Jesus Said
What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) was a popular phrase back in the 1990s. Many people wore WWJD bracelets back then. I did a little research and found that Charles Spurgeon used this phrase in a sermon in 1891 and he attributed it Thomas a Kempis who lived in the 1400s! So, the phrase What Would Jesus Do? is not new. But instead of focusing on what would Jesus do, how about we concentrate on what Jesus said? What He’s already told us to do?
I understand that open-air preaching is not popular today. Unbelievers heckle us. Professing Christians constantly complain that we are not witnessing the right way. That we should “love people to Jesus.” Well, just like it’s more important to understand what Jesus said rather than “guess” what He would do, it’s also more important to follow what Jesus said than to listen to critics that disagree with open-air preaching.
What Did Jesus Say?
So, what did Jesus say? What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (Matthew 10:27). Are you hearing this Springfield? Jesus said what you hear whispered in the ear, preach from the housetops. Preach! Jesus said preach. Not only, preach, but preach from the housetops! If I could legally get up to the top of one of these buildings downtown, I’d be up there in a heartbeat. But I can’t. So, I do the next best thing and stand on a box and lift up the name of Christ the Lord. I do what Jesus said to do: preach.
Instead of What Would Jesus Do? Let’s look at What Jesus Did. Listen to Luke 11:1; And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Did you hear that? Not only did Jesus tell us to go and preach the Gospel, but He did likewise. Jesus went out and preached the Gospel. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus also commanded His disciples to go and preach the Gospel. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. After Jesus suffered, bled, died on the cross and rose from the dead, He told His disciples to share the Gospel with the whole world.
Jesus Said Go And Preach The Kingdom Of God
Here’s what Jesus said to a couple of people who wanted to follow Him: And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
The second fellow brought up what appears to be a reasonable request – to bury his father. But Jesus replied let the dead bury their dead. The spiritually dead can deal with others who are spiritually dead. Instead of concentrating on dead issues, we are to preach the kingdom of God.
Come Alive In Christ Jesus
You can only become alive in Christ Jesus, made alive, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Unrepentant sinners need to hear that they have sinned against Almighty God and that Jesus is the only Savior. We come to Him through repentance and faith. Jesus stated that the second man should preach the Gospel. This shows us that the command to preach is not just for the original apostles. No, Jesus expects every true follower to share the glorious Gospel. Remember Jesus preached wherever He went and the Lord told the second man to follow Him. Specifically, Jesus said follow Him by preaching the kingdom of God.
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:42-43). Yes, the miracles that Jesus performed testified that He was the Son of God. That He was the Messiah; that He was the only Savior of mankind. But during His earthly ministry, His main objective was to preach. He constantly reiterated this.
After Jesus rose from the grave, He then commanded that we are to preach the Gospel to all the world. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:15-16).
Jesus said we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. The city of Springfield is part of Missouri, it’s part of the United States of America and it is part of the world. Each and every person that hears this message is God’s creation, whether you believe it or not. All of us are God’s creatures. He made all of us in His image. Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? (Malachi 2:10). God created us in His image and Jesus has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
The Gospel Shall Be Preached In All The World
What did Jesus say? He said: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14). Jesus said the Gospel shall be preached to all the world and after this the end. Folks this is not a game. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27). We are all going to die. None of us can cheat death. After you die, you will stand before the Lord on Judgment Day. What will you do with your sins on that great and terrible day of the Lord?
After Jesus died on the cross for guilty sinners who repent from their sins and put their trust in Him, He rose victoriously from the grave on the third day. Then Jesus was seen by His disciples for 40 days (Acts 1:3).
Listen to the disciples’ questions and Jesus’ answer to them: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight (Acts 1:6-9).
Jesus’ disciples wanted to know if He was going to establish His earthly kingdom at that time. The Lord told them that only the Father knows when His Second Coming will be and that in the meantime they were going to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that they were to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to all the world.
Don’t miss this. Jesus told the disciples to start preaching where they were at and then expand out from there. The Lord Jesus is saying we should preach the Gospel in Springfield, MO. We should preach throughout Missouri. We should preach throughout the United States and we should preach to the rest of the world.
Open-air preaching is biblical. It is necessary and it is what Jesus told us to do. So tonight, even though some people may be offended that we are “not keeping our religion to ourselves,” we are doing what Jesus commanded us to do. It is out of love that we share the glorious Gospel with you. We love lost souls because God first loved us. We don’t want to see anyone die in their sins and go to Hell.
Our Desire For You
Oh, our desire is for you to recognize that you are a sinner. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). None of us are righteous. Not a single one of us. We all need Jesus. All of us need a savior and Jesus is the only one. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Come to Jesus tonight and be saved. Repent and put your faith in Jesus. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Call Upon The Precious Name Of Jesus
Call upon the precious name of Jesus tonight and be saved. Jesus said go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14).
We are to preach the Gospel because faith comes by hearing. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). How can you hear the Gospel unless someone shares the Gospel with you? How can you recognize that you are a sinner unless you understand that your sins have offended our Holy and righteous God?
That’s why the Lord gave us the 10 Commandments, so we can see that we have sinned against Him. We’ve all lied, most of us have stolen, we’ve lusted, coveted, dishonored our parents, blasphemed God by our words and our actions. None of us have loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are all guilty and there is nothing you can do on your own to get rid of your sins.
Consequences For Sin Is Death
We’ve all sinned against God and the consequences for our sin is death. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). You can choose to disobey God, but there are consequences for your disobedience. The ultimate consequence is death. Not just physical death at the end of your life, but eternal death or the second death. Jesus said But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
All you are really working for in this life on your own, under your own power is death. Even though this is true, please listen to the end of Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
Eternal life is found in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is the free (even though costly) gift from God, but you must receive it. Receive everlasting life tonight through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. Repent from your sins and surrender your life to Him. Admit that you are a sinner. Cry out for God to save you. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Call upon the name of Jesus Christ the Lord and be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Surrender your life to Jesus and then go share the Gospel because that is what Jesus said to do.