Scripture Reading: Jude: 16-23 “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”

A highly trained and decorated fireman, who was also a trainer of younger and upcoming firemen, went out shopping for a present for his chief, and bought him a nice new Ipod. He brought it back to the firehouse, and just as he was opening the box a 5 alarm fire call came in. He jumped into the fire truck and also brought along the Ipod as well. Arriving at the fire, which was a 5 story apartment building, this fireman remained in the truck listening to the Ipod. As he was setting in his truck a family of 5 was at a window screaming to be saved. Based on his inaction this family of 5 perished. He was arrested and at his trial he testified that he loved his chief so much he wanted to make sure the gift was working properly before he gave it to him. The fireman was convicted and the chief separated himself for this fireman. If you were on this jury, what sentence would you give the fireman? Death, Life, 20 years, probation. Keep you answer in mind and we will come back to this in a moment.

Why are so many Christians afraid to witness to the lost. Well, for me it was because I didn’t know how to go about it, and I was afraid I would say or do the wrong thing and make that person worse off. I was also afraid of not having the right answer. However, if we are to follow Jesus our Master, then our job as Christians is to witness to those who do not know Him, so they will not perish. All you need to do is to talk to them about your Jesus story. Our Scripture lesson today in Jude tells us that those who do not know Jesus will go into the fire, and if we do not do our jobs and pull them from the fire they will spend eternity separated from God, which has been defined in the Bible as Hell.

How are we to go about talking to people who are not saved by the precious blood of Jesus? It is called the Law of God or the 10 Commandments. Let me give you some scriptures to make this point: Psalm 19:7: “The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul.” Galatians 3:24: “The Law was our Schoolmaster (tutor) to bring us to Christ.” Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those 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 no flesh will be justified in His sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 7:7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, You shall not covet.” Romans 2:15: “Those under the law show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

When you are witnessing to someone, you need to take the conversation from their intellect, the mind, which is the place of argument, to their conscious, the place where God has written the understanding of right and wrong. This is where they have no excuses for their sins. What has happened over the years is the church has gotten away from using the law, this schoolmaster, which we now know convicts those who are sinning and separated from God. We, as Christians have not been telling them they need a savior to save them from the wrath to come, which is the perfect judgement of a Holy and Rightous God. What has been preached has been something like, come to Jesus he has a WONDERFUL PLAN for your lives, He will solve your problems, make you happy, and he will rescue you from the hassles of life. Asking people to come to Jesus because He will make them happy or will give them a wonderful life is not the way to witness to them and bring them to salvation, they will more than likely fall away, especially when life gets hard and painful. Peace and Joy are by-products of a relationship with God, not reasons to come to Him for salvation.

Let me give you two different illustrations to prove this point. Two men get on the same airplane, the first man was given a parachute and is told by the fight attendant that the parachute would make his flight more enjoyable and comfortable. He takes the parachute and finds his seat. He finally puts on the chute and finds out that it is heavy and most uncomfortable. He then looks around and sees everyone laughing at him for putting on the parachute in a perfectly good airplane. He takes off the chute and throws it to the floor, disgusted and humiliated. The second man was given a parachute by another flight attendant, but he was told to put the chute on because he will have to jump from the plane at 10,000 feet. He puts on the chute immediately and goes to his seat. He does not care the chute is heavy or uncomfortable. He looks around and sees everyone laughing at him, but he does not care. Why? Because he knows why he is wearing the chute, he knows it will save his life when he jumps.

The first man was not told the real reason why he needed to put the parachute on, so when it became uncomfortable and when he was humiliated he throw it off with disgust. This is what happens when we try to witness to someone without using the law. They are told to come to Jesus for whatever reason or problem, and when the times get rough, which is what Jesus said would happen if you pick up your cross and follow him. They usually fall away. However, the second man was told why he needed the parachute and he clung onto it for dear life. Why? Because he knew it would save his life. This is what Jesus does for those who come to him in a repentant way and truly come to him for the right reason. We need to get away from telling people to become Christians because they will have a good time or that God will give them a wonderful life. We need to use the law of God to show them the reason why they need Jesus. Because they are sinners just like we are and they are in need of a savior and Jesus is that savior.

J. C. Ryle a 19th century preacher said: “People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven, and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell. Let us expound and beat out the Ten Commandments, and show the length, the breadth, and depth and height of their requirements. This is the way of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. We cannot do better than follow His plan. We may depend on it: men will never come to Jesus, and stay with Jesus, and live for Jesus unless they really know why they are to come, and what is their need. Those whom the Spirit draws to Jesus are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin. Without thorough conviction of sin, men may seem to come to Jesus and follow Him for a season, but they will soon fall away and return to the world.”

Now back to our fireman in the courtroom, what sentence did you give him? Did the firefighter have an obligation to fight the fire and try to pull those 5 people from the fire? If your answer is yes, and if you are not witnessing to the lost, then you are that FIREFIGHTER!

The above illustrations were taken from the witnessing course, “The Way of the Master”, by Ray Comfort and Kirk Camaron. Check out there website at http://www.wayofthemaster.com/