Sharing your faith
Evangelism encompasses two things:
Living Out the Good News With Your Lifestyle and Telling Others the Good News With Your Words.
LIfestyle: Living Out The Good News
“Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.” (Philippians 1:27, CEV).
Evangelism: Telling Others the Good News
The world around us is hungry. Believe it or not, most of the people in the world and the majority of the people in your sphere of influence are not opposed or hostile to the Gospel. As a matter of fact, they are extremely hungry and interested in the Bible and spiritual things.
Most people are too proud to admit their need for God or too proud to admit that there is an emptiness on the inside of them, but when someone invites them into that world, many eagerly engage. Look at Jesus and the crowds of people that were around him all the time. They were hungry for truth and they followed Him around wherever He went. The system of Jesus is that He called people to Himself and He taught them as He lived life.
1. Be able to pray. Prayer unlocks the spiritual realm so that God can work. There is no power without prayer. Ask Him to work in the life of the person that you are wanting to share the Gospel with.
2. Be able to share your story—who you were before meeting Jesus, how you met Jesus, and what changed as a result of meeting Jesus. Be able to say this in a very short, concise way and be able to say it from memory.
3. Be able to share “The Bridge Illustration.” You can draw it on any napkin or piece of paper.
www.navigators.org/topic/evangelism/?post_type=resource
4. Be familiar with Romans 3.
Notice how perfectly this passage is laid out for sharing the simplicity of the Gospel.
HOPELESS WITHOUT CHRIST
Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." 13 "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don't know where to find peace." 18 “They have no fear of God at all."
Notice how Paul paints a picture of hopelessness. This is how we all truly are before God.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH ON OUR OWN
Next, Paul talks about our good works and how we can never be good enough. He demonstrates that the law, the Ten Commandments, are there to serve as a mirror of how we can never measure up to God’s perfect standard.
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
What’s the point that the Holy Spirit is trying to make thus far in the passage? He’s getting everyone to realize that they are sinful by birth and that doing good works and trying to earn our way to God is a futile mission. No one can be good enough before God. And just one glimpse into the perfect law of God shows us how sinful and dirty we really are. After this sets in as the hopeless reality and condition of every person on the planet, Paul gives us the solution to our sin problem that is found in Jesus who is the Good News and is the only solution that can save us and rescue us from our perilous condition. It truly is good news!
BUT GOD HAS MADE A WAY!
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (Romans 3:9-25, NLT).
We are sinful, and we don’t measure up, but when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made right with God. Not because of what we’ve done but simply because of God’s undeserved kindness. God has extended His gracious hand toward us. What should be our ready response? Belief and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Introduce someone to the Gospel by asking a question:
“Do you believe in God?” If they say “yes,” then ask them a second question.
“Do you love God?” A Christ-follower will understand what you mean and say “yes.” Someone who does not know God will look at you curiously. Then tell them,
“Do you know what God did for you that you could not do for yourself?” Take them through Romans 3 and show them what God did for them and why you love Him because of that.
“Can I share with you what happened to me? Can I share with you my story?” Tell them your story and then take them to Romans 3.
“Do you consider yourself to be a good person?” If they say, “No,” then share Romans 3 with them. If they say, “yes,” then ask another question.
“Can I ask you some questions to see if that’s true?” Then walk them through the 10 Commandments. Let them compare their “goodness” with God’s perfect standard. When they see that they don’t measure up, share Romans 3 with them.
“What do you think happens when you die?” People are often thinking about life after death. Ask them if they believe in Heaven or Hell. Ask them where they think they will go when they die. Show them Romans 3 and explain the truth to them.
Gospel Presentation Sermon
This past Christmas, as we were walking around a house that had a lot of lights, my daughter, who was 4 at the time, noticed a coy pond in the front of the yard. It was beautifully landscaped with a bridge and an intricate set of paths winding around the pond. Some of the kids that were with us wanted to go over there so I quickly jumped on that opportunity. I thought that this would help me keep a close eye on my kids since it was a contained area. As we were leaving the coy pond area, I told all of them “Let’s go this way.” Everyone followed me except for my daughter. She said very faintly, “I want to go this way.” The next thing I heard was a panicked sound.
She had fallen off of the bridge, landed in the coy pond, and had wedged herself between the bridge and the side of the pond. She was stuck. All I heard from her was “Daddy!” Of course I ran over to where she was and pulled her out of the pond. The top half of her was dry and the
bottom half of her was soaking wet. She was cold, she was crying and she was totally embarrassed. She didn’t want anybody to see her like that. As I’ve reflected on that event, several things really stand out to me about that story. All of these things speak directly to all of us about our relationship with God. The first thing I noticed was this:
#1 My Daughter Decided To Go Her Own Way
All the kids in our little group decided to go one way and my daughter decided to go her own way. What happened when she went her own way? She fell in, was trapped, became wet, smelled like pond water, was embarrassed, crying, and separated from me. Whether you know this or not, this is the story for every one of us.
Isaiah 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own.
The Bible calls this sin, rebellion, and disobedience to God.
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
God told us not to go and we went. God told us not to do and we did—not just once but over and over again. “We all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” However, it’s not just describing the things that we have done, but it also describes what we haven’t done as well like loving our neighbors as ourselves and loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
This choice to disobey God and go our own way has left us separated from God.
Romans 6:23 says For the wages of sin is death,
This is not just talking about physical death. It’s referring to spiritual death—eternal separation from God. Do you know what God’s standard is for getting into Heaven? “Matt, it’s to live a good life. If my good outweighs my bad then I will get in.” “I’ve never murdered anyone. So I qualify to get in, right?” Think about your life and sin for one moment. How many sins have you committed in your lifetime? If the average person lives to be 72 years old and only commits ten sins a day (bad words, bad thoughts, bad deeds), by the time that person reaches his deathbed he will have committed 262,800 sins! So where’s the stopping point? If you commit only 1,000 do you still get in? What about 50?
The Bible actually tells us the answer to this question. The standard for getting into Heaven is...perfection. In other words a person can waltz right through the pearly gates of Heaven if that person has lived an entirely perfect life—never sinned in thought, word, or deed, not even once. How many people do you know that meet that standard? Simply put, no one fits into that category.
Romans 3:10-12 "No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."
Maybe you are still holding out hope that your good works will somehow get you into Heaven. It’s a common theme and it’s called RELIGION—man’s attempt to save himself, man’s attempt to please God. Let me just tell that the world is full of religious people. But, here’s the problem. The Bible doesn’t recognize RELIGION—unless it is perfect religion.
James 2:10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.
I played baseball growing up. Now, you have to be a really good player to make it into the Major League Hall of Fame. What if, however, the entrance into the Hall of Fame required you to play perfect baseball throughout your career? Never swinging and missing, always getting a hit, never making an error, never making a wild pitch. How many players would get in? None. It wouldn’t matter if you batted .400 for your career. If the standard is perfection, no one gets in. That’s how it is with us and God. None of us can ever make the standard on our own.
A friend of mine has put it this way:
”We might illustrate this verse with a story about rock throwing. My little brother & I used to love having rock throwing contests when we were young. Who could hit the can on the top of the fence, who could throw the farthest? We lived about 330 miles west of Dallas, TX. What if I had turned to my little brother one day and said, "Today we're going to try to throw our rocks and make it inside the open roof of Texas Stadium." If we were stupid enough, or arrogant enough, or even bold enough to try we both would fall way short of Texas Stadium 330 miles away. I might throw my rock farther than my brother or he might beat me "by a mile," but it wouldn't really matter because both of us would fall short of what we set out to hit--the open roof in Texas Stadium. That's the way it is with life. God expects us to hit his perfect holiness. Some of us might be morally or ethically better than the rest of us, but it doesn't really matter how "far" we make
it, because we all fall short of the goal we need to hit--God's perfect standard of absolute holiness.”
But you say, “Matt, I’m a really good person. I’m much better than the people who I work with or go to school with. Are you telling me that God won’t let me in? Are you telling me that I would be eternally separated from God?”
Let me tell you some things about sin. Sin is something that we are, not necessarily something that we do. We are by nature disobedient to God. I have small children. My small, sweet, innocent, beautiful children have been known to lie to me. Can you believe that? My children! Where did they learn to lie? Who taught them that? Do you think that I brought them into my study one day and taught them all the ins and outs about the art of lying? “Come on kids, today we are going to learn how to lie.” Do you think I did that? So, where did this come from? It’s internal. It’s the way we are all born. Flawed.
“Matt, come on man. I know some really good people…” Depravity means that people are as bad off as they will ever be, not as bad acting as they will ever act. There are people who do good, but there is no one who is good. “No one righteous, no not one.” No one is innocent before God.
As a result of all of this, we suffer the effects of going our own way: Just like my daughter physically, we spiritually have fallen into the deadness of sin, become trapped with no way of getting out on our own, and we are facing eternal separation from God. We are spiritually stained, we have the stench of death on our clothing, and we are full of guilt and full of shame before a Holy God. Here’s the second thing that I noticed about my daughter’s encounter with the coy pond.
#2 I Had To Rescue My Daughter
My daughter could not have gotten out of her predicament on her own. She was wedged
between two immovable objects. For her to have any chance to escape, she had to be rescued.
The same is true for us. If God demands perfection and none of us are perfect, then we have no hope. Do you know what God did for you that you could not do for yourself? God came to your rescue through the person of Jesus. Here’s why Jesus is so important. Jesus is the only one that fully met the standard. The Bible tells us over and over again that Jesus lived a perfect life, never once sinning in thought, word, or deed.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours [talking about Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
1 Peter 1:17-19 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land."18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
This is just a few of the times that Christ’s perfection is mentioned. Here’s why His perfection is so important. He established Himself as the only one qualified to die for imperfect people. If He didn’t keep the standard, then he’s no different from us.
We’ve all heard that Jesus died on the cross, but why did he die on the cross? Think about this. If Jesus never did anything wrong, then why was He punished? He was punished because he volunteered. We deserved the cross because we broke the law—we fell into the pond. We deserved shame and disgrace, banishment from God’s sight forever, but Jesus willingly and lovingly took our place. By dying on the cross, He satisfied the justice of God on our behalf. You can kind of say it like this: We broke the law and Jesus paid our fine.
Imagine yourself in a courtroom. You have broken the law and now you are standing before the judge. You are guilty. You know it, and he knows it. He asks, “How do you plead?” and you say, “Guilty.” But then you say, “Judge, you are a good judge and I know you are going to let me go because you are good.” If the judge simply lets you go, justice would not be served, and he would be morally corrupt if the crime went unpunished. Maybe you would say, “Please forgive me, judge. I’ll never do that again.” Again, he does not have the power to forgive. He is there to execute justice. Justice must be served, sin must be punished. The same is true of God. God is a God of holiness and justice. He cannot let you go. To do so would mean that He is morally corrupt.
Do you know the one way he can legally let you go? He can let you go by transferring that justice onto another willing party. If someone were willing to take your place, he can legally let you go free. Mercy and grace will be shown at the very same time.
Here’s what Jesus’ dying on the cross did for you. As you were being led away to receive your just punishment, Jesus entered the courtroom, approached the bench of the judge, and
demanded that the justice that was due to you would now fall on Him. Here’s the amazing thing about the love of God. The same God that says that says that sin must be punished and justice must be carried out also says, “I’ll be punished for them. I will pay their fine.” Let me tell you a story that illustrates this very point.
During the Depression, police hauled an old man before the magistrate in a New York City night court. He was starving and had stolen a loaf of bread. That night the mayor, Feeorello LaGuardia, was presiding over the court, which he sometimes did to keep close to his citizens. He fined the old man $10. "The law is the law, and cannot be broken," the mayor said. At the same time, he took a $10 bill out of his wallet and paid the fine for the man. Then LaGuardia "cited" each person in the courtroom for living in a city that did not help its poor and elderly, unduly tempting them to steal. The mayor fined everyone in the audience 50 cents and turned it over to the amazed defendant. He received almost $50. Justice was served, yet love was seen as LaGuardia paid the penalty and more for the old man.
Jesus says, “You broke the law, but I’ll pay your fine. I’ll be the one who receives your punishment.” By doing that, Jesus pays our fine and takes our place.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Did you read that? While we were still sinners God loved us and sacrificed Himself for us. Many people think God is up in the sky just waiting to pounce on them when they mess up or that He is exasperated when He has to come and bail them out, but nothing could be further from the truth. God does what He does because He greatly loves us.
Back to the courtroom scene, if someone took your place or paid your fine, how much would they have to love you? Anyone who pays my fine and gives me his innocence is worth trusting and following because I know that he loves me very much.
Here’s what Jesus offers. He offers us an exchange. “You give me your sinfulness, and I will give you My perfection.” Jesus, God in human skin, came from Heaven, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and died on a cross in our place. He took upon Himself the punishment that we so richly deserved. The Perfect was substituted for the imperfect. He was buried but rose again on the third day and defeated death and the grave. By doing that, He’s the only one qualified to be the Rescuer. The last thing that I noticed about my daughter falling in the water was this:
#3 My Daughter Cried Out for Help
In order for me to help her out of the pond, she had to call on me for help. She had to trust that I would come and rescue her. She had to stop struggling in her own strength and allow me to free her. In the same way, you cannot receive God until you admit your need for Him and cry out to Him for help.
Place yourself in the courtroom again. If someone wanted to take your place, what would you have to do? You would have to let them. You would have to personally choose for them to receive your punishment and you to receive their innocence. That’s what Jesus does. Jesus offers you a choice. Either keep your sins and let God’s justice fall on you, or give your sins to Jesus and let Him be punished in your place.
This is why the cross is so important and why your decision on this matter is so important. It doesn't matter how many times you tell the judge you are sorry. It doesn't matter
how many good things you are planning on doing for him. Why? Because justice is coming, and you desperately need a Savior.
Here’s the wonderful thing about God. When you admit your need for God and transfer your trust from your own goodness to Christ’s perfection and allow him to take your place, God forgives, God cleanses, God makes new, God changes, and God does what only He can do.
“Ok Matt. I see my need for a Savior. I need to be forgiven and made right with God and I see that Jesus is the only way for that to happen. How can I receive God’s forgiveness?”
Well, you can’t earn it. Most people naturally think that they can earn salvation, but listen to these Scriptures:
Ephesians 2:8-9 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Galatians 2:21 For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Salvation comes when we confess our need to God for it, and we place our faith and trust in Jesus. What does it look like to place our faith in Jesus?
Imagine you are driving your car northbound on I-75. This car represents your life. In this car, you are in the driver's seat. You can go where you want to go and go as fast as you want to go. You are in control. Hypothetically speaking, as you drive, you see Jesus standing on the side of the road. You think, "Wow, that would be a great addition to my life." So, you pull your car over to the side of the road and you swing the passenger side door open inviting Jesus in. But
you begin to notice something strange. Jesus walks over to the driver's side door and says, "The only way I get in this car is if you allow Me to drive." At that point you have to make a choice. You have to make the choice to trust Him with your eternal destiny and let Him assume control of your life.
Here's the sad thing. Many people are convinced that Jesus is in their car. Some have opened their trunk and placed Jesus inside thinking that they will pull Him out only when there is an emergency. Jesus does not get in the trunk. Some put Him in the passenger seat or the back seat thinking that He is there to meet their needs—a companion to talk to every now and then. But, Jesus does not sit in those seats. Some put Jesus on their dashboard as a good luck charm hoping He will bring good karma and ward off evil. But Jesus does not occupy that space. Jesus only occupies the driver's seat and nothing else.
So, who’s driving your car? Is Jesus in the driver’s seat or are you? Receiving Him is not about understanding all the facts and keeping all the rules. It's all about admitting that you can't and He can: "God, I can't please you...I can't be good enough on my own...I can't clean myself up...I can't...I can't...I can't.” It's all about giving up and putting your faith and trust in Jesus. As long as you think you can, you are linking yourself to religion not a relationship.
Do you see your need for a Savior? Do you see that if you die in your sins God must give you justice? Do you see that Jesus is the only one who perfectly lived and therefore is the only one qualified to be the Savior? Do you see how you must put your faith and trust in Him? Do you see that when you put your faith in Jesus, he pays your fine, takes your punishment, gives you his perfect righteousness, and comes to live inside your life? God can save you. He longs to save you. No one is too far gone.
Sinner’s Prayer
You can pray or lead others in a prayer like this:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and invite You to come into my heart and life. I choose to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Now, as I live for You, help me to be the person that You want me to be.”
Again, there is nothing magical about these words. This is simply a tool to help someone communicate what is already in their heart.
Helps:
www.billygraham.org/grow-your-faith/how-to-share-your-faith/tools/
Living Out the Good News With Your Lifestyle and Telling Others the Good News With Your Words.
LIfestyle: Living Out The Good News
“Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.” (Philippians 1:27, CEV).
Evangelism: Telling Others the Good News
The world around us is hungry. Believe it or not, most of the people in the world and the majority of the people in your sphere of influence are not opposed or hostile to the Gospel. As a matter of fact, they are extremely hungry and interested in the Bible and spiritual things.
Most people are too proud to admit their need for God or too proud to admit that there is an emptiness on the inside of them, but when someone invites them into that world, many eagerly engage. Look at Jesus and the crowds of people that were around him all the time. They were hungry for truth and they followed Him around wherever He went. The system of Jesus is that He called people to Himself and He taught them as He lived life.
1. Be able to pray. Prayer unlocks the spiritual realm so that God can work. There is no power without prayer. Ask Him to work in the life of the person that you are wanting to share the Gospel with.
2. Be able to share your story—who you were before meeting Jesus, how you met Jesus, and what changed as a result of meeting Jesus. Be able to say this in a very short, concise way and be able to say it from memory.
3. Be able to share “The Bridge Illustration.” You can draw it on any napkin or piece of paper.
www.navigators.org/topic/evangelism/?post_type=resource
4. Be familiar with Romans 3.
Notice how perfectly this passage is laid out for sharing the simplicity of the Gospel.
HOPELESS WITHOUT CHRIST
Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." 13 "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don't know where to find peace." 18 “They have no fear of God at all."
Notice how Paul paints a picture of hopelessness. This is how we all truly are before God.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH ON OUR OWN
Next, Paul talks about our good works and how we can never be good enough. He demonstrates that the law, the Ten Commandments, are there to serve as a mirror of how we can never measure up to God’s perfect standard.
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
What’s the point that the Holy Spirit is trying to make thus far in the passage? He’s getting everyone to realize that they are sinful by birth and that doing good works and trying to earn our way to God is a futile mission. No one can be good enough before God. And just one glimpse into the perfect law of God shows us how sinful and dirty we really are. After this sets in as the hopeless reality and condition of every person on the planet, Paul gives us the solution to our sin problem that is found in Jesus who is the Good News and is the only solution that can save us and rescue us from our perilous condition. It truly is good news!
BUT GOD HAS MADE A WAY!
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (Romans 3:9-25, NLT).
We are sinful, and we don’t measure up, but when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made right with God. Not because of what we’ve done but simply because of God’s undeserved kindness. God has extended His gracious hand toward us. What should be our ready response? Belief and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Introduce someone to the Gospel by asking a question:
“Do you believe in God?” If they say “yes,” then ask them a second question.
“Do you love God?” A Christ-follower will understand what you mean and say “yes.” Someone who does not know God will look at you curiously. Then tell them,
“Do you know what God did for you that you could not do for yourself?” Take them through Romans 3 and show them what God did for them and why you love Him because of that.
“Can I share with you what happened to me? Can I share with you my story?” Tell them your story and then take them to Romans 3.
“Do you consider yourself to be a good person?” If they say, “No,” then share Romans 3 with them. If they say, “yes,” then ask another question.
“Can I ask you some questions to see if that’s true?” Then walk them through the 10 Commandments. Let them compare their “goodness” with God’s perfect standard. When they see that they don’t measure up, share Romans 3 with them.
“What do you think happens when you die?” People are often thinking about life after death. Ask them if they believe in Heaven or Hell. Ask them where they think they will go when they die. Show them Romans 3 and explain the truth to them.
Gospel Presentation Sermon
This past Christmas, as we were walking around a house that had a lot of lights, my daughter, who was 4 at the time, noticed a coy pond in the front of the yard. It was beautifully landscaped with a bridge and an intricate set of paths winding around the pond. Some of the kids that were with us wanted to go over there so I quickly jumped on that opportunity. I thought that this would help me keep a close eye on my kids since it was a contained area. As we were leaving the coy pond area, I told all of them “Let’s go this way.” Everyone followed me except for my daughter. She said very faintly, “I want to go this way.” The next thing I heard was a panicked sound.
She had fallen off of the bridge, landed in the coy pond, and had wedged herself between the bridge and the side of the pond. She was stuck. All I heard from her was “Daddy!” Of course I ran over to where she was and pulled her out of the pond. The top half of her was dry and the
bottom half of her was soaking wet. She was cold, she was crying and she was totally embarrassed. She didn’t want anybody to see her like that. As I’ve reflected on that event, several things really stand out to me about that story. All of these things speak directly to all of us about our relationship with God. The first thing I noticed was this:
#1 My Daughter Decided To Go Her Own Way
All the kids in our little group decided to go one way and my daughter decided to go her own way. What happened when she went her own way? She fell in, was trapped, became wet, smelled like pond water, was embarrassed, crying, and separated from me. Whether you know this or not, this is the story for every one of us.
Isaiah 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own.
The Bible calls this sin, rebellion, and disobedience to God.
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
God told us not to go and we went. God told us not to do and we did—not just once but over and over again. “We all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” However, it’s not just describing the things that we have done, but it also describes what we haven’t done as well like loving our neighbors as ourselves and loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
This choice to disobey God and go our own way has left us separated from God.
Romans 6:23 says For the wages of sin is death,
This is not just talking about physical death. It’s referring to spiritual death—eternal separation from God. Do you know what God’s standard is for getting into Heaven? “Matt, it’s to live a good life. If my good outweighs my bad then I will get in.” “I’ve never murdered anyone. So I qualify to get in, right?” Think about your life and sin for one moment. How many sins have you committed in your lifetime? If the average person lives to be 72 years old and only commits ten sins a day (bad words, bad thoughts, bad deeds), by the time that person reaches his deathbed he will have committed 262,800 sins! So where’s the stopping point? If you commit only 1,000 do you still get in? What about 50?
The Bible actually tells us the answer to this question. The standard for getting into Heaven is...perfection. In other words a person can waltz right through the pearly gates of Heaven if that person has lived an entirely perfect life—never sinned in thought, word, or deed, not even once. How many people do you know that meet that standard? Simply put, no one fits into that category.
Romans 3:10-12 "No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."
Maybe you are still holding out hope that your good works will somehow get you into Heaven. It’s a common theme and it’s called RELIGION—man’s attempt to save himself, man’s attempt to please God. Let me just tell that the world is full of religious people. But, here’s the problem. The Bible doesn’t recognize RELIGION—unless it is perfect religion.
James 2:10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.
I played baseball growing up. Now, you have to be a really good player to make it into the Major League Hall of Fame. What if, however, the entrance into the Hall of Fame required you to play perfect baseball throughout your career? Never swinging and missing, always getting a hit, never making an error, never making a wild pitch. How many players would get in? None. It wouldn’t matter if you batted .400 for your career. If the standard is perfection, no one gets in. That’s how it is with us and God. None of us can ever make the standard on our own.
A friend of mine has put it this way:
”We might illustrate this verse with a story about rock throwing. My little brother & I used to love having rock throwing contests when we were young. Who could hit the can on the top of the fence, who could throw the farthest? We lived about 330 miles west of Dallas, TX. What if I had turned to my little brother one day and said, "Today we're going to try to throw our rocks and make it inside the open roof of Texas Stadium." If we were stupid enough, or arrogant enough, or even bold enough to try we both would fall way short of Texas Stadium 330 miles away. I might throw my rock farther than my brother or he might beat me "by a mile," but it wouldn't really matter because both of us would fall short of what we set out to hit--the open roof in Texas Stadium. That's the way it is with life. God expects us to hit his perfect holiness. Some of us might be morally or ethically better than the rest of us, but it doesn't really matter how "far" we make
it, because we all fall short of the goal we need to hit--God's perfect standard of absolute holiness.”
But you say, “Matt, I’m a really good person. I’m much better than the people who I work with or go to school with. Are you telling me that God won’t let me in? Are you telling me that I would be eternally separated from God?”
Let me tell you some things about sin. Sin is something that we are, not necessarily something that we do. We are by nature disobedient to God. I have small children. My small, sweet, innocent, beautiful children have been known to lie to me. Can you believe that? My children! Where did they learn to lie? Who taught them that? Do you think that I brought them into my study one day and taught them all the ins and outs about the art of lying? “Come on kids, today we are going to learn how to lie.” Do you think I did that? So, where did this come from? It’s internal. It’s the way we are all born. Flawed.
“Matt, come on man. I know some really good people…” Depravity means that people are as bad off as they will ever be, not as bad acting as they will ever act. There are people who do good, but there is no one who is good. “No one righteous, no not one.” No one is innocent before God.
As a result of all of this, we suffer the effects of going our own way: Just like my daughter physically, we spiritually have fallen into the deadness of sin, become trapped with no way of getting out on our own, and we are facing eternal separation from God. We are spiritually stained, we have the stench of death on our clothing, and we are full of guilt and full of shame before a Holy God. Here’s the second thing that I noticed about my daughter’s encounter with the coy pond.
#2 I Had To Rescue My Daughter
My daughter could not have gotten out of her predicament on her own. She was wedged
between two immovable objects. For her to have any chance to escape, she had to be rescued.
The same is true for us. If God demands perfection and none of us are perfect, then we have no hope. Do you know what God did for you that you could not do for yourself? God came to your rescue through the person of Jesus. Here’s why Jesus is so important. Jesus is the only one that fully met the standard. The Bible tells us over and over again that Jesus lived a perfect life, never once sinning in thought, word, or deed.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours [talking about Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
1 Peter 1:17-19 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land."18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
This is just a few of the times that Christ’s perfection is mentioned. Here’s why His perfection is so important. He established Himself as the only one qualified to die for imperfect people. If He didn’t keep the standard, then he’s no different from us.
We’ve all heard that Jesus died on the cross, but why did he die on the cross? Think about this. If Jesus never did anything wrong, then why was He punished? He was punished because he volunteered. We deserved the cross because we broke the law—we fell into the pond. We deserved shame and disgrace, banishment from God’s sight forever, but Jesus willingly and lovingly took our place. By dying on the cross, He satisfied the justice of God on our behalf. You can kind of say it like this: We broke the law and Jesus paid our fine.
Imagine yourself in a courtroom. You have broken the law and now you are standing before the judge. You are guilty. You know it, and he knows it. He asks, “How do you plead?” and you say, “Guilty.” But then you say, “Judge, you are a good judge and I know you are going to let me go because you are good.” If the judge simply lets you go, justice would not be served, and he would be morally corrupt if the crime went unpunished. Maybe you would say, “Please forgive me, judge. I’ll never do that again.” Again, he does not have the power to forgive. He is there to execute justice. Justice must be served, sin must be punished. The same is true of God. God is a God of holiness and justice. He cannot let you go. To do so would mean that He is morally corrupt.
Do you know the one way he can legally let you go? He can let you go by transferring that justice onto another willing party. If someone were willing to take your place, he can legally let you go free. Mercy and grace will be shown at the very same time.
Here’s what Jesus’ dying on the cross did for you. As you were being led away to receive your just punishment, Jesus entered the courtroom, approached the bench of the judge, and
demanded that the justice that was due to you would now fall on Him. Here’s the amazing thing about the love of God. The same God that says that says that sin must be punished and justice must be carried out also says, “I’ll be punished for them. I will pay their fine.” Let me tell you a story that illustrates this very point.
During the Depression, police hauled an old man before the magistrate in a New York City night court. He was starving and had stolen a loaf of bread. That night the mayor, Feeorello LaGuardia, was presiding over the court, which he sometimes did to keep close to his citizens. He fined the old man $10. "The law is the law, and cannot be broken," the mayor said. At the same time, he took a $10 bill out of his wallet and paid the fine for the man. Then LaGuardia "cited" each person in the courtroom for living in a city that did not help its poor and elderly, unduly tempting them to steal. The mayor fined everyone in the audience 50 cents and turned it over to the amazed defendant. He received almost $50. Justice was served, yet love was seen as LaGuardia paid the penalty and more for the old man.
Jesus says, “You broke the law, but I’ll pay your fine. I’ll be the one who receives your punishment.” By doing that, Jesus pays our fine and takes our place.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Did you read that? While we were still sinners God loved us and sacrificed Himself for us. Many people think God is up in the sky just waiting to pounce on them when they mess up or that He is exasperated when He has to come and bail them out, but nothing could be further from the truth. God does what He does because He greatly loves us.
Back to the courtroom scene, if someone took your place or paid your fine, how much would they have to love you? Anyone who pays my fine and gives me his innocence is worth trusting and following because I know that he loves me very much.
Here’s what Jesus offers. He offers us an exchange. “You give me your sinfulness, and I will give you My perfection.” Jesus, God in human skin, came from Heaven, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and died on a cross in our place. He took upon Himself the punishment that we so richly deserved. The Perfect was substituted for the imperfect. He was buried but rose again on the third day and defeated death and the grave. By doing that, He’s the only one qualified to be the Rescuer. The last thing that I noticed about my daughter falling in the water was this:
#3 My Daughter Cried Out for Help
In order for me to help her out of the pond, she had to call on me for help. She had to trust that I would come and rescue her. She had to stop struggling in her own strength and allow me to free her. In the same way, you cannot receive God until you admit your need for Him and cry out to Him for help.
Place yourself in the courtroom again. If someone wanted to take your place, what would you have to do? You would have to let them. You would have to personally choose for them to receive your punishment and you to receive their innocence. That’s what Jesus does. Jesus offers you a choice. Either keep your sins and let God’s justice fall on you, or give your sins to Jesus and let Him be punished in your place.
This is why the cross is so important and why your decision on this matter is so important. It doesn't matter how many times you tell the judge you are sorry. It doesn't matter
how many good things you are planning on doing for him. Why? Because justice is coming, and you desperately need a Savior.
Here’s the wonderful thing about God. When you admit your need for God and transfer your trust from your own goodness to Christ’s perfection and allow him to take your place, God forgives, God cleanses, God makes new, God changes, and God does what only He can do.
“Ok Matt. I see my need for a Savior. I need to be forgiven and made right with God and I see that Jesus is the only way for that to happen. How can I receive God’s forgiveness?”
Well, you can’t earn it. Most people naturally think that they can earn salvation, but listen to these Scriptures:
Ephesians 2:8-9 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Galatians 2:21 For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Salvation comes when we confess our need to God for it, and we place our faith and trust in Jesus. What does it look like to place our faith in Jesus?
Imagine you are driving your car northbound on I-75. This car represents your life. In this car, you are in the driver's seat. You can go where you want to go and go as fast as you want to go. You are in control. Hypothetically speaking, as you drive, you see Jesus standing on the side of the road. You think, "Wow, that would be a great addition to my life." So, you pull your car over to the side of the road and you swing the passenger side door open inviting Jesus in. But
you begin to notice something strange. Jesus walks over to the driver's side door and says, "The only way I get in this car is if you allow Me to drive." At that point you have to make a choice. You have to make the choice to trust Him with your eternal destiny and let Him assume control of your life.
Here's the sad thing. Many people are convinced that Jesus is in their car. Some have opened their trunk and placed Jesus inside thinking that they will pull Him out only when there is an emergency. Jesus does not get in the trunk. Some put Him in the passenger seat or the back seat thinking that He is there to meet their needs—a companion to talk to every now and then. But, Jesus does not sit in those seats. Some put Jesus on their dashboard as a good luck charm hoping He will bring good karma and ward off evil. But Jesus does not occupy that space. Jesus only occupies the driver's seat and nothing else.
So, who’s driving your car? Is Jesus in the driver’s seat or are you? Receiving Him is not about understanding all the facts and keeping all the rules. It's all about admitting that you can't and He can: "God, I can't please you...I can't be good enough on my own...I can't clean myself up...I can't...I can't...I can't.” It's all about giving up and putting your faith and trust in Jesus. As long as you think you can, you are linking yourself to religion not a relationship.
Do you see your need for a Savior? Do you see that if you die in your sins God must give you justice? Do you see that Jesus is the only one who perfectly lived and therefore is the only one qualified to be the Savior? Do you see how you must put your faith and trust in Him? Do you see that when you put your faith in Jesus, he pays your fine, takes your punishment, gives you his perfect righteousness, and comes to live inside your life? God can save you. He longs to save you. No one is too far gone.
Sinner’s Prayer
You can pray or lead others in a prayer like this:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and invite You to come into my heart and life. I choose to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Now, as I live for You, help me to be the person that You want me to be.”
Again, there is nothing magical about these words. This is simply a tool to help someone communicate what is already in their heart.
Helps:
www.billygraham.org/grow-your-faith/how-to-share-your-faith/tools/