ESL OUTLINE - UKRAINE 2011 (A)

Me: Can I ask you a couple questions?
You: Sure!
Me: Are you sure you will be with God in heaven when you die?
You: I hope so.
Me: Why should God let you into heaven?
You: Because I try to be good.
Me: Thanks for your answers. My I share with you how I know for sure that I will be with God in heaven when I die?
You: I guess so.
Me: Thanks. The Bible says, "These things are written...so that you may know (for sure) that you have eternal life." And we also read that "the gift of God is eternal life." This gift is not something we can earn or deserve. The Bible says, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." I cannot stand before God and say how good I am. And when I receive a gift from a friend, I don't try to pay for it. My place in heaven has to be a gift because of sin. I am a sinner; you are a sinner. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... There is no one righteous, not even one." What is sin?
You: I guess anything that is disobedient to God.
Me: That's right. We sin in our actions, our words, and even our thoughts. Psychologists say the average person has 10,000 thoughts per day. What percentage of those throughts would you say are sinful?
You: I don't know, maybe half.
Me: Let's say you're alot better than that. Maybe you're nearly perfect and none of your words or actions are sinful, and only 1% of your thoughts are sinful. Even then, you would sin 100 ties per day, 36,500 times per year, and 1 million times in less than 27-1/2 years! And Jesus says, "Be perfect, as My heavenly Father is perfect." We aren't perfect, and that's why we can't earn eternal life, we can't deserve a place in heaven by our goodness. Even our good deeds are like filthy rags, and being guilty of just one sin is too much. For example, if I put a drop of poison in a jar of honey, would you still eat the honey?
You: No way!

ESL OUTLINE - UKRAINE 2011 (B)

Me: The Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death." It seems like we should have to earn or deserve our place in heaven, but that's not how it works. Do you understand?
You: Yes.
Me: In spite our sin, God wants to bless us and is merciful to us. God is love. But He is also just and holy; He cannot dwell with sin. The Bible says, "God will not spare the guilty... The soul that sins must die." It's like a robber who gets caught and makes an excuse before a just judge. The just judge must punish the robber! And so we have a problem. On the one hand, God wants to bless us, but on the other hand, He must punish sin. So God solved this problem for us! He sent His Son Jesus. Who is Jesus?
You: He's God, or the Son of God.
Me: Yes, and He is also the perfect man. The disciple Thomas knew Jesus as a man, but didn't believe He was God. Thomas didn't believe the other disciples who told him that Jesus had risen. But when Jesus appeared to Thomas, Thomas confessed Jesus as "my Lord and my God." Jesus came and lived a perfect life where all else have failed, and He died on the cross to pay the punishment for our sin. God punished Him for our sin. But Jesus rose from the dead to purchase our place in heaven, and He offers eternal life as a gift to be received by faith. I can show you with an illustration. The Bible says, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.... The word became flesh and dwelled among us." And "while all of us like sheep had gone astray, each following his own way, the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The last words of Jesus on the cross were, "It is finished." The Greek word is Tetelestai, and it means "Paid in Full." Jesus paid our sin debt. And we can receive Him or reject Him. You may think it strange that anyone would reject Jesus and the gift of eternal life, but many do. They reject Him by trying to help Him pay our debt. He is offended when we try to contribute to His sacrifice. He is enough! Another way people reject Him is to simply know about Him. The devil knows who Jesus is, but he will not be saved. Demons believe, and tremble. Even the demon-possessed man declared who Jesus was, but knowing isn't enough. Still another way people reject Jesus is by what might be called temporal faith. Trusting God when you're sick or in danger, but forgetting Him when things are good. Asking Him for a job, but cursing Him if you don't get it. This is not saving faith. Receiving Jesus and the gift of eternal life comes by saving faith, trusting Him alone for your place in heaven, not relying on any other thing, like your good deeds. The Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." It's like riding an airplane. You buy your ticket, show up on time at the right gate, but what must you do to get to your destination?
You: Get on the plane?!
Me: Right! You don't tell the pilot how to get there. You don't push the plane down the runway, or carry it through the air. You simply ride and trust. But I'm not saying that good deeds are unimportant. We still need to strive to do good. But our motivation for doing good changes when we trust Jesus. Instead of trying to be good in order to earn or deserve a place in heaven, we strive to do good out of gratitude for the gift God has given us. Good works aren't the cause of our salvation, but the evidence of it. To refuse Jesus would be like a beggar on the side of the road, asking for money. When a wealthy man comes along and offers him a million dollars, desires to help him up, get him going in a new direction for his life, the beggar refuses. He just wants $5 for a drink. This is ridiculous, but many people reject Jesus in the same way. Would you like to receive Jesus and the gift of eternal life?
You: Yes.

ESL OUTLINE - UKRAINE 2011 (C)

Me: Great! So you transfer your trust from your good deeds to His good deeds, to Him alone. You receive Him as Savior and Lord. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. He who hears My voice and invites Me in, I will come in." Jesus wants to sit on the throne of your heart, put your life in the proper order, and help you to turn from sin and live a new life out of gratitude to Him. Will you receive Him in these ways?
You: Yes.
Me: Our Father in heaven, I thank You that "Jim Bob" understands that heaven is a gift, not something we earn or deserve, that it has to be a gift because of our sin. And we thank You for sending Jesus to pay the punishment for our sins and offer us a place in heaven that we receive by faith. Now "Jim Bob" repeat after me. "Lord Jesus."
You: "Lord Jesus."
Me: "I confess that I am a sinner."
You: "I confess that I am a sinner."
Me: "And I receive Your forgiveness."
You: "And I receive Your forgiveness."
Me: "I invite You into my heart as Savior and Lord."
You: "I invite You into my heart as Savior and Lord."
Me: "I am not my Savior."
You: "I am not my Savior."
Me: "You are my Savior."
You: "You are my Savior."
Me: "And I ask You to help me turn from sin and live for You."
You: "And I ask You to help me turn from sin and live for You."
Me: Amen.
You: Amen.
Me: Now, Lord, I pray that you would help "Jim Bob" to know for sure that when he dies he will be with You in heaven, because Jesus died for him. Amen. Now "Jim Bob," why should God let you into heaven?
You: Because Jesus died for me.
Me: Yes, and Jesus says, "Truly I say to you who believe in Me, you have eternal life." So if you believe in Jesus, what do you have?
You: Eternal life.
Me: Are you sure?
You: Yes.
Me: Great! Now God wants you to remember this, but Satan wants you to forget. So remember that Jesus is your connection to God. Read the Bible. Pray to God. Spend time with people who believe the same truth. Worship God in a Bible-believing church. And tell others about this good news that you have learned today. Lastly, be obedient to God, because that is how He blesses us.
Lord bless you, and I'd be glad to see you at church on Sunday.
You: Thanks. Goodbye.
Me: Goodbye.

Self Control in Worship

Self control is a commendable trait, a characteristic we ought to pursue (2 Peter 1:5-7) but which ultimately is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and therefore comes to us by grace. Self control is mentioned only 13 times in the NIV, with more than half of those coming in Paul's pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus, for the instructions of appointing deacons and elders. These men are to exhibit self control. It is mentioned 18 times in the ESV, and one of the places we find a difference in translation between the NIV and ESV is 1 Corinthians 9:25. See v24-27 for the context:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

Paul says, as an athlete in training, we are to exhibit self control in all things. What does self-control look like? Paul shows us in this passage. He first says what it is not: aimless, beating the air. Then he says it looks like discipline and keeping the body under control.

I realize that all of life is worship, but how does this imagery of self control apply to corporate worship, namely in the singing portion of a typical church service?

2 SAMUEL 6:16 says, "As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart."

We see that David was leaping and dancing before the Lord. Was he exhibiting self control? Some would say absolutely yes; others would say absolutely no. Still others would say that he was being led by the Spirit. Perhaps there is no way to know. But Michal, his wife - though only called "daughter of Saul" in this passage - obviously didn't care for his apparent lack of propriety. She "despised him in her heart."

David was worshipping God. He wasn't leaping and dancing for his own benefit, nor was he leaping and dancing for the benefit of the servants and general population around him. He was leaping adn dancing for the Lord. And whether or not he exhibited self control, his actions weren't sinful. How is your attitude toward those who worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth? I'm not one to clap or raise my hands in corporate worship, but I don't want to stifle those who exhibit such behavior. I certainly don't want to have the attitude of Michal. Look what happens next:

2 SAMUEL 6:20-23 says, "When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, 'How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!' David said to Michal, 'It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone else from hs house when He appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel - I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.' And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death."

David says, "My actions weren't for anyone else, but only for the Lord." Could we apply Paul's teaching on the use of tongues here? If so, wouldn't it have been better for David to avoid offending those around him by engaging in this type of rumpus worship in private?

I regularly dance around to worship songs in the privacy of my home, oftentimes with my children. And if my behavior was for you, then you ought to join me on a long car ride, because I really pour out my heart when singing praises on a drive. But I don't dance when others are around, and I don't shout while driving with others in the car. Am I exhibiting self control? Or am I being a hypocrit? Am I seeking to avoid offending others? Or am I hiding my light under a bushel?

To paraphrase David's final response to Michal, he says, "I don't care what you think of my leaping and dancing before the Lord, and I don't even care what I think, because He is worthy of praise. If the Spirit takes over my body and humiliates me before the world, so be it. It is for God. And by the way, when others realize this truth, they'll honor me in that."

And the barenness of Michal is her shame; we might conclude that David never spoke to her again. So again, the application for us might be to guard our attitude about the worship of others; allow the Spirit to work in others as you allow Him to work in you. Self control just might better be rendered, at least in our understanding of it, as Spirit control.