You Are a Joke!

“You are a joke! Don’t you know that everyone’s laughing at you? Nobody wants you here. You are pushing people away from God. Nobody is listening.” These are just some of the comments that a very loud and very irate woman made last Friday night while several of us were open-air preaching on the square. She was very aggressive. She spewed forth her questions with venom. I kept asking her if she had been drinking, but she wouldn’t answer the question. (By the way, how can it be that I was pushing people away from God and nobody listening; both at the same time? If they weren’t listening, how could I have pushed them away?)

Earlier that evening, a few other people also accused us of pushing people away from God. Folks, whether you agree with open-air preaching or not, we are not pushing people away from God. They are already lost and on the road to Hell. If they die without Jesus Christ being their Lord and Savior then they will go to Hell. I’m not pushing them away from God, they are already away from Him! Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). We are all born in iniquity and we are all born with a sinful nature. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, all humans are already separated from God.

That’s why you must be born again. You are naturally born with a sinful nature – a selfish nature. We are born spiritually dead. It takes regeneration to be born again. When God convicts you over your sins, when you see your sinfulness and His Holiness, then you can cry out for God to save you. Salvation is only found in Jesus Christ our Lord (Acts 4:12). When you reach that point, when you cry out for God to have mercy on you a sinner, you put your faith in Jesus. You believe the Gospel. You believe that Jesus lived a sinless life, that He died on the cross for guilty sinners and that He rose victorious from the grave. You believe that God will save you when you confess and believe that Jesus died on the cross for YOUR sins. That He died for you, that He took your punishment for you. When this happens through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, you are a born again. You become a new creature in Christ.

Why do we open-air preach? Because Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). We’ve been commanded by our Lord to do so. Every Christian may not be an evangelist, every Christian may not stand on a box and preach the Gospel, but every Christian should share their faith with others.

God has called some of us to preach in the open-air and we understand Jeremiah when he said that he wasn’t going to proclaim God’s truth anymore. Jeremiah 20:8 says, For since I spoke, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach to me, and a derision, daily. Do you hear these words? Does it sound like people were making fun of Jeremiah for proclaiming God’s truth? Yes, it sure does. Plus he was persecuted for his faith. He was mocked, beaten and thrown in prison. Then he says in Jeremiah 20:9, Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah couldn’t keep quiet. He had to preach the Word. We understand this. We must proclaim the Gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 9:16, the apostle Paul says, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me, if I preach not the gospel!
When God calls you to a task, you do it! We are called to preach the Gospel in the open-air. Woe is us if we preach not the Gospel. Open-air preaching is biblical. Jonah preached “Repent” in Ninevah for three days straight and 120,000 people were saved. Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, His disciples, the apostle Paul, all preached in the open-air. It is biblical and God still uses this method to reach people.

Why do we open-air preach? Let’s look at the parable Jesus told in Matthew 22:1-13.
22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In this parable, the king represents God. Jesus is the son. The first that were invited were the Jews. They rejected Jesus. They made excuses and they rejected the Messiah. So God sent out his servants to invite others to the wedding feast – the feast of salvation. He opened the invitation up to the Gentiles. Notice that the servants brought in bad and good people. You haven’t done anything so bad that God cannot save you. You also aren’t good enough to save yourself. We all need Jesus Christ to save us.

But notice in the parable that one man didn’t have on a wedding garment. You didn’t bring your own wedding garment to weddings back in those days. The wedding garments were provided by the host. So the man who wasn’t wearing his wedding clothes, rejected the offer and the king in the parable had him taken away and cast into outer darkness. Folks, if you refuse the offer of salvation that’s offered through Jesus Christ; you will be cast into Hell when you die in your sins; where you also will weep and gnash your teeth.

That’s why we come out here and beg and plead with you to come to Jesus. That’s why we are willing to be a joke for you. That’s why we are willing to be mocked and laughed at, because nothing in this life is more important than your eternal salvation. You must be born again or you will not see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). That’s why we come out here week after week, sharing the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. If you die in your sins, you will perish and perishing is not annihilation. It is not instant death. Pershing is everlasting torment. It is eternal separation from God.

Please notice in the parable that the king told his servants to go out into the highways to bid people to come to the wedding feast. In Luke 14, the servants are told to go out into the highways and lanes and it says that the servants went out into the highways and hedges. Folks, we are the servants. We are coming out here where you are; to warn you to flee from the wrath to come. We are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with you so you can be made right with God, through the shed blood of Jesus. You can only be saved by faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So you think we are a joke? You think we are pushing people away from God? You think no one is listening to us? Jesus commanded us to preach the Gospel. He also said what you hear whispered in the ear, that preach upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:27-28).

In Romans 10:8-14, Paul said 8 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;

9 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.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 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.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 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?

So for you to hear the Gospel, we will endure you laughing at us, we will take your mocking, we will take your hateful remarks, we will receive your reviling, we will accept your reproach on behalf of Jesus Christ our Lord. Because we will obey God rather than men. Besides, our King – the King of kings and Lord of lords was obedient unto death, even death on a cross. So don’t you think we can handle people laughing at us for His sake? Think again. But salvation is no joking matter. Repent and put your faith in Jesus.

(This message was lifted up on the square of downtown Springfield, MO on June 27, 2014)