“Travail for Souls” will be the message at Union Grove this Sunday morning from Isaiah 66:8 For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children”. This text applies primarily and historically to Israel, but it states a great principle that has been illustrated over and over again in the history of the church and of individuals -- that travail of soul is necessary if souls are to be born into the kingdom of God. What does “travail of souls” mean? Travail means to agonize over, to labor over, to be extremely burdened over something; it implies suffering through or over something. Do we really agonize over souls? Are we truly heavy-burdened for souls today; both lost souls and those that have wandered away? I. The Need of Travail for Souls. Every great religious awakening has been born out of a travail of soul, an agonizing burden on the part of some one. Martin Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, and Moody. It is doubtful that there has ever been a single soul is born again without travail of soul on the part of some one. Do we really want revival to come to our church, our community, to our nation? If so, then we must recognize that we must have a burden over and agonize over the souls of those around us. II. Absence of This Travail of Soul Today. A heavy agonizing burden for souls does not exist widely today and that is evident from several things: 1. The comparatively small attendance of the membership of the church upon special meetings. 2. The small effort made to bring others out to the meetings. 3. The conduct of Christians who do attend the meetings. 4. The small amount of agonizing prayer that is going up to God. III. How This Travail of Soul may be brought about. There are two things that are evident: 1. That travail of soul is necessary if there is to be a great work. 2. That this travail of soul does not exist to any great extent today. The question that confronts us then is how can we can obtain and hold on to this greatly needed travail for souls? a. By confessing its absence -- confessing it to God. God forgives our sins when we confess our sins. He supplies our lack when we confess our lack. b. By being willing to endure agony of soul that others may be saved. Many want an easy, happy religion. But real Christ-following is anything and everything but easy and ‘happy’. There is true joy and happiness is found in following Christ, but it is a reward that comes at a price, a great price that is paid first. Following Christ will cost you something, and if you are serious and committed to truly following Him and His way, you must be willing to pay the price, make the sacrifices that He demands; then you will receive the rewards and joy that comes in a close relationship with Him. Many a woman never has a child because she is not willing to pay the price of having a child. Many a Christian will never experience a true, intimate relationship with our Lord because they will not pay the price of the pain and labor required to bring about a new birth in our lives. c. By the giving up of ourselves to do all that is in our power to save the lost. We must be willing to ‘lose our life for His sake’, abandon our care and concern for ourselves for the care and concern for those who are lost; putting others ahead of ourselves. Our selfishness and pride get in our way. What if Christ put Himself ahead of us; where do you think that we would be today. d. By prayer. Prayer is not the last thing to do, it must be the first thing that we do… there is no other thing more important than prayer! Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? e. By dwelling upon the truth that will bring us to realize the wretched condition and awful peril of those who are out of Christ. We need to get not a ‘glimpse’ of hell, but a good, long, hard look at hell. We must feel the pain, agony, torment and hopelessness of hell; truly realize it, only then we will begin to become burdened for the lost souls, those that are damned and on the way to a devil’s hell. There is no childbirth without pain, and the same applies to living a Christ-following life and to the bringing about of the spirit of revival and a spiritual awakening to our church, community and our nation. It is time to ‘Travail for souls’… For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children”
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 03:20:40 +0000
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