Okay, we're going to be in Romans chapter 3, Romans chapter 3, looking at evangelism and I'm going to do a little review here for just a minute, kind of remember where we were. We've been looking at repentance and soul winning. Remember our course on evangelism that we're taking is not necessarily how to have a soul winning plan but more the doctrines behind soul winning, but also some very practical aspects, especially dealing with ones coming from different belief systems. How do we give them the gospel? How do we help them to understand? Because one thing in evangelism, not everyone that we meet has the same understanding of the things of God. Some people have some understanding. They went to church. or they have an understanding or they think they do based on the false doctrines of the particular church or religious group that they are a part of. And so, when we say something, for example, the word repentance, repentance means something different to different groups of people. Repentance to a Catholic means penance. to do penance. It's not the same as what we define repentance, what the Bible defines repentance as. We looked at that over the last couple of weeks. Then we also looked at the message of evangelism. We looked at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 3 and 4. And what is the message of evangelism? The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, and that He died for the sins of mankind. And so now we are going to be looking at this morning, God's Law and Evangelism. God's Law and Evangelism. God's law has a place in evangelism. Now I'm not talking about legalism. We know the law cannot save. We know that by the works law no flesh can be justified and we're going to look at that here in Romans chapter 3. But it is important for us to incorporate the law of God because only by the law of God do we have the knowledge that we're a sinner. Because sin is the transgression of God's law And so something that is missing and some soul winning today is the presentation that we are sinners before God And that we not just made of some mistakes, but we have broken the law of God Let's look at Romans chapter 3 this morning. We're going to begin in verse number 19 and 20 We're going to be looking at a lot of different places today I'm not going to be able to go over everything that's in this curriculum in just one lesson, but I'm going to get to the important parts here and we're going to look at God's law and evangelism. Romans chapter number 3 and verses 19 and 20. Romans chapter 3 verses 19 and 20. And God's Word says, Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Let's take a few moments and ask the Lord's blessing on the lesson this morning. Dearly beloved, we thank you, Lord, for today. We thank you for those who have made decisions for salvation over the last couple of weeks. We pray for them, Lord. We pray that they would become grounded. We pray to you, Lord, that we'd be able to disciple them and teach them the doctrines of your word and that they would become grounded and established in their faith. I pray to you, Lord, that you would help us to have more knowledge to go out soul winning. to go out and to evangelize the world, dear Lord, and we need this knowledge. We need the knowledge of your scriptures. I pray that you guide and direct us in a special way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So, what role does the law of God play in seeing someone come to Christ? In these two verses, we see that there is a purpose for the law of God. It's not so that we may gain entrance into heaven by the law of God, but the law of God is there to show us how inadequate we are, how incapable we are of attaining eternal life and attaining fellowship with God. In this passage, we see that it is the law of God, that it's the law that the Spirit of God uses to bring conviction to men's hearts. It's by the knowledge. Now, we many times will go to somebody, if we're witnessing to them, we'll take them to the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20. And we'll look, have you, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And it said, have you honestly, can you honestly say that you've never put anything else in front of God your entire life from the time you were a child to now? You can honestly say that you've never done that. You know, if someone's really honest and genuine, they're going to say, well, yes, I've, I put other things before God. Well, Then you've offended in that point that we're to what we're to obey our parents and honor our parents. Have you always obeyed your parents and honored them? Have you ever back talked to them? Well, yes. Well, have you broken that commandment? Have you ever lied? Well, yes. Have you ever stolen? Well, yes. Going down, we have broken every single one of those, you know, and what Jesus said, well, I haven't committed adultery. Well, Jesus said, if you lost after a woman in your heart, then you've committed adultery in your heart already. You're guilty of that law as well. So when we look at the law of God, we see that yes, it is what God expects out of us. Does God expect us to keep it? Yes, but the transgression of it is the knowledge of sin and that we are all condemned. And this is what brings conviction that we are sinners before God. And to be honest, there are some people when you go out, so many, it's not hard to convince them they're a sinner. They know they are. They know that they're a sinner. They know that they're condemned before God. They know that they have…they have…maybe they've been taught to take commandments, or maybe they just know. You know, some people haven't ever heard the Bible, they know lying's wrong, they know stealing's wrong, they know stealing your neighbor's wife is wrong, and they know these things are sins against God because God puts a consciousness inside of every man that these things are not right. But here, we see that we need to use this. Many times we gloss over, you know, because we get a negative reaction sometimes to some people when we tell them they're a sinner. You know, when we are being loving about it. Now, I understand, I've heard some people, they just get in a very condemn... I don't know how to say it. Very negative attitude, very condemning and very, you know, like scorning them and just really very offensive in how they present it. But if we look at the Bible, let the Bible do the condemning, amen? Let the word of God do the condemning. And I was talking to someone last night, I said, it doesn't matter what I say, what my opinion is, doesn't matter, but this is what God is saying. This is what God is telling you, that you have offended God's law. This is God telling you that, and that we must be accountable to God. No individual will cast himself upon Christ for salvation unless he knows that he's a sinner. Otherwise, why does he need to get saved? Why does someone need to come to Christ? And some, especially in the easy-believe-ism crowd of soul winning. I was like, well, do you want to go to heaven? Well, yes. Well, pray this prayer with me. There's no presentation of sin. There's no presentation of the law of God. Now, I'm not saying we have to sit there and quote the Ten Commandments to them and help them understand. I'm not saying that. However, there does need to be a presentation that we have offended a holy God and that we are sinners because we have been condemned by the law. Another passage we can look at is Galatians chapter 3 and verse number 24. Galatians chapter 3 verse number 24, because there's a lot of people out there that don't think they are sinners. They think, well, I'm a good person. Yeah, I've made some mistakes, but my good outweighs my bad. Galatians chapter 3 verse number 24 says this. who's wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith, not justified by the law, but that the law says we are condemned, we are guilty, there is no hope except through Jesus Christ. From the way of the truth of life, no man cometh on father but by me. To bring us to him, to bring us to the point, there is no other way. That's why the road of salvation is a narrow one. And when we look at the law and we're honest with ourself about the law of God, it'll bring us to that point. Second, this morning, I want us to, first, it's the law that the Spirit of God uses to bring conviction. Second, most soul-winning programs pass over the facts of sin. Now, not all, but some do. The fact of sin, a man's lost condition far too lightly and quickly. This is unfortunate. I've seen this happen. They sometimes will teach a psalm winner to quote a verse or two about sin and then ask the individual, do you believe you're a sinner? Well, most of the time you will get the correct answer, but there's sometimes you need to do a little digging. And since studying this course, I do this with people, I do a little digging. They'll admit that they're a sinner, you do a little digging, but they think they're a sinner in certain circumstances, but not all. That they are, yes, they've made some mistakes. Many people will answer this in the affirmative simply because they know that they are not perfect, but they also do not believe that they are so wicked as to deserve God's wrath. That's a very important point. Most people will admit that they aren't perfect, but they also think of themselves as good, or at least that their good outweighs their bad. Yeah, I've done some bad, but my good still outweighs it. And there's a very important verse, we go to Isaiah. I think it's Isaiah 646. Yes, Isaiah 646 that our righteousness is as filthy rags before God that your very best is as a filthy rag before God and I've quoted that verse to a couple of people and they thought they were good and guess what they can't they'll get offended at that verse a little bit What do you mean that the best I can do is just a rag dirty rag before God? Yes Now remember God said it I didn't People sometimes have a hard time understanding that they're not going to heaven on their own merit. They think they are. They've been taught that all their life, but they will go to heaven on the merit of Jesus Christ. Now, not that they've done wrong, but they don't think of themselves as deserving of hell. In their minds, they redefine sin to be a lack of perfection or lack of self-esteem. You know you hear people say well, you know what? I just haven't been doing it, but I just need to do better I need to get in church and you do better and when I do bet I'll be fine and that they think that doing better and just getting a better grip on life and a better You know a better positive outlook then they won't that's that's not sin or that's they won't be sending anymore and they'll go transition into a good person and That sounds good, and that's what, unfortunately, the philosophy that our culture teaches now, and a lot of churches teach, but that's not what the Bible teaches. That's not what sin is. Sin is the transgression of God's law. Now, if they're a Catholic or a Hindu, they divide sin into categories of big or small things. Well, yes, I've done some big things, but, you know, God doesn't care about that little white lie. Well, read the Bible, he does. Well, he doesn't care about that little, that I stole that little thing, you know, it doesn't, wasn't breaking the secular law, so hey, I'm not breaking God's law. Even the smallest thing that's in the heart of man, God sees. They do not believe that, especially look at Psalm 51.5, let's turn over there, that they're not sinners from conception. Psalm 51.5 tells us that, that we are born sinners. You have a tough time convincing people of that sometimes, but the Bible says it. that we are conceived in sin. Psalm 51 verse 5, behold I was shaped in iniquity and not in sin did my mother conceive me. Not in a sinful act, but that because of the sin nature that has passed from generation to generation, every single person since Adam and Eve that has been conceived and born in this earth has been born a sinner with a sin nature. So how do you know that? And I've said this many times over, do you have to teach a baby or a toddler or a child how to lie? How to steal something from their brother or sister? How to throw a temper tantrum? How to be angry and hit and punch? What do we do? We have to teach them to do what's right. You don't have to teach a child to do wrong. That's because they're sent in nature. And that's a very good example to ask people. I said, did anybody have to teach you how to lie? Well, no. Anybody have to teach you how to steal? Well, no. Well, that's because this is nature. You know, even before you can remember as a child, I bet you if you talk to your parents, they're going to tell you, yeah. Oh, yeah. You you lied about this. You know, you know, it's amazing with toddlers. You know, Philip is almost two years old. You know, it's amazing what these kids will do. They have a cookie in their mouth and it's like sticking out. Are you eating a cookie? No. I'm not, you know, the evidence right there, you can see the cookie sticking out of their mouth. Are you eating a cookie? No. And you know, and what he started doing the last couple of days, he discovered how to climb out of his crib. I told my wife this morning, he's going to be a professional freeform climber. You know, because he just gets right out. The first time he fell out, the second, he didn't do it. The second time he did it, five minutes later, he didn't fall out. I mean, he lowers himself down. He's got a system going on, going on there. But you know what? I asked him yesterday, did you climb out of your crib? No. Do you just teleport out here? How did that happen? You're out in the hallway. You climbed out of his crib. I asked Caleb, what did you do? I didn't get him out. He climbed out. Caleb's like, I didn't do it. You know, I didn't have to teach him how to lie. Why? Because he's got a sin nature. Because we are conceived. And we also know that our very best is as a filthy rag before God. Now, an example of not plowing the ground sufficiently, over and over again, Jesus refers to evangelism and sow winning in the agricultural sense, that a sower went out to sow seed, sow the seed of the gospel, and some fell by the wayside and was picked up a bird, some fell among the hard ground, the stony ground, some fell among the thorns, but some fell on good ground. So four conditions there, and some people have disagreed with that. We look at it, but only one got saved out of the four, that heart that was properly prepared. We as Christian people sometimes there needs to be some plowing that is done. It's the Holy Spirit of God that saves the soul Amen, it's the Holy Spirit that convicts but we must give the Word of God and the more Bible we give The more opportunity we give the Holy Spirit of God to work in someone's life. I Sometimes we go so so quick in here and I agree with this That sometimes we try and slip the gospel in or slip in through a side door and kind of skip over sin again to pray Hey, if they pray they're on the way to heaven not if they're not they don't repent of their sin. I I was talking to someone last night, and also another time, a couple weeks ago, I said, hey, you know what, when you pray and you get saved, you gotta realize where your sin's taking you, it's taking you to the flames of hell. You know what some people do, is they just pray, well, you know, I'm sorry for my sin, and everything, but I'm gonna pray and ask God to forgive me, but I plan to go sin again tomorrow. You know, I plan to go to the club. I go plan to do drink and do drugs and all this stuff tomorrow. I'm not giving that up. Now, I'm not saying I remember repentance is not reformation. We don't get ourself all cleaned up, then get saved. But realize, you know what? I don't need that anymore. That's destroying my life. It also is sending me to hell. I'm turning my back on that. And Lord, I'm turned away from it. Lord, will you save me? And by thy grace, I'm not going to do that anymore. Amen. That's salvation. But people that pray, well, I'm just going to do what I want after I pray and I get this salvation thing cleared up, I can still go do what I want. Those people don't get saved because they don't really understand, either they don't understand or they're not willing to admit the severity of sin. And the penalty for sin is death. So here's a testimony that is shared by, was by a missionary visiting a prominent independent Baptist church that operates a large Bible college. He said, we went out with their staff on Saturday morning for soul winning. We were immediately partnered up with some of the veterans. The first door we went to, we spoke to a friendly Catholic guy, and to my surprise, the guy got saved before my very eyes. blank took him from a few scripture passages to the sinner's prayer so smoothly that I was caught off guard and I caught myself and while so-and-so was recording the man's contact details and writing it down I asked the man number one if he believed that he was a good person and number two that it was possible to go to heaven by being a good person this man who had just got saved told me yes and I looked around and the other two men beside me said nothing and did nothing. We went a few more places and eventually reached a home with a Roman Catholic young lady who came to the door. She said she was a professing Christian, even though she said that all churches were the same. So-and-so gave her assurance of salvation by quoting 1 John 5 13. It is unconscionable to deal with people in such a shallow way. It's true. Not everybody does this I'm not condemning everybody that has a soul winning plan But I'm saying there are some that this is the easy believism crowd that does this The Catholic guy acknowledged that he is a sinner, but he didn't mean by that that he was deserving of hell He didn't mean what the Bible means He still thought himself as a basically a good person deserving of heaven because of his goods deeds Obviously there was something that was missing there. I The lady that professed was a professing Catholic and said wall churches are pretty much the same. Well, we know that's not true But hey, but she already got saved. So we're just gonna quote her a verse and tell her she's on her way to heaven If she's not trusting in Jesus Christ when she comes before the Lord and He says depart from me I never knew you but hey so-and-so told me from the Independent Baptist Church that I was on my way to heaven because he quoted me a Bible verse and This is a very, very serious matter. You'd be very careful. You'd be very careful telling people that they're saved when they don't know for sure themselves. If you're really saved, you know, that's a very clear thing. You're truly and genuinely saved, you know in your heart the Holy Spirit of God bears witness with you that you are saved It's not a mystic mysterious thing if you're not sure about salvation. Maybe there's sin in your life Maybe there are some things we would trust in the promise of God's Word. Also, we have the witness of the Holy Spirit of God We need to be careful If someone isn't sure that they're saved, go over the Bible with them. And sometimes it's people, I tell people, this is what the Bible says about the promise. I said, but just because I said it doesn't make you saved. If you're not, then you're not. If you trust in this promise and you look at the promise of what you've done before God and you are 100% genuine in your heart and that you were honest with God, you know what the real problem is with some people? They pray and get saved. They're not honest with God about their sin. They're honest about most everything, but then there's sometimes one or two things that they don't want to be honest with God about. They want to hang on to that, and while that's not sin when God calls it sin, there's a lot of that in churches today. We need to be careful when we're leading someone to the Lord. That brings us to point number three. To be saved, I have to acknowledge that I am a sinner as the Bible says I am. To confess that I'm a sinner in a biblical saving fashion means that I stop making excuses for my sin and blaming others, stop calling myself good, and stop pretending that God will accept me as I am. God will not accept you as you are. He will not cast you out if you come to Him in your sinful condition asking for forgiveness, but God will not accept you as you are into His heaven. It's by the cleansing blood of Jesus we enter into the holy of holies and into the splendors of heaven. It's not as we are. That is a false teaching. But for this to happen, the ground of the soul has to be properly plowed, and divinely ordained plow is the law of God, showing us where we have sinned, the schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible is two-thirds law before we come to the New Testament with its gospel of grace. The Old Testament is the preparation for the new. Now, am I saying that we need to live by the Old Testament law? That's not what I'm saying. However, it is very instructive of what God expects, especially in regards to the holiness of God. You see God's holiness revealed in the New Testament in some ways, but it's in Isaiah chapter six, you see the revelation of God's holiness all through the Psalms. We see repeated over and over the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, the judgment of God. The wrath of God, yes, and also His graciousness and His forgiveness. We see that with Israel. He just wanted to wipe them out. He said, I'm done with these people. And Moses interceded and said, Lord, no. If it be possible, blot my name out, save them, but cast me into the fires of hell if it saves them. What a man, what a leader, amen. And God forgave and God was gracious. But we see over and over again God's holiness. Amplify one attribute at the expense of the others God is gracious. God is merciful. Well, we can't over amplify them to the point where we negate his holiness and his justice and his wrath against the children of disobedience as the Bible says So we cannot overemphasize one or the other now some people overemphasize the wrath and the judgment of God and forget about his love mercy and grace and You can go both ways with it. We got to, God is perfectly balanced in all His attributes and we must look at them all in that, yes, the wrath and judgment of God and He punished His sin. However, He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to be our Savior and that He's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. He must execute His law as a holy and just God, but still He takes no pleasure in destroying the wicked because they are His beloved creation. And number four, God's law exposes man's lost condition by revealing God's holiness and justice. To understand the need of salvation, man must understand who God is. He's not the man upstairs. The world describes him much more than that. That's a very disrespectful way of referring to him I just mentioned Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1 through 5 I encourage you to look at that how Isaiah did view the holiness of God he was high and lifted up and we need to see a resurrection of that in our living holy living and realizing who we serve as a holy and a merciful but a holy and majestic God They must see God as the creator to whom they are accountable for every thought and deed of their life. This is how the Bible reveals God from the very beginning in Genesis chapters one through three that we are accountable to God. Adam and Eve were accountable to God. Why? Because God created them. God gave them the garden to live in. God gave them all things and God gave them specific instructions. Wasn't very many either. Just to be fruitful multiply and then another one don't do this. Just one don't do it Just one Even man in his perfect state couldn't handle one. Don't do it right And we get upset when our kids can't handle just ones and Adam and Eve his dolts couldn't handle one I Amen? I'm not saying our kids get off with it, but they still need to understand there's a consequence, but still, that's just how man has been since the beginning. The law of God exposes man's condition. And then number five, God's law exposes man's sinful condition by showing what God requires. Not only is holiness and justice by what He requires. It's Amir, the schoolmaster. It is a law which takes away man's excuses and stops him from judging himself by human standards and comparing himself to other men and make…that makes him stand guilty before God." You know what? They said, well, I'm better than this person over here, so I'm okay. What does the Bible say? Comparing yourselves among yourselves, you're not wise. Don't do it. It's not about man's standard, it's about God's standard. Now the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 through 17 can very effectively in a brief way show people what this command is. Just go over there and show them. I've done this many times with people in that they show them, have you kept this commandment? No, have you kept that? No, no, no. I have one person tell me, well, I've kept all except one. I've broken one, but I'm good. Believe it's James chapter 4. No James chapter 2 this whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point He is guilty of all James chapter 2 verse 10, you know when people say well, I'm guilty of the one you're like Got him. All right, you go take him James chapter 2 verse 10 Hey bend in one point one Itsy-bitsy itty-bitty little point that seems small to us. By the way, there's no small points and small laws with God. We see that if you're guilty of that one point, you're guilty of the whole thing. You know, it's like someone coming up and saying, well, I'm just guilty of a little murder. It wasn't a big one. But are you still guilty of murder? Right? And, well, I lied. It was a little lie. But are you still a liar? Yes? While it's still something small, but it still makes you a thief. Guilty of the whole thing, of the whole charge. Even though, while it's small, you're still guilty as charged. See, that's what some people do. They go and they do something, they steal something small, and they get in trouble with the law and say, well, it was just a small thing, what's the big deal? What's the problem? You know, they do that with the babies. They abort them. Well, there's just a little thing. There's a little, they're just little. It is just a little thing. It's still a life. It's still murder. But that's how our society thinks. And it's sad. And that's how the devil wants our society to think. And that's why our society thinks, well, I don't, I'm not accountable to God. I'm a pretty good person. I've done pretty well. The law shows that all men who die without salvation will stand before God's judgment throne and give account of their life, give account of their deeds. God's standard is that we're to speak no corrupt words. No corrupt words come out of our mouth, according to Ephesians chapter four. But we've all said things in anger and corrupt words, rotten words. Not some of us curse, taking the Lord's name in vain, or, well, I've done that. Well, we've gossiped or we've said something in hatred or anger. All of us have done that. Then we're guilty. The law establishes the fact that all men are sinners who constantly break God's laws and that all men will be punished with eternal punishment. And this was the way of... the old-time preachers why God blessed them. So while they preach heartache and sin, J. Frank Norris once preached an entire week on the subject of hell without giving an invitation. Only after a full week of such preaching did he give an invitation and more than 150 people were saved, and genuinely. In the 1960s, Oliver B. Green preached 25 radio messages in a row on the wrath of God. And as the author says here, I doubt he could get away with that on any of the national Christian radio stations now. It would be considered far too negative. It's true. Everything, I didn't say everything, a lot of the soul winning plans are very quick and shallow today. And we've all been affected by the spirit of the times, which is quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. Salvation isn't always a quick thing. Now there's some people, and then we're going to get into some of the methods here over the next couple of weeks, get some more practical things, some of the methods and techniques of soul winning. Well, we've got to do it quick. We might not ever see them again. You know what? If they don't make a decision now, they could die and go to hell. Well, let's look at some biblical examples. The Philippian jailer, was Paul concerned about the speed of how fast he did it? Because that man wanted to know the knowledge of God. And he stood there and said, what must I do to be saved? He didn't say, well, I've got an appointment, Paul, you've got to hurry up. The Bereans daily looked at the Word of God and sought salvation. Now, should we make every opportunity that we can? But if someone's not ready, they're not ready. Don't push it. Give them a gospel track. Give them a way to contact you so you can get back in contact with them again. If they're not ready, they're not ready. Pushing them to a decision in a prayer and then saying, well, you know, they prayed and let's just hope it all works out. There's something to be very, very careful of. that you cling to a profession, people cling to that, and then when they're presented with the gospel again, like, oh, well, I prayed, and they said I got saved, so I'm saved, right, so I don't need that, and they push it away, they push it away, they push it away, and that's what happened to me for 16 years of my life. I cling to something because I was told that. I believed it, and I remember what I did, but I didn't really understand it as clearly, and I said, well, that's when you got saved. And I said, well, I guess that's when I got saved. And they said, well, this is what you said when you prayed. And I remember it, but I just, I couldn't, didn't grasp it all the way. But then when I did, there was a big change. Then when I did, it was life-changing. And when someone gets truly saved, you know it. When they get saved, they know the knowledge…they…their life is different. There's a change in them. They notice it and other people notice it. It's not some secret thing that it just…no, there's no evidence of it. And we're going to look at that here this morning in the morning message, Some Fruits of Salvation, and how to know if we're a genuine Christian or a counterfeit one. That's not a popular message today. Churches are full of people that think they're on their way to heaven, and they're not. So, I won't spoil the morning message, but we'll stop there. So, next week, we're going to begin looking at some of the reason for evangelism, and also some of the techniques and things. We'll look at about three or four lessons I'm going to condense down into one, so we can begin progressing through and getting to more of the practical areas. So, this morning, just think about that. Think about how to use the law of God. Know the verses of Exodus 20, how to use that to show someone that they're a sinner. Do you know how to show someone that they're a sinner besides saying, well, you know, Romans 3, for all of a sudden it comes from the glory of God. Okay, why am I a sinner? Oh, there's something in there somewhere about that. Go to Exodus 20. Oh, let's look at the 10 commandments. Need to memorize. Exodus 20, James chapter 2. Exodus 20, James chapter 2. You know those two? You're good to be able to show them. If you know other passages, show them those. That's not just two verses in the Bible, but this verse, verse, after verse, after verse, after verse that shows them their need of salvation.