Discernment in Sharing the Gospel: A Call to Wisdom
Devotional
Day 1: Discernment in Sharing the Gospel
Jesus calls us to discernment in sharing the gospel, recognizing when it is being rejected and moving on to those who are receptive. This is not about withholding the gospel but about wise stewardship of its precious message. In a world where truth is often seen as relative, the proclamation of the gospel can be met with hostility. Jesus expects His followers to identify those who are unreceptive and to act accordingly. This discernment is not a call to judgmentalism but to wise stewardship of the precious message of salvation. The gospel is a treasure, a pearl of great price, and it should not be cheapened by repeatedly offering it to those who scorn it. [10:44]
Matthew 10:14-15 (ESV): "And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."
Reflection: Think of a situation where you have shared your faith but faced rejection. How can you discern when to persist and when to move on, trusting God to work in the hearts of those who hear?
Day 2: The Invaluable Treasure of the Gospel
The gospel is a pearl of great price, a treasure beyond imagination. It is crucial to recognize its value and not to cheapen it by offering it to those who scorn it. Our responsibility is to present it with integrity and discernment. The gospel's value is immeasurable, and it should be shared with those who are open to receiving it. This requires a deep understanding of its worth and a commitment to preserving its integrity. By recognizing the gospel's value, we ensure that our efforts in sharing it are directed towards those who will appreciate and embrace its truth. [17:35]
Proverbs 23:9 (ESV): "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words."
Reflection: Reflect on how you perceive the value of the gospel in your life. How can you ensure that you are sharing it with those who are ready to receive its truth?
Day 3: Balancing Zeal and Wisdom in Evangelism
While we are called to be zealous in sharing the gospel, we must also exercise wisdom in knowing when to persist and when to step back. This balance is essential for maintaining the integrity of our message and our witness. Zeal without wisdom can lead to frustration and burnout, while wisdom without zeal can result in missed opportunities. By balancing these two aspects, we can effectively share the gospel while maintaining our spiritual health and integrity. This balance allows us to be effective witnesses, ensuring that our message is heard by those who are open to receiving it. [30:08]
Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV): "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
Reflection: Consider a time when your zeal for sharing the gospel may have overshadowed your wisdom. How can you cultivate a balance between zeal and wisdom in your evangelistic efforts today?
Day 4: The Role of Spiritual Discernment
Spiritual discernment is not about condemning others but about recognizing when to persist and when to step back. It is vital for ensuring that our efforts are directed towards those who are open to receiving the truth. Discernment allows us to navigate the complexities of sharing the gospel in a world that may be hostile or indifferent to its message. By developing spiritual discernment, we can better understand when to engage and when to step back, trusting that God will guide us in our efforts. This discernment is a crucial aspect of our spiritual growth and effectiveness in evangelism. [13:23]
1 Corinthians 2:14-15 (ESV): "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one."
Reflection: How can you develop greater spiritual discernment in your life? What steps can you take to ensure that your efforts in sharing the gospel are directed towards those who are open to receiving it?
Day 5: Trusting God's Sovereignty in Evangelism
Ultimately, we must trust in God's sovereignty to bring those who are ready to hear the gospel. Our role is to be faithful in sharing the message, but we must also rely on God to work in the hearts of those who hear it. Trusting in God's sovereignty means recognizing that we are not responsible for the outcome of our evangelistic efforts. Instead, we are called to be faithful stewards of the message, trusting that God will bring about the results in His timing. This trust allows us to release the burden of conversion and focus on being faithful witnesses. [51:14]
Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV): "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
Reflection: In what areas of your evangelistic efforts do you need to trust more in God's sovereignty? How can you release the burden of conversion and focus on being a faithful witness today?
Sermon Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound and often challenging teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 7:6, where He instructs us not to give what is holy to dogs or throw pearls before pigs. This metaphorical language is a call for discernment in sharing the gospel. Throughout the Bible, animals are used to symbolize human traits, and here, Jesus uses pigs and dogs to represent those who are hostile or indifferent to the truth of the gospel. The essence of this teaching is not to withhold the gospel from the lost but to recognize when it is being rejected and to move on to those who are receptive.
The call to discernment is crucial in our time, where truth is often relative, and the proclamation of the gospel can be met with hostility. Jesus expects His followers to be able to identify those who are unreceptive and to act accordingly. This is not a call to judgmentalism but to wise stewardship of the precious message of salvation. The gospel is a treasure, a pearl of great price, and it should not be cheapened by repeatedly offering it to those who scorn it.
We are reminded of the importance of spiritual discernment, which is not about condemning others but about recognizing when to persist and when to step back. This discernment is vital for maintaining the integrity of the gospel and for ensuring that our efforts are directed towards those who are open to receiving the truth. The message challenges us to balance our zeal for evangelism with the wisdom to know when to move on, trusting that God will bring those who are ready to hear.
Key Takeaways
1. Discernment in Evangelism: Jesus calls us to discernment in sharing the gospel, recognizing when it is being rejected and moving on to those who are receptive. This is not about withholding the gospel but about wise stewardship of its precious message. [10:44]
2. The Value of the Gospel: The gospel is a pearl of great price, a treasure beyond imagination. It is crucial to recognize its value and not to cheapen it by offering it to those who scorn it. Our responsibility is to present it with integrity and discernment. [17:35]
3. Balancing Zeal and Wisdom: While we are called to be zealous in sharing the gospel, we must also exercise wisdom in knowing when to persist and when to step back. This balance is essential for maintaining the integrity of our message and our witness. [30:08]
4. The Role of Spiritual Discernment: Spiritual discernment is not about condemning others but about recognizing when to persist and when to step back. It is vital for ensuring that our efforts are directed towards those who are open to receiving the truth. [13:23]
5. Trusting God's Sovereignty: Ultimately, we must trust in God's sovereignty to bring those who are ready to hear the gospel. Our role is to be faithful in sharing the message, but we must also rely on God to work in the hearts of those who hear it. [51:14]
Matthew 7:6 - "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
2 Peter 2:22 - "What the true proverb says has happened to them: 'The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.'"
Philippians 3:2 - "Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh."
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Observation Questions:
What metaphorical language does Jesus use in Matthew 7:6, and what is its significance in the context of sharing the gospel? [00:10]
How does the sermon describe the characteristics of "dogs" and "pigs" in the context of the gospel message? [04:25]
What examples from the Bible were given in the sermon to illustrate the use of animal metaphors to describe human traits? [01:13]
According to the sermon, what is the expected response when the gospel is rejected, and how should believers act in such situations? [27:51]
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Interpretation Questions:
How does the sermon interpret the instruction not to give what is holy to dogs or throw pearls before pigs in terms of evangelism and discernment? [10:44]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that spiritual discernment is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the gospel message? [12:45]
How does the sermon explain the balance between zeal for evangelism and the wisdom to know when to move on from those who reject the gospel? [30:08]
What role does trusting in God's sovereignty play in the approach to sharing the gospel, according to the sermon? [51:14]
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Application Questions:
Reflect on a time when you shared the gospel with someone who was unreceptive. How did you handle the situation, and what might you do differently now with the understanding of discernment? [27:51]
The sermon emphasizes the value of the gospel as a "pearl of great price." How can you ensure that you are presenting the gospel with integrity and not cheapening its message? [17:35]
Consider your current approach to evangelism. How can you balance your enthusiasm for sharing the gospel with the wisdom to recognize when to step back? [30:08]
In what ways can you develop your spiritual discernment to better identify those who are open to receiving the gospel message? [13:23]
How can you rely more on God's sovereignty in your evangelistic efforts, trusting Him to bring those who are ready to hear the gospel into your path? [51:14]
Think of a person in your life who has been indifferent or hostile to the gospel. How can you pray for them and seek God's guidance on whether to continue sharing with them or to step back? [34:49]
How can you cultivate a deeper appreciation for the gospel's value in your own life, and how might this impact the way you share it with others? [17:35]
Sermon Clips
In the text before us, Jesus is telling us there are people in the world that you need to identify as being pigs and dogs, and you don't want to throw your pearls before them. Probably nobody here would be ready to admit that that's what you are, and yet Jesus says that there are people that are just like this. [00:04:28]
What Jesus is doing in verse 6 is he's assuming that his people are going to have the ability to discern the dog from the not dog. I mean, that's, that's, listen, he's expecting that we're going to be able to say that guy over there is a dog. You say judge not, well wait, whatever his judge not means, it's gotta, it's, it doesn't contradict this reality. [00:07:27]
Brethren, one of the reasons that this text is so important in our day, it's just basically this, you know the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. There is a truth we have to be people that actually are willing to say there is a truth, and you hold to that truth or you don't hold to that truth or what you're teaching is not truth. [00:08:09]
Brethren, we need to be people of truth, and we need to be people that are discerning, and we need to be people that can actually say of a truth that guy is a pig or she is a swine, and you know what we need to be able to say it because that's what Jesus expects from us. [00:09:46]
Brethren, we, you recognize this, we live in a day where there is a massive lack of discernment, where people, it's, we live in a relativistic world. Nobody wants to hear that there is actually a truth out there. It's okay as long as you're searching for the truth or you, you never have actually gotten there, but as soon as you stand up and say I know what the truth is, then everybody hates you. [00:10:52]
Brethren, do you know, like Paul comes along, he says, you know what, you know what Christ said to him, you're kicking against the pricks. Something was happening in Paul ahead of time. Do you know, one of the things we really want is we want God to bring to us the people that he's at work in. [00:39:52]
Brethren, we do want to use our might, our resources to widely and universally spread the message, this glorious message into the dark places, but we can, that's what Paul did. Paul went out preaching the gospel. Where would he go? Into the synagogues, and once the Jews rejected him, then he'd go out to the Gentiles. [00:30:08]
Brethren, if people aren't interested in this treasure of all treasures, stop talking. That's what Jesus is saying. The gospel is precious and should be given to those who desire it, and listen, often dogs and pigs show themselves by their wanting to debate. Brethren, don't, don't debate. [00:37:34]
Brethren, people are perishing. All you have to do is stop once in a while and think about hell. Hell, the weeping, the gnashing of teeth, the eternal destruction, the pain, the sorrowing. Brethren, there's something within us that craves rest. You may just read across that they have no rest forever. [00:46:43]
Brethren, this is the most wonderful thing imaginable. This, this is unspeakable. I mean, if you really start to think about the gospel, it is, it is remarkable and amazing beyond words. It is the most unimaginably precious message that, that could be given to mankind. [00:48:41]
Brethren, I'm going to say this just as, as we end here, you need to pray, pray, pray, because we need God to change men's hearts, and we need God to bring across our path people that he is working in. That's what we need. We need God to do what he does. [00:51:14]
Brethren, it's important that we rightly value things. Let me tell you something, as precious as your mother, your father, your children, your grandparents, your aunts, your uncles, your friends, your neighbors, as valuable as they are to you, what Jesus is saying to us is look, there's a value in Christ and there's a value in his honor that goes even higher. [00:45:28]