Revival's Golden Key (24 page)

It seems God so esteems His Law that He could not withhold His glorious presence from the temple. The psalmist didn’t say, “Oh, how I love
Your
ark!”
Paul didn’t say, “I delight in the
ark
of God.” It was God’s holy Law that they loved and revered. That Law was written with the finger of God. It was an expression of His char-
acter
. We (as individuals and as the Church) are the “temple of the Lord,” and when we give the Moral Law its rightful place, perhaps we will truly see that power of His presence—something that causes demons to tremble.

Satan hates this teaching for a number of other re a-sons. It awakens the false convert to his true state. It puts the fear of God in the heart of the Christian and there-fore assists him to walk in holiness. It gives him a
reason
to reach out to the lost. The issue isn’t the happiness of sinners in this life, but their eternal welfare in the light of a wrath-filled Creator.

The following letter is typical of how the Law does its wonderful work:

I am 53 years old.
Have committed all sins.
I was baptized and saved by God’s grace... or so I thought.
Have long sensed something wrong.
Last week my wife picked up a free cassette tape placed at the cash register of a local sandwich shop. The tape was “Hell’s Best Kept Secret.” I played the tape as soon as my wife gave it to me. Bingo! I immediately understood what was wrong. I had not been brought to salvation by the Law. At the same time [I realized] that evangelizing is what I am to do... I play HBKS daily and have lost count of how many times I have listened to it. God has my heart. I have absolute faith, a Bible, a box and lots of open air.
Anxious for your reply.

The enemy has attacked the use of the Law in evangelism “hard and strong from the beginning until pro sent.” However, our great consolation is the fact that this is
God’s
teaching, and I believe that it is His timing to bring it to light.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I would ask you to consider reading this book again, simply because experience has taught me that its truths will soon be snatched from your mind... unless you make a concerted effort to let them sink deep into the soil of your heart.

It was A. W. Pink who said, “It is true that [many] are praying for worldwide revival. But it would be
more timely
, and more scriptural, for prayer to be made to the Lord of the Harvest, that He would raise up and thrust forth
laborers
who would fearlessly and faithfully preach those truths which are calculated to bring about a revival.” The use of the Law in evangelism is the golden key to revival. It is heaven’s answer to the prayers of those who yearn for the salvation of a hell-bound world. If we want to see revival in these last moments of time, we must take a firm hold of that key with unwavering conviction.

Do you remember King David’s experience with the ark (2 Samuel 6:3-8)? Instead of having the sons of
Kohath
carry it on poles as the Scriptures
commanded,
he put it on an ox cart. As the ark was brought into

Israel, the ox stumbled and it began to rock. When
Uzzah
reached out his hand to steady it, God killed him. R. C.
Sproul
rightly said that
Uzzah
presumed his hand was cleaner than the dirt.

We have put the ark of the gospel on the ox cart of modem evangelism. Sincere though we may have been, we dare not presume that we can reach out our sinful hand and steady the things of God, and then carry on the way we have been going.

If we fear our Creator, we must discard our own ways, and then do all things according to the pattern given to us in Holy Scripture.

CHAPTER 22

WHAT ABOUT GRANDMA?

S
omeone who had just heard the teaching expounded in this book, said, “I see what you are saying, and I agree with you. Let’s say I’m on my way to witness to my elderly grandmother, who’s not a Christian but thinks she is. Does this mean I’m going to have to say, ‘Grandma, have you ever looked with lust?
”’

Good question. The answer is a definite yes and no. Here’s how you can say what you want to say without seeming disrespectful. First, gently swing to the subject by asking about her Christian background—when she started going to church, and so on. Then say, “You know what convinced me that I was a sinner? It was the Ten Commandments. I didn’t realize that Jesus said, ‘Whoever looks upon a woman with lust has committed adultery already with her in his heart.
’
I didn’t know that God sees our thought life. Do you think that you have kept the Ten Commandments, Grandma? Would you consider yourself to be a good person?”

When she tells you that she’s a good person, say,

“Well, let’s look at some more Commandments to see if we have kept them.” Always bear in mind that you are not alone in your witness. You not only have the Holy Spirit to help, but you have Grandma’s conscience working with you.

Earlier we looked at the story of the woman caught in the act of breaking the Law. She had violated the Seventh Commandment, and God’s Law (and its professing representatives) demanded her death (John 8:1-11). Ignoring their accusations, Jesus bent down and wrote something in the sand that caused His hearers to come under conviction and leave. Have you ever wondered what it was that He wrote in the sand? Some think He wrote the sins of those standing around Him. If that were so, He would have no doubt needed a good-sized area of sand to write on.

There is another way to convince people that they have sinned against God, and it doesn’t require much writing. I suspect that when Jesus stooped down, He wrote the Ten Commandments. After all, what else does God write with His finger? (See Exodus 31:18.) The work of the Law was written on the hearts of His hearers, and they left one by one as their conscience did its accusatory duty, boldly verifying the truth of each Commandment. The Law strips us of our holier
-
than-thou self-righteousness. We dare not point a finger at another when the ten condemning fingers of a holy Creator are pointed at us.

It was the Law that brought the sinful woman to the feet of Jesus. It left her with no other option than to run from its wrath to the Savior. That’s its function. The Law sends us to Jesus for mercy. But more than that, it is the wrath of the Law that makes us
appreciate
mercy. This is perfectly illustrated by the wonderful words of Kirk Cameron:

Per a comment in your book, I believe I was robbed of the deep pain of seeing the depth of my sinfulness, to experience the exceeding joy and gratitude that comes from the cross, because I was convinced of God’s love before I was convinced of my sin. I didn’t see the big problem, but by faith believed I was a sinner (many worse than me, but nevertheless a sinner), and repented of my “general sinful, selfish attitude.” I have never opened up the Ten Commandments and looked deep into the well of my sinful heart. I never imagined that God was actually angry with me at a certain point because of my sin. Because of “grace,” I kind of skipped over that part and was just thankful that He loved me and had promised me eternal life.

While I think I was saved thirteen years ago, I was rocked out of my chair last night, on my knees confessing the specific sins that have plagued my heart that were never uncovered before. I think my knowledge of the “new covenant” and “under grace, not Law” kept me from ever examining my heart by the light of the Ten Commandments. The new weight of my sin is causing more pain in me... wounding my ego, and showing me how much more Jesus had to pay to set me free.
Oh, the wonderful cross!!!!

We are also told that Jesus began to write as though He didn’t hear them. There is no reasoning with the Law. There is no insanity plea. It is written in stone. It grimly says, “The soul that sins, it shall die.” The Law demands nothing but death. It doesn’t hear a cry for mercy; it is cold and unmerciful. The ten great rocks of wrath call for justice and justice alone.

The first time God wrote His Law, it was engraved on hard stone. If it was the Law that Jesus wrote in the sand, it was symbolic that it can be erased only with a movement of God’s mighty hand. That was what He did at the cross.

The Bible also tells us that the accusers came to “trap” Him. Arrogant and sinful man stands as the accuser of a sinless God. Do you know of a
skeptic
who mocks God and His Word? Does he accuse God of crimes against humanity? Does he think that God is responsible for famines and wars that are fought in His name? Then don’t be afraid to shut the accuser up under the Law; stop his mouth (Romans 3:19). Turn the wrath of the Law on him. Show him that he, not God, is guilty of heinous crimes.

I have repeated myself a number of times in this book. This is because I want these principles to become second nature to you. However, let me share something very personal. None of my siblings or parents
are
presently Christians. It has been thirty years since my con-version and I have diligently prayed for their salvation every day. They listen to me preach. They gladly take my books and tapes. They are not anti-'Christian; they are just apathetic when it comes to their eternal salvation.
Yet I teach Christians how to share their faith effectively.
People draw on my “expertise” almost daily—and to my grief,
my own beloved family is not saved.
This keeps me genuinely humbled, and shows me that what I share is not a “sure-fire method” to get people into God’s kingdom. If it were, my entire family would be saved. It is instead
biblical
evangelism, and that means that no man can come to the Son unless the Father draws him. It shows me that we can faithfully preach the Law, but it is a dead, dry, and dusty letter if not accompanied by the life of the Spirit.

The Measuring Rod

I’m sure you are equally concerned about the eternal salvation of
your
loved ones. In light of that, here’s a thought-provoking question: How deep is your love? Here’s the way to measure it. You are concerned about your immediate family’s salvation, but what about
your
other relatives? How about your immediate
neighbors
? What about strangers? Are you concerned for the salvation of people you don’t know? How about your enemies? Are you deeply worried about the salvation of people who have crossed you? Do you love your enemies enough to be troubled by the fact that they will go to hell forever, if they die in their sins? If you have measured up to all of the above, congratulations—you are a normal biblical Christian, who has been commanded to love your enemies and to love your
neighbor
as much as you love yourself.

Here’s one way to demonstrate the depth of your love. Do you say “hello” to strangers? It may not come naturally to you, but for the sake of the gospel, I would like you to try this experiment. The next time you are leaving a restaurant, or anywhere where someone is standing—maybe at a counter waiting to pay for something—study the person’s facial expression for a moment. It will probably look a little grumpy. We don’t like to admit it, but each of us does look a little grumpy while we are waiting for something; the burdens of the day tend to find expression through our face. Here now is the experiment. Forget about your fears, and with a warm and enthusiastic tone in your voice, say, “Hello.” Then watch the person’s expression change from grumpy to happy. They will almost certainly smile.

If by chance the person doesn’t respond, you have lost nothing (you will just feel slightly silly). However, if there is a smile, there’s your opportunity for the gospel. Reach into your pocket, and say (as if you had just thought of it), “Oh... did you get one of these?” (I do this with our tract “101 of the World’s Funniest One-Liners.”
¹¹
With this tract, instead of being seen as a religious nut who is trying to ram religion down the throat of a complete stranger, I am seen as someone who is trying to brighten up the person’s day.)