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Chapter 7
Chapter 7. What did Jesus do? In recent years, it was popular in some sectors of the church to ask, what would Jesus do? And as often happens with catchphrases, it's been taken to extremes, everything from what did Jesus eat to what did Jesus drive. At first glance it might seem worthwhile to ask what Jesus would do in a particular circumstance, but the question has an inherent flaw. It opens the door to speculation.
The answer becomes open-ended so that people can make up whatever Jesus they want to fit into anything they would like to do. What would Jesus do? I'll tell you what he wouldn't do. He wouldn't condemn people because they want an abortion, and he wouldn't go around ramming religion down people's throats.
The better question is to ask, what did Jesus do? This confines our answers to the safe and reliable boundaries of the Bible. What did Jesus do when he confronted sinners? As we've seen from scripture, he made the issue one of righteousness rather than happiness. Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we would not enter the kingdom of heaven.
He told us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and assured us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. It is the law that makes us thirst after a righteousness that we have no desire for. Before I was a Christian, I had as much desire for righteousness as a four-year-old boy has for the word bath.
The Bible says there is none that seeks after God. It says that men love darkness and hate the light, and they'll not come to the light lest their deeds be exposed. The only thing they drink in is iniquity like water.
But the night I was confronted with the spiritual nature of God's law and understood that God requires truth in the inward parts, and that he saw my thought life and considered lust to be the same as adultery and hatred the same as murder, I began to see that I was condemned and asked, what must I do to be made right? I began to thirst for righteousness. The law put salt on my tongue. It was a schoolmaster to bring me to Christ.
Law to the proud, grace to the humble. Earlier we looked at the fact that Jesus came to preach the gospel, the good news, to those who were spiritually poor, who were broken hearted over their sin. This is because God looks on the one who is poor and of a contrite heart, and who trembles at his word.
The gospel of grace is not for the proud, but for the humble. Only the sick need a physician, and only those who are convinced of the disease will appreciate and appropriate a cure. Therefore biblical evangelism is always, without exception, law to the proud and grace to the humble.
Never once did the Son of God give the good news, the cross, grace and mercy to a proud, arrogant, self-righteous person. Why? Because he always did those things that pleased the Father. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Everyone who is proud of heart, scripture says, is an abomination to the Lord. Only after the law has been used to humble a person is he then ready for the message of grace. As Charles Spurgeon stated, they must be slain by the law before they can be made alive by the gospel.
A. W. Pink said, just as the world was not ready for the New Testament before it received the old, just as the Jews were not prepared for the ministry of Christ until John the Baptist had gone before him with his claimant call to repentance, so the unsaved are in no condition today for the gospel to the law be applied to their hearts, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. It is a waste of time to sow seed on ground which has never been plowed or spaded, to present the vicarious sacrifice of Christ to those whose dominant passion is to take fill of sin, is to give that which is holy to the dogs. End of quote.
What did Jesus mean when he said not to give that which is holy to the dogs? To what was he referring when he said not to cast pearls before swine, lest they trample him under their feet and turn and rend you in pieces. The most precious pearl the church has is Christ crucified. Preach grace to the proud and watch what they do with it.
They'll trample the blood of the Savior under their feet with their false profession, and what's more, they'll become enemies of the gospel. If not physical, they will surely tear you in pieces verbally. Those who make a profession of faith without a humble heart, which the law produces, have the experience described in 2 Peter 2 verse 22.
According to the true proverb, a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow having washed to her wallowing in the mire. This is the tragic result of casting pearls of the gospel of grace to the proud, or what the bible calls dogs and swine. The false convert has never crucified the flesh with his passions and desires.
He, like the pig, must go back to wallowing in the mire. Pigs need to wallow in mire because they crave the slime to cool their flesh, and so it is with the false convert. He never repented, so his flesh is not dead with Christ and instead is burning with unlawful desire.
The heat of lust is too much for a sinful heart. He must go back to the filth. To avoid the tragedy of false conversions, we must follow the principle of using the law to break the hard heart and the gospel to heal the broken one.
So let's look briefly at the biblical examples of giving law to the proud and grace to the humble. In Luke 10 25 to 37, we read that a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus. This was not an attorney, but a professing expert in God's law.
He asked Jesus, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Now what did Jesus do? He gave him the law. Why? Because the man was proud, arrogant, and self-righteous. The spirit of his question was, And what do you think we have to do to get everlasting life? So Jesus asked him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? The man said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
And your neighbor is yourself. And Jesus replied, This do and live. Then scripture says, But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who's my neighbor? The living Bible brings out more clearly the effect of the law on the man.
The man wanted to justify his lack of love for some kinds of people. So he asked, Which neighbors? Well, he didn't mind Jews. He disliked Samaritans.
So Jesus then told him the story of what we call the good Samaritan, who wasn't good at all. In loving his neighbor as much as he loved himself, the Samaritan merely obeyed the basic requirements of God's law. And the spirituality of the law, what the law demands in truth, had the effect of stopping the lawyer's mouth.
He did not love his neighbor to that degree. The law was given to stop every mouth and leave the whole world guilty before God. Similarly, in Mark 10 verses 17 to 22, a rich young ruler came running to Jesus, knelt down before him and asked, Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? It would seem that his earnest and humble heart made him a prime candidate as a potential convert.
How would most of us react if someone came up and asked, How can I get everlasting life? We'd say, Oh, quickly say this prayer before you change your mind. But what did Jesus do with his potential convert? He didn't give him the message of God's grace. He didn't even mention the love of God.
Neither did he tell him about an abundant, wonderful new life. Instead, Jesus first corrected his understanding of the word good, saying that only God was good. Then he used God's standard of goodness, the moral law, to expose the man's hidden sin.
Jesus gave him five horizontal commandments, those having to do with his fellow man. When the man claimed to have kept them, revealing his self-righteousness, Jesus said, One thing you lack. And he used the essence of the first commandment, I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me, to show the man that he was a transgressor.
God was not foremost in his life. The rich young man loved his money, and no one can serve both God and money. The law brought to him the knowledge of sin.
Then the scriptures revealed that it was love that motivated Jesus to speak in this way to this rich young ruler. Every time we witness to someone, we should examine our motives. Do we love the sinner enough to make sure that his conversion is genuine? If Jesus had accepted at face value the young man's profession of righteousness, he might have led him into a false profession.
Instead, Jesus gave the law to this proud, self-righteous man. Then we see grace being given to the humble in the case of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews, whom Jesus called a teacher in Israel.
He was therefore thoroughly versed in God's law. He also had a humble heart, because he came to Jesus and acknowledged the deity of the Son of God. So Jesus gave the sincere seeker of truth the good news of the penalty being paid.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. And it was not foolishness to Nicodemus, but the power of God to salvation. Think of the woman caught in the very act of violating the seventh commandment.
She was condemned by the law for adultery. She had no excuse. Her guilty mouth was stopped, and a merciless law called for her blood.
Abort her traveling to Jesus, where she found mercy. Or consider Zacchaeus, a Jew whose words revealed that he knew the demands of the law. His actions also revealed that he had a humble heart.
No doubt there weren't many proud Pharisees climbing trees to see Jesus. A knowledge of sin via the law caused him to thirst for righteousness and humbly seek after the Savior. His willingness to pay restitution to any he had defrauded shows that his heart was prepared for grace.
Peter likewise used the principle of the law to the proud and grace to the humble. On the day of Pentecost, his audience was composed of devout men who were gathered to celebrate the giving of God's law on Mount Sinai. Peter told those Jews that they were lawless, that they had violated God's law by murdering Jesus.
He drove home that fact by saying, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. It was then that they realized their sin was personal. They were cut to their heart and cried out for help.
Only after the law convicted them of their sinfulness did Peter offer them grace. The apostle Paul also followed the principle of law before grace. After warning that God would judge humanity by the moral law, Romans 2 verse 12, he tells his hearers that the work of the law is written on the human heart and that it concurs with the conscience.
Then he begins to use the law evangelistically, personalizing each commandment to his self-righteous hearers. You therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? That's the eighth commandment. You who say do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? Seventh commandment.
You who are poor idols, do you rob temples? Second commandment. You who make a boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For the name of God is blasphemed. Third commandment.
Among the Gentiles, because of you, as it is written. Romans 2 verse 21 to 24. Paul used the law to bring the knowledge of sin.
He also said, Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. So make sure you follow Paul's example of how to witness biblically because he was merely following the way of the master. As Charles Spurgeon stated, only by imitating the spirit and the manner of the Lord Jesus shall we become wise to win souls.
The way of the master. I'm a strong believer in following in the footsteps of Jesus. I would never approach someone and say Jesus loves you.
It's totally unbiblical and there's no precedent for it in scripture. Neither I begin by saying, I'd like to talk to you about Jesus Christ. Rather, we need to bring the knowledge of the disease of sin using the law before we offer the cure of the gospel.
In John chapter four, we can see an example of personal witness as Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well. He started in the natural realm, talking about natural water, then transitioned to the spiritual, mentioning living water, brought conviction using the essence of the commandment, then he revealed himself as the Messiah. So when I approach someone, I may begin by talking about the weather, sports, or some current topic to get to know them for a couple of moments, maybe joking lightheartedly, and then I deliberately swing from the natural to the spiritual.
I do this by using gospel tracts. We sell millions of unique tracts that are appealing to the unsaved. They often even ask for more.
I may say, did you get one of these? It's a gospel tract. What do you think happens when somebody dies? Do you think there's an afterlife? Whatever he answers, I say, if there's a heaven, do you think you're good enough to go there? Almost everybody thinks they're headed for heaven because they're morally good. Proverbs 20 verse 6 even tells us that, quote, most men will proclaim their own goodness.
This is because they do not have the true definition of good. Romans 7, 12 tells us that the law is good. So I do what Jesus did with the rich young ruler who didn't understand what good meant, and what Paul did in Romans chapter 2. I take him through the ten commandments to show him God's definition of good.
I say, how many lies do you think you've told? He answers, oh, I've lost count. What does that make you? He says, I guess it'd make me a liar. People are not offended by such an approach because you're just asking them questions about their favorite topic themselves.
I say, have you ever stolen something regardless of its value? He says, no. I'll sometimes say with a smile, come on, you've just admitted to me that you're a liar. Have you ever stolen anything in your whole life, even if it was small? He says, well, yes, when I was young.
I say, what does that make you? He says, a thief. And I say, Jesus said whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has committed adultery already with her in his heart. Have you ever done that? He says, plenty of times.
Have you ever used God's name in vain? He says, yeah, I've tried to stop doing that. Do you know what you're doing? Instead of using a four-letter filth word to express disgust, you're using the name of the God who gave you life, and that's called blasphemy. And the Bible says the law will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
I'm not judging you, but by your own admission, you're a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on judgment day. We've only looked at four of the ten commandments. Because the law is written on his heart, the man's conscience accuses him, acknowledging the truth of what I'm saying, and the law condemns him.
Then I ask, so if God judges you by that standard on the day of judgment, will he be innocent or guilty? He says, I'll be guilty. So do you think you'll go to heaven or hell? And the usual answer is heaven, probably a result of the modern gospel. So I ask, is that because you think God is good and he'll overlook your sins? He says, yeah, that's it.
He'll overlook my sins. I say, imagine that in a court of law. Let's say you've committed rape, murder, drug pushing, very serious crimes, and the judge says you're guilty, all the evidence is in.
Have you anything to say before I pass sentence? And you say, yes judge, I believe that you're a good man and you'll overlook my crimes. The judge will probably say, you're right about one thing, I am good, and because of that, I'm going to see that justice is done. Because of my goodness, I'm going to see that you're punished for your crimes.
The very thing that sinners are hoping will save them on the day of judgment, the goodness of God, will be the very thing that will condemn them. Because if God is good, he must by nature punish murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, blasphemers, and fornicators. God is going to punish sin wherever it's found.
So with this knowledge, the man is now able to understand. He's been given light that his sin is primarily vertical, that he has sinned against heaven. He realized that he's angered a holy God by violating his moral law, and that the wrath of God abides on him.
He can see that he's weighed in the balance of eternal justice and found wanting, so that he now understands the need for a sacrifice. He's therefore ready for the good news. He can now comprehend the incredible love of God in Jesus Christ.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. God demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we're still sinners, Christ died for us. We broke the law, and Jesus paid our fine.
That means God can legally dismiss our case. It's as simple as that. When you use the law to show sinners their true state, be prepared for them to thank you.
For the first time in their lives, they'll see the Christian message as expressing love and concern for their eternal welfare, rather than merely proselytizing for a better lifestyle while on this earth. They'll begin to understand why they should be concerned about their eternal salvation. The law shows them they're condemned by God, and even makes them a little fearful, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Early in 2010, I was preaching open air at Huntington Beach to about 80 people. A man had been heckling me when his wife called out, I've given up on God, I was a Catholic, and I had eight miscarriages. I asked how many children she had, and said, have you thanked God for the two healthy children? Have you thanked him for your eyes? You can see, you're not blind.
Have you thanked him for your brain? You can think. Have you thanked him for this wonderful free country into which you were born, and for your handsome husband? When she boldly said, I thank science for my children, I said, it's God who opens the womb, not science. Do you think you're a good person? She said, I'm a very good person.
How many lies have you told in your life? Have you ever stolen something, irrespective of its value? She had admitted having had lied and stolen, so I spoke of judgment day, the reality of hell, the fact that even though we're guilty criminals, and that God is a righteous judge, Jesus stepped in and paid our fine for us. Because of the death and resurrection of the Savior, God can now legally dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence upon our repentance and faith in Jesus.
After I'd finished preaching, the man and his wife sought me out and gratefully accepted some literature. They weren't offended and even asked for my email address. I didn't ask for a decision from either of them.
I simply left them in the hands of a faithful creator, knowing that it's the gospel that's the power of God to salvation. Take the same approach with a Mormon, a Muslim, an intellectual, anyone with whom you want to witness. Most Christians think they have to bury their heads in the Quran or the Book of Mormon before they can effectively witness to these groups.
Not so. Just bury your head in the Bible. God's word is sufficient.
When you lift up your head, you should have your mind filled with truths such as these. I had not known sin but by the law. Now we know that whatsoever 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.
The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The biblical gospel message is applicable to all people everywhere, whether they're happy or hurting, rich or poor, in the U.S. or overseas, in a high rise or a lowly hut, regardless of their beliefs or their lifestyles.
While we must be culturally sensitive, we do not need to tailor specific outreaches to each individual group because the disease of sin and the cure of the Savior apply to all humanity. God has given light to every man and the universal moral law is written on the heart of all peoples in all cultures. Must we use the law every time we witness? No.
Just keep in mind the biblical principle of Lord of the proud and grace to the humble. If the person is proud or self-righteous, he needs the law to humble him. You can determine pride by what comes out of the mouth.
Simply ask, do you think you're a good person? Most individuals think they deserve to go to heaven because they're good. If he says that he is, then you need to do what Jesus did in Mark 10, 17 and 18, taken through the Ten Commandments to show him he's not morally good and that he needs a Savior. If he's humble of heart, has a biblical understanding of the nature of sin and is genuinely contrite, he needs the gospel.
But people like this are very few and far between. Nor do we need to concern ourselves with the idea that we should befriend sinners and address their felt needs before speaking to them about salvation. It may take weeks, months or even years before we get around to talk to them about the subject of sin.
On the other hand, if we understand sin in its true light as enmity with God and grasp the urgency of the situation that our unregenerate friend could die tonight and face God's righteous judgment, would we not be motivated to show our friend her depravity in relationship to the law and to use the law to appeal to her conscience in order to bring her to repentance and salvation? Let's see how a felt needs approach would work in a court of law with a child molester. Take, for instance, the man who kidnapped a seven-year-old girl from her southern California home in 2002. He sexually molested her, strangled her to death, set her little body on fire and left her in the desert.
Imagine the judge saying the following during this man's trial. All the evidence is in. You're guilty.
However, I don't want to deal with your guilt at the moment. I want to first address your felt needs. Are you happy? Do you have an emptiness inside? Such talk would be absurd.
Any judge who asks such things would be thrown off the bench. The criminal is in court because he's committed a serious offense, and that is the only subject that should be addressed. Justice must be served.
The man must be punished for his terrible crime. His felt needs have nothing to do with the issue. After studying scripture, you should also know that the area of the battle is not the sinner's intellect, but his conscience.
So if you want to just argue, stay in the intellect. But if you want sinners to surrender to Jesus Christ, move the battle into the conscience, using the law of God to bring the knowledge of sin. That is what I did with a woman at Huntington Beach.
I could have spent ages arguing with her about whether science or God had given her two healthy children, but I instead asked her if she thought she was a good person, addressing her conscience. This is because the conscience is the God-given ally right in the heart of enemy territory. It bears witness with the commandments, convincing sinners to drop their defenses and surrender all.
Charles Spurgeon said regarding the importance of the weapon of the law, quote, lower the law and you dim the light by which man perceives his guilt. This is a very serious loss to the sinner rather than a gain, for it lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion. I say you have deprived the gospel of its ablest auxiliary, that's its most powerful weapon, when you have set aside the law.
You've taken away from it the schoolmasters to bring men to Christ. They will never accept grace until they tremble before a holy and just law. Therefore the law serves the most necessary purpose and must not be removed from its place.
End of quote. I'm so thankful to God for giving us such an incredible weapon in our battle for the lost. I so concur with John Wesley when he said of the law, quote, yea, love and value it for the sake of him from whom it came and of him to whom it leads.
Let it be thy glory and joy next to the cross of Christ. Declare its praise and make it honorable before all men. End of quote.
Some criticize the title of our television program, A Way of the Master, believing that it's a little presumptuous of us to put Jesus in a box and say that he evangelized a certain way. However he is our example. J.C. Ryle reminds us of the importance of following in his steps.
Quote, people will never set their faces decidedly toward heaven and live like pilgrims until they really feel that they're in danger of hell. Let us expound and beat out the ten commandments and show the length, 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 to 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 is convicted of sin. Without a 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. End of quote.