Who Cares?

Who CAres for the Souls of Men? Psalms 126:5-6
Introduction: We have plans. We conform our lives to a set of principles.
We pride ourselves own our self-discipline and our self-denial. However, a plan
without passion will not produce God’s results. We seem to have many personal
workers, but no “passionate workers.” Mechanics alone will not accomplish
results. Our motive must be based upon the compassion of Jesus Christ and his
desire to “seek and to save that which is lost.”
Throughout the Bible, God has given us the formula for a successful harvest. Read the following verses.
1. Psalms 126:5-6 states, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
2. Luke 19:41 -- “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it”
3. Isa 22:4 -- “Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the
spoiling of the daughter of my people.”
4. Jeremiah 9:1,18; 13:17; 14:17 -- “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! And let them make haste, and take up a wailing
for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. 13:17 -- But if ye will not
hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with
tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive -- 14:17 -- “Therefore thou shalt say this word unto
them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my
people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.”
5. Acts 20:19 -- “Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell
me by the lying in wait of the Jews:”
6. Acts 20:31 -- “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one
night and day with tears.”
I. The Purpose of a Burden
A. The Definition of a Burden
1. There are two views from which we can gain insight.
a. The Old Testament meaing of “burden” speaks of “intuition;
a sense of impending doom.”
b. The New Testament meaning of “burden” speaks of an
“invoice” and figuratively conveys the thought of a particular
task or service. The emphasis of the term is placed upon the
“heaviness, weight, or load of the task.”
2. The Christian should assume the responsibility of bearing the
burden of soul travail for the lost. Christ has freed us from the
load of sin by salvation, but demands that we take up his burden
for the salvation of others. Matt 11:28-30 -- “Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
3. The motivation for having a burden should be the desire to be
Christ-like. Christ bore the burden of the cross and the
condemnation of all humanity. John 19:17 -- “And he bearing
his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull,
which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified
him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the
midst.”
4. The method in which we receive a burden is by our acceptance
of identifying with the cross. Matthew 16:24 -- “If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow me.”
B. The Demonstration of a Burden
1. A true burden over the souls of men cannot be hidden. Also,
the absence of a true burden cannot be hidden. We must do
more than talk about the need of a burden. We must do more
than discuss the mechanics of getting a burden. Our words are
empty if they are not accompanied with action.
2. There are three women in the Bible who became burdened and
demonstrated it in their actions.
a. Hannah -- She became burdened for a child and wept before
God in prayer.
b. Rizpah -- She became burdened for the bodies of her dead
sons and drove away birds and beasts from devouring them.
c. Hagar -- She became burdened for her dying child, Ishmael,
and wept before God.
3. The fact is there can be no victories won without work. If we
are to “reap in joy”, we must “sow in tears.” Reaping is not
possible without sowing, and the right type of sowing for the
Christian involves tears. Until we recognize the importance of
tears, we will not be successful soulwinners.
4. It should also be noted that the absence of a burden leads us to
drift in our Christian walk. A burden for souls will occupy the
mind and body of the believer, and this focus will cause the
believer to live according to the demands of being a Christian.
5. The point is, a true burden will so overwhelm that one cannot
continue living. The burden will totally consume the
individual’s time and effort. We should ask ourselves the
question, “What in my life is so important to me that it consumes
most of my time?” For a Christian, most of the time and effort
should be spent witnessing to sinners and making disciples new
converts.
II. The Problems which Hinder a Burden
A. Our Service becomes a Job and not a Joy
1. What are we motivated by? Often we serve God out of
necessity and restraint and not out of a heart burning with desire
to please God.
2. At the time of salvation and following, we were so excited and
eager to demonstrate our love for Christ by telling everyone with
whom we made contact of the love of Christ and His salvation.
3. Has the “new” worn off in our Chriistian experiences? Have we
forgotten the blessings of salvation? Have we been so far
removed from our previous lost condition that we cannot be
stirred with the burden of millions of souls dying lost without
God?
4. Our service becomes a job and not a joy when we begin seeking
benefits for our work.
B. Our Sacrifice becomes a Burden and not a Blessing
1. Often, because of hardships of serving God, we begin to
complain concerning the cross we have taken up as we follow
Christ. The seeming absence of reward for the “daily grind” of
serving God causes us to lose sight of our purpose in sacrifice.
Many Christians become burdened in their sacrifices because
they expect sensational results in their service. Sacrifice is no
easy task.
2. Many times Christians put people off, condemn and criticize
others, and even neglect their duties
because of an attitude of self-pity. The best method for keeping
the right attitude about service is to consider Christ and His
cross.
3. Our sacrifice becomes a burden and not a blessing when we
seek to be rewarded above others.
C. Our Saviour becomes a Foreigner and not a Friend
1. Often the believer’s relationship with Christ is far from what it
should be. Blessings often make us self-centered, causing
indifference to the tremendous need surrounding us.
2. A burden for souls can only be attained from Christ. He
Himself stated, “Take my yoke upon you.” As believers, we
lack a proper burden because we are not “in tune” with the heart
desire of Christ. We will share the burden of Christ when we
become close to Him in personal fellowship.
3. Our Saviour becomes a foreigner and not a friend when we
neglect our fellowship with Him.
D. The Sinner becomes a Problem and not a Priority
1. Often we go out to witness to sinners with an attitude of
contempt because we think of so many other things that need to
be done. We must remember that the redemption of sinners is
the focal point of God’s plan for mankind. In fact, the Bible has
been called “the drama of redemption.”
2. Too often, Christian become so involved with doing “good
deeds” that the primary goal of winning souls is neglected.
3. When we focus on soulwinning as our primary objective, we
gain the interest of God.
4. Sinners become a problem and not a priority when we focus on
our own desires and goals and not on the purpose and desire of
God.

III. THE PRODUCTION OF A BURDEN
A. Sincere Supplication
1. The only way a soulwinner can become burden over the lost
condition of sinners is to request a burden from God. Burdens
originate in “soul travail.” There is no substitute for prayer.
2. Prayer allows the Christian to gain insight into the mind of God.
It is a fact that fellowship allows an individual to learn more
about the desires and interest of another. Prayer brings the
Christian closer to God that any other activity this side of
eternity. Prayer gives the Christian access into the throne room
of God.
3. Prayer also allows the Christian to intercede on behalf of those
who are lost without God. Intercession will create a burden for
the individual being prayed for. This intercession will begin to
burn a fire of travail in the heart of the seeker.
4. Sincere supplication turns God’s attention to the sinner for
which one is praying. Christians should constantly ask
themselves, “Are there any sinners benefiting from my prayer
life?”
5. Ill—Invitation—two people—one bruden the other not—Why
One has prayed invited and is burdened over sinners in the
congregation!
6. Many Christians are putting on coats, going to the bathroom,
laughing, passing notes, thinking of things to do when church is
over. Why? They are carrying no burden for the service.
B. Spiritual Sight
1. By spiritual sight we mean a vision for lost souls. A vision is
necessary to have a burden. In fact, the Bible teaches in Prov
29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that
keepeth the law, happy is he.” The word vision here is
“chazown (khaw-zone')” and refers to “mental sight or
revelation.” This verse is simply stating that without revelation
from God sinners perish.
2. This verse in Proverbs also has been used to show the
importance of Christians getting under a burden so sinners will
not perish for lack of revelation. Christians need a vision in
order to become burdened for sinners.
3. The human mind thinks in pictures. There are three pictures
every soulwinner must have in his mind.
a) Christ -- Pictured as the Lamb of God -- If we can keep in
our minds the visual picture of a lamb being beaten, spit upon,
and unmercifully nailed to a cross, we will be motivated to
sacrifice.
b) Sinners -- Pictured as sheep having no shepherd -- In
Matthew 9:36, Jesus looked upon the multitude and “was
moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and
were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus
had a “mental picture” of sinners and this vision caused him
to be moved for them. Consider your family, friends, and
associates as sheep wandering aimlessly about while the
wolves of sin and Satan seek to annihilate them.
c) Hell -- Pictured as the Valley of Hinnom -- In Matthew 13
and 22, Jesus described the conditions of hell. Jesus was a
great illustrator. Bible scholars tell us he delivered his
message on hell while looking over the Valley of Hinnom.
There are two important facts about this valley.
1) In Old Testament times, the valley was used to sacrifice to
the heathen god, Molech. Children and dogs were
sacrificed in the fires of Molech. Knowing this Jesus
described hell as a place of weeping (as of children),
wailing (as of mothers), and gnashing of teeth (as of
animals).
2) At the time of Jesus’ teaching the valley was used as a
garbage heap. Jesus also described hell as a place where
the “worm dieth not” and “the fire is not quenched”.
Historians teach us that the garbage was full of grubworms
and that it burned continually with fire.
4. A vision of the things described above will motivate the
Christian to work and witness for the salvation of souls.