Oswald J. Smith Preaching - Part 4
The field is the world, and we should work the entire field, not just one corner, in spreading the gospel and doing Christian work.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of spreading the gospel globally by drawing parallels to historical missionaries like David Livingstone, William Carey, Judson, and the Apostle Paul who left their comfort zones to reach distant lands. It challenges the audience to see the world as the field that needs to be worked entirely, not just focusing on local missions.
Full Transcript
But I wasn't sequestering. Why go to the foreign field when there's so much to be done here at home? Let me answer that question by asking four other questions. First, why did David Livingstone leave Scotland and go to Africa when there was still so much to be done in Scotland? Why? And why did William Carey leave England when there was still plenty to be done in England and go to India? Why? And why did Judson leave the United States of America and go to Burma when there was still so much to be done in America? Why? And why did the Apostle Paul leave his own homeland, Palestine, when the people of Palestine had not even heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why did he leave Palestine and go to Europe, to your forefathers and my forefathers, in order to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why? I can give you the answer, and I give it in the words of the Bible.
The field is the world. I say the field is the world. Did you ever see a farmer? Did you ever in your life know a farmer to settle down in one little corner of his field and spend a lifetime working that one little corner and leaving the rest of the field? Never.
The farmer works the entire field. He works the whole of the farm. The United States of America is only a fence corner.
Great Britain is only a fence corner. If you have given all your money for Christian work in the United States of America, then you have been working in a fence corner.
Sermon Outline
- The Call to Missionary Work
- The Field is the World
- The Farmer's Approach to Work
- The Importance of Working the Entire Field
Key Quotes
“The field is the world.” — Oswald J. Smith
“Did you ever see a farmer? Did you ever in your life know a farmer to settle down in one little corner of his field and spend a lifetime working that one little corner and leaving the rest of the field? Never.” — Oswald J. Smith
Application Points
- Consider the needs of the world and find ways to spread the gospel and do Christian work beyond your own country.
- Remember that the field is the world, and we should work the entire field, not just one corner.
- Be willing to leave your comfort zone and take the gospel to new places.