Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS

1. What a wonderful objective to have:
   1. In the renewal of our spiritual experience
   2. Self is forgotten, and our aspirations are to lead sinners to Christ
2. That is true evidence:
   1. Of true conversion
   2. And a complete restoration of the former relationship to the Lord

1. To give their lives to the service of God:
   1. "Ye shall be my witnesses, saith the Lord" - Is. 43:10; "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me" - Acts 1:8
   2. To lead sinners to Christ - "He first findeth his own brother, and saith unto him, we have found the Messiah, which is, being by interpretation, the Christ" - John 1:41
   3. "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" - Dan. 12:3; "The fruit of righteousness is as a tree of life; and he that winneth souls in wise" - Prov. 11:30
2. Their works are most effective:
   1. When they can speak from experience - that was the power of Paul - he used his conversion as evidence of the power of God unto salvation - Acts 22; 23; 24; Gal. 1:15; 2; Phil. 3
   2. Said Jesus, "Ye are the light of the world. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven" - Matt. 5:14-16
   3. Salvation from sin - as demonstrated in the life of a true Christian is more persuasive than a multitude of words without support from our own experience - James 2:14-26
3. Thus we learn that our own conversion or reconversion has a threefold purpose:
   1. To save our own soul
   2. To lead others to repentance
   3. And to glorify our heavenly Father - I Tim. 4:16; Ex. 33:3; I Cor. 10:33; James 5:20

1. Human selfishness is excluded:
   1. True and effective prayer looks far beyond selfish interests - in fact, it seeks grace to be able to deny all human selfishness
   2. True and effective prayer thinks of other prisoners of sin - and dictates its special appeal to God to make their lives an effective means to lead sinners to God, to convert sinners
   3. True and effective prayer realizes that the Son of God died, not only for me, but for others as well; that He seeks to save them as well as me
2. Once Saul of Tarsus had experienced true conversion:
   1. His own experience became a mighty power to lead untold numbers to repentance and to a new life - Acts 9:20-22; Gal. 1:15,16
   2. The woman of Samaria, having tasted the water of life, became a most effective witness for the Messiah - John 4:1-42
   3. Nothing else is as persuasive as our own personal experience - when we can say, I know that God forgives sin; I know that he has delivered me from any enslaving habits of sin; that is the one argument that the enemies cannot gainsay
3. Therefore, dear one, when you pray for a free spirit, for the joy of salvation:
   1. Include others in your prayer - sinners that are victims of the same enslaving habits
   2. Tell the Lord, that you desire the joy of salvation to share it with others - such prayer is based upon mighty persuasive facts
   3. Conversion that does not include a desire or a burden for perishing souls is not genuine, it is not lasting, it is without worthy objectives
4. "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways"
   1. Only when we are in the ways of love and obedience have we got a right to teach others the way of truth
   2. Only when we practice what we preach, will our work be effective
5. "And sinners shall be converted unto thee":
   1. This is the great objective of the gospel of Christ - the conversion of sinners Matt. 28:18
   2. This is the mission of the church of God on earth - evangelize, evangelize, convert, convert