<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

ABC Prayer Crusade

Glenn Coon

Path to the Heart

1-Jesus Only

2-Enamored With Jesus

3-Jesus Prepares You

4-Jesus, The Argument

5-Jesus, Not Condemnation

6-Witnessing for Jesus

7-Jesus Inspires Hope

8-Jesus Quickens Faith

9-Jesus Loves

10-Jesus the Magnet


2 chairs to represent 2 philosophies of soul winning. At my right is a chair, I'm going to call this the witnessing chair. And Jesus said In Acts 1.8, you will receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you'll be witnesses unto me. There are 3 facts that are very important there. 1 is we're called to be witnesses.

The second is we can be that witness only when the Holy Spirit takes over. And the third is when he does take over we shall witness to a person, not just to things. Our primary witness is to Jesus Christ. For you and me to tell people theories as good as they are, doctrines as beautiful as they are, this is not in the strictest sense witnessing at all. Witnessing is telling men and women what we know about Jesus Christ personally.

And this is the message for which the world is perishing. This is that for which the world is hungering. Men and women all over the world are asking, What has Jesus done for you? How in the world can I know what he'll do for me by your talking theory? I'd like to know what has he done for you.

So 1 chair is the witness chair. This is the true chair. This is the chair that represents the true philosophy. This is Christ's method of giving the gospel to the world. Jesus said this gospel of the kingdom, this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in all the world for a witness.

Gospel means good news. So we are to witness to the good news just like the demoniac did. In Mark 5 19 we have the story of the demoniac after he was healed. He wanted to travel with Jesus and Jesus said no you go back home and you tell your friends and your neighbors what great things the Lord has done for you and how the Lord has had compassion on you. That is the witness.

This is the chair that represents the true way to win souls to Jesus Christ. My friends, nothing that we can present in any series of lectures can mean more than if we can learn from Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit that God wants to empower us through his spirit to tell men and women not how good we are but to tell them how good Jesus is. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is that for which the world is perishing. Now there's another chair.

This chair represents a completely different philosophy. It is the judge's chair. It stands for a negative type of soul winning, such as nagging, belittling people, condemning people, telling people they're on the way to hell, you know? Or telling our teenagers that if they carry on like they are they're going to jail, you know? All of that mess of stuff included in that can be even Bible studies Which are given with the idea of scaring people We're not witnessing to Jesus love when we're out primarily to try to scare people into heaven so that we'll just get through those gates you know like a herd of cattle that's scared almost out of their wits.

Got to get in before probation closes before 1 of those plagues falls. No no no. Now don't misunderstand there are going to be 7 last plagues There is to be a time of trouble But my friends I'm happy to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is still good news Aren't you It's the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and it may be that we can add whom I'm chief. This is what the Lord is calling on men and women to give. Are we in the witness chair or are we in the judge's chair?

If we find ourselves in the wrong chair, if we find ourselves taking the wrong philosophy, let's tonight say, Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me because when the Holy Spirit comes into my life, I will find him in me testifying to Jesus, telling men and women of the matchless love of the Son of God. Now, I want you to notice for a moment also that when we get in this witness chair, it's a beautiful chair to be in. It's a wonderful chair because the gospel is good news. Can you imagine a person going around people telling people good news with his face like a mule? Maybe I ought to tell you a little story.

I was attending a Baptist church, and I heard a Baptist minister tell the experience of a young boy, just a little lad, who had been to a revival series of meetings. And in the particular series that he attended, the gospel was presented as good news. That's the meaning of gospel, good news. And the young lad gave his heart to this wonderful savior. And The news was so good that he bounded back home.

He was staying with his grandfather. He bounded in the house as he returned, and he said, oh, granddaddy, I've got religion. That's good news, don't you say so? It's time that we got the religion of Jesus Christ, the good news to tell men and women. Let them know that we found what we wanted when we found the Lord.

Granddaddy, I've got good news, he said. And granddaddy had been in the other chair. Granddaddy was in the judge's chair with all the negatives and all the condemnation and all the legalism that goes with it. And granddaddy was in no way prepared for good news. And of all things, not for a grandson.

What did this boy know? You see, it takes us who are old to know something. Isn't that terrible? Like old stalks of corn that are dry are supposed to know more than those that have the sweet corn cobs on them. Isn't that something?

So he turned to the grandson he said, listen if you've got religion you go and sit in that chair and behave yourself. The young fellow wasn't prepared for that at all. He went over and he knew better. If he didn't, he knew the judge's chair would catch up with him in a hurry. So he knew he better get over there.

So he sat in the chair and, you know, he's sitting there. What did a boy 8 or 9 or 10 years old do just sitting? I've never been able to just sit. But he was commanded to sit because his father didn't know that philosophy, his grandfather. And as he sat there, He said, what do you do?

But he didn't dare to move. And then, bless his heart, along came his little puppy dog. And he picks up this puppy dog and puts him into his lap. And he knew Granddaddy couldn't punish him for just petting a pet, That's for sure. Granddaddy hadn't gone that far, he hoped.

So as he was petting this little lovely dog, it gave him a little relief. And then a moment or 2 later, along came his pet cat and climbed in his lap too. And there he was, petting the dog and petting the cat. Oh, he was glad for some fellowship. He already had found the fellowship of Jesus, but his grandfather almost dispossessed him of it.

Now he had 2 little friends who seemed to understand. But you know, little boys just can't be quiet. They have to, they're wigglers. And as he was wiggling, before he realized, he didn't mean anything wrong, before he realized it, he just tied their tails together. And when the cat and the dog realized that their tails, you know, were tied together.

Off they went, man alive. And then the grandfather in the judge's chair took over. You'd expect him to, wouldn't you? You claim to be a Christian? You get out of here, get out of here.

And the little boy just ran for his life went out to the big farm went out by the fence looked over as he sat on the on the fence 1 leg over 1 side of the rail and the other over the other you know looking down into the barnyard And there he saw an old mule looking right at him. You know how mule looks? Well, he figured that the mule, 1 eye of the mule was looking up at him, and 1 eye was looking down at the gooey that was halfway up to his knees. 1 ear lopped back, you know, and the other forward, if that isn't mule-ish. And his lower lip was cupped as though he were a deacon to take the evening offering.

And the boy looked at that horrible specimen of humanity, I mean of Christianity, and he said, of all things, He must be a Christian. Where did he get it from? He got it from his grandfather. I'm glad my friends that you and I have the privilege, the blessed privilege, under the power of the Holy Spirit to let men and women know that we found joy and happiness in Jesus Christ. We know he's forgiven us because he promised.

We know he's cleansed us because this is his promise. We know we have eternal life because he's promised. And this is good news. This is the witness chair. Not merely do we tell it, but we live it.

My wife and I many years ago when we still had a mobile home. Now A mobile home is not a motor home. A motor home has its motor in it. But a mobile home doesn't. It has to be carted around.

By something else that has a motor in it. We parked in a certain trailer park and Right away a very fine elderly gentleman Snow white hair approached me and I said to myself. I believe he's a preacher He walked up to me and he put his great big hand on my little shoulder and he said brother. Are you saved? And you know, I thought to myself, ah, a few years ago, I could have said, brother, what tense of salvation?

Past? Or present or future? He wasn't asking that. He was asking, in effect, is Jesus your Savior? So I replied, yes, sir, brother, Jesus is my Savior.

He said, praise the Lord, hallelujah. Imagine, he even dared to say Hallelujah. And I was so happy to meet him. Several times we weren't far from each other. We hadn't parked very far apart.

We would observe this man. 1 day a young couple came to seek help and I was passing by his trailer and I heard him praying with this young couple and his prayer went something like this, Lord help us Christians to be sweet, help us to be kind to each other, help us Lord to be kind and wholesome and I thought that is the witness. Our lives, his life was the light of men. We witness by being happy, wholesome, kind, considerate Christians, amen? When we go to the 5 and dime store, and maybe the clerk is a little rough, we don't have to bark back.

We say, I understand. When the customer is always right, it'll pay the Christian not to claim that he's always right. Be kind, sweet, considerate in our business everywhere we go. Oh my friends, that's the witness chair. His life was the light of man.

Somebody has written, I'd rather see a sermon than hear 1 any day. I'd rather 1 would walk with me than merely tell away. The eye is a better pupil more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, but example is always clear. The best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds.

To see good put in action is what everybody needs. Though an eloquent speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say I'd rather see a sermon than hear 1 any day. What do you say, brethren? Amen. Now here are the 2 chairs.

Here's the witness chair. Here is the judge's chair. When you and I get out of the witness chair, the Holy Spirit cannot use us. For according to Acts 1.8, the Holy Spirit causes us to witness. So when we turn from the witness to Jesus, we are saying virtually, maybe unconsciously to the Holy Spirit, I can do it all alone.

Isn't that a tragedy? Lord, I think it's better for me to take the judge's chair. I feel better if I can tower over somebody else and belittle somebody else. But I want to share with you a few texts of Scripture. When we are in the judge's chair, there are 3 sins of which we are guilty, according to the Bible.

The first is found in Romans chapter 2 verse 1. It says when we condemn another, we are guilty of the very thing that we condemn him. Now that doesn't mean when we know there's open sin. It's not referring to that. It's judging motive.

Like somebody said, I think that superintendent, man I think that superintendent is a show-off. Wait a minute, we don't know. When we judge motive, the Bible says we're guilty of the very thing that we're judging because we cannot read the heart. Romans 2 on. The second sin of which we're guilty is found in Matthew 7 verse 5 It goes begin something like this in the first verse judge not that you be not judged The hypocrite you have beheld what you consider as a moat in your brother's eye, but what is in your own eye?

A beam. So if I am judging another man's motives when I cannot read the heart, I'm telling the Lord, and anyone else who understands the Bible, I'm telling them that I'm guilty of the very thing that I'm judging him as being guilty. What do you think of that? The third sin of which I'm guilty is brought to view in 2 texts of scripture. The first is John 5, 22.

It says that the Father in heaven judges no man. He's committed all judgment to the Son. So the chair of judgment at this period of Earth's history is exclusively Christ's. That's what it says. No angel that cleaves the earth has the right to get into this judges chair.

It's Christ's. John 5 22. Now when I start climbing in a Christ's chair, you see, when I start judging people's motives, I'm trying to take whose place? Christ's place. You see, I'm almost sitting in it and I don't quite because I don't want to be an example to anybody to try to take Christ's place.

Because all judgment is committed to Jesus Christ. Now when I do try to take Christ's place consciously or unconsciously, then I'm guilty of the sin pointed out in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 2 to 4. It says the Antichrist, the man of sin, will try to take Christ's place. Thus I become an associate of the Antichrist. 3 sins of which I'm guilty when I start thinking that I am a sole winner from the judge's chair.

I'm guilty of the same sin, number 2. I'm a hypocrite, number 3. I'm an associate antichrist. As I read that Bible study from the hand of my favorite author many years ago, I remembered that the loved and loving John, who wrote those beautiful epistles, and the Gospel of John, and the Revelation, he said this, Brethren, there are many antichrists. There are Antichrists right in the professed body of Christ Who are they among them are men and women?

Who get into the judges chair and decide that they're fit to read the human heart? May God keep us from it. What do you say? Now that's what the Lord says. Now the Lord tells us in Isaiah 58, verses 9 to 11, that we should stop pointing our finger at others, the finger of judgment.

You see, when I point out that Brother Blank here is guilty, I think he's guilty of so and so, I point my finger at him. How many fingers am I pointing at myself? 3. 1, I'm guilty of the very thing. 2, I'm a hypocrite.

3, I'm an associate antichrist. Isn't it wonderful how the Lord's made us so we can be preaching at ourselves right along and we say what you mean that that's right thumb doesn't count the thumb points where we should be looking what whom we should be talking about the 1 concerning whom we should be witnessing do you see now friends the Bible tells us that in the last days of human history, the professed people of God will be considering themselves as all right. Imagine that. Sitting in this judge's chair, they'll say, no, I'm rich. I have all the beautiful doctrines.

I know all the prophecies of the Bible. I'm rich and increased with goods. Now, Mrs. Jones, she is in trouble. She ought to hear it.

Or Mr. Smith, how he ought to hear it, but I'm all right. And then when we go home, we say, you know, that sermon wasn't quite right and then we said in judgment even on preachers but we say I'm pretty all right did you know Revelation the third chapter verses 14 to 20 says the angel to Laodicea says you are saying that I'm rich I'm increased with goods and you are miserable and poor and blind and what? Naked. Isn't that a tragic thing?

For a person to be sitting in the wrong chair and congratulating himself that he's pretty all right? A travesty. My wife and I, several years ago, were in Glendale, California, holding a series of meetings and when we were there, we decided to go over to Forest Lawn. And among the things we saw there was a reproduction of Michelangelo's statue of Moses. And as we looked at that statue of Moses, I was amazed.

I saw 2 little horns on Moses' forehead. And the thought came to me, the text. Moses was the meekest man who ever lived. Michelangelo made him out to be a little demon. He made him into a little devil.

And I was thinking about how I'd preached on 2 chairs and I said what are we making the children of God into little demons are we putting horns on good people and then I looked at the plaque next to it and it said the reason that Michelangelo put little horns was he misunderstood a text of scripture. Ah, where the Bible says Moses wished not that his face did shine, the original word appealed to Michelangelo to say he wished not that his face had horns. And because he misunderstood the scripture, he felt that it was his duty to put horns on the meekest man who ever lived. My friends, can it be possible that professing Christians today believe they have somewhere some text of scripture that warrants them in making little demons out of children of God. God forbid, what do you say?

And then after we've done it, then to say, you know but I'm all right, I'm pretty good. Down in Miami, Florida in the spring of the year, They were spraying the citrus fruit 1 spring. In 1 home, a little parakeet escaped his cage somehow, went out into this, among these insects that they were spraying, And he just had his fill of insects. Somehow he found his way back to the cage. But he'd eaten so many of these spray-laden insects that in a few days every feather in his body came off.

And they said it was half humorous and half sad that this naked little parakeet would go up to his little mirror and he looked in the mirror and he said pretty bird pretty bird. Revelation chapter 3 says that there are men and women by the thousands actually there are tens of thousands who as they're judging other people's motives, as they're using the diabolical method of so-called soul winning, they say, but I, I'm a pretty bird. I'm really doing pretty well. But the rest of these people, aren't they terrible? Jesus said, look, you tarry until you have received the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit comes into your life and you have a baptism of the Holy Spirit you're then going to be witnessing you're going to tell what you know about a person.

My friends, I wouldn't belittle 1 doctrine of God's Word. I thank God for every 1 of those beautiful doctrines, which I've been taught from youth. They are absolutely thrilling to my soul, but no Bible doctrine can save a human heart. As many as received him, To them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Brethren, friends, neighbors tonight, do you believe that Jesus is the savior of the world?

Do you believe that he is your savior? Do you believe He will forgive you and cleanse you from sin? Totally? Right now? And all the past is completely forgiven and cleansed?

Do you believe that you are the recipient of His free gift of eternal life? If not, will you take him tonight, our Father in heaven? I thank you so much for Jesus, my Lord. This media was brought to you by AudioVerse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about AudioVerse, or if you

Back to Menu

Series

Path to the Heart

6-Witnessing for Jesus

Parent Series

Sponsor

Other Teachings in Series

1-Jesus Only

2-Enamored With Jesus

3-Jesus Prepares You

4-Jesus, The Argument

5-Jesus, Not Condemnation

6-Witnessing for Jesus

7-Jesus Inspires Hope

8-Jesus Quickens Faith

9-Jesus Loves

10-Jesus the Magnet

Sound Doctrine