I mean, when I first found that scripture,
I couldn't believe it.
What?
You didn't do it for me?
You did it for you?
Alright.
But anything God does for himself benefits those
that are part of his family.
When I support my family, I get to
eat too, but it benefits my family.
When I teach the Bible to my family,
I get blessed, but so does my family.
Anything God does for himself is good for
his family.
He's not selfish, but he cares for his
own.
Okay.
After that, Ezekiel 36.
If people come to Jesus mainly to get
a blessing, or only to get forgiveness, they
will ultimately be disappointed.
But if they come to give him their
lives in honor and worship, then they will
truly have forgiveness and joy, more than they
could ever imagine.
Okay, what else is wrong with our modern
gospel?
It's shallow, cheap, and offered as a bargain.
Our gospel reduces the good news to a
come and get it while you can sale.
We make every effort to take all the
bones out and everything that might offend someone,
might make them hesitate or put off their
decision.
Jesus didn't do this.
He never lowered the requirements for anyone.
One had to be completely sincere, totally humble,
having counted the cost, willing to leave everything,
family and property, count all things lost so
that they might gain Christ.
Philippians 3.
When that same rich young ruler went away
sad for he had many possessions, Jesus didn't
go running after him shouting, Hey, wait a
minute, let's talk this thing over.
It isn't as bad as it might sound.
Maybe I was a little too harsh.
Maybe we're so eager to see the converts,
to publish how many got saved at our
last meeting or concert, and the bulletins to
our supporters, that we'll do anything to rush
someone into a decision before he's had a
chance to really make one.
The problem is if you have to rush
him into it, he probably will change his
mind later anyway.
Don't forget about that 97%.
For as a friend of mine says, if
somebody can talk them into it, somebody can
talk them out of it.
You know who that was?
That's Martha Ravenhill.
She had a 15-year-old son.
They were at Bethany Fellowship.
He was going to Bible school there.
No, I'm sorry, he was just going to
high school.
He was 15.
And one of the elders came up to
her one night and said, Do you realize
that your son hasn't had a born-again
experience yet?
And she said in her Irish accent, I'll
thank you to leave my boy alone.
If somebody can talk him into it, somebody
can talk him out of it.
Leave him alone.
That is the wisest thing that I've ever
heard a mother say about her child.
And that guy is a missionary in New
Zealand today.
That very same year, he got saved.
And if we could only learn that.
Sure, we are to encourage.
Sure, we are to create an example.
Sure, we are to preach the gospel and
tell somebody their loss.
Never try to talk them into making the
actual decision though.
Don't talk them, but encourage them into giving
their hearts to God.
Turning from their sin.
But there is no rubber stamp, USDA Choice
Saved Christian thing that you can pop on
somebody's forehead.
That is so ugly.
Mass producing them for Christ.
They all come out like this.
All Christians, out of the cookie cutter mold.
It's sick.
We can't mass produce Christians.
They must grow like oak trees.
Slowly.
One of a kind.
All different from the other.
Salvation is shown as a barter trade.
This is one of the results of the
modern gospel.
Instead of the result of obedience by faith.
We offer forgiveness of sin like Monty Hall
in Let's Make a Deal.
I've even heard, you give Jesus your sin
and he'll give you salvation in return.
No one in the Bible ever thought so
low of the grace of God to talk
about the gift of eternal life like it
was for trade.
It is a gift.
You can't earn it.
You can't buy it.
You can't get anything in return for it.
How it must offend the Holy Spirit to
hear people talk of his Jesus so.
Another thing wrong is that it produces selfish,
blessed, and feelings oriented converts.
Going back to that last thing.
Never talk to somebody like they're making a
deal with God.
Don't ever let anybody have that concept.
Well, you give Jesus your sin and he'll
give you salvation.
Or, don't worry, he'll save your mother.
Hey, look, you can't make a deal with
God.
He's already offered you everything that you could
ever want.
It's just like somebody coming up to you,
some rich uncle, and saying, I'm leaving everything
to you.
It's all yours.
And then you say, well, alright, then I'll
give you this in return for it.
You know, can I give you, here's a
vase.
There's no ifs about it.
God wants to give you himself.
What else is there?
All you need to do is to want
to have him.
And get rid of everything that gets in
your way from having him.
And you've got him.
It produces selfish, blessed, and feelings oriented converts.
Anyone who is made to believe he becomes
a Christian under such preaching will never bring
forth the true fruits of a real convert.
He will remain just as selfish as he
always was.
Only now his selfishness will take on a
religious form.
If he wants something for himself, he will
say he has a burden.
Gee, I've got a burden to get married.
I've got a burden to go talk to
that blonde chick over there.
I've got a burden for blondes all over.
Or he will say, it's the desire of
my heart.
It's the desire of my heart to be
rich and famous.
God said he'd give me the desire of
my heart, so why can't I be rich
and famous?
Or some other religious sounding phrase like that.
He will pray selfishly, desiring blessings for himself.
And even if he does pray for others,
it usually will be for selfish reasons.
Oh God, save my mother so she quits
nagging me.
Save my husband so that I can go
preach to the lot.
So he doesn't bother me about going to
Sunday school.
Save the car dealer on the corner so
I can get a better deal on that
car that's on the lot.
Or whatever.
I mean, there are people that actually pray
like that.
For any reason but save them, God.
They're lost and they're hurting you.
And their souls are lost, God, and you
love that person.
There's nothing worse than praying for the wrong
motive.
After all, when he accepted the Lord, he
was told how much Jesus wanted to bless
him.
And how much God had stored up for
his account.
And how the Bible was like a big
checkbook full of promises just waiting to be
cashed.
I've heard that terrible rap.
Such a person always seeks to feel good
about himself.
His own church, his own pastor, etc.
His whole world is built on feeling blessed.
He was never shown how he was created
to bless God.
God was not created to bless him.
God was not created.
As you can see, the converts described above
are not like those pictured in the book
of Acts.
When the church was new and the fire
was hot.
Take a look at Acts 2.
And you will see the tender spirit of
love and the mighty spirit of power that
prevailed among the brethren in those early days.
I believe that one of the great reasons
that everyone kept feeling a sense of awe
was because, quote, they were continually devoting themselves
to the apostles' teaching and to prayer.
I believe that Peter and the others made
every effort to convey the whole message of
the gospel when they preached and taught.
And that is why the spirit of God
could anoint and bless the new converts so
powerfully.
God always anoints the truth.
Well, that's the end of section 1.
In the next installment, we're going to look
at the things that God hates.
We're going to look at all the things
that God hates.
The things that the church and Christians have
tried to replace.
The things they've removed.
Like the Pharisees.
Remember the Pharisees?
They were always trying to replace what they
couldn't have in the law.
They were trying to have prayer.
Oh God, bless me, the righteous man.
But not that guy over there.
Not that miserable tax gatherer.
They were trying to replace real prayer with
phony prayer.
How about real giving, godly giving?
Here comes the Pharisees with their big check.
One thousand dollars for the temple.
They always tried to replace godly things with
selfish things.
And they tried to replace the holy temple
of God with a merchandise mart.
With all kinds of products.
With little bumper stickers and so on.
Oops, I'm giving it away.
Okay.