Throw out the Life line the Wayfarer 5/25/16

Throw out the Life line
 5/25/16

Today’s title song is added to the original text of a far older sermon that already says what I feel is also the intent of the song, written by the Rev. E.S. Ufford, and sung in churches I grew up in, seldom heard these days, yet so pertinent to the world in which we live that is so in need of the realization that the lifeline still exists for those who accept the salvation granted by God’s grace in the gift of Christ Jesus

This one came about after two conversations with two separate people I consider truly Christian, and who share my concern for the broken ones I reference. The title came from a statement I made to one of them after our bible study one week that opened my own eyes after having made it.  I pondered why it is that it seems that God only sends me the broken ones. All praise  that He does, The righteous do not need my ministry, they have made their decisions and I thank Him  for those, who like myself were broken, but are no longer, who assist with HIS ministry.

“Throw out the Lifeline”

Throw out the lifeline across the dark wave, There is a brother, whom someone should save;

Somebody’s brother, O who then will dare to throw out the lifeline, his peril to share?

Throw out the lifeline with hand quick and strong, why do you tarry, my brother, so long?

See he is sinking, O hasten today, and out with the lifeline, away, then away.

Throw out the lifeline to dangerfraught men, Sinking in anguish where we’ve never been;

Winds of temptation and billows of woe, will soon hurl them out where the dark waters flow..

Soon will this season of rescue be o’er, soon we shall go to the fair Eden’s shore;

Then in the dark hour of death may it be, that Jesus will throw out the lifeline to thee.

Throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline, someone is drifting away;

Throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline, someone is sinking today.

Only the broken Ones

“’But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

(Matthew 9:12 & 13)

In the process of trying to grow the church, and the numbers that attend, many fail to see the need for the addition of any but those who will fit perfectly into the slots envisioned for those seated on their pews. There is no room for square pegs to fit into round holes or vice versa.

When organizing a revival, or other event for the church’s benefit, the call goes out to those already attending the services of various houses of worship, to bring together those already like- minded, who are organizing  the events.

In the case of a revival, this is a definitely positive step, and necessary to the success of the intent of revival.

Revival services should remind the church attendees of the need for bringing their lives in line with the teachings of our Lord, and give them the motivation to do exactly this. That is what the revival of a “Church” consists of.

However in the efforts to grow the church this is only a first step in that direction, and should never be intended nor construed to be the last.

True revival must also include invitation to, and every effort to extend this same invitation beyond those who already profess Christianity to those who do not!

It should not be confined to the limits of a particular group that gathers, nor any association of groups that call themselves by the same denomination. It should be an effort of people to reach the reachable and teach the teachable that I speak so often of: those, who, if sufficient time is taken to reach out to them with the love we are supposed to show toward all our fellows, and the same time is taken to teach them what rewards are available through the acceptance of Jesus, can then be led to Him and salvaged from becoming one of the lost that will spend eternity separated from the Love of God Himself, as well as the love for them demanded of US by Jesus.

These are the, “Broken Ones”, referred to in the message today. It is this group of people suffering many and various afflictions, addictions, misanthropic beliefs caused by deceptions, and the perception that they are not in need of help from Christ, because they see themselves equally as righteous as those who gather in our Chapels, Churches, Temples, and Cathedrals.

The problem that exists in convincing them of the need to attend such an event as a revival is, that their perception of their righteousness is correct!

They fail to see the Righteousness of Christ Jesus and see only the righteousness proclaimed by those who organize these events, then compare humanity with humanity and find only the condemnation to be given by those who are gathering for the purpose of what is supposed to be worship and discipleship, a discipleship that demands the love given by Christ be shared with ALL willing to accept it!

No doubt I will have already offended many of my peers and those who already gather regularly to worship, and this is not, and never was my intent at all.

It is my intent to call your immediate and foremost attention to the fact that we are not here just to gather in Fellowship, but to rescue the perishing. This may only be done by first recalling that:

“For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God “

As Paul gave us in Romans 3:23.

We also need remember:

“But we are ALL as an unclean thing; and all OUR  righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away.”

(Isaiah 64:6)

Once we have remembered these things, then, and only then, may we progress to something said by Jesus about Himself concerning His reason for coming to begin with, and emulate, not imitate his actions:

“For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

(John 3:17)

If Jesus himself came not to condemn, it would behoove us to remember that we are also not sent out among the unbelievers to condemn, but instead, to bring them to the light of the Love that was given in the verse previous to this that is far more often quoted without the emphasis necessary on the word “whosoever”.

TWO more short passages that we must keep in mind before we may attempt to “build”;

“In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men,”

(John 1:1-4)

Jesus was there in the creation of all things, even those broken ones I speak of. He didn’t make them broken, he made them whole. We are the ones doing the breakage, and damage, not Him. If all we offer is condemnation, there is no reason to believe that any help will ever be available from those who give the derision and condemnation instead of the loving assistance taught by Jesus through the parable of the good Samaritan and so many other passages devoted to His ministry.

“For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God:

Not of works lest any man boast,

For we are HIS workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

 (Ephesians 2:8-10)

When we go out to “build“ the congregations of our churches, instead of ignoring the broken ones in our path, we should embrace the fact that they have been placed there, giving us opportunity to witness to them, and show them the light of God’s love, and the effect it will have on their lives now, and more importantly as they face the judgment at the end of that life.

We are only capable of setting an example to others of what that Grace that Paul wrote about really is.  We need for our lives to be a reflection of that grace as we deal with any and all, and that includes the “broken” ones!

An old soldier, I cannot help but remember two old First Sergeants that I failed to understand at the time in their efforts to salvage young problematic soldiers.

I found myself being sent the troublemakers and those who honored no authority in other platoons; guys with drinking problems, family problems, and other distractions that kept them from being the soldiers that they were capable of being.

I grumbled about the effects that this had on my ability to train and lead a platoon, with the full knowledge that personal problems translated to performance problems and deteriorated the effectiveness of MY platoon.

I failed to realize the wisdom of both of these leaders who recognized the need only for good guidance for these few rejected by others to make them a part of a more efficient larger unit, whose mission MY platoon only contributed to, and that by rescuing these misfits from themselves, we were able to build a better unit, not only MY small portion of it, but far more importantly to the mission, the larger one as well.

At times, I find myself still too puffed up to look at the why of things, as seen through my COMMANDER’S eyes, seeing only one bush that stands in the way, blinding me from the entire picture, and hindering me from getting to the forest, instead of seeing the forest itself, that is there, full of good timber, immediately available, to use to build God’s House with.

Having said all this, I wish to conclude with a simple prayer from a simple sinner, saved through the grace of my God through the blood sacrifice of his Son, Jesus and my faith only in Him, called  many years ago to preach a simple message of redemption through repentance... not my message, but Jesus' own!

SEND ME those broken ones ignored by others, deemed unworthy of sitting in the pews  that are still salvageable, and still stand in need of the love only given by that same Savior that saved me all those years ago.  I was then, as I am now a totally  unworthy vessel,  who, if I were to be left to my own devices, would have had faith only in self, as opposed to the faith in my God that is necessary to accomplish anything either for myself or him.

GIVE ME the wisdom to provide that guidance to the light, to be found at the feet of that same Savior, who did not discard me because I was a square peg in a round hole.

BLESS THOSE Broken Ones I find along the way, ALLOW ME to be the tool to help show them the means to heal that brokenness.

KEEP ME in remembrance that I too am nothing but a broken vessel, that has been patched, repaired, and lovingly put back together, too many times to count, and that there are none that are unworthy to sit in a pew, or sit at meat with, or simply comfort, along my way to the same judgment that they face…Judgment never intended to be given by me…. But to be rendered by that same Savior through whose eyes alone we may be judged!

HELP  ME to throw out the lifeline that I found to others in need before they sink forever beneath the waves of apathy that surround them.

My love once more to all through Christ!

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer