Witnessing

[ElijahSK]

80 to 90 percent of people that make decisions to follow Christ in today's church fall away.

Psa 19:7 says the law of the Lord is perfect, coverting the soul. To illistrate how God's law functions let me show you by civil law. If I came up to you and told you that I had good news for you, someone you didn't even know just paid a $25,000 dollar fine on your behalf. You'd probably say that's not good news, it doesn't make sense I don't have a $25,000 dollar fine. You see my good news would not be good news to you, it'd be foolishness and more than that it'd be offensive because I'm saying you've done wrong when you don't think you have. But if I told you like this this morning the law clocked you in a school zone for the blind and deaf going 55 in a 15. There were 10 clear warning signs; what you did was very dangerous. There was a $25,000 thousand dollar fine, and the law was about to take it's course when someone you didn't even know came and paid that fine for you.

Do you see how telling you what you did first makes the good news make sense? If I don't bring you the law and show you how you've broken it, the good news is absurbed and even offensive. But if I show you exactly where you fall short, you'll understand that you needed someone to help and you'll be grateful when the good news is brought.

Romans 3:19 says we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. So one of the functions of God's law is to stop the mouth of sinners from justifying themselves. They can no longer say there are plenty worse them them because everyone will be found guilty. So instead of debating with them, shut their mouth and speak to their conscience. The next verse says therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. As we say above, you need to know sin before you understand the need to be redeemed from sin. Paul in Romans 7:7 says he would not have known sin except by the law. Galatians 3:24 says wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. The law never helps us, it just leaves us helpless. It leaves us in need of salvation.

Now modern evangelism has forsaken the law in it's ability to convert the soul. Instead it tells the sinner that God will give him love, joy, peace, and lasting happiness. To explain to you why thing is so wrong let me give you another short story. Two men are on a plane 15000 feet in the air. The first man was given a parachute and told to put it on because it would improve his flight. After a while he decides to put it on and immediately realizes it's weight on his shoulders and that he has problems sitting up straight. He decides to give it some time because he was told it would improve his flight. As he waits he notices the other passangers laughing at him because he is wearing a parachute. He brings to feel humiliated and when he can take it no longer he slinks back in his seat and throws the parachute to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart because as far as he is concerned he was told an outright lie. The second man was given a parachute and told to put it on because at any moment he may have to jump out of the plane and without the parachute he will most certainly die. He doesn't notice it's weight on his shoulders, neither that he can't sit upright. His mind is consumed with what would happen if he jumped without that parachute.

You see the modern gospel tells people to put Jesus on because he'll improve their life. He'll give them love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and lasting happiness. They put Him on in an experimental fashion to see if it'll improve their life, and when they do the promises of tempation, tribulation, and persecution come to them. They become convinced it was a lie and throws it off and is hardily convinced no one will put that on him again.

The true gospel tell them of the jump to come. Like Paul talking with Felix about righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come. When they put Christ on, they have a deep rooted sense of peace because they know they're escaping death to come. They'll bear the weight and they'll endure the mocking from others because they know they have passed from death into life.

If you were on the 100th floor of one of the world trade centers a hour before the planes crashed into them, September 11, 2001, and you were brought there to witness to 1,000 people. Would you tell them that God had a wonderful plan for their life? Likewise, no one is promised another day. We don't need to tell people of God's wonderful plan, but of the eternal death in hellfire that they can escape if only they'll believe in Christ.

They broke the law. God made Himself man to pay their fine. Now, the pardon is written up and delivered and all they must do is sign it. We are all on death row. 10 out of 10 die. We have a very big holding cell with a nice blue roof, plenty of space, so we can do whatever we please. But we are still just waiting to die, and if we don't sign that pardon we'll still be put to death for our crimes. You can't go to a judge 10 years after you commited murder and say, "Judge, I hope you'll let me off. I haven't murdered anyone since then. I've completely changed." If the judge is just, he must still punish you for your crimes. So accept Jesus payment, sign the pardon, forsake your sins, and follow Christ our Saviour.