Christ Centered Evangelism Session 8

We are on page 31. You're following along with me. We closed last night Giving you illustrations from Book of Acts gospel proclamations the Lord Jesus was omniscient He knew the need for the woman at the well He knew where to put his finger on the rich young ruler when he came running and kneeling and asking how can I have eternal life? He calls Zacchaeus out of the tree.

He knew his name We're not omniscient Our Lord is but we're not and so the Lord has told us to be witnesses unto him To keep the spotlight of our message focused on him we are to be proclaimers of Christ and prosecutors of The lost sinner we saw last night that through the book of Acts they kept holding up who Jesus is the deity of Christ the Holiness of Christ and they were kept prosecuting the sinners Laying out the evidence of their sin they proclaimed Jesus as Savior They proclaimed the cross of Jesus the resurrection of Jesus the lordship of Jesus 92 times the book of Acts caused Jesus Lord caused him Savior twice He is Lord They proclaimed the terms to enter into a saving relationship of Jesus and then even many times The fact that Jesus is the final Judge and we saw that those gospel proclamations those gospel encounters those Messages were Jesus focused and not man focused not felt need centered not Heaven centered and I closed last night by stating that we have absolutely no right to shift The focus of the message away from the spotlight Fixed on Jesus to fix it on other things and so we want to begin tonight I want to prove to you on page 31 that Much of the church in the last half a century has not only left the instruction manual concerning the methods We are to employ but even the message that we are to proclaim And I want to illustrate that by presenting to you the most popular Evangelistic program in the last 40 years not only in the United States but it's been proclaimed all over the world as a matter of fact the Pastors I was recently preaching to in India were repenting over using this very Message it was concocted by a very precious man of God a godly man a sincere man a man Who is no more no longer heaven centered in his message?

He's now Jesus centered in his message You know why? He's in heaven and Everything in heaven is Jesus centered I'm not Attacking a man. I'm just Showing you that we need to come back to the instruction manual even in our message or when I say us I mean Evangelicalism as a whole let me show you the most popular number one evangelism program in the entire world That's been exported from America here here it is right out of the track number one I'll show you prove to you. It's heaven centered It begins with this question. Do you know for sure you're going to be with God in?

Heaven sounds like a good question brother it thought provoking question. What's the problem? What what's your problem with the question? Have you noticed Jesus never asked anybody that question? Have you noticed Jesus never commanded us to go around asking people questions about heaven Have you noticed that the Apostles in the book of Acts and the disciples?

Obeying Jesus never asked anyone that question Now Jesus never asked anyone that question if he never commanded us to ask anybody to that Question if the Apostles obeying Jesus never focused on that question then who came up with that question It came from a man and The point is we're going to see that his point is to keep the focus on heaven We'll find tonight that in this first session that through that most famous gospel track heaven is mentioned 11 times Jesus only mentioned twice And he's only thrown in in the middle as the means to get to heaven But when you look at the book of Acts, you never see heaven mentioned once Because we're not as I've said earlier in this week Jesus hadn't commanded us to witness about a place He's commanded us to witness unto a person But let me show you how it is continually focused on heaven number two.

There's a right out of the track. Why? If God should ask you Why should I let you into my heaven? What would you say? You notice Jesus never asked anybody that question that question is not found in any gospel encounter In the gospels or the book of Acts we have no biblical warrant to ask anyone that question The Apostles never ask anybody questions about heaven. Jesus did not Command us to witness unto a place But this is continually focused on heaven prove it brother had noticed number three, this is the track I'm reading the track to you number three remark in the track Do you know for sure?

Do you know that the Bible tells you how you can know for sure that you will have eternal life and will go to be? with God in Heaven and then the author rips First John 5 13 out of the context of first John which says these things I've written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know you have Eternal life now, we'll see that this is an unbiblical Misrepresentation and an unbiblical Manipulation of first John 5 13 in order to keep the focus on heaven because if you carefully Look at first John 5 13 you come to realize that it is written at the end of five chapters of the book of first John and it's written to those who already claim to be believers and here's how they can know they Have the assurance that they are authentic believers these things.

I've written unto you who believe in The name of the Son of God that you may know well what things? The last five chapters of first John that's what things Turn to chapter 1 and you see the fruit of the pursuit of sanctification in your life You're walking in the light as God is in the light. You have fellowship with God.

You can know you have eternal life You see the fruit of submission in your life chapter 2 Here's how we know we know him if we keep his commandments He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him How do we know we have eternal life we see the fruit of submission in our life We also see the fruit of separation in our life love not the world Neither the things that are in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life is not of the father But is of the world.

How do I know I have eternal life. I see the evidence of Sublication of submission of separation in the ongoing practice of my life He moves on to chapter 3 and he says here's how you know you pass from spiritual death To spiritual life because you love the brethren he who does not love the brethren still abides in Spiritual dad, that's how I know I have eternal life God has put the love the shared spread the love of God Abroad in my heart and it's compelling me to have his love for other disciples and then I also have a desire to testify about what I've seen and heard in the gospel This is how we know we're in Christ.

He's in us because we've seen and we Testify that the father has sent the son as the Savior of the world I'm giving you five of eleven birthmarks and the new birth in first John and at the end of first John after all those birthmarks he says These things I've written unto you Who believe in the son name of the Son of God that you may know? You have eternal life, but you see what's happening here.

He says here's how you can know For sure and notice what his answer is Number four here's how you can know for sure and what's his answer in this track his answer is heaven is a free gift What Here's how you can know for sure you have eternal life and his answer is heaven is a free gift That's not how I know I have eternal life.

I know I have eternal life because the gospel has come to me Not in word only but it's coming a demonstration of Holy Spirit power and deep conviction The gospel has come to me in revelation not just information so that I saw my lost Condition I saw the person and work of Jesus as my only hope God grace me with repentance and faith and so as I stand before you tonight I'm clinging to Jesus alone as my Savior as my righteousness as my Refuge from the wrath to come that's how I know I have eternal life How do I know I have eternal life the Spirit of God has resurrected my spirit that was dead in trespasses and sins?

So we have become one I he now dwells in me and he bears witness to me I have the Spirit of Christ in me calling God my Father he's no longer some distant God He's my father and the Spirit of God lives in me strategizing me to pursue a life set apart into Jesus agendas for my life and Correcting me when I fail to that's how I know I have eternal life How do I know I have eternal life because I see these first John Evidences in my life not in the perfection of my life, but in the direction of my life That's how I know I have eternal life, but this man says here's how you can know and what's his answer Heaven is a free gift Have you noticed your blanks Have we heard the name Jesus yet in any of this This is the quote from the author I'm quoting out of his evangelism manual It has well been said that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink But I say with a little creativity I can make any horse drink You can make any horse drink You can resurrect the dead You can illuminate the blind you can liberate the captives you can make any horse drink This is a sales pitch For a piece of merchandise called heaven The message is not fixed and focused on the person the work the terms of Jesus as the main focus There's only two verses about Jesus in the middle and then it's back to the main focus Which is happening?

Notice number five. This is the track. I'm reading the track and commenting on it Number one evangelism program in the world Exported from America number five faith is the key that unlocks the door to guess what? heaven That's like Benny Hinn saying faith is the key that unlocks the door to health and well Is this a game show?

We have three doors and in behind one door is the big prize And if you've got the right key and you open the right door you get the prize And the prize is not Jesus The prize is happening This is an unbiblical presentation of saving faith You will not find Jesus telling anyone that faith is the key that unlocks the door to heaven You will not find Peter Paul any apostle telling a sinner that faith is the key that unlocks the door to heaven No saving faith is a sinner seeing themselves a lost destitute bankrupt rebel and they see what Jesus has accomplished in his sinless life his Substitutionary death his glorious resurrection as their only hope to be saved from the just wrath to come So they cast their life on the grace and mercy of God and they put their confidence their trust their Reliance in the person of Jesus and the work of Jesus alone committing what they know of themselves to what they know of Jesus as their Lord and Savior that's saving faith But this man says can't faith is a key Want to go to heaven don't want to go to hell here's the key unlock the door Number six The question that God is asking you now is Would you like to receive the gift?

Well who wouldn't want to get? Here's $500 would you like to receive a gift here it is think again? Well, I got a little package for you Would you like to go? Yeah, I'll take a gift You will not find Jesus saying God's asking a sinner a question if they'd like to receive a gift No apostle in the book of Acts no disciple ever Ask a sinner said that God was asking a sinner if they would like to receive a gift You God doesn't ask sinners questions he commands sinners to repent and Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see how far away this is from the instruction manual Number seven Here is you may get mad at me again, but you can repent I'll forgive you number seven Jesus as your personal Savior with somebody like to find one verse in the New Testament Where Jesus or an apostle or a disciple is evangelized in a sinner and he asked the sinner to accept? Jesus You won't find it You can look throughout the gospels and the book of Acts in an evangelistic encounter and you won't find Jesus or the Apostles Asking a sinner if they will accept Jesus listen the issue is never will you accept Jesus? The issue is will Jesus accept you?

That's the issue and He only accepts Sinners when they come to him on his terms if this we hear this all the time he turned on the TV You can hear it. You can go to the local Baptist Church. You'll hear a preacher asking. So won't you accept Jesus? Poor Jesus, what won't you accept? Now where are they getting this idea? well, they're getting it from another verse that is ripped out of context and Tried to apply to sinners when it doesn't apply to lost sinners and it's very familiar revelation 3 and verse 20 This is where they're getting this wrong idea and it's right in the track open the door of your heart and Invite him in because he says Jesus says I'm standing at the door of your heart and knocking I Can't open it all I can do is knock if anyone will hear my voice and open the door I will come in that is not a salvation verse Where's Jesus standing where's he knocking at?

He's knocking at a lukewarm backslidden door of a church that's having church and he's outside He is not knocking at the door of an unconverted sinners heart You've seen the pictures the paintings huh? There's Jesus poor Jesus. He can't get in All he can do is not there's no door knob The doorknob is on the inside and Jesus is standing there helplessly knocking That's all I can he's got his fingers crossed The savior is waiting time after time He is waited before and now he's waiting again to see if you're willing to open the door He can't open the door poor Jesus Won't you have mercy on Jesus? and open the door That is precisely the opposite idea that we should be giving to a sinner Jesus never told any lost sinner.

I'm standing with the door knocking and I can't get in Paul never in any gospel presentation ever told a lost sinner that poor helpless Jesus is standing outside knocking. He can't get in open the door You won't find that in the book of Acts you don't find it It is taking a verse out of context where he's standing outside of a church And it gives the sinner precisely the wrong idea that Jesus is at the sinner's mercy When in reality the sinner is at Jesus mercy Right But we're giving the poor ignorant sinner the idea that Jesus is at his mercy Now there is a verse in the Bible and an evangelistic encounter where where there is a door of a heart that's open It's Acts chapter 16 verse 14 Peter Paul preached the gospel who opened Lydia's heart Who did was the Bible say does it say Lydia opened her heart and let Jesus in Is that what your Bible said No It says the Lord opened Lydia's heart the door knob was on the outside We're talking about the Bible We're not talking about one uncle Leroy used to preach.

I'm talking about the Bible In the Bible the Lord Opens the heart The desperately wicked heart that is dead and blind and bound will never open their heart left to themselves In in contemporary evangelism we've turned everything upside down. We've got poor Jesus at the sinner's mercy does knocking Now imagine with me use your imagination for a moment. We're in a shotgun house You know about them shotgun houses in New Orleans, but this shotgun house doesn't have any windows It only has a front door and there is a bolt on that front door bolted lock No windows, it's two rooms. You're in the front room.

The door is bolted locked and somebody Well, let's say you've got the key in your pocket and All of a sudden you smell smoke in the back room And you run to that back room and there's a fire starting on the stove And you're thinking well I need to get out of here, but I got the key I Can get out of here when I get good and ready, let me gather some things and this and that no urgency I'll get out Now let's use our imagination that there's a fire starting in the back room, but you don't have the key Someone on the outside has the key Will you have a little different response then Huh There's a fire back there and somebody has the key outside I'll tell you what you'll be doing You'll be running to that door banging on that door Hollering with an urgency and a fervency To get you out of the wrath of the fire I'll tell you ever since this Evangelism program came out.

We've been telling sinners they have the key So there's no urgency There's no fervency when the biblical reality is The sinner doesn't have the key And Somebody needs to tell them they don't have the key and the wrath of the fire is coming So there'll be an urgency and a fervency to flee to the cross and flee from the wrath to come Are you following me Here's number nine Probably the most wicked portion and the entire heaven-centered presentation Here is a suggested prayer We call it the what Somebody find a verse in the New Testament Where a person is leading someone to repeat a suggested prayer You You'll look in vain It's not here Jesus never asked anyone to parrot a prayer Now but brother ed the public and prayed yes he prayed Nobody was asking him to repeat a prayer The Apostle Paul never asked anyone to repeat a prayer no Apostle ever led anyone to repeat a prayer how dangerous it is to ask someone to repeat a Suggested prayer and then give them the assurance because they repeated a prayer that they are converted Do you know how many countless?

Millions of people are walking around the Bible Belt right now who have repeated that prayer and they are Absolutely lost and in danger of standing before the judgment to hear Jesus say to them depart from me I never knew you but they're walking around Counting on a time when some preachers some evangelists some Misinformed soul winner got them to parrot a prayer that the Lord Jesus never asked anyone to repeat Do you know as late as 1899 even the great preacher DL Moody would have never led anyone to repeat a prayer Now I'm gonna tell you I was guilty of this As a newborn believer and a newly called evangelist But when I was a child I thought as a child But we will begin to see the Bible we we need to put away childish things There is no evidence throughout church history all the way through the Great Awakening When we had an America nobody was asking people to repeat prayers It didn't even begin until the 1930s how did people get saved before the 1930s I Always get saved when you repent and Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ however, Zechariah 12 and verse 10 calls the Holy Spirit the spirit of grace and Supplication I think I talked about this the last time we were here Why is he called the spirit of grace because it's the spirit of God who sends down those roots of conviction and?

Contrition so there is the grace of God God graces that sinner and when that sinner is graced with conviction and contrition the Spirit of God's also called there the spirit of supplication Because when the Spirit shows them their lost condition they won't need a prayer to parrot They'll cry out to God They'll seek the Lord while they may be found they'll call on him while he's near But how dangerous it is? To invent something that's not in the scriptures and get people to repeat it and Then tell them they're saved because they repeated it.

I grew up in Roman Catholicism We repeated have mercy on me a sinner every Sunday Jesus have mercy on me a sinner the priest would say everybody would say have mercy on me the sinner He'd say it again. Jesus have mercy on me. They said we'd say Jesus have mercy. I wasn't saved No, we have to stop stepping across the line into God's territory and do all we're called to do and then wait for God to Do what only God can do in God's timing?

No wonder we have almost 12 million Baptists that the FBI can't find But they've repeated a prayer Number ten This is the track I'm giving you the track Here is your spiritual birth certificate How wicked it's a piece of paper On the end of a truck and it says on the piece of paper today is your spiritual birthday. Oh, how does the witness know that? They don't know that Today is your spiritual birth day a day You'll always remember when you were physically born the day of your birth was attested by a birth Certificate and so now to help you recall what God has done On this important day.

We invite you to sign and Keep a piece of paper As if if I had run smack dab into the God of the universe and saw myself a lost Bankrupt Center and saw Jesus as my only hope and God so graced me that I did repent and savingly believe on the Lord And was transformed from a rebel into a disciple. You think I need a piece of paper From a back of a gospel track How no one has the right to give another person human assurance in any form much less a piece of paper In the training manual the director the one who authored this evangelism program says The witness said is supposed to say this you've just prayed the most important prayer of your life How does the witness know that?

They don't know that All they know if they've taken this person through a heaven-centered message and got him to repeat a prayer And Then the witness is supposed to say to them the angels are rejoicing Welcome to the family of God And that person in that training program has just Attempted to give this poor center human assurance, which is false assurance No one has the right to give anyone else assurance who can give a person assurance Only the Holy Spirit now I taught this in Florida Not knowing it but after the service the pastor said brother ed a Couple years ago.

I took my whole church to this training manual Our whole church has memorized this message you just attacked and dismantled tonight He said but I took a husband and wife out on my first visit using this evangelism program We were all excited. We had the whole thing memorized We knew what we supposed to come in and talk about the pictures or talk about something for a few minutes and then ask him This diagnostic question about heaven so we knock on the door. Here's a 30 year old man Approximately he opens the door he invites them in and they're so excited.

They sit around the coffee table The pastor the man and his wife and here's this 30 year old man across the coffee table, but there was a problem Because the 30 year old man had open pornographic magazines out on this coffee table And apparently had no shame that they were open He wasn't moving them nothing the pastor was so embarrassed because he had a lady from the church there That he grabbed him and moved him out the way and then he asked the man with his porno magazines Do you know for sure you're gonna be with God in heaven? You know what he said? Yes, sir.

I know that No doubt about it I know it Well if God should ask you right why should I let you in that what he gave the right answer Oh He had the answer Pastor doesn't know what to do He says now he gets to about the fourth question and the guy keeps giving him affirmative answers And finally the 30 year old man grabbed the pastor on the arm and said pastor you don't understand I've already done this look he pulled out his wallet and Pulled out his spiritual birth certificate Would you like to be chained up to the soul of that 30 year old man if he died tonight Hmm why not He's got his birth certificate He's repeated the prayer he's gone through the program What does it matter if we do God's work God's way Well it matters because we have an appointment with him one day And it also matters because we are dealing with never-dying souls We're not selling products to get another number another notch in the belt We're sharing the words of life with spiritually dead blind bound sinners Let's take a break right this point five minute break will come back at 715 and Begin to get in on this Jesus centered message