“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
“And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15 (KJV)
Day 7: The Fruit of Love: Spreading the Gospel
True faith can never be contained entirely within ourselves; it is a living water that naturally spills over into the lives of those around us. Sebastian’s sermon reaches its final, deeply emotional climax with an urgent appeal that captures the very heartbeat of the Almighty: the unyielding desire to see everyone in heaven. This isn’t presented as a casual, passive wish; rather, the sermon stresses that as followers of Christ, this profound longing should burn intensely within every single one of our souls.
Sebastian passionately articulates a direct, inseparable link between our internal spiritual character and our outward witness to the world. He poses a soul-searching question to audit our true motives: if you are producing the fruits of the Spirit, aren’t you going to have love? And if you genuinely love somebody, how can your heart bear the thought of them spending eternity separated from God? Authentic Christian love means wanting each individual on earth to witness and experience the spectacular glory of heaven. Therefore, the final, overriding charge left upon our minds is simple and absolute: we must spread the gospel.
The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, famously captured the fierce, loving desperation that should drive our evangelism:
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned or unprayed for.”
The sermon notes that while a message may feel brief in human time, the eternal weight of this final topic is monumental. Sharing our faith is not a specialized task reserved only for the elite, the extroverted, or the academically trained; it is the organic byproduct of a heart that has truly been transformed by Jesus. If we are genuinely abiding in the Lord, our compassion will push us past our personal comfort zones. We cannot sit idly by, enjoying the assurance of our own salvation, while leaving our friends, family members, and neighbors completely unwarned.
The great nineteenth-century evangelist D.L. Moody perfectly summarized our duty to the lost:
“If the Gospel is worth anything, it is worth everything. And if it is worth everything, it is our mandatory duty to give it to every creature on the face of the earth. Go bring in the lost ones; if you love them, you will seek them.”
We must move forward with an unshakeable confidence in God’s power. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to speak, the enemy will always try to paralyze us with fear, whispering that the conversation will be too awkward, the person will be too defensive, or the situation is far too difficult to handle. But we must filter reality through the closing promise of the sermon: as children of God, no matter how massive the obstacle or how big the circumstance appears, it is never something that we cannot overcome through Christ. We are entirely nothing without Him, but with Him, we possess the ultimate words of life. Take the message left on your mind, step out in bold love, and actively spread the glorious gospel today.
Reflection Questions
- The Fruit of Love Test: The sermon states that if we are genuinely producing the fruits of the Spirit, we will naturally possess an intense love for others that makes us want them to see heaven. Looking honestly at your current relationships, does your love for people include a deep concern for their eternity, or have you minimized love to mere earthly kindness?
- Overcoming the Circumstance: When you think about sharing the gospel with a specific person in your life, what “big circumstance” or fear paralyzes you? How does remembering that this obstacle is “not something that we cannot overcome” change your approach?
- The Silent Warning: If we truly believe that without Christ, souls will face the lake of fire, what does our silence say about the reality of our love? How can you break the trap of spiritual selfishness this week?
Life Applications
- Map Your Mission Field: Identify three specific individuals in your immediate circle (coworkers, neighbors, or friends) who do not know Jesus. Write their names down in a prominent place and commit to praying daily for their salvation, explicitly asking the Lord to give you a burning desire to see them inside the glorious gates of heaven.
- Transition a Conversation: Sometime this week, intentionally choose to cross the line from a casual, worldly conversation into a spiritual one. You do not need a complex theological presentation; simply share the foundational truth of what Jesus did for you, obeying the sermon’s final charge to spread the gospel.
- Exert Selfless Love: Actively look for an opportunity today to perform a sacrifice of time or resources for someone who is hard to love. Let your production of the “fruits of the Spirit” break down their relational walls, using your Christlike love as a bridge to plant a spiritual seed about eternity.
O Lord God, the Great Shepherd of Souls, Who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,
I come before You today recognizing and confessing that I am absolutely nothing without You, Lord. Every ounce of my spiritual life, my strength, and my hope flows directly from Your magnificent grace. Forgive me, O God, for the times I have allowed my faith to become comfortable, self-absorbed, and isolated. Forgive me for keeping silent while a dying world walks in darkness. Wash away my complacency and set my soul on fire with the ultimate desire of Your own heart.
Fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit so that I may continuously produce genuine fruit. Let Your divine love saturate my heart so deeply that it becomes completely impossible for me to keep the truth to myself. I pray that I would truly want to see everyone in heaven very badly—that my soul would ache for each individual on earth to witness and experience the breathtaking glory of heaven. Deliver me from a cold, uncaring spirit, and let my love for my neighbors be proven by my urgent willingness to share the gospel with them.
Grant me bold, unyielding courage, Lord, to fulfill the final charge left upon my mind: to actively and passionately spread the gospel. Remove all fear of man, all spiritual laziness, and all awkward hesitation. When obstacles arise, and when the enemy tries to tell me that a soul is too hardened or a situation is too complicated, remind me of Your absolute sovereignty. Let me move forward knowing that no matter how big the circumstance appears to my human eyes, it is not something that we cannot overcome through Your power. Use my life to populate Your kingdom, so that together we may walk joyfully through Your glorious gates.
In the mighty, matchless, and soul-saving name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
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