Rescue the Perishing: The Cost and Plan of Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: The Plow and the Rearview Mirror

A farmer knows divided focus ruins the harvest. Jesus warned that hands clinging to comfort while gripping the plow leave crooked rows. Discipleship demands total abandonment—no glancing back at excuses, half-hearted promises, or delayed obedience. The kingdom advances through those who fix their eyes ahead, their resolve as straight as furrows cut deep. Eternal fruit grows where hands stay steady, hearts uncluttered by the ghosts of “what if.” [52:30]

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62, ESV)

Reflection: What “rearview mirror” distraction—a relationship, fear, or comfort—keeps your spiritual plow veering off course? How might releasing it straighten your path toward eternal impact?

Day 2: Lambs Among Wolves

Jesus sends His rescuers into danger without armor, money, or backup plans. Lambs survive not by cunning but by clinging to the Shepherd’s voice. The world’s teeth gnash, yet the mission thrives where vulnerability meets divine strategy. Wolves may snarl, but the Lamb who was slain holds the keys to every cage. True safety lies not in evasion but in obedience. [52:59]

“Go your way. Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” (Luke 10:3, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel most like a “lamb” in your witness? How might leaning into weakness, not resisting it, amplify Christ’s strength this week?

Day 3: Your Name Written in Heaven

Demons tremble at Christ’s name, but heaven rejoices over names inked in blood. Miracles thrill; salvation astonishes. The 70 returned giddy over spiritual power, yet Jesus reframed their joy: eternal citizenship outshines temporary victories. Rescuers fixate not on broken chains but on the Book where rescued souls forever gleam. [54:23]

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20, ESV)

Reflection: When have you prioritized temporary spiritual “wins” over eternal realities? How would living as a heaven-citizen shift your conversations today?

Day 4: The Oikos of Divine Appointments

God engineers collisions: a jailer’s crisis, a thief’s final breath, a bartender’s funeral. Your “oikos”—your household, workplace, and daily orbit—is a rescue zone. Divine setups hide in plain sight: the neighbor jogging past your porch, the coworker drowning in silence. Miss one, another comes. The harvest never sleeps. [01:20:14]

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your “oikos” feels beyond reach? What ordinary moment this week could become a divine appointment if you lean in?

Day 5: The Three-Iron Altar Call

A drugged man stumbled down the aisle clutching a golf club. Heaven saw a prospect. Rescuers look past weapons, stench, and shock to the soul beneath. Every interruption hides an invitation. Some harvests walk in uninvited, bleed on pews, or die too soon. The urgent cry isn’t “Are you qualified?” but “Are you willing?” [01:24:08]

“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Luke 10:2, ESV)

Reflection: What “three-iron” moment have you avoided—awkward, risky, messy—that might be someone’s last chance to hear Christ’s name? How will you lean into discomfort today?

Sermon Summary

Luke 9 and 10 set the rescue mission right in front of God’s people. Jesus meets men who say, “Lord, I will follow thee,” but Jesus does not dress up discipleship like it is easy. Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head. The call to follow Christ carries a price, and the first price is the death of “me first.”

The text shows one man wanting to bury his father, another wanting to go home and say farewell, and Jesus answering with a plow. No man puts his hand to the plow and looks back. Discipleship means plowing straight, keeping the eyes forward, and refusing to let home, ease, money, recreation, sleep, or feelings take the place of souls. “Me first” becomes the epitaph of every would be disciple. The real disciple loves Jesus enough to want friends, fellow employees, family, and even enemies to know Him.

The rescue mission is urgent because lost men, ladies, boys, and girls are perishing. They are drowning in sin, selfishness, vainglory, and bondage. Christ is the rescuer, and saved people introduce the perishing to Him. Gospel tracts, personal words, and a willing life become part of the rescue squad. Feelings have nothing to do with it. Shy people can reach shy people, and faith must go when feeling will not.

Luke 10 gives God’s plan. The Lord appoints the seventy, sends them two by two, and points them toward every city and place where He Himself would come. The harvest is great, the laborers are few, and prayer asks the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest. God has appointed His people to bear fruit that remains, not to chase wealth, fame, or fortune.

Acts 16 shows the power and the place of witness. The jailer asks, “What must I do to be saved?” and the answer is plain: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The gospel is the power, and the household, the “oikos,” is the nearest mission field. Family, neighbors, coworkers, waitresses, jail inmates, and people met in sorrow or blessing are not accidents. God sets up amazing situations so the gospel can get to them before it is too late.

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Key Takeaways

1. Feelings do not govern obedience. The call to witness does not wait for personality to become bold or mood to become bright. Shy people can reach shy people because grace works through weakness, not around it. Faith goes before feeling, and the devil fights spiritual activity because souls are actually at stake. [56:00]
2. Me first buries every disciple. Luke 9 exposes the heart that wants Christ, but only after comfort, family business, or personal ease gets first place. The phrase “me first” sounds small, but it becomes a tombstone over obedience. A soul may be rescued when a believer accepts wounded feelings, interrupted plans, and the death of self as worth the price. [63:33]
3. The plow demands forward eyes. Jesus’ plow image refuses halfhearted religion that keeps glancing backward at what was surrendered. Straight rows come from fixed attention, not sentimental hesitation. Total abandonment is not reckless emotionalism, but the settled refusal to let lesser loves steer the hand once Christ has called. [66:00]
4. God appoints ordinary rescuers. Luke 10 does not present experts, celebrities, or specially gifted personalities as the only laborers. The Lord appoints and sends, and that appointment gives weight to ordinary conversations, gospel tracts, hospital visits, and doorstep moments. The fruit that remains belongs to God, but the going belongs to the appointed servant. [72:37]
5. Oikos is the nearest harvest. Acts 16 turns the jailer’s salvation toward his household, showing that influence is never spiritually neutral. Family, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances form a God arranged sphere where the gospel already has relational doors. The greatest opportunities may look like a newborn baby next door, a jail cell, a hospital bed, or a funeral crowd. [01:20:14]
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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[47:42] - Luke 10 and the Rescue Mission
[48:01] - How to Be an Effective Rescuer
[49:05] - Greater Than a Flood Rescue
[51:04] - The Great Commitment in Luke 9
[52:30] - The Harvest Is Great
[56:00] - Every Christian’s Job
[58:19] - The Price of Discipleship
[63:33] - The Danger of Me First
[66:00] - Hand to the Plow
[70:08] - God’s Plan to Send Witnesses
[76:01] - Get a Partner and Go
[78:02] - Prospects Are Everywhere
[80:14] - Oikos and Household Witness
[87:28] - Praying for Power, Love, and Wisdom

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 9:57-62
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” [51:09]

Luke 10:1-2
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” [52:30]

Acts 16:30-31
“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” [01:18:52]

Observation questions

In Luke 9:57-62, what repeated phrase shows up in the responses of the men who wanted to delay following Jesus, and what everyday concerns were attached to that delay? [01:03:33]
In Luke 10:1-2, what did Jesus do before He sent the seventy-two, and where did He send them?
What picture does Jesus use in Luke 9:62, and what does that picture say about looking back while serving in God’s kingdom? [01:06:00]
What kinds of people and places were named as part of a believer’s nearest mission field—household, neighbors, coworkers, and others? [01:20:14]

Interpretation questions

Jesus answers willing-sounding men with hard words about homelessness, burial, and a plow. Why does He speak that way, and what does that reveal about the true cost of following Him? [58:19]
Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” What does that suggest about the real problem in gospel work today—is it lack of lost people, lack of gospel power, or lack of willing workers? [01:12:37]
Acts 16 gives a very plain answer to the jailer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” Why is that simplicity important, especially when many people assume salvation must be earned or added to? [01:19:17]
The household, or “oikos,” is presented as a place of special gospel opportunity. Why might the people closest to someone also be some of the most important people to reach? [01:20:14]

Application questions

Where does “me first” most often show up in real life right now—comfort, schedule, family routines, fear of awkwardness, hurt feelings, money, or something else? What tends to get first place when there is an opportunity to speak for Christ? [01:05:36]
Feelings do not govern obedience. When has fear, shyness, or simply “not feeling like it” kept someone from speaking to another person about Christ? What might it look like to walk by faith in that area this week? [56:00]
Jesus says not to put a hand to the plow and look back. What distractions or backward glances most often pull a believer off a straight line—old habits, regret, comfort, people’s opinions, or love of ease? [01:06:10]
The harvest is great, and laborers are few. Who are one or two people in a person’s own circle right now that may already be part of that harvest—someone in the home, neighborhood, workplace, school, or daily routine? [01:18:02]
Gospel witness can be as simple as a tract, a conversation, a visit, or a word of hope. Which of those feels most natural right now, and which one feels hardest? Why? [57:23]
God often sets up amazing situations through sorrow, blessing, crisis, or ordinary daily contact. Has there been a recent situation that may have been an open door for the gospel—a hospital visit, a new neighbor, a family burden, a funeral, a baby, or a hard conversation? [01:27:17]
Jesus told His people to pray for laborers. What would it look like not only to pray that prayer, but to be willing to become part of the answer to it? [01:29:33]

Sermon Clips

50s

“See, they're perishing. Folks, they're drowning in their selfishness, their sin, their vainglory. They're going to hell. The road to hell is wide and gaping and available to anybody that just will do nothing and say, I'll just leave it at that. Folks, we need to warn them. We need to witness. We need to be a witness. We need to have our pockets full of gospel tracts instead of just business cards. We need to tell people about Jesus whether they ever come to this church or not Because folks, men and ladies and boys and girls without Jesus are going to hell.”

62s

“after nine days, there were still a 160 adults and children missing. I don't recall how many died or perished in that flood, but I know one thing is that every family member that lost a little girl was so thankful that somebody cared enough to break their schedule and to go down and search the rivers and the woods for their little baby. And several perished. God's called you to a greater rescue mission, and that's to rescue the parish. Of course, you're not the rescuer. You introduce them to the rescuer. Amen? But you're part of the team, the ambassadors, the team to get this get the souls to Jesus. It's their only hope.”

64s

“Every Christian's job is to help others to be saved. There's no exemption. You say, well, I'm shy. Well, shy people can reach shy people. I don't feel like going. Trust me. Feelings have nothing to do with it. We need to go by faith. If there's one thing I've learned over the years is the devil fights spiritual activity. One of the greatest activities on this earth is to be submissive to the will of God in such a way that you reach others for Christ. That's your testimony. But not only your testimony, but that your voice and your discipline and the grace of God through you goes to people and tells them how to get saved, how to be set free.”

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