pocket books to support missionaries and mission work for our wonderful Savior. So how can we be saved from our sins by the Lord Jesus and not love him? Love shows up in how we treat people.

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23

The Bride of Christ: The church, made up of born again believers in Jesus Christ is now the espoused bride of Christ. That is, we are going to be the bride of Christ one day. A groom loves his bride and a bride loves her groom. That is the relationship pictured in the Bible to show the intimate love relationship we will have with the Lord forever. It’s a love relationship. But that relationship starts in this life!

Finally, let me leave you with these final scriptures about what Jesus said about one of his churches: My friends, I fear that this church here in Revelation is a picture of the present conditions of today.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:15-19

Oh, God that I might love thee with all my mind, body and soul as you require. May your Spirit and Word bring a spiritual revival to your church, so that we all might love you as we were intended according to the good pleasure of your will, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Preacher