Greg Laurie - The WHO, WHERE, WHY, and WHAT of Evangelism (03/13/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares from Matthew 28 on the Great Commission, urging every believer to share the gospel. Drawing from his own early, nervous attempt as a new Christian that surprisingly led someone to Christ, he emphasizes that evangelism is simpler than we think—God uses ordinary people, the message is powerful, and we must go into our world to proclaim Jesus as the only way to salvation.
The Who, Where, Why, and What of Evangelism
Well, let's turn in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. And the title of my message is "The Who, Where, Why, and What of Evangelism." It was around 1971, I was a brand new Christian. I had just come to faith on my high school campus and I was attending Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. And I heard that I am supposed to go out now and start sharing my faith. I wasn't a year old in my new beliefs. I wasn't six months old. I think I was probably a couple of weeks old.
But I thought, I know enough to go out and tell others about Jesus. You know, sometimes ignorance is bliss, right? And so I went down to the beach. I think it was Huntington Beach, as I recall. I was armed with my Bible, of course, and a copy of the four spiritual laws that was put out by Campus Crusade for Christ. I was so new to all of this, I hadn't even memorized the content of the little Bible tract quite yet.
My First Nervous Attempt at Sharing Faith
And so I was looking for someone to talk to about Jesus. And I saw this lady about the age of my mom sitting on the beach by herself. And I thought, you know, maybe she'll listen to me. She'll be kind to me because I'm so young, you know. And I walked up. You have to understand, I had long hair. I had hair to start with. I had long hair at this point. And I walked up. My voice was shaking. I said, "Hi, do you mind if I talk to you a little bit about Jesus?" And she said, "No, go ahead."
And I said, "Okay." And I sat down. And I just started reading the contents of this little tract. The Four Spiritual Laws, copyright 1954, Campus Crusade. And I just turned to page one. God loves you. And there's a wonderful plan for your life. And I just started reading through this. And here's what I'm thinking as I'm reading. This is not going to work. Well, who do I think I am out here talking to someone about Jesus as if this woman would actually believe as a result of my foolish attempts to convince her about her need for Christ?
And I was reading through this page by page thinking these thoughts of doubt as I'm saying these words. And I would look up at her periodically. And she was just looking at me. And I thought, you know, this isn't really going well at all. I can hardly wait till I'm done. I got to the very end of the little tract. And there's a question that you are to ask or the person reading it would read the question. And the question is, is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus?
So I read that. "Is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus right now?" I looked up. She said, "No, no." "Okay, no." "Are you saying you want to accept Jesus?" She said, "Yes." "Yes." I had planned for failure. You're not success. And so in the most reverent tone I could muster, I said, "Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer together," you know. And she closed her eyes. And I'm frantically searching this thing for a prayer. What do I do now?
I found a little prayer at the end. And to show you how lacking in faith I was as I was leading her in the prayer for her to accept Christ, I was thinking, this isn't going to work. But when we were done praying and she said, "Amen," she said, "Something just changed inside of me." And I said, "Yeah, something just changed inside of me too. I just realized that God could use someone like me."
Why We Overcomplicate Sharing the Gospel
Now, here's my point. I think that we way overcomplicate this thing that we call evangelism. I'm not suggesting we go out there telling others about Christ without any understanding of what the Bible teaches because that's where we're going to take a little bit of time to break it down for you, talk to you about effective tools of communication, talk to you about what our core message is. But having said all that, I think most Christians know more than enough to go out and start sharing their faith. We are just afraid to try. We're afraid to fail. Maybe we're afraid to succeed. I don't know.
You know, sometimes when you're young, you don't know enough to not try something. And that's why kids will go out there and just be so daring. And maybe that's why kids know more about computers than we do. We're just, you know, we're intimidated by all these buttons. The kid just going, start pushing buttons, you know.
Kids Aren't Afraid to Try—Neither Should We Be
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and he just got a brand new iPhone. And he pulled it out and he says, "I just got an iPhone and I know how to use it." He was so proud. I'm standing there with my granddaughter, Stella, who's almost three. Well, she is three now, actually. But she was probably about two and a half at that point. And he's so proud that he can open up like his address book or something. And I said, "Watch this." I said, "Stella, launch a video." She takes my phone, bum, bum, bum, boom. Cartoons playing on the thing. I've loaded some cartoons on here for her.
And he said, "How did she do that?" You know, kids aren't afraid to try. You know, they'll just get in there and give it a go. And I think sometimes we're afraid to try. And I want to challenge you. I want to urge you to start thinking more about sharing your faith. Because it is my belief that God can use you to win others to Jesus Christ.
Biblical Motivation to Share Faith
Why would we be commanded in Scripture to share the gospel if we could never have any success in this area? Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that wins souls is wise." Daniel 12:3 says, "Those that are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever."
And with the Harvest Crusade two weeks away, I thought we all ought to think a little bit more about evangelism, about sharing the gospel, about our friends and our neighbors and our family members and people we know that do not yet know the Lord. So we're going to talk about the who, the where, the why, the what, the when of evangelism.
The Who: Every Believer Is Called
Let's start with the who. Who is called to go into all of the world and preach the gospel? That brings us to our text, Matthew 28. Let's read verses 19 and 20. Here are the words of the Lord himself. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Let's pray. Now, Lord, these are your marching orders. These are your words to us, your church, to go into all of the world. Lord, it's a daunting task. It's overwhelming. It's intimidating. Sometimes it's even scary. But yet, at the same time, Lord, you've called us to do it. And your calling is also your enabling. So we pray for your power in our life to have a boldness like we've never had before to go out into this world and share your good news with others. Speak to us as we consider what this means together. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
The Great Commission Is for Everyone
Now, let's break this text down for a moment. In the original language, these words are addressed to everyone. In other words, we could translate it, every one of my followers, Jesus speaking, you are to go into all of the world and preach the gospel. That means it's not just for the so-called professionals. This is for everyone to do. This is for preachers and Sunday school teachers and missionaries and construction workers and students and surfers and skaters and housewives and secretaries and whatever it is you do. I mean, you just fill in the blank. This is to everyone to go out into all the world and preach the gospel. No one is exempted.
Also, in the original language, it is a command. So, in other words, Jesus is not saying, hey, I know you're all so busy, but as a personal favor to me, would you mind please going into... No, he just says, I command you to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
It's a Command, Not a Suggestion
See, when I speak to my sons, I just tell them what to do. I don't... Would you please... Sometime I will. But, you know, usually I'll just say, go do this for me. Why do I say that? Because I get things done that way. You know, they just go and do it generally.
But the point is, is, you know, it's a relationship. And it's actually a relationship of intimacy where I could speak to them in that way. So God doesn't say, please, could you work it out? He says, I'm ordering you. I bought you. I purchased you. I paid for you with my blood. You belong to me. And here's what I'm telling you to do right now. I want you to go into all the world and I want you to preach the gospel. This is not the great suggestion. It's the great commission.
If I am a disciple, I am to go and make disciples of others. And if I am not making disciples of others, one has to wonder if I am really the disciple he wants me to be. Instead of this for many being the great commission, it's become the great omission. They don't do it.
Not Sharing Can Be a Sin of Omission
Now let me say something provocative. I believe for us to not look for opportunities to share the gospel can be a sin. You say, well, a sin? No, come on, Greg. A sin is when you break a command. A sin is when you fall short of God's glory. True. But there are not only sins of commission, there are sins of omission, right?
Like the story of that little boy in the Sunday school class and the teacher was talking about sin and she said, I want to talk about sin today and wonder if anyone can tell me what the sin of commission is. And a little girl in the front said, I know. And the teacher called on her and she said, what? And a little girl said, the sin of commission is when you do what you should not do. That's right, said the teacher. Well, can someone tell me what the sin of omission is? Little boy in the back of the room is waving his arm back and forth. The teacher calls on him, yes, son. What is the sin of omission? He says, sin of omission. Those are the sins you want to do, but you haven't gotten around to them yet. No.
The sin of omission is not doing what you should do. So let's put it together. The sin of commission is doing what you should not do. The sin of omission is not doing what you ought to do. Listen to this. The scripture is clear when it tells us in James 4:17, the person who knows to do what is right but does not do it for him, it is sin.
So I can actually be sinning when I don't respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with that person. Now, having said that, I'm not trying to lay some guilt trip on you. In fact, what I want to tell you is it is a joy to tell others about Jesus. The hardest part about evangelism is getting started. But once you get started and once the Lord starts speaking through you, I'm telling you it can be one of the most joyful things you've ever done to think that God Almighty would speak through someone like you or me is indeed a great privilege. It's an honor to go and tell others about Jesus.
The Where: Start in Your Own World
And here's the thing. This message that God has given to us was not designed to be hoarded. It was designed to be shared. You were blessed to be a blessing. Okay? Therefore, as I take in, I need to give that message back out again to others so they can come into this relationship with God.
And I have to tell you, next to knowing the Lord Himself, one of the greatest joys you will ever experience is when you have the privilege of praying with someone to accept Christ and you start seeing the radical, even visible changes that will take place in their life. And I'm saying to you, this can happen. And as you give out, you're going to find that God's going to bless you even more. We're told over in Proverbs 11:25, those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. It's refreshing as you give out and help other people.
So really, we have a choice that is set before us right now. It's evangelize or fossilize. But a lot of people aren't doing this. A poll was taken that revealed nine out of ten Americans cannot accurately define the meaning of the Great Commission. By the way, that's the charge we just read to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Seven out of ten adults have no clue what John 3:16 means. I think you all know what it means. Barely one-third of adults knew the meaning of the expression, the Gospel. And only four percent of adults could define the Great Commission, quote John 3:16, and define the Gospel. So if you fit in that final category, then you are among the elite in the country today.
You say, well, Greg, they're probably not believers, so what do you expect? But here's the most alarming statistic of all. Ninety-five percent of Christians have never led another person to Christ. Ninety-five percent. You say, well, Greg, we're not all called to be evangelists. Oh, that may be true. But we are all called to evangelize. So let's start thinking about how we can do it.
So where do we start? We start at the beginning. I guess the answer to how we reach the whole world is the same answer that we would give to the question, how do you eat an elephant? I'm sure you've thought about that a great deal. How do you eat an elephant? Answer, one bite at a time. How do you reach the whole world? Answer, one bite at a time.
Personalize the Commission to Your Sphere
So we could localize this, personalize this. Instead of saying, go into all the world and preach the Gospel, let's bring it home to you. Go into all of your world and preach the Gospel. Go into all of your neighborhood and preach the Gospel. Go into all of your workplace and preach the Gospel. Go into all of your family and preach the Gospel. You have a sphere of influence. You have a group of people that will listen to what you have to say. Go into that world. That's the world God has called you to.
The Gospel Must Be Preached Everywhere
Number two, where are we to preach the gospel? Answer. Everywhere. Everywhere. In Mark's gospel, we have a variation on the Great Commission. In Mark 16:15, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." But notice also that it's not just going out, but the gospel is not just a proclamation of who Jesus is, but he says that we are to go out and preach it, teaching people to observe things that he has commanded.
So here's the end game. Here's what we're trying to do. Our objective as Christians is to attempt, to the best of our ability, to share the gospel with people. And hopefully, by God's leading, lead people to Christ. Having done that, we then get them up on their feet spiritually, help them to mature, and we go out and do the process again. Then we do it again, and we do it again. And I'm telling you, when you are engaged in helping others come to Christ and grow spiritually, it will revolutionize your Christian life.
Helping New Believers Grow Refreshes Us
And the problem is, a lot of us have not done this. We just keep these truths to ourself, and we never go out and try to reach others or help others grow. We're very focused on self, very oriented toward our own needs and our own struggles. And I'm saying, if you would just stop thinking about yourself so much, and think about someone that is literally separated from God, and quite frankly, on their way to hell, and try to reach them, you would find your own life refreshed.
It's sort of like the difference between going to Disneyland with adults or children. You know, going to Disneyland with adults is a drag. Because adults complain about everything, starting with the price of the ticket. Can you believe how much this is? I remember the old days when Walt was still alive, and remember the e-ticket and the little ticket. You know, all those were the good old days. And yeah, well, you know what? That was a long time ago. Okay, but... And then we go in, and what do adults want to do? We don't want to go on rides. They're like, where do you eat around this place? You know?
Here's the sad thing. I went to Disneyland the other day. I was walking down Main Street, and I saw a parade was coming, and I actually looked at one spot there where there's a rocking chair to see if it was available. And some old man was sitting there. I got here first, Sonny boy. Yeah, I'll tell you what. So, you know. But, you know, when you're with adults, you want to eat, then you get in a ride. Oh, I don't like this ride. The lines are too long. And now they have these little signs set up. If you're at this place in line, you will be on the ride in two days. You know, it's like, is this helpful? You know, so that's the way it is with adults.
Now, go with a kid. I went just the other day for our granddaughter Stella's third birthday. And someone bought her this little become a Princess package. I've never done this before. You have to understand, I've raised boys. This is a whole new world to me. So we go to this little place at Sleeping Beauty's castle, and it's like a beauty salon for little kids, for little girls specifically. No boys are in there. And so here's all these little girls, and they turn them into a Princess. You can become, you know, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty or whatever.
And so we walk in, and it's something, I'll tell you. And they work in the little girl's hair, you know. And they have three styles you can pick from. And then you pick out your outfit. And they call them princesses. They're getting them ready. And I'm kind of, oh man, this is really crazy, you know. And then people are walking by and they see the little girl and go, hello Princess. And the little girl's like, hello, how are you? You know? They're feeling good. And I'm thinking, this is so weird and stupid. And then a couple minutes go by and I see a little girl go by and I said, hello Princess. And I'm kind of getting into it, you know.
Because the little kids were having such a good time, really. And so I got so excited, I had them do me up like... I'll tell you what though, I still have glitter on me from it. Because there's just a lot of collateral glitter floating around, you know. But, you know, to see Disneyland through the eyes of a child changes the way you view it. We went on Small World, which has to be one of the lamest rides ever made. They sing that song, it's a small world, you know. But when you see it through the eyes of a child, it's still bad. No, I'm kidding. It's, it's different.
And in the same way, when you get a new believer in your life, in the first bloom of faith, discovering the truths of God for the first time, not only is it glorious for them, but it's a blessing to you. So here's Dr. Gregg's prescription for spiritual dryness. We need to go out and try to win people to Christ and help them to grow spiritually. That is a great commission.
The Why: People Are Lost Without Christ
Why are we to do this? Why? Why doesn't God just poke His face out of the heavens and say, Hello, humanity, I'm God. You're not. Believe in me now or I'll kill you. What do you say? You know, or better than that, or perhaps as a different option, the Lord could raise an army of angels to come and proclaim the gospel. Well, He could have done both of those things or something else, but instead the Lord has primarily chosen to reach people through people.
People just like you and me. Romans 10:14 says, "How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him in whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things."
The Ethiopian Official Needed Someone to Explain
In Acts chapter 8, we have the story of a man who came from Ethiopia. He was a foreign dignitary. He was the treasurer working for the queen known as Candace. Powerful man. Would have traveled with an entourage. Probably had a stretched chariot. Little flags on it. Secret service guys running on each side, you know. He went to Jerusalem searching for God. He didn't find Him there. He just found dead, lifeless religion. But he did happen to obtain a scroll of Isaiah the prophet.
And as it happened, he was traveling through the desert, reading out loud from Isaiah 53, which happens to be a passage that talks about the suffering of the Messiah. Meanwhile, the Lord led a guy named Philip to go to this man and share the gospel. Philip sees him traveling along, reading from Isaiah's scroll. And Philip walks up to him and says, "Excuse me, sir, do you understand what you're reading?"
Here's what the man from Ethiopia says. "How can I, unless someone shows me the way?" Philip climbed up into the chariot, took that scroll, told him what it meant, pointed him to Jesus. And before the day was over, that man from Ethiopia became a believer and left with joy in his heart and a spring in his step. And this is what people out there are looking for right now. They're looking for someone to show them the way.
People Are Waiting for Someone to Engage Them
I remember when I was a kid, before I knew the Lord, and I was partying and doing drugs and all that junk. And I remember I would hang around down at the fun zone in Newport, you know, where you take the ferry across. And I would lean up against the wall, my hair hanging on my eyes. Use your imagination on that. Here, let me recreate the moment for you. Oh, I miss those days. But anyway, not all of those days. I miss the hair. That's about it.
I'd lean up against the wall. I'd look real tough. And these Christians would be walking around with their little Bible tracts and, and they'd be handing them out. And I remember they'd look at me and they didn't know what to make of me because I did a pretty good scowl, you know. They just sort of thrust a tract at me and back off. And here's what I was saying in my heart. Talk to me. Don't be put off by my tough guy facade. It's fake. But I'm too proud to say I need help. I'm too proud to say, tell me about Jesus.
But I wanted someone to engage me. And these Christians would give me these little booklets and I'd take it from them, stuff it in my pocket. Not in my pocket, never in the trash. Took it, kept it. I took everything everyone gave to me everywhere. And I would take them home and I had a drawer for all kinds of religious literature. And every now and then I'd pull it out and empty it on my bed and try to sort through it. I had tracts from Christians, literature from Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, you name it. I had it, Krishna's.
And I would take all this stuff and go, what does this all mean? I, I, you know what I was looking for? Someone to show me the way. And you know what? Most of us that have a basic knowledge of the faith could have easily explained the gospel to someone like myself. I suggest to you, there's a world full of people out there, just like I was, who are waiting for someone like you to just take a risk, to just say, I'll go ahead and give it a go. Worst case scenario, they'll say no. But what if they say yes?
Verbal Proclamation Is God's Chosen Method
Why? Because God has primarily chosen to reach people through people. Now listen to this. And the primary way God has chosen to communicate this message is verbally, verbally. Now, you will need to live it. In fact, let me just back up for a moment. If you're not going to live as a Christian, please do not preach the gospel. Okay? Do us all a favor. Problem is people will talk about the Lord and they're not living it. It's like, could you like, shut up? You're actually hurting the cause here.
But that's not the big problem. To me, the bigger problem is people that are living it and living it quite beautifully who never talk about it. Well, they'll say, I believe in lifestyle evangelism. And what does that mean exactly? That means I'll just live it and I'll show my faith and the way I treat people and the way I do my job and the way I live my life. And people will just see it. Well, you know, that's good. I'm for that. But God's into living it and preaching it.
He wants you to live it and earn the right, if you will, to talk about it. But he wants you to verbally engage people to actually speak out for what you believe. Not just wait for people to come up to you and ask you, but for you to go up to them and initiate a conversation. 1 Corinthians 1:21 says, "Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb, preaching of all things, to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation."
It is crazy. I don't get it. Why would God want to use preaching? I don't know why, but he does. It's the foolishness, the Bible says, of preaching, or literally the preached thing. It's the verbal communication of the essential gospel message, which I will define for you in a moment. But listen to this. There's one thing that Christians and non-Christians have in common. You know what it is? We're both very uptight about evangelism. Christians are uptight about evangelizing, and non-Christians are pretty uptight about being evangelized.
I remember when I was a kid and the Christians were out sharing, you know, I wanted them to talk to me, but there were other times, you know, we would hide from them because we didn't want them to engage us. So, you know, there are people out there that are uptight about all of this. And I think some of us give up way too easily. We'll go up to someone and say, well, you know what? Has anyone ever told you about Jesus? Yes. Oh. Would you ever come to church with me? No. Oh, okay. You want to come to the crusade? No. Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry.
Don't give up so easily. Don't be such a wimp, you know. Say, well, why do you say that? Why no so quickly? Did you have a bad experience in church once? Or is there something maybe you think that this is that I could tell you a little bit more about it? Or are there questions? Or, you know, engage them. And then most importantly, keep praying for them.
The What: Proclaim the True Gospel
And this brings me to another very important issue. And this is the why. The why that we do what we do is because we have to care for people. And I guess here's the big question. Do we really believe what the Bible says? Because if we do, that means that if a person doesn't know Jesus Christ, when they die, they will go to hell. Do we really believe that? Now, if we do, how can we be so cavalier about this? How can we be so casual about it? How can we be so, you know, uncaring if we really believe what we say we believe?
You see, sometimes we'll even look at nonbelievers as the enemy. They're not the enemy. They're trapped by the enemy, who is the devil. They are like you used to be, a captive of sin. And that's how we have to see them. In fact, we're told over in 2 Timothy 2:24, "God's servant must not be argumentative, but be a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly, but patiently with those who refuse to listen. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and turn to the truth, enabling them to escape the devil's trap where they are caught and held captive and forced to do his will."
See, they're in bondage and they don't know why or how. But you know they're under the power of the enemy. So I pray that God will open their eyes spiritually. I pray that they'll see their need for Jesus. I pray that they will respond to what it is I'm saying. And I know what I'm saying is the truth, so I'm going to tell them.
Bad News and Good News Defined
All right, now, that brings us to point number four. What is it we are to go into all of the world and preach? What is it we are to go into all the world to preach? Morality. We want people to be moral. No. No. Conservativism. We want people to become conservatives, right? No, no. That's not our message. Sometimes people seem to forget this. Our message is the gospel.
And I believe if you believe the gospel, you'll become a moral person. But I don't preach morality. I preach that God can change a person no matter how they've lived or what they've done. You see, the gospel. What is the gospel? Well, the word gospel means good news. Good news. But to fully appreciate the good news, I have to also know the bad news.
We've all heard those good news, bad news jokes. They usually are related to doctors. Like the doctor that said to his patient, hi, I have some good news and bad news. You know, if you're a doctor, never say that to your patient. But, hi, I have some good news and bad news. The patient says, what's the good news? Doctor says, you only have three weeks to live. The patient says, if that's the good news, what's the bad news? Doctor says, I forgot to tell you yesterday.
But here's the thing. Before a person can fully appreciate the good news, they have to know the bad news. Here's where it breaks down for people. We say the good news is Jesus Christ. The good news is He'll forgive them of their sin, right? Okay, that's true. But the bad news is all of humanity has sinned against God. All of humanity has offended God, whether we've done it in ignorance or on purpose.
Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." In fact, one of the reasons God gave us the law, the Ten Commandments, is to show us we're sinners. That's why it's funny when some people say, Well, you know, I live by the Ten Commandments. That's all the religion I need. Oh, you do not live by them. First of all, no one lives by them. Everyone has broken them.
The Law Shows Our Need for Jesus
And sometimes, when someone says that, I love to just say, You live by the Ten Commandments? Absolutely. Good. What are they? Uh, they'll show recycle? I'm not sure. You know, most people don't have a clue what the Ten Commandments are. So, sometimes I'll recite a commandment or two and say, Well, you know, you live by the Ten Commandments? Well, let's talk about that a little bit.
You know, the Ten, one of the commandments says, Thou shall not steal. Have you ever stolen anything in your life? Thou shall not bear false witness. Have you ever lied about anything? Thou shall have no other gods before me. Have you ever had someone or something that's been more important to you than God in your life? Well, yeah, maybe once. Well, you know, here's the problem. The Bible says if you offend in one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it. See?
So, no one lives by the Ten Commandments. The commandments were not given to make us righteous. They were given to show us our need for Jesus. They're like the moral mirror. You know, I don't always like what I see in the mirror, especially in the morning. But have you ever had the mirror reveal something you weren't aware of? Like maybe you're sitting with a friend, and they're laughing constantly. And you're thinking, I don't think I've been that witty. Then you go to the restroom for a moment, and you look in the mirror and find out why they were laughing. You have a noodle attached to your nose. You just somehow missed that one. And you're feeding frenzy, and it kind of got stuck there with a little marinara. Yeah. Wow, the mirror just told me the truth. I need to fix this.
I look into the law of God. I realize that I fall short of His standards. The commandments were given to open my eyes and to shut my mouth. The commandments were given to say, listen, friend, you need Jesus. Okay? We've all sinned.
No One Is Good Enough—Jesus Is the Only Way
Now, some believe in the innate goodness of man. I believe man is good. I believe in human kindness. I believe that for every drop of rain a flower grows. I believe... You're an idiot. Okay? Have you looked at the real world? You believe in the goodness of man? Are you serious? A man named Fred Turner, this is a true story from the newspaper, who decided to walk out across America, for what reason? To prove that most people are good. He got as far as the Georgia-South Carolina line when he was robbed and pushed off a bridge.
Fred Turner was walking along, and a faded red pickup pulled up next to him while he was walking across a bridge. And they said to me, are you the guy walking across America? He said, yes. And they said, good, give me your wallet. And they pushed him off the bridge, and he fell a hundred feet. This is what he said. He survived, thankfully. This could have happened two months from now, and I wouldn't feel so bad, but I only got through one state. Fred, wise up. Man is not basically good.
You say, no, wait a second, Greg. Are you saying there are not good people? No, there are good people. I'll take it a step further. Father, I've met non-believers that are amazingly good. And by good, I mean they're people that have integrity in the way they work. There are people that are kind, in fact, you know, truthfully. I've met some non-Christians that are nicer than Christians. The only consolation I've taken that is, well, that Christian, think how much worse they would be if they weren't saved, you know? No.
There are good people, okay? I'm not denying that. There are people that are great humanitarians. There are people who have shown acts of great sacrifice, benevolence. I mean, we'll open up the paper. We'll read about some courageous soldier throwing himself on a grenade and sacrificing his life to protect his buddies. And that's good. And I acknowledge that's good.
So when we say no one is good, we're not saying that there are not good people, okay? What the Bible says when it says no one is good, it is simply pointing out the fact that no one is good enough to please God. There is no one that meets the righteous demands of God. Even the best of us still fall short and we're still sinners, you see? And that's where Jesus comes in because he was the only one qualified to bridge the gap between a holy, flawless, perfect God and unholy, flawed, sinful humanity.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 says, "All this newness of life is from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us a task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to reach others."
And this is why Jesus Christ being the only way to God is a non-negotiable, okay? And what I mean by that is when we say Jesus is the only way to the Father, we can't fudge on this. Don't ever say something like, well, Jesus is my way. You know, you may have your way and someone else may have their way, but this is my way. No, no, no. He's the way. He's the only way. He himself said it. That's why I say it. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the Father but by me," John 14:6.
Acts 4:12 says there is salvation in no one else under all heaven. There's no other name to call upon for men to be saved. You see, why? Because only Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." Jesus took upon him the sin of the world.
The Essential Gospel: Jesus Died for Me
Okay, so here's the gospel message. The bad news is you're separated from God. The bad news is there is nothing you can do to earn God's favor. The bad news is morality won't get you to heaven. The bad news is you are in deep trouble. The good news is God loved you so much he sent his son, Jesus, who lived a perfect life to go to the cross and die in your place. He became sin for you. And if you will believe in Jesus, you can be forgiven.
What is the essential gospel message? C.H. Spurgeon defined it this way. Jesus died for me. Here's our message, guys. It's Jesus Christ and him crucified. There's a place for apologetics. Apologetics are the defense of the faith, where we answer questions that people ask. There is a place for building the bridge, and we'll talk about that a little bit next time. There's a place for other techniques we might employ, but the bottom line that we are to get to, the primary message we are to proclaim, is the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified.
For the Bible says, the message of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness, but to us that believe it is the power of God. Paul said, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." You know, there's power in the gospel. Listen, there's power in the simple story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Power in it. Don't complicate it. Don't add to it. Don't take away from it. Don't apologize for it. Just proclaim it and stand back and watch what God will do.
Listen, I've been proclaiming this message for 35 years now. And I'm still amazed at how it works. When I started, obviously I was a lot younger. I mean, at this point, I'm so old now, my crow's feet need sneakers. You know, it's just, that's how much time has passed. But I still am amazed at the power of the gospel.
The stories I hear of people, atheists, Satan worshipers, people in false cults, people trapped by addictions that almost seem unimaginable. People that you would never think they would believe in Jesus, but then we hear stories about God gets through to them and reaches them and transforms them. It is the power of the gospel.
How to Come to Jesus: Matthew 11:28 Explained
I'd like to look at another passage now and bring this message to a close. I'd like you to turn with me to Matthew 11:28. Matthew 11:28. These are the words of Jesus where he effectively tells a person how to come into a relationship with him. These are familiar words, they're beautiful words, even poetic, but let's not miss what they are saying.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
An expanded translation from the Greek would give us that statement as follows. Come here to me, all of you who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion, who have been loaded with burdens and are bending beneath their weight. I alone will cause you to cease from your labor and take away your burdens and refresh you with rest.
Here Jesus breaks down for us what the gospel essentially is. First we come to him, then we take his yoke upon us, and then we learn of him. First we must come to him. And what I like to remind people of is they don't have to clean their life up and come to God. They can come to God and he'll clean their life up. As I've often said, Jesus cleans his fish after he catches them.
Because there'll be people that will say, well I'm going to sort this out, and I'm going to cuss less, and I'm going to be nicer. No, no, no. Just come to Christ now. And let's ask the Lord to help you with all that stuff and a whole lot more. Come to him as you are. Come to him with your sins. Come to him with your questions, with your addictions, whatever they are. Our message is, come to Jesus. Our answer is Jesus. Here it is. You need to come to the Lord. He'll sort this all out.
Come as You Are—Jesus Cleans After Catching
We get up in these crazy rabbit trails and try to fix people in this area before... No, just get them to Jesus and let the Lord do the work in their life. That's what Jesus says. Come to me, all of you who are laboring and are heavy laden. Listen to this. Conversion is not a long, drawn-out process. You know, you'll hear people sometimes say, you know, I'm converting to Christianity. Converting? Yes, I'm converting. Well, maybe you're saying that you're looking into the claims of Christ and you're thinking about them, but you are either converted or unconverted, okay?
You either believe or you don't believe, but it doesn't take hours. It doesn't take days or months. It takes seconds. I mean, I believe, honestly, a conversion can happen so quickly and so instantaneously, we may not even be able to measure it. And I think many of us believe, remember when that moment of belief happened for us. You know, sometimes we'll see people come forward at an invitation and we'll say, that was the moment they were converted. When they walked up there at the stage and as soon as they said amen after the prayer, that's when they were converted.
Maybe, I suggest to you, maybe they were converted when they walked in the back door. They just came in and said, I believe. And they were just waiting for someone to tell them what to do next. But in effect, they just believed right there on the spot. Might have been halfway in a message. You're saying, will you shut up and end so I can get saved? You know, they, it might be at the end. Sometimes it's after the service is over. Sometimes it's a week later. It's a month later. But I'm telling you, it happens just like that. We need to understand it's the miracle of God.
Take His Yoke—Give Him Control
But we want people to come. And I think one of the problems that many of us have is we don't pull in the net. Sort of like fishing. And, you know, never pulling it in when you get a bite. When you get a nibble, try to reel it in. And it's okay to say to someone, would you like to accept Jesus Christ right now? They might say no. But they might say yes. They're just waiting for someone to ask them.
You say, well, I don't know how to do this, Greg. I'm not an expert. That's okay. I didn't know either the first time I led someone to the Lord. But you know what? It worked. Because when a person wants to believe in Jesus, the Lord will respond to that. And so, we want to just give them the opportunity. Would you like to come to Christ right now? Would you like to receive Him as your Savior? As your Lord?
You know, I'll go over the Gospel message with them again. And if they're sure they want to do it, then I'll say, let's pray right now. I don't care where I am. I might be in a street with them. I might be in a store with them. I might... I don't care where it is. Wherever they are, they can receive Christ right there in the spot. I don't say to people, well, go home and think about it for a week or a month. No, I'd say, hey, would you like to accept Christ right now? And I find that many people do, and they're just waiting for someone to ask them.
We must come to Jesus. Number two, he says, take my yoke upon you. Now this is a phrase. What does this mean? Take my yoke? What is this? Something to do with an egg? You know? No, a yoke was a steering device. You would put on an oxen, you know, for your cart. And then you would steer the animal with the yoke. So if Jesus were to say this today, he would probably say something like, give me the steering wheel of your life. Give me the master key to every lock, every door in your house. Give me the title deed to your life.
The idea is, I want control, okay? Give me your password. Tell me the code. I want control. I want access to all files right now. Tell me, turn that over to me now. And so that's what he is asking. He's saying, if you're going to become a believer, you come to him, but then you turn your life over. And this is a big thing that's missing in most gospel presentations. Follow me really carefully on this, because this is a big one, in my opinion.
As we call people to believe, we also need to call them to repent. To repent of their sin, because the Bible says in Acts 3:19, "Repent and turn to God, that your sins might be wiped out so times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Isaiah 55:6-7 says...
Here's the problem I hear in some so-called gospel preaching today, is there's no mention of repentance. It's sort of a good news message of, hey, just believe in Jesus, and it'll make your life fuller, and you'll have joy and peace, and everything will be great, and you'll go to heaven when you die. Yeah, what if I don't believe in Jesus? Well, you know, it'll be uncomfortable. Yeah. That's a little bit of an understatement. Well, I don't want to say hell. Why? Well, if I say hell to them, it might offend them. Okay? But if you don't tell them about hell, you might offend God. Because you didn't tell them the truth.
Hey, you know what? Here's what the Bible teaches. Understand, the last thing God wants is for anyone to go to hell. And God doesn't send people to hell. We send ourselves there by a rejection of Jesus. Tell them that. And here's the other thing. When they believe, explain to them that they need to repent of their sin as well. Listen, to believe in Jesus is to both take hold and let go. You're taking hold of Christ. You're embracing Christ. You're letting go of sin. You can't have it both ways.
It's like the story of that guy that was walking along a mountain path and he lost his footing and slipped over the side. There was like a thousand foot drop and he's hanging by a branch. And he's in trouble. And he's yelling, Is anybody up there? Is anyone there? And Jesus Christ walks along and says, I am here. Oh, great. Can you help me out? He says, Yes, take my hand and let go of the branch. What? Let go of the branch and take my hand. I will pull you. Whoa, I'm not sure if you will. I will. Take hold of my hand and let go of the branch. And I will pull you to safety.
A couple of moments go by and the guy yells out, Is anybody else up there? See, Jesus says, I'll forgive you. Let go of your branch, if you will, of sin. Let go of your branch of self-righteousness. Take hold of me and me alone. I alone will save you. I don't want to do that. I don't want to say I'm a sinner. I want to just say that you need a little religion. No, no, you need more than a little religion. You need a lot of Jesus. Because you're separated from him irreparably by your sin. And only Christ can remedy this situation.
So it's to take hold of Jesus and to let go of sin. See, there's a lot of people that feel bad about what they've done, but they never change. The Bible says godly sorrow will produce repentance. The idea being it's not enough to just say, Oh, I shouldn't have done that. But I'm sorry enough to stop. I want to change. I want to be transformed. I want to follow the Lord and do what he has called me to do. Turn from sin and put your faith in Christ.
Learn from Him—Grow in Faith
And finally, number three. I must learn of him. I must learn of him. Matthew 11:28. Again, Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls." Now, if I've really believed in Jesus, I'm going to want to change and grow. You know, when people accept the Lord at our Harvest Crusades, we don't classify them as conversions. We classify them as professions of faith. Because only God knows who's saved and who isn't saved.
I am very reluctant to say, They're saved, they're not saved. You know, because sometimes it might be questionable about a certain person. They're not saved. Oh, I don't, you know, I'm not God, okay? So I'm not in a position to say that they're not a believer. But the way I know if a person is a believer, is I look for fruit and results in their life, right? I look for some kind of tangible evidence.
As it has been said, if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? And evidence is not defined as how many Harvest Crusade stickers you have in your car. Though that's a good beginning. Or even how many Bibles you own, or things of that nature. No, rather the evidence would be the tangibles, which would be change in your life. If they interviewed neighbors and friends and co-workers and family members and so forth, they'd say, yes, I saw a dramatic change in their life. They're a different person than they used to be. That would be the evidence, okay?
So time will tell. But as we're learning of the Lord, we will be transformed and you'll see the evidence. And that's what we're praying for. But listen, my job isn't to convert anyone. I've never converted anyone and I never will. And if I have, they are one pathetic convert. Only God can convert. Only the Holy Spirit can produce that work of transformation in the heart of a man or a woman or a boy or a girl.
But here's my job, if you will. My job is to proclaim. My job is to herald the message. My job is to take the gospel seed and throw it out as far as I can get it to as many people as I can get it to and then to pray for results and leave it all in the hands of God. But my job also is to say, do you want to believe in Jesus right now? And as we've been talking now in closing about how to lead others to Christ, I would ask you, do you know Christ?
Because as I've been talking to Christians about how to share their faith in effect, I've been talking to you about your need for God. Because you are separated from God by your sin. You have broken His commandments and fallen short of His standards. You stand apart from God without any way to remedy the situation. That's the bad news.
The good news is God loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross in your place. And Jesus hung there on the cross of Calvary and bore every sin you have ever committed. And if you will turn from that sin and put your faith in Jesus, He will forgive you and you can know with certainty that you will go to heaven when you die. Not to hell, to heaven. You can know it. You have God's Word on it.
Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in." And I ask you right now in closing, have you ever asked Christ to come into your life? Do you know with certainty that if you died right now, you would go to heaven? If not, I'm going to give you an opportunity to get right with God.
Invitation to Receive Christ
So if you would like to respond to this invitation and ask Christ to come into your life, do so now as we close in prayer. Let's all bow our heads for a prayer if you would. And Father, now I pray for every person hearing this message. I pray that your Holy Spirit will do a work of conviction in their heart, that they'll see their need for Jesus and believe in you now.
Now while our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed, and we're praying, how many of you would say tonight, Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to forgive me. I want to know that when I die, I will go to heaven. And if that's your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want your guilt taken away, if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you lift your hand up right now? And I'm going to pray for you tonight.
God bless you. Just lift your hand up where I can see it, please. God bless you. Over there on the side, God bless you. There in the back, God bless you too. Over here on the side, God bless you. Anybody else? God spoke into your heart tonight. You know you need to get right with Jesus Christ. Listen, don't wait for the harvest crusade. That's two weeks away. The Bible says now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. Tonight is your night to come to Christ.
Anybody else, you want Jesus to come into your life tonight? Lift your hand up and I'll pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you there in the middle. God bless. We're here on the side. God bless you too. Maybe some of you have fallen away from the Lord. Your prodigal sons or daughters, but you want to come back to him again tonight. If you want to make that recommitment to Christ, lift your hand up and I'll pray for you. God bless you and you. God bless you. Anybody else here in the middle? God bless you over here on the side. God bless all of you.
Now, Lord, I pray for each one of these that have taken this little step of faith. I pray you will help them to take the next one and commit their lives to you. We ask now in Jesus' name. Amen.