WHAT MUST I DO?
Preached 7 November 2004
Gregory W. Lee

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 18

-- couple of weeks ago -- leaving Bible study when I got stopped at the door and asked if I had my copy of the Four Spiritual Laws with me -- the group was learning about the gift of evangelism and I guess the topic of witnessing came up
-- I didn't have a copy of them with me, but I was familiar with them -- I know most of the traditional ways of witnessing -- the modern tools that we use to speak salvation to others -- there's the four spiritual laws that Bill Bright came up with from Campus Crusade -- there's Bill Fay's technique on how to witness without fear -- there's D. James Kennedy's Evangelism Explosion -- and then there's the old standby about the God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill

-- so on the way home, I was thinking about the question about the four spiritual laws -- and when I got home I talked with Kim about it -- and then I did a lot of studying over the past couple of weeks -- ran across a great message by Kirk Cameron on the subject that I really enjoyed
-- and as I have studied and as I have pondered the subject of evangelism, I have come to the conclusion that it might not be a good idea to always jump right into using these evangelism tools the minute we start witnessing to someone

Sinner's Prayer
-- I grew up with the idea of the sinner's prayer -- I'm sure you have to -- and I'm sure you've been to revivals or crusades or watched Billy Graham on the t.v. and you always see these evangelists lead the people who respond and come down to the altar in the sinner's prayer
-- you know the one -- if you pray this prayer and you mean it with all your heart -- then you will be saved -- but the problem is that we sometimes treat this prayer like it is magic -- if you just come down to the altar and repeat these words, you will be saved -- no strings attached -- nothing else to do
-- and so these people come down and they pray and they rise from the altar convinced that they are saved -- but the problem is that a lot of these people show no change in their life -- there is a term that we use in the church called the "fall away" rate -- these are the backsliders -- those who get saved but then fall away and don't continue in the faith -- the current fall away rate in the church is about 80%
-- that means that for every 100 decision for Christ -- for every 100 people who come down to the altar at a revival or crusade and pray the sinner's prayer -- about 80 of them are not really accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior
-- let me give you an example -- in 1991, a major denomination in the U.S. recorded 294,000 decisions for Christ -- but two years later, they could only find 14,000 of them in church -- that means that almost 280,000 people who had prayed the sinner's prayer had fallen away within two years

-- why does this happen? -- I am convinced that part of it might be because we try to rush people into making a decision for Christ without fully preparing their heart first -- the Bible says that we are saved through grace by faith -- salvation does not come because we say the right words at the altar -- salvation comes because we approach the throne of God with faith and receive grace through Jesus Christ
-- the Bible makes it clear that the only way to be saved is to repent of your sins and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

Circumcision of the Flesh
-- the reason we have such a high fall away rate is because a lot of the people who are praying this sinner's prayer are not following it up with true repentance and belief and faith in the work of Jesus
-- it is like circumcision -- circumcision was a sign of the old covenant -- but it clearly says in the Bible that circumcision of the flesh did not save -- it took circumcision of the heart to be saved
-- the sinner's prayer is just words -- it can only save if it is followed up by faith -- it doesn't matter what you do on the outside -- it is what happens on the inside that counts -- you can come up here and be baptized until you are wrinkled up like a prune -- but that won't save you until you respond to Jesus with repentance and faith
-- as T.D. Jakes says, you can come up and be anointed with oil until you are as greasy as fried chicken, but unless you have faith in God in your heart -- then healing will not take place -- whether that is a physical healing or a spiritual healing

How Should We Witness?
-- so, how then should we witness -- should we stop using the four spiritual laws and evangelism explosion and Bill Fay's technique? -- not necessarily, but we should make sure and not rush through the important parts of those tools to get to the sinner's prayer -- we need to make sure and emphasize the act of repentance and faith first and make sure the person is ready to be saved before we rush them into a physical act with no meaning
-- think about that 280,000 people who made decisions for Christ but turned away -- in their minds, they are saved -- they said the sinner's prayer and they think they are o.k. -- it's like they were inoculated against Christianity -- if you came to them right now and tried to convince them to respond to Jesus in faith, they would probably tell you they were already saved -- but yet their unchanged lives tell us otherwise
-- we need to be careful when we witness to others to make sure that we let God do the work in convicting them of sin and leading them to repentance and faith before we just add another notch to our Bible

-- let's look at a passage here in the book of Luke where Jesus demonstrates what to do with someone who is eager to be saved but who really doesn't get it

II. Scripture Lesson -- Luke 18:18-27

-- vs. 18 -- A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

-- in this verse, we see this rich young ruler come up to Jesus and he asks Him the question that we are just dying for people to ask us -- how can he be saved -- what must he do to inherit eternal life?
-- now, if someone came up and asked you that question, what you would you do -- more than likely, you'd do just like me -- you'd use the four spiritual laws or some other evangelism tool and lead the person through the sinner's prayer
-- but look what Jesus did

-- verse 19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.

-- Jesus didn't tell this guy, "well, you have a God-shaped hole in your heart that only I can fill -- and in a little while I'm going to the cross to die and then I'll rise from the dead and if you believe in me you will have everlasting life" -- He didn't tell him about the four spiritual laws -- He didn't even lead the rich young ruler in the sinner's prayer
-- He started out by rebuking him -- "why do you call me good? no one is good -- except God"

-- Jesus did that for a couple of reasons
-- first, Jesus wanted the young man to understand who he was talking to -- Jesus was good because He was God -- and if the young man was calling Him good, then Jesus wanted Him to make sure and understand that this was no teacher he was coming to for answers -- it was God Himself -- perhaps that is why Mark tells us that this rich young ruler fell to his knees before Jesus
-- secondly, Jesus wanted to make sure the young man understood that no human was good -- only God was good -- the Bible says in Romans 3:23, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" -- Jesus knew that this young man's real problem was that he thought he was good enough as he was -- he saw no need for a savior

-- look at verse 20.

20. You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.' "
21. "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

-- see, this young man was totally convinced in his own righteousness -- he felt sure that if anyone was going to heaven, then he was -- when he asked Jesus the question, "what must I do to inherit eternal life," he was just wanting confirmation that he had done all that was required -- he was secure in his own goodness

-- Jesus told the rich young ruler, "you know the commandments" -- He was trying to pint this man to the law -- to the word of God -- so that he would be convicted of his sin and turn to Jesus for salvation -- the law convicts us of sin -- the law makes us aware that we are sinners -- the law points us to Christ
-- even though we claim to be good -- in reality, we have all sinned against God and are all condemned under the law -- the only way to come to Christ -- the only way to inherit eternal life -- is first to see that we are sinners and that we have to repent of our sins and ask God to forgive our sins

-- verse 22

22. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
23. When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

-- why did Jesus tell him to sell all that he had? -- this was not a general rule to all Christians -- Jesus was trying to point out to the rich young ruler that he was a sinner -- that he loved the world and wealth more than God -- more than following Jesus
-- this young man was not innocent -- he was ignorant -- he refused to recognize that he had sinned against God

-- that is the problem with a lot of people that we witness to -- that is the problem with a lot of people in our churches -- they don't realize that they are sinners in need of a Savior -- instead, they think that they are basically good people and that if they just repeat the sinner's prayer at the altar that they are destined for heaven

-- but the Bible makes it clear that the only way to get to heaven is by confessing and repenting of our sins -- seeking the forgiveness of God -- and believing in Christ through faith

-- in Acts 2, when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, the Bible says that when the people heard his message they were cut to the heart -- they were aware of their sins and their need for a savior and they cried out to Peter, "what shall we do?" -- Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins"
-- in Acts 17:30, it says that God commands all people everywhere to repent
-- the way to salvation comes through repentance

-- verse 24

24. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
25. Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26. Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27. Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

-- Jesus' disciples had watched and listened to this whole conversation with the rich young ruler -- when they saw him walk away unjustified, they asked Jesus, "who can be saved?"
-- Jesus replied with verse 27

27. Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

-- this means that it is impossible for man to save himself -- we cannot be good enough to save ourselves -- we cannot work our way to heaven -- we cannot inherit eternal life based on our own righteousness
-- with us, salvation is impossible -- it is only possible through God -- and it is only possible if we first recognize our need for a savior -- if we recognize the sin in our lives and come to Him in brokenness and with true repentance in our hearts and then ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
-- you cannot be saved unless you know why you need a savior

III. Closing
-- so, what is the take home message for you -- basically, when you witness to someone or when you share with someone about your faith, you should first point them to the righteousness and holiness of God's word -- people need to see for themselves that they are sinners -- that they have failed to keep God's commandments and are doomed to die
-- and once God has convicted them of their sin -- once God has shown them that they have sin in their lives -- then, and only then, will they be ready to pray the sinner's prayer -- then, and only then, will they be ready to truly repent of their sin and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith

-- as I close, I want to ask you to take a moment and to examine yourself to see if you are living in faith or not -- examine the truth of your salvation now -- the Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling

-- has there been a time in your life when you have been convicted of your own unrighteousness and your own sin? -- has there been a time in your life when you cried out to God for cleansing of sin -- when you cried out to God to have mercy on you because you were a sinner?

-- if not, then maybe you need to get right with God this morning -- maybe you need to come before Him, confessing and repenting of your sin, and asking Him to forgive you and save you

-- the altar is open for all who wish to respond to God's word

-- let us pray