Revival's Golden Key (15 page)

Let me put it another way. Each of the Ten Commandments is of itself a “key.” However, these are not keys that
release;
instead, they are keys that lock the sinner in the holding cell of sin and death. Paul spoke of being “kept under guard” by the Law. He was left without hope, condemned, waiting for capital punishment from the hand of the Law he had so blatantly violated.

When speaking of God’s Law, Charles Spurgeon said, “Having thus removed the mask and shown the desperate case of the sinner, the relentless Law causes the offense to abound yet more by bringing home the sentence of condemnation. It mounts the judgment seat, puts on the black cap and pronounces the sentence of death. With a harsh unpitying voice it solemnly thunders forth the words ‘condemned already!”’

It was in the darkness of the Law that Paul saw the light of the glorious gospel. The grace of God pointed him to another door—the Door of the Savior. He could leave the cell because his fine had been paid in full by the shed blood of the spotless Lamb of God. It was the Law that showed Paul that he was unable to save himself. He knew that salvation was an act of mercy—that his deliverance from death was the result of God’s grace, not something in his own character that drew mercy toward him.

This principle was clearly illustrated recently when I had been preaching open-air in the Third Street Promenade of Santa Monica, California, where I had a permit to speak. I had been taking a team there each Friday night for more than two years, and only once before had I seen such antagonism toward the gospel. There was the usual bitter animosity from the products of modem evangelism. One man, betraying his “Christian” background, started preaching about his hamster dying for the sins of the world, and if only we would give our hearts to him, we would find peace and joy. When a professing atheist named James began to mock the things of God by yelling “Praise Jesus” among other things, my suspicions were confirmed when he confided that he had once given his heart to Christ. A sweet teenage girl, a Mormon, kept shouting that I was Satan, and tried to shock me by baring her breasts (I looked the other way). Others were spitting and using language that would make your hair curl tighter than a pig’s tail. Among a number of others, three teenage girls came to the “heckler’s” microphone and said that they were witches. A few years ago I would have doubted what they said, but I believed their testimony.

For many years I have used a mannequin (a dummy) called Lazarus, who would quietly lie under a sheet as a crowd-getter. People would often stop and ask, “What have you got
that
there for?” To which I would reply, “It’s to get people to stop and ask, ‘What have you got
that
there for?
’
It works, doesn’t it?”
⁷

On this particular night, Lazarus received his share of persecution. One young man began doing lewd acts on him, much to the delight of the crowd. While I was speaking, another youth burst into the crowd, rushed up to Lazarus, and stomped on his head. It was such a violent
act
that Lazarus
’
plastic face actually burst. I jumped off my soapbox, grabbed the youth by his shirt, and said, “That dummy cost me a lot of money. Give me $80 right now or you are in big trouble.” I looked him in the eyes and said, “You are under citizen’s arrest for
willful
damage of my property. I’m calling the police.” He looked scared and said, “You can have every-thing I have.” He immediately handed me a fistful of dollars. I passed it to a friend, who counted it and said that there was only $28. I told the youth that wasn’t enough and I wanted the full $80. He protested that he didn’t have any more cash.

By this time a large crowd had gathered, so (still holding the youth by the shirt) I said, “Just as I am holding this man because he has transgressed the law, so God has placed you in a holding cell for transgression of
His
Law. The sentence for your crimes against God is death.” I then went through the Law into grace and said, “God is rich in mercy and sent His Son to pay the fine for you.” I preached the cross, faith, and repentance... still holding the young man tightly by his shirt. I told the crowd that because Jesus paid the fine in full for us on the cross, God can extend His mercy toward us. We are free to go.

Then I turned to the youth, stuffed the money in his hand, and said, “Here’s your money back. Neither am I going to call the police. You are free to go.”

It was such a clear illustration of God’s mercy. The young man’s guilt was evident (he had been caught in the act). He couldn’t make atonement. He
deserved
nothing but judgment, but instead received mercy. His mouth dropped open in unbelief.

Sin's Pleasure

Someone once called me and asked for my advice about a publication he wanted to produce. It was to help men who were addicted to pornography. He was going to write his experience in tract form, relating how pornography had ruined him. The vice produced guilt, ruined his marriage, and made him a slave to his passions. His thought was that the negative fruit of the sin would steer men away from it. His philosophy sounds good, but it rarely works. If it did, we wouldn’t have so many people smoking cigarettes, abusing drugs, gambling, and drinking alcohol. The evidence that smoking re-suits in a slow and painful death doesn’t deter smokers. Drug abuse kills. Gambling destroys homes and lives. Cities with legalized gambling have been found to have higher rates of crime, suicide, bankruptcy, and other social ills; yet, people gamble. Multitudes still blindly dive into a sea of poison called alcohol, despite the mass of dead bodies piled on the shore.

People know the consequences of a sinful lifestyle, but the immediate pleasure
far
outweighs the fear of long-term negative consequences. Sinful man will not give up his darling lust unless he has a good reason to. Hell is a good reason.

In the next chapter, we’ll look at how the Ten Commandments can be used effectively in personal witnessing.

CHAPTER 13

DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!

I
was in Baltimore without a meeting on a Sunday night, so I decided to change my plane ticket to go home early
When
I called, the reservation agent gave the name of the airline, told me her name was Fran, and asked how she could be of help to me. I explained my situation, and made her laugh a little to a point where I had the liberty to ask about her spiritual life. I said, “Fran, are you a Christian?” She answered, “No. I don’t accept the virgin birth.” I explained to her that wasn’t the issue with her at the moment, and that her big problem was the Ten Commandments. I asked, “Have you ever told a lie?” She said she had. She also admitted that she had stolen. When I explained that Jesus said that lust was the same as adultery in God’s sight, and asked her if she had lusted, she said, “Of course.”

I said, “Fran, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterer-at-heart. You have to face God on Judgment Day,
and we have looked at only three of the Ten Commandments.”
I then said, “I would like a window seat if possible.” She didn’t appreciate the change of subject, and said,
“Don’t leave me like this!”
Gently, I said, “What’s wrong
Fran,
don’t you like being left with your conscience?” I further went on to reason with her about her salvation, about Judgment Day, then the cross.

We shouldn’t be afraid to make the sinner tremble. Which is worse: a little trembling because of
guilt,
or eternity in the lake of fire? Men like Whitefield and others preached until the Law “stopped the mouth” and sinners hung their heads in shame. They weren’t afraid to use the terrors of the Law to drive men to the cross. A resurrected and accusing conscience is the first evidence of the beginnings of the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a great mistake to muffle its voice with talk of God’s forgiveness before it has a chance to do its precious work.

Fran didn’t get mad at me. I wasn’t judging her.
She
was the one who admitted her sins. Besides, what could she say: “I thought lying, stealing, etc., were right”? She couldn’t
begin
to justify her sins in light of her quickened conscience. It is because of the ally of the “work of the Law” that we can gently say “hard” things to sinners.

It is interesting to note that the conscience doesn’t join in with the pleasures of sin. The unregenerate per-son loves sin with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength. However, the judge in the courtroom of the mind stands aloof and makes an impartial judgment. It is the “conscience also bearing witness
,...
their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” (Romans 2:15). The judge gives a
guilty
or
not guilty
verdict of what is evidenced before it.

In parts of Africa during the drought season, antelope are drawn by thirst to pools of muddy water. Without drink they will die of dehydration.
Hidden in the foul waters lie hungry and vicious crocodiles.
The only thing visible in the water, to the discerning, is the naked eye of the monster as it watches the antelope’s every movement.

Desire so consumes the animal that he slowly ventures to the water’s edge, and completely lets down his God-given guard as he drinks in the life-giving liquid. Instinct warns him of the danger, but his unquenchable thirst drives him to the water. Suddenly, great jaws open and amid the splashing of water, the animal is pulled to a terrifying death.

The sinner is drawn to the muddy pool of iniquity by his uncontrollable thirst for sin. The cries of his God-given conscience are muffled at the sight of what lies before him. Suddenly, death seizes upon him in an instant and he is gone forever, swallowed by the jaws of everlasting hell.

The Law reveals the crocodile
before
it attacks. As the sinner drinks in the waters of sin, he suddenly sees sin’s terrible form as it lies hidden in the pool. This is what Paul is speaking about in Romans 7:8-12. The Law showed him the appetite in the eye of the beast, causing him to quickly draw back from the pool of iniquity.

So Long, Pal!

We regularly receive calls on our 800 number from dyslexic people who misdial the number they are calling. Very early one morning a deep-voiced gentleman phoned, thinking he was calling a company that sells farm supplies. I told him that he had transposed the last two digits,
then
said to make sure he read his Bible. He said he wouldn’t, because he was an atheist. For the next few minutes I reasoned with him about the necessity of having a maker for everything that was made. It was a spirited fight, but it was merely swordplay. The moment would come when I would have to get my point across, to go for the kill. I took the Commandments in hand and lunged toward the heart: “Do you think you have kept the Ten Commandments?” He said he thought he had. “Have you ever told a lie?” He had, but would not hold still for a second and admit that he was a liar. He jumped back and forth, insisting that someone who told lies was “human,” or told “fibs” or was “weak, like everyone else.”

When I pressed the point, he suddenly spat out, “Okay, I’m a liar!” We touched on two other Commandments which he admitted to transgressing, the existence of his conscience, and the fact of Judgment Day. Suddenly, his references to evolution, other people’s sins, and hypocrisy in the Church were no longer the issue. He was mortally wounded... cut to the heart. He staggered backward and protested,
“I’m a good person!”
I thrust back, “No, you’re not. You’re a lying thief!” The pain was too much for him. He said,
“So long, pal!”
and hung up in my ear.

I sat by the phone and wished that he had stayed in the fight for another minute. I would have told him that he was just adding self-righteousness to his sin. I would also have liked to tell him to study Matthew 24 and Luke 21, which would prove to him that the Bible is the Word of the Creator. Then I prayed that God’s hand would be upon him.