Bob Josey - Thriving in Jesus - Lesson 3C- Where It All Begins- Sep 26, 2021

Thriving in Jesus

3C – Where it all begins -

Gospel Presentations

Introduction

There is an unmarried lady named Joan in her late forties who is living a life that is wearing on her mind, body, and soul. She sleeps around, drinks to much during the week, and certainly on the weekends. She also has some other nasty habits. One

Sunday morning she wakes up at home with no man in her bed. She has a hangover and feels terrible. During the last several weeks, particularly on Sunday mornings, she has been under conviction about the lifestyle she is living. She does not claim to be a Christian and does not attend church. The guilt and heaviness of her sins of living this lifestyle are really taking a toll on her life.

There is something different about this Sunday morning. She feels she needs to talk to some pastor about her lifestyle and the guilt and heaviness she is having because of it. She really wants to get dressed and go to church. Unfortunately, she is sick and with the hangover cannot go to church to talk to a pastor. She decides watch a church worship on tv. After the sermon, the pastor told those in the church and those watching on tv that if they wanted to have their sins forgiven, receive eternal life, and go to heaven when they died, all had to do was to be saved was to ask Jesus into their heart. She was under such conviction, she decided to watch another church service that came on immediately after the one she just watched. At the end of this service, the pastor also made a plea for those who wanted to be saved. To be saved, he said, all one has to do was to give their heart to Jesus.

Joan maybe a reprobate, but she is not stupid. She realized that she had heard two contrary views on how to be saved that morning. One was to ask Jesus into her heart and the other one was to her heart to Jesus. So, she is thinking to herself which one must I do to have my sins forgiven? The answer, of course, is nether.

During our last two lessons, we have discussed exactly what the gospel is from 1 Corinthians 15 and what the acceptable biblical phrases to use when we are leading someone who wants to have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life. Then we began to discuss the unbiblical and improper phrases not to use when leading someone to the LORD. The first unbiblical and improper closing phrase not to use was “ask Jesus into your heart.” Today we will discuss several more popular unbiblical and improper closings.

2. Give your heart to Jesus

Is the biblical issue of trusting or believing in Jesus who died for our sins being communicated here by telling someone to give your heart to Jesus? No, the issue of trusting or believing in Jesus is not being communicated by asking anyone to give their heart to Jesus. What’s wrong with giving your heart to Jesus? The issue here is fourfold. One, having our sins removed is not what we can give God to save us but what He gives to us as a free gift because of Jesus ‘death on the cross. There is one word we should never, ever use in a gospel presentation. That word is G I V E. We should never, ever use the word GIVE in a gospel presentation and closing because we have nothing, absolutely nothing to offer or to give God for forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Can anyone name something we can offer or give God to be saved?

Second, Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” So, does giving our deceitful, desperately wicked, sinful heart to God save us? No!

Mark 7:20-23

20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what

defiles the man.

21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts,

fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,

22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander,

pride and foolishness.

23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

Third, there is no record in Scripture of anyone being saved by giving their heart to Jesus.

When asked to give his heart to God, one child broke into sobs saying, “If I give my heart to God, how am I going to live?”

Fourth, there is no place in Scripture where any biblical authors stated or even implied that one is saved by giving their heart to Jesus. The bottom line is that there is absolutely nothing we can offer or give to Jesus to remove our sins and give us eternal life.

Make It Clear!

Questions and Comments

3. Give your life to Jesus

This closing is akin to giving one’s heart to Jesus. There are four problems why this closing is not acceptable. One, it does not convey the requirement for receiving forgiveness of sin and eternal life which is to trust, believe, or have faith in.

Two, the issue of salvation is not what we give to God to remove our sins but what He gives to us as a free gift that we can receive. There is nothing whatsoever that we can give God or offer God to forgive our sins and receive eternal life.

Three, nowhere in Scripture do we find someone being saved by giving their life to Jesus nor do we find Scripture teaching that that is the way someone is saved.

Four, the New Testament, particularly Paul, speaks of the old man, the old nature, and old self as synonymous terms. Does giving God our old sinful man or sinful self, save us? No.

The issue is not us giving Him our sinful, unholy, unrighteous life, but what He gives to us, Eternal life! 1 John 5:11 says, And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

If we could give our heart or life to Jesus to be saved, that would be an exchange. Someone would give Jesus their heart or life and Jesus give them His eternal life. We would both be giving and exchanging. The bottom line is that there is absolutely nothing we can offer or give to Jesus to remove our sins and give us eternal life. No exchange or giving Jesus anything is required. Only trust in Him for what He did for us on the cross 2000 years ago. He gave us His life for us to be saved.

Make It Clear!

Questions and Comments

4. Invite Christ into your life

Let’s discuss if “Invite Christ into your life” or another common phrase “open up the door of you heart" meets the biblical standard for evangelism. These verses are based on Revelation 3:20, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” What is one of the first things one must do when in interpreting a verse? Decide what the context is. What is the context of Revelation 3:20? Let’s read Revelation 3:14-19 to determine that. Let’s begin with verse 14.

14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

To whom was the letter written? To the believers who make up the church at Laodicea. Jesus identifies Himself in this verse the Amen which means “so be it” and One who is faithful, a true witness, and Ruler of God’s creation. This shows that Jesus is the sovereign God of creation who is behind human events. Now let’s read verses 15-18.

15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Jesus is speaking to a church, saved believers, about their abhorrent behavior. They were “lukewarm” Christians. He called Himself faithful but they were not being faithful believers as demonstrated by their deeds. They were carnal Christians. Lukewarm means tepid. The city of Laodicea received its water from Hierapolis through an aqueduct several miles long. The water was cold when it left Hierapolis by the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm. This is an appropriate illustration on believers in a church showing only a little enthusiasm for the Lord. Wanting cold water to drink on a hot summer day or wanting a hot drink like coffee or tea when it’s cold, but getting a lukewarm, tepid drink instead is disgusting. The believers at Laodicea were neither totally sold out for Jesus going full speed nor were they staying at home, not attending church, or not being involved at all. They were just being mediocre believers. They were just average.

Which one of these descriptions fits you – full speed for Christ, doing absolutely nothing, or are you just kind of in between? Many would say” I am just an average Christian.” I go to church, give a little money, read my Bible occasionally, but I am not going full speed and living up to my potential. Jesus called these believers lukewarm. It is best to be totally dedicated to Him, but He would rather you sit on the sidelines and do nothing rather than be unenthusiastic about doing things for Him. With us having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the entire Word of God found in many translations, the spiritual gifts, and material resources, He expects us that have these things to be totally sold out for Him. To choose to be average is certainly not the way to blessings.

Jesus told the believers that because they were average, unenthusiastic, and mediocre that He would vomit them up. The New King James Version has vomit rather than spit out. Vomit is a better translation. Vomiting is much more dramatic and painful than being spit out. It means that because they were lackadaisical in regard to being sold out for Jesus, He was going to discipline them and they would lose some of their earthly and spiritual blessings on the earth by not being in intimate fellowship with Him. We see this not only in the word vomit but in verse 18 where He says He will rebuke and chasten them. They were materially rich but spiritually poor. Boy, does this not describe Christians in the United States today. Does this describe you? In verses 19-21 we find the consequences and the remedy for being unenthusiastic.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The consequences are rebuke and chastening but the remedy is to be zealous or enthusiastic for Jesus, other believers, and those who do not know Him as Savior.

Behold means look, listen, pay attention. Jesus in on the outside of the door knocking. There is no doorknob on the outside so the door had to be open from the inside. He will not knock it down to get in. You have to let Him in. Dining refers to having intimate fellowship with a believer. If one lets him in, they will fine much grace and wonderful fellowship with Him. This verse expresses a truth that Jesus Christ desires intimate fellowship with His bride.

Sitting on the throne with Jesus in the Messianic Kingdom is a reward for faithfulness as an overcomer. Unbelievers when they trust Jesus receive eternal life not a promise to sit on the throne with Jesus.

The evidence from the context is that verse 20 should be interpreted as Jesus speaking to individual believers in a body of believers, not lost people:

• He is speaking to church, a body of believers at Laodicea. (14)

• He is contrasting His faithfulness to their unfaithfulness as believers. Unbelievers cannot be faithful until they are saved. (14)

• I know your works – only believers, not unbelievers can have works for God. (15)

• Their works were for God lukewarm. (15)

• Only believers, not unbelievers, are disciplined (16)

• He stands at the door waiting in to have intimate fellowship with individual members of His church who are out of fellowship with Him. (20)

• When we trust in Jesus for eternal life, it’s because He overcame His challenges against Satan and the grave. (20)

• The reward for faithfulness of believers is sitting on His throne in the Messianic Kingdom. Believers receive rewards for faithfulness; unbelievers receive eternal life when they trust Jesus as Savior. (21)

• Lastly, Verse 22 shows that Jesus was talking to the church, not unbelievers.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Again, children think in concrete not abstract terms. No one in the New Testament was said be to be saved by inviting Jesus into their lives nor does Scripture anywhere suggest in any way that how one is saved. Let’s strive to be clearer in our presentation of the message of the Good News.

Make It Clear!

Questions and Comments