“What Will It Take to Bring You To Jesus?” 3/7/08
Sometimes it takes a real wake up call to get a persons attention, listen as I read today’s text as we read God talking to Israel.
Deuteronomy 30: 15-18 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land,---
We read here of Gods admonition to His people to do right, 2 Peter 3:9 not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He wants to save every body but people will have to be saved the bible way, its not like stopping off at the local hamburger shop and picking up a burger, people must be sincere and see their need and want to be saved.
But the sad fact is that most folks wait until it’s to late, or that it takes some sort of tragedy to get their attention.
Let me give you an example as to what happened to me.
As we think on our lives, we can all understand that we all have family members and we’ve grown accustom to all of them being there at home or at least we know where their at.
It seems we have the idea that they’ll always be there when we want to see them are be near them, but suddenly one of our dearest family members are taken from us by some kind of unexpected happening and it makes us stop and realize that their gone from our presents and this causes us to stop what ever we might have been accustom to doing and makes us want to change the direction our lives were going.
Some folks might say, why would God allow this to happen? and others might say that God don’t work that way, well let me assure you that He does.
Twenty four years ago our 16 year old son was killed in a car wreck along with two more young boys, at that time I was not living for the Lord, in fact I was a very sinful person, I never went to church,* I was running with the wrong crowd and caused much heart ache and pain to the people that loved me the most.
I’m ashamed of the way that I lived back then and wish I could cause them years to go away but I can’t.
These three young boys were killed on a Friday night. our son was not the driver, he was in the back seat.
But as I look back on it all now I can see the hand of God in it all, although I didn’t know it at that time.
The very next Sunday morning after the funeral, when I woke up, I said to my wife,” I BELIEVE I’ll GO TO CHURCH, AND SHE BEING THE PRECIOUS WIFE SHE ALWAYS HAS BEEN DIDN’T SAY A WORD BUT STARTED GETTING READY FOR CHURCH.
We went to the Pendleton St Baptist church of Easley S.C. where she and both my boys’ were saved and baptized earlier in life.
You may have heard of the drawing power of the Holy Ghost before, we’ll I can tell you first hand what it feels like.
Jesus said in John 6: 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
I went forward that morning and made things right with God, I didn’t know how to pray and I didn’t know what to say, I do remember asking God to forgive me of my sins and help me be a better Christian. I was saved when I was a youngster at a Pentecostal church; my Grand Pa Wright took me with him one Sunday morning.
And it so happened that they were having a baptism that night at the Pendleton St Baptist church, I made things right with God that morning and was baptist that night although I must admit that I really didn’t understand all that baptism meant at that time.
Rom.6: 3-6 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: -in other words, when we’re put under the water it is a picture of us being buried, dead to sin, with Him, and when we’re raised up from under the water, that is a picture of us being resurrected in a new spiritual life with Him.- that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, -we we’re immersed in the water, as being buried – dead to sin--we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
- If we die before the rapture and we’re put in a grave, we will be resurrected at the rapture with a glorified body just like the Lord Jesus glorified Body- 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. And let me say here that water baptism means to be immersed, put under, not sprinkled, have you ever heard of John the sprinkler?
John tells us in 1st JN. 3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Paul tells us in Philippians 3: 10-11 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
--20For our conversation* is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
And so it certainly is true that it was terrible that our son Jeffrey was taken from us so young, but there have been a lot of good things to happen because of it.
Many people got right with the Lord, because of this tragedy in our life.
The Lord my friend knows how to get our attention. We’ve all heard the old saying, “the Lord works in mysterious ways”. That’s not in the bible but it certainly is true.
Do you remember what Joseph told his brothers after he became a great ruler in Egypt?
His brothers didn’t like Joseph because of what he had told them in a dream he’d had.
The reason we’re going to read this account is to show us that God does at times work in mysterious ways.
Listen as I read the account in:
Genesis 37: 23-28 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26And Judah* said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
And then as time passed Joseph had gained favor with the Pharaoh as Joseph interpreted a dream he’d had to do with a great drought that was coming in the land and Joseph advised Pharaoh to store up much grain in preparation for the dry years, and because of this Joseph had now become 2nd in command, he road in the 2nd chariot behind the Pharaoh. There was none more powerful in all of Egypt other than the Pharaoh.
~~I’m reading us this account to show us that God does allow things to happen in peoples lives for the good of others.~~
And as God so directed, because of the drought Josephs brothers found them selves standing before Joseph the powerful man of Egypt, wanting to by grain to take back to their people, and after dealing with his brethren for a time, knowing that they were his brethren, although they didn’t recognize him we find in--
Gen. 45: 1-8 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me.! And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
2And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Let me say right here that Joseph is the best type of the Lord Jesus in the Bible, as He was a Jew and His people the Jews mistreated Him, but one day just as Josephs brothers finally recognized who he was, so will the Jews recognize Jesus when He returns.
We read in Zechariah 13: 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Some one might be saying, “God don’t do things like that” well,
But the best example of all is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus willingly gave His Life for us. And since He died for us, is it not reasonable that we should live for Him?
Romans 5: 6-7 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
So let me ask you dear listener, what Will It Take To Bring You To Jesus?
Is it going to take a tragedy to get your attention? People need to understand that every person in the world is going to have to be saved if they want to go to heaven, if they want to stay out of hell.
Jesus said in Mark 8:36-38 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Some one might say,” well I’ll get saved before I die, right now I’m having to good a time, I enjoy the sinful things in the world.”
Paul tells us in Galatians 6: 7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
I know that there is pleasure in sin, but sinner friend its only for a very short time.
Jesus said in John 7: 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready
Hebrews 11: 26—tells us pleasure in sin is only a short time- to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;-- its only for a season, its not going to last, and for many life’s end is about here, it matters not that you might be a young person, young people die every day from all manner of ways.
You may be one of these that say; “well I’ll take my chances.” No my friend, your swinging over the pits of hell on a shoe string and don’t realize it.
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Proverbs 29:1 1He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Before we realize it we’ve spent our lives, wasted our lives when we could have been living for the Lord, when we could have been laying up treasures in heaven and win a soul to the Lord every now and then. Come to the Lord young person and be rich in the things of God.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;--
Ecc.12: 13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
