Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 21, 2010

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Today’s devotion is John 8:37-47.
 
“37  “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants;  yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 
                                   
 38  “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father;  therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
                                     

 39  They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father ”  Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.

 40  “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God;  this Abraham did not do.

 41  “You are doing the deeds of your father ”  They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication;  we have one Father: God.”

 42  Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

 43  “Why do you not understand what I am saying?  It is because you cannot hear My word.

 44  “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.  Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 45  “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.

 46  “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?  If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?

 47  “He who is of God hears the words of God;  for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”  John 8:37-47.

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We share God’s Word liberally.  Some understand and believe;  others do not understand and do not believe.

There is Godly wisdom in not casting our pearls before swine.  Matthew 7:6.  But, just because there are those who do not understand and do not believe, that fact should not induce us to only share God’s Word with those who we think will be receptive.

Rather, we are commanded to preach the Gospel to all creation.  Notice how liberally, everywhere, the Gospel is preached. 

Matthew 11:5
“the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.”
                                      
Matthew 24:14
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
                                         
Mark 13:10
“The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
                                       
Mark 16:15
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
                                 
Luke 3:18
“So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.”
                                             
Luke 4:18
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.  HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,”
                                        
Luke 9:6
“Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”
                                          
Romans 1:15
“So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
 
1 Corinthians 9:16
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion;  for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”
 
2 Corinthians 10:16
so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another.
                                        
Revelation 14:6
“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”
 
 
Although not everyone will understand and believe, we can be encouraged that the elect will understand and believe.  There are those, in the words of Scripture for today, who are of God who hear the words of God.  
 
We may look at the crowd and not be able to pick up who will accept and who will reject God’s Word.  As a Gideon, when I distributed Scripture, I was often surprised who would accept and who would reject the Scriptures in our sidewalk distributions.  The well-dressed, smiling and beautiful people would often reject the Scriptures;  whereas the sarcastic “poorly dressed” people would often accept the Scriptures. 
 
We also must remember that there are two purposes in sharing God’s Word.  God will use our preaching to irresistably draw His elect to saving faith.  But, God will also use our preaching to hold the unbelieving accountable.  “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;”  Romans 3:19.
 
In summary, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:  it shall not return unto me void,  but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:11
 

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