Hymn rescue the perishing

                                   

a)      This morning we want to look at this hymn under three headings.

b)      WHO is described by the words in this hymn?

c)      WHAT does this song say we are trying to do?

d)     Finally, HOW are we trying to accomplish what we sing?

2)      The writer of this song used the words "perishing" and "dying."

3)      Every single person in this room is in a state of decay.

4)      2 Cor. 4:16 – READ

5)      Job 19:26 says man's body is destroyed.

6)      Heb. 9:27 says man has an appointment with death. 

7)      We are not only in a state of decay, we are, as we sing "fallen."

8)      Man is a "fallen" creature.

a)      Eph. 2:1 says man is "dead" because of "trespasses and sins."

b)      If we "say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8).

9)      The words of our song also say man has been "crushed by the tempter."

10)  Our physical bodies are not only wearing out, our eternal spirit has been sullied by sin.

11)  Every single person is perishing in a physical sense.  Those accountable for their sins are also perishing in a spiritual sense.

 

BECAUSE WE ARE DYING AND BECAUSE SIN AFFECTS ALL WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS, WE SING ABOUT "RESCUING" OUR FELLOW-MAN.

 

1)      Our song also describes this as "care for the dying."

2)      When we sing this song we claim to "lift up the fallen."

3)      Jesus could have come to the earth and done several wonderful things.

a)      He could have ended world hunger.

b)      He could have terminated the Roman oppression for the Jewish people.

4)      Lk. 19:10 – READ

5)      Jesus recognized that people are "lost."

6)      Jesus believed in "rescuing the perishing."

7)      Lk. 19:5 says the Lord saw a man in a tree and he told him to come down from that place.

8)      Our duty is to "tell them of Jesus the Mighty to save."

9)      If we look back at the week that just ended, how many people did we meet who are "perishing"?

 

SOME WOULD LIKE TO THROW OUT THE LIFELINE BUT THEY ARE NOT SURE HOW TO DO IT.

 

1)      One of the key words in our song is "snatch."

2)      Another important word in our song is "pity."

3)      Along with pity there is the word "weep" – "weep over the erring one."

4)      Some of the "erring" ones we sing about are fallen Christians.

5)      God's people want to "life up the fallen."

6)      These things often require "patience," another key word in our hymn.

7)      We can rescue the perishing by making sure people have a Bible.

8)      We can let them know we would be glad to talk to them about the Bible.

9)      We can hand them a Bible reading schedule.

10)  We can give them a tract on how to study the Bible or why the Old Testament is different from the new.

11)  We have free CD's so people can have the Bible on their computer.