This message tonight is something I felt very impressed by the Spirit of God to speak about it, and I am struggling with this topic as much as anyone here, and probably more than many of you. So we're going to begin by looking at Ephesians chapter 2. The subject tonight is making friends with lost people. Making friends with lost people. Is it okay to be friends with an unsaved person? Should I actively seek to be friends with lost people? Am I being hypocritical to develop friendships with people for the sole purpose of reaching them with the gospel? These are questions that come in my mind, and I'm certain in yours. Ephesians chapter 2, I want you to see that there are three, our first point tonight is that there are three types of human beings in scripture. Ephesians chapter 2, it says, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. This is like the amusement park of the devil. There's a course, everything is very carefully thought out and planned. There is someone in charge, the prince of the power of the air, and there's a spirit that goes with it. Notice this spirit, and this course, and this prince. Verse three, among whom also, among those things, and the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. That's the first type of human, the natural man. By nature, the children of wrath. This is the animal man, the man who lives in a natural state under the influences of his passions. We call him the unsaved man. It is that natural part of you and I that we don't have to search for. It is given to us. It is our nature, the natural man. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 now, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, the second type of man is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and that is the spiritual man, the saved man. There is a contrast between the spirit of the world and the spirit of God. The spirit of the world is wrapped up with the lusts of the flesh, the desires of the flesh and of the mind, the lusts of our flesh. 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 6. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to naught. Remember the prince of the power of the air. Verse 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God. The spirit of the world, remember, is that spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air. But we've received the spirit which is of God, that's the new nature, it's God's spirit in the believer. that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. We've received the Spirit of God, and the Holy Ghost is comparing spiritual things with spiritual. What is that? The believer's spirit is comparing notes with the words of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. We're comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And yes, we often use the chain references or the cross references, that's the word I'm looking for, in the Bible. Comparing scripture with scripture. But the Bible actually says comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And that is the ability to not only see what scripture is saying, and of course we need to study to show ourselves approved, but also to be able to compare spiritual things with what the Holy Spirit of God is saying and in contrast to the spirit of this world. to be able to have discernment to know what is spiritual and what is not. He continues, verse number 14, but the natural man, remember the unsaved man, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness unto him, because they, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ and the Spirit of God knows the things of God, verse 11, and the Spirit of God is that which we have received. And we are able to tell the difference between the natural and the spiritual because of God. I will say this, let me say this as a side note, if you don't have anything in you that resonates with God, you're probably not saved. Here's what I'm saying. You could be raised in church, and you can remember when you prayed a prayer. You can remember when you were in Sunday school, and you can remember the storyline. But if you don't have anything in you, and you can't remember ever having anything in you that resonated with God, what would make you think you're saved? You know the verses, you know the stories. Now I talk about this because if we had a bunch of lost people in here, I wouldn't be talking like this. I should say lost people raised out in the world, not raised in church. We have a lot of kids who are raised in church. And sometimes we think, my kids are in church, good, they're good to go. Not necessarily. If they don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, they're going to hell. They're not good to go. and they could go to hell from an independent fundamental King James Bible-believing dispensational Baptist church. How horrible would that be? Terrible, terrible thought that someone could be in the hospital and miss the cure. That's a scary thought. And so we have to remember that the spiritual things are not just going to church. A spiritual man will go to church. Amen. A spiritual man needs to be in church. But you can be in church and not be spiritual. So the first kind is the natural man. The second is the spiritual man. Continue on in chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. This is the third type of human that is the carnal man, the backslidden man. That is the Christian who's immature and cares more about the things of the world than he does the things of God. It's a miserable place to be. Why? Because you're basically having an affair on God. You have to have two identities. You have to have one identity for church, and then you have to have another identity when you're outside of church. You don't have to, but you do. That's a miserable way. You have to cover your tracks everywhere you go. You can't relax anywhere. Because when you sit down at the bar, the Holy Spirit gets up onto your shoulder and goes, hey, what are we drinking tonight? What's going to bring you the joy of the Holy Ghost tonight? And you're going to say, shut up. I'm a human being. And not everybody believes that drinking is wrong. You've got to argue with them. Right? And when you go out and hang out with these people who are leading you down the wrong path, the Holy Spirit is going to climb in the car with you. And he's going to say, where are we going tonight? We're doing drugs tonight? What are we doing? And you're saying, come on, not everybody is as narrow-minded and bigoted as my parents. And the Holy Spirit says, you know where your parents got that idea from, don't you? Got it from me. I'll be outside. It's hard to be a Christian and live like the world. It's very hard. But it can be done, amen? It can be done. The carnal man, the saved man who's backslidden. He said, verse 2, I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it. Neither yet now are you able, for ye are yet carnal. What's one of the indications of carnality? For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men? So we have the three kinds of people here. We have the natural man, we have the spiritual man, and the carnal man. I am going to talk to you tonight about trying to make friends with lost people. But I want you to understand, some of you don't need to try to make friends with lost people. That's the only friends you have, are lost people. And the reason is because you're fine with what they do, they're fine with what you do, and the one little thing you've never told them is that you're actually saved. That's the only thing that you don't share, you haven't shared with them yet. And so I want you to understand my goal here is not to push you to the carnal man. My message tonight is to try to help you understand the difference between the natural and the spiritual and how Jesus Christ wants us to treat those who are natural men. Let's look at James chapter four. James chapter four. The second point is There is a difference between the world as a system and a lost person. There is a difference between the world as a system and a lost person. I feel like it's in the middle of July or something. Everybody's fanning their faces and so forth. Lord, send the cold! Cool us off, Lord! Oh, that's when you know you're in Western culture. James chapter 4, verse 1. James 4, 1. Remember he talked about that envying strife and divisions, 1 Corinthians. He said, you lust and you have not, you kill and desire to have and cannot obtain, you fight and war yet you have not because you ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts. Who is he speaking to? Believers or unsaved? Believers. He said, you are killing others and you're fighting with others And it's because of the lust in your heart. And he said you're not getting your prayers answered because it's all about you getting your Christmas list filled out. And then he says, ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. What is the world? First John chapter 2 verse 15, you don't have to turn there, I'll read it for sake of time. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Three times he says the world, the world, the world. For all that is in the world, What is the world? John tells us, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. That's what's in the world. You see, when he talks about the world, he's talking about lusts. He's talking about sin and the desire to sin and the drawing away of our heart from God From the things of the Spirit of God to the things of the flesh. That's what the world system does. Of the world. Notice in verse 4, James 4.4, it says nothing about being a friend of a lost person. He said, Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, I don't know about you, the friend of the world is very difficult to have in a one person. There's a difference between the world and a person. Now believe me, the natural man is definitely of the world. Carnal, there's no doubt about it. The fleshly lusts that every natural person has, that is what is personified in an unsaved person. That is what the world is talking about. But we've got to understand the difference. You see the tension? Do you feel the tension? That's the tension that I feel. I was raised very strictly. And I was raised almost with the concept in my mind that lost people were another race. An alien race. I was different than they were. I was better than they were. I was not going to do those evil, nasty, disgusting things that they do. And the problem is, as I've been raised, I realize I know a lot of lost people who have more character than I do. I'm saved, but I'm more disgusting than that person. It's kind of a weird juxtaposition to begin, because on one hand, you know Jesus Christ, and on the other hand, you know you're no different than any lost person. So you want to be clean and pure for the Lord, but the problem is that makes it sometimes difficult to want to interface with people who are lost because it's almost like they have cooties. You don't know whether it's going to jump on you. I mean, that's a dangerous thing when you're in fifth grade. Cooties are a real problem. And you can laugh about it all you want, but you know it's real. It's true. Those cooties will get you. And it's almost that way, my mindset towards lost people. Can I get it by shaking their hand? Am I going to become like a lost person? Are they going to magnetize me to the devil if I get around them? I'm just going to be sucked into the vortex of vileness? It's a weird feeling. And you want to serve the Lord, and you love God, and you know He is holy, and yet you just You feel that tension. Can I be normal with this person or do I have to make sure that there's a line drawn around me, a circle that no one can come into the bubble? Look at John chapter 17. John chapter 17. John 17 is the prayer that Christ prayed to his father and it is Infinite. Very humbling and inspiring and challenging all at the same time. 1714. Christ is praying to his Father. He said, I have given them, that is the disciples, I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Thank God for that. Jesus Christ was the real extraterrestrial. He came from somewhere else other than Earth, thank God. If he had not come from outside of this Earth, he would be just like the rest of us. But he came from God. He said, I'm not of the world, and they're not of the world. Why? Because I'm putting my spirit in them. They have my words, which are not from this world. Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven, and he deigns to bring it to us, and give it to us, and fill us with the Spirit of God. But notice verse 15, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Can you be friends with a lost person? You can if you're in love with Jesus Christ. He said, I don't want to take them out of the world. I want to keep them from the evil that's in the world. Verse number 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Now, how do we do this? Here's the first key. Sanctify them through thy truth. They're not of the world, but they're going to be in the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. You can be friends with a lost person as long as you're faithfully in the Word of God. The Word of God will sanctify you. But when you find yourself wanting to hang out with a lost person and neglect your Bible, you're becoming carnal. So you're saved, but you're acting like a lost person. So you've got natural, you've got spiritual, and in between you've got carnal. So the devil can't take you to natural man again, but he certainly can get you to carnal. He can make you consumed with your flesh, the meat on your bones. What makes your body happy? He can certainly get you to that. You say, well, I want to be friends with a lost person. Stay in the book. Read the Bible. Sanctify them through thy truth. God will clean your heart. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee. Oh, let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." Can you be friends with a lost person? Well, the question is, can you be like Jesus with a lost person? You can if you're sanctified by the Word of God. So I would suggest this, if you want to be friends with a lost person, read your Bible. And read it, and read it, and read it, and read it. and read it, and don't stop reading it. You know, the lost person's not reading the Bible. So of course, if you're gonna hang out with them, it's gonna be easier for you to stop reading your Bible. So when we say, why just don't hang out with them and I don't read my Bible? Then you're missing the mission that Jesus Christ gave to us. See, somehow we get the secondary separation idea that says, well, I'm saved and I may not see a lot of people come to Christ and they may not know any lost people, but bless God, I don't do the junk that they do. That's not why Jesus Christ left us on the earth. He didn't leave us here to be better than lost people. How do I know? Because you're not better than a lost person. I'm not better than the lost person. So he left me here for what? It's like when you cross an atheist and a Mormon, what do you get? Somebody who knocks on your door for no apparent reason. You cross a Christian who doesn't read their Bible and doesn't do a lot of sin and doesn't reach lost people. What do you got? Somebody who's on the earth for no apparent reason. What are you doing? I don't think that you're here, I don't think that you and I are here just to see people saved. So that's why I don't witness. You see how we go from one extreme to the other? We say, it's not all about knocking on doors, telling everybody and getting them to pray 1, 2, 3 for me. So I don't even talk to anybody about Jesus. Somehow I'm better than everybody else that does it the wrong way. Are we weird as Christians? Verse number 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Why? He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Where are the lost people? They're in the world. The lost people are not the world. How do I know that? When a person gets saved, the world does not cease to exist. When a person gets saved, the world keeps on clicking. So he sent us into the world to get people out of the world. We got to go into the world to get them. He said, I'm not taking you out of the world. I want to keep you from the evil of the world. Can you be friends with a lost person? Absolutely. If you're sanctified by the word of God and you're going in, you're going in covered. I used to play Contra years ago on video game. Somebody cover me. I'm going in. Are you with me tonight? Amen? Some of you kids from the 80s, you know what I'm talking about. I'm going in God, cover me with your word. I'm going in spirit of God, I need your help. He says, and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. Aren't you glad he put that in there? Why? Because I'm in that verse. Them also which shall believe on me through their word. You know why I'm here? Because of the word of the apostles. And the word of the apostles got passed on to somebody else who passed it on down, passed it on down, passed it on down. Here I sit because somebody believed Jesus Christ and went and told somebody else about Jesus Christ. But see, here's what happens. We look at it and we think the two extremes. One, I just need to have a relationship with God. I just need to be close to God. I need to get my Bible. I need to pray. I need to keep myself from the world. There is a time for that, for sure. There is a time for that. You need to be away from the world. But other people say, no, it's all about, you got to get out there. You got to win those people. Stop the first person you meet. Grab them by the tie. Cinch it up until they're afraid of hell. And tell them, get right with God. That's an extreme as well. Why? Because I don't have the power or the care to be the Spirit of God. I just don't. But the Spirit of God can be Him through me. He said, I'm praying for those that shall believe. Let me ask you this. Who has believed on Jesus Christ through your word? Verse 21, that they all may be one. as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Jesus is saying, Father, I want to take these guys that I've seen, one to you, and gathered to the family of God, and I want to see them go out and get more people and bring them into the family of God, and I want to have a whole passel of people in the family of God. That's what Jesus wanted. Now look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. I'm trying to show you the difference between the world as a system and a lost person. The world as a system and a lost person. 1 Corinthians 5, 9. 5, 9. I wrote unto you in an epistle. There's another book that we don't have. I don't think that we have it. But he said, I wrote unto you in an epistle. By the way, we don't have all that Paul wrote. We have what God wanted us to have. He said, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to accompany with fornicators. Well, amen for that. Yet, yet, yet, not altogether with the fornicators of this world. Fornicators of what? This world. You see, this world is all about fornication, isn't it? You know why people don't get married? Because they don't want to get married. They can get everything they want without getting married. There's a lot of fornicators in this world. But he said this, I didn't tell you don't hang out with the fornicators of this world. He said, I'm telling you not to hang out with Christians who are fornicating. But he said, you can hang out, you can be with these people, company. You can be in company with the fornicators of this world. What does that mean? He said, not altogether with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters. He said, I'm not telling you don't be around people that are fornicators and covetous and idolaters of this world, unsaved people who are struggling with that. Why is that? For then must ye needs go out of the world. What did Jesus say in John 17? I've sent them into the world. I sent them into the world. But he said, but now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such in one know not to eat. You know what's weird? We get exactly the opposite, don't we? We're good friends with carnal Christians, and we excuse ourselves for what we do, watch, say, eat, wear, all the rest of it, because of other Christians. And we won't cut other Christians off. But we'll cut the lost world off. Why? A bunch of heathen pagans? Paul said, switch that thing around. Switch it around. Stop hanging out with carnal Christians and making yourself feel good about the poor choices you make as a Christian. And start hanging out with people that have less knowledge of God than you do. People who have no salvation. People who have no understanding of the Bible. And you say, what are we talking about here? You want me to go out and find a lost person and be friends with them? Look at Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, verse 19. Jesus is speaking, he said, the son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, but wisdom is justified of her children. Now they're accusing, they're accusing Jesus Christ of being a glutton and a winebibber, which he was not. Was he a friend of publicans and sinners? He was. He was a friend. I'll prove it to you. Look at Matthew 26. Matthew 26, 47. Matthew 26, 47. Garden of Gethsemane. 2647, while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and saves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same as he, hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, who is this? Judas came, and said, Hail, master, and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus and took him." Now either Jesus was being sarcastic or Judas was a friend. I understand the reference to Ahithophel in the Psalms, my known familiar friend in whom I trusted, for certain. But that proves the case. David and Ahithophel were friends. Jesus Christ and Judas were friends. You can't be a friend with a guy for three and a half years and be around him and hate him every moment and fight every moment and get the job done that Judas got done. May I remind you, we know who Judas was now from this side, but everybody on that side thought he was the best, most trustworthy, godly, great man of the Lord. Why? He was the one that held the money. He went out and did miracles. And Jesus said, friend, what are you doing? Was it real betrayal? It was real betrayal. Why? Because it was real friendship. It requires real friendship to truly be betrayed. You never find Jesus Christ holding Judas at arm's length. You find Jesus bringing Judas in. That's pretty wild, isn't it? Well, he's a pagan. How about he's a devil? I don't know how many friends you have that are unsaved, but I would imagine none of them are a devil. Judas was. But what did Jesus do? He brought him in! He brought him in. He fed Judas before he died. He handed the sop to Judas. And nobody got it. Nobody got it. The point is there is a difference between the world as a system and lost people individually. Let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. I can tell this is a challenging thing. Either that or everybody's going to sleep because this is a challenging thing for me. I've been raised in church all my life. 1 Corinthians 6, 9. Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. That is a laundry list of evil. The worst people, you would not want these people living next door to you. But here's the weirdest thing. They wouldn't want to live next door to you either. Why? Verse 11, and such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are... You know, you only have to use the disjunctive conjunction one time. He uses it three times. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified. He's showing them that there's a difference. Why? In the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. That's why I'm different. I'm only different because of the name of Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. That's the only difference. Now, I've never smoked a cigarette. I've never drunk a drop of alcohol intentionally that I knew about. Maybe it was in something that I didn't know about. It's like a guy heard, he said, is there wine in this sauce in the chicken dish? Yes, but it's been cooked out. Well, can you cook some more back in? Amen. That may be about as close as I've ever gotten. I've never done all of these things. So that means I'm better than all these people, right? I'm not going to tell you where I am in this list, but I'm in there. And so are you. Verses 9 and 10 is your bio. It's describing you, your natural flesh describing you, whether you like it or not. And here's the reality. He's writing to believers in Corinth, saved, born again children of God, and he's saying, remember, such were some of you. And here's where I see this balance that is needed. How can you be a friend with a lost person? Number one, remember who you used to be and who you are. Remember who you used to be and who you are. Now, this is a challenge. This is a challenge. Because on one side, we'll focus too much on what we used to be and what we wish we could be. And we become carnal. On the other side, if you focus too much on who you are and forget who you were, you can become pharisaical. What does God want you to do? He wants to remember both. Who you used to be and who you are. See, the devil wants to come along sometimes and remind you, you're nothing more than what you used to be. You can remind him that thanks to the name of Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God, I am not what I used to be. But then if that doesn't work to bother you, the devil will come over here and say, thank God, you're so much better than those nasty people. You fast twice in the week. You give tithes of all that you possess. And then when you go to church, you begin to pray with yourself. I thank God that I am not as other men are. Thank God that I'm better than all them heathen. Remember, such were some of you. God can remind you of that. What's the purpose? Can I just remind you that God can use this not just to humble you, but to help you. Remember, there's still people outside that God wants to reach. There's still nasty, filthy people. Thank God in Greyhound, you're gone from that old life. But don't forget, you used to live in that nasty part of town. You used to hang out with those people and do those things. And now it's easy for you, especially when you look at your kids who are so super spiritually clean, because they've never been given the opportunity to sin like you had. And if you're not careful, you think somehow you're so far removed from that, and we've got the godly line of Seth finally up and running. We heard about it for years and now we got it. Look at the thing go. Our children are just getting better and better and better and better. No, they're getting further and further and further from Jesus Christ. Like the Pharisees. The Pharisees sent Jesus to the cross. Why? In the name of God. This man must be killed because he blasphemed God. Idiot, he is God. What are you talking about? They had no clue who God in the flesh was. Why? Because they were consumed with being clean and separated and different and special and better and superior. And so they did not even recognize God in the flesh. I think Jesus Christ embarrassed the Pharisees. Why? Because he was too common. He was too much of a people person. He was too connected with society. How can you be friends with a lost person? Number one, remember who you used to be and who you are. Number two, be a normal human being. Be a normal human being. You know what the difference between you and a lost person is? They'll admit that they like sinning. You like it but won't admit it. Just be a normal person. You say, you're telling me I should sin? Listen, you're gonna do it anyhow. No, I'm not saying you should sin. I'm saying stop thinking you're so much better because you like it and won't admit it and they like it and admit it. You like it, but you lie about the fact that you like it. How does that make you better from somebody who's honest about the fact that they like sinning? Don't be a hypocrite. Be a normal person. You know, I'll be honest with you. Sometimes I've seen people witness and it's awkward. Now listen, I will tell you this, because all of us are, we're so concerned about being awkward. There are awkward people that God uses in awkward ways to win people to Christ. And I am not, I am not here to cut them loose and say they're weird. No, God uses them. I've seen it over and over and over again. But for people that consider themselves normal, we'll allow ourselves to do nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing for God. And it builds up, builds up, builds up. When we see somebody, we're like, you're going to hell if you don't get this. And this is the first they've heard about it. They don't realize they're going to hell. But all of a sudden, someone is coming at them with something. And they're sitting there. Let me just ask you this. You had a friendship with somebody. And if you have a friendship with someone, and they say, you know what I like doing? I like putting puzzles together. Is that weird? I don't think it's weird. I don't do a lot of puzzles, but some people love them, think they're great. I don't think that's weird. But you know, every time I'm around them, they go, I like puzzles. And I like them too. Puzzles are great. Yeah, puzzles are. They can be a lot of fun. It can be challenging. I've had some challenging puzzles. How many puzzles have you done? You know, at some point, we're going into the weird area of puzzles. Why? Because that's just weird. But how many times do we feel like every time we see our neighbor, Jesus. Jesus loves you. Don't die and go to hell. Okay, I'll try not to as I take my trash out to the road. Have fun with your puzzles. I'll see you later. I mean, people are weirded out. You remember, when you got saved, how much of it was up to you? Just believing on what the work had already been done, right? So how about using that same spirit and allowing the Spirit of God in your witness? Instead of trying to fabricate something where they're against the wall, they're alone in the break room. Sit down next to them. For God so loved the world, that he gave. I love the Bible and I love God. Lord, you know there are a lot of lost people in this, in this room even. You freak people out. You freak them out. And they look at you and they think, I am okay with what you're saying, but I'm not okay with you. It's like, I may, if I'm not careful, I may not be able to get that weird puzzle person out of my mind if I sit down to do a puzzle. They may not be able to get you weirdo Christian out of the way of Jesus in their mind. You don't want them to think that somehow or other they've got to join the Jim Jones cult to be a Christian. There's a lot of weird people. So be a normal human being. Would they believe you if you said you love Jesus? Or would that weird them out? Number three, intentionally, this is how to be friends with a lost person, intentionally develop friendships around common interests. Lost people do not have cooties. Sin is not going to rub off on you. You have enough sin already to start with. Can you really hang out with unsaved people? It depends on what you're gonna do with them. I've got a list of 120 different clubs in Toledo. that I think you could probably join without shaming the name of Christ. The Ability Center, American Society of Civil Engineers, the Ariel Shakespeare class, Clans of the Heather, Blue Bells of Scotland as well, Committee on Relations with Toledo, Spain. I'm not sure how exciting that club would be, but you never know. Constitutional Defense League, Daughters and Sons of Peace, Friends of the Maumee, Girl Scouts of Toledo, Great Toledo Bird Club, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, some of you are already a part of that, you don't even know it. We need to pay your dues, they're gonna come after you. Ladies Literary Club of Sylvania, Sylvania, hey. I think the Lord could use me in Sylvania, amen. I make fun of Pastor Matt all the time about Sylvania. Let's see, Lucas County Floricultural Society, Toledo Animal Shelter Association, Toledo Aquarium Society, Toledo Automobile Club. What do they do? They just drive around. I don't know what they do. Toledo Aviculture Society, Toledo Camera Club, Toledo Coin Club, Toledo Garden Club, Toledo Junior Bar Association. Not. This is not nightclubs for kids, okay, I understand. Toledo Tennis Club, Woodmen of the World. Right here in Toledo. A couple of brawny lads over there. The Young Men's Literary and Debating Society, oh my. You see what I'm talking about? These are real people that are looking for things to do. They like to do things, and so they go and do them with other people. Now, I would not encourage you to go and join these clubs for the sole purpose of button-holing every member in the club to tell them about Jesus Christ. You ought to be ready and willing to share the gospel, and you ought to be praying that God places you in situations and where it comes up, and you ought to be seeking those things. But Jesus Christ did not turn people off except for the Pharisees. People were drawn to him. They wanted to know what he thought. They liked him. And sometimes as believers, we get this, we know we have this burden, but we're not yielded to the spirit, and we haven't done enough witnessing to where it all builds up, and then we just unleash the beast. Coming out of chute number five, raging Christian. And we come out, and we got eight seconds to get the gospel in before we get thrown out. Sorry, a little rodeo for you. I like rodeos. What does he say in Proverbs 18? A man that hath friends must do what? Show himself friendly. Friendship is based on trust and time. Friends enjoy being around one another. Friends are open and honest with one another. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 10, Luke chapter 5. 1 Corinthians 10, Luke chapter 5. 1 Corinthians 10.27. 1 Corinthians 10.27. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, then ye be disposed to go. What does that mean? Inclined. You want to go. Whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake. How many lost people have invited you to eat with them? Notice, if any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, These are unsaved people asking believers to go and eat with them. Wow, how is that possible? They're friends. They're friends. Why is it that most people get saved because someone else just got saved? Because they're friends. Why is it that you haven't seen someone one to Christ recently? It's because you don't have any lost friends. And your lost friends you're holding at arm's length because you're afraid their sinful life is going to rub off on you. But it's not like you don't have sin anyhow. Right? I mean, you're doing pretty good in the sin area, even without lost people. Look at Luke chapter 5, verse 29. Here's Levi, which is Matthew. Luke 5.29, and Levi made him a great feast in his own house. Levi invited Christ to a feast in his house. You know, I'll be honest with you, I think about the people on my street and I think, man, I gotta invite them to my house. Jesus was friends with people to such an extent, they were inviting Him over their houses. That's pretty, wouldn't that be relaxing? Wouldn't that be something that you feel like, man, God is working here. I don't have to do all the heavy lifting. You say, well, I've got lots of lost friends. Remember, spiritual, natural, and carnal. Are you in the Word of God? Do you love Jesus Christ? Are you seeking to honor Him with your life? If so, that's a spiritual man. If you're saved, but you really wish that you didn't have, Christians didn't have to be so weird and awkward, and you apologize for the Bible, and you were embarrassed by Jesus Christ, you are a carnal Christian. You don't need to make friends with the lost. You need to make friends with Jesus. You need to get out of the carnal area and get into the spiritual realm. But notice here, It says that he invited him to his own house and it says that there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples saying, why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. You know, we just need some good Christian fellowship. Yes, you do. You know what you really need is to get fired up about Jesus. And if you get fired up about Jesus, it can be just as invigorating and more so to hang around with unsaved people when you know that you're gonna get an opportunity to build a friendship where you can talk about Jesus Christ to someone who's never heard. That can be just as exhilarating as Christian fellowship. I'm not saying you don't need Christian fellowship. I'm saying there's a balance here. Jesus is sitting down eating with those that are lost. And he said, I came not, verse 32, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said, I came to call sinners. You know, Jesus could call sinners because he had sinners' phone numbers in his phone. He could call them because he knew them. He was connected with them. Look at Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19, verse 1. Luke 19, 1, And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. Notice, Jesus came to where he was, he looked up and invited himself over his house. Why? He knew Zacchaeus wanted him to come over his house. Isn't that a little pushy? Well, when you're God, you can do those kinds of things. You can say, I'm coming over. Get ready. Amen? And that's something maybe you don't feel. But notice, he knew Zacchaeus' heart and he knew that Zacchaeus wanted him to come over his house. But he was perhaps a little afraid. He was distant. He was removed. He was in a place that nobody else was. He was up on a tree. Jesus came and looked up and said, hey, get down here. We're going over to your house. And notice what he said. And he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, There's always some they around. They all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. So you're saved, but you have lost friends. Hmm. Pharisees. Pharisees. You see, I'm trying to find the balance here because I know some of us are like, exactly, that's what I've been saying, Christians are so bad. No, you need to fall in love with Jesus Christ. You're a carnal Christian. And just, you can post on Instagram all the wickedness and the liberty that you have, I'm sorry, not the, not the, the liberty you have in Christ. but that doesn't make you uh... sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth you're not sanctified by the word of God you're living in the course of this world the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life that's what you're living in no no don't go out and make friends with people you're not going to help them at all you're just going to push them into hell Don't do that. But if you're a person who loves Jesus Christ and you love the Word of God, this is a little bit more of a challenge. It's a challenge. Why? Because it's a little bit of a tightrope. It forces you to depend on the Spirit of God. Not you. Why? Because in my flesh, I don't want to be around you. You're disgusting. Or I like the fact that I'm better than you. So I want to be removed. But look what he says here. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I've taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, for so much as he also was a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Let me remind you that you cannot see someone saved until you go seek someone. Seek comes before save. You must go look for these people. And some of us, maybe we get wrapped up in the, I used to be a druggie, I used to be a disgusting human being, but Jesus saved me out of the world, and I haven't talked to a lost person normally since. That's how we get. We go from one extreme to the other. But God wants to send us back into the world not to become like them, but to help them become like God, to pull them out of the fire. What if we had firefighters here in Toledo who were afraid of going into burning buildings? You've got to get in there, but you're insulated, you're isolated, so to speak, from the fire, but you're in the fire. That's the only place that you should be if you're going to be a firefighter. Go into the burning building. You say, well, I'm going to get burned. Not if you're suited up with the Word of God. Not if you have the Holy Spirit of God filling you. You've got oxygen tanks. You've got flame-resistant material on you. You're going to be okay. You're going to be hot. And it's going to be very uncomfortable. And it's hard work. Thank God for our first responders. It's going to be very difficult. But it must be so if people are going to be rescued. You have to get in where they are. You have to go in where the people are in danger. Otherwise, Why'd you suit up to begin with? It's not comfortable being a Christian in 21st century America. It's not easy. There's a weight to holiness. It's unnatural. It's spiritual. And we have to recognize that it's not my great personality, charm, and charisma that's going to help people come to Jesus Christ. It's going to be the Spirit of God, and it's going to be the Word of God working through me. God, help us to learn this is easier to preach about than it is to do. It's easier to listen to than it is to implement. This day is salvation come to this house. Why? Because Jesus came to the house. What if Jesus had never come to the house? Salvation wouldn't have come to the house. He had to come to the house where Zacchaeus was to bring salvation. He came to the place. He intentionally befriended Zacchaeus. He acted like himself. He invited himself over. And if you're going to do God's work, remember this. You're going to have to tune out what quote unquote religious people say. It's not gonna be easy. It may even be your own pharisaical mind. Look at Mark chapter five. We'll close out tonight. Mark chapter five, verse 14. Mark 5, 14, it says, and they that fed the swine, we're talking about the man that had the devils, Some have called him the maniac of Gadara. And Christ casts out these devils. It says, they that fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country and they went out to see what it was that was done. Notice people are spreading the news about Jesus. But it's not good news. Verse 15, they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. They said, here's his testimony. He was a wild, crazy man that couldn't be chained. And Jesus came and kicked the devils out, and the swine went down. And it says, verse 17, and they started a prayer ministry. They began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. Jesus is being asked to leave. He's rejected by this culture. No one wants him in this town. And when he was coming to the ship, he's leaving because he got kicked out. He's a perfect gentleman. He that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. He wanted to leave this Christ-rejecting culture and live with Jesus. Why? Because nobody wants Jesus. Jesus changed my life, but nobody wants Jesus here. Can I just go with you, Jesus? I just wish the rapture would come and get us all out of here. Because there's a bunch of Christ-rejecting, wicked, iniquitous men and women all around me, just perverts everywhere I look. Lord, would you just please come and get me out of this Laodicean age? Verse 19, how be it Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, go home to thy friends. Go home to thy friends. The Lord wanted him to start with his friends. These are ones, by the way, who rejected Christ. These were the ones that could not help him. These are the ones that had no answers for sin. No answers for demon possession. They had no answers for the depression that he felt. The addictions that he struggled with. They had no answer for him. But Jesus said, go back to that wicked culture to your friends. And do what? And tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee. and have had compassion on thee. You see, when he told about compassion and the Lord, he was talking about something that nobody in that culture knew anything about. They knew nothing about the Lord. They had no compassion. They said, you go out and live in the graveyard. Get out of this town. We have a nice civilization. We have a nice neighborhood. We don't need your kind around here. They're kicking people out. They don't have compassion. God uses a broken man that's filled with Jesus and sends them back into a wicked culture to tell these people about what God, he said, you know what, if you don't want me, I'll send this guy. How great of a Savior do we have? He's willing to bend over backwards, let you slap him in the face and say, Father, forgive them. That's what we're supposed to do. Supposed to go into this wicked world. We're supposed to go next door to our neighbors and strike up a conversation with them and not try to buttonhole him into talking about puzzles. Not try to force him into this corner where he can't retreat. We're not trying to make him feel weird. Well, and you'll hear sometimes I'll say, you'll hear people say, well, I invited him to church, hope they come. They're not gonna come. Why? Because they don't know you. They don't know what interests you. They don't care what interests you. They know nothing about you. You know the people that come to church most often are people who come because the people that come care about the people who invited them. At least enough to come. You know the reason why you saw people come to the Christmas cantata? Because those people care about you. And so they decided to come. There are exceptions. But most of the people that have gotten saved in this church, it has been because of friends reaching them with the gospel. Family members getting together, talking, perhaps arguing. The roller coaster of emotions. And the Lord finally brought them into home plate. He finally brought them into the fold. Notice what it says here in verse number 20. And he departed, and he began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him, and all men did marvel. You know, they didn't marvel when they met Jesus Christ. They rejected him. But they marveled when this man started talking about Jesus Christ. You know the reason why Jesus Christ left this world? It was because he doesn't need to be here to get the job done. He said, the centurion, he said to the centurion, there's no better man, no more faith than that man has right there, why? He said, I don't have to even come to his house, just speak the word and my son will be healed. He likes working remotely. Jesus likes seeing the spirit of God use his children to do things remotely. He's leaving and he's sending this man back into the culture that rejected Jesus Christ. But the Lord said, you won that round, but you're not going to win the next one. Because I'm going to send somebody in there that knows you from the time you were little, and you know them, and it's going to bug you because you can't explain what happened to this guy. And it's going to bug you so much that at some point, you're going to break. There's going to be a crack in the dam. And then all of a sudden, the grace of God is going to pour into that wicked culture because somebody went and told that person. Now remember, somebody didn't just go and hand out a tract. You should hand out tracts. Somebody didn't just go and preach on the street, and you should preach on the street. Someone didn't just go and do a Facebook post with a meme of some kind that says, I love Jesus, and you should do that. Somebody went back and talked to his friends. You gotta have friends before you can talk to your friends. So what's my message? My message is make friends with a lost person. How are you gonna do that? I'll be honest with you, I have no idea. I have no idea. But I know this, you're probably already in some kind of a club. You follow somebody on Pinterest. You probably have a group of friends on Facebook. You see somebody's outfit and you comment on that, you're making a connection. You see a guy's car and you talk about that car, you're making a connection. My prayer and the aim of this message, I believe the Spirit of God put on my heart is to make friends with lost people. I'm not telling you to be wicked and ungodly. I'm not asking you to be carnal. I try to explain the difference between spiritual and natural and carnal. I'm simply saying that the spirit of Christ which is in you desires to reach lost people by making friends with them. Do you have them over the house? Maybe. Maybe you make it a goal to be such a good friend they invite you to go out. Maybe you join a club. Maybe you Do something in your neighborhood. I don't know, but I know this. There's a lot of people out there that Jesus would be talking to if he were here. There's a lot of people out there would love Jesus and know him by name if he lived in Toledo. And I think he still wants to do that same work remotely today through his people. Let's bow our heads in prayer.