Stairway to Heaven

9/7/02 and 9/18/02

-No, I’m not talking about a rock song from a 70’s English rock band.

-I’m going to look at some steps that can lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus.

-I’m drawing to a close on the subject of reaching the lost but hopefully we get to a place where we do it.

-I know you have been hearing this for a while, I can’t preach anything else right now.

1. LOST PEOPLE MATTER TO JESUS

Luke 15 – The Message

15 By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

The Story of the Lost Coin

“Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

The Story of the Lost Son

Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

“That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.”’ He got right up and went home to his father.

“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

“But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.

“All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

“His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

-This a great story by Jesus.

-Really its three great stories that are all saying the same thing.

-What triggers it all is the attitude of the religious people to the “sinners”.

-The common people heard Jesus gladly.

-The problem comes in if the religion gets in the way of Jesus and His message.

-Jesus then tells them three stories:

THE LOST SHEEP

THE LOST COIN

THE LOST SON

-The real point of the parables is how the one who lost the items value them.

-The main characters are the ones who lost something.

v. 6 tells the attitude of the shepherd for the one lost sheep. It mattered to the owner.

v. 7 make the connection. Heaven has a party every time someone comes to Jesus. There was a day when I was the theme of one of those parties.

-Angels get excited when humans repent and respond to God.

-The woman who lost the coin had a party when she found it.

-This was a very costly coin-probably a very important part of her inheritance.

-Jessica lost an expensive ring and we looked everywhere. Why? Because it mattered.

-Lastly we see the son who wishes his father was dead and heads off for the city.

-The father of course is a picture of God watching for us.

-A side thought is that there were two prodigal sons, the one who stayed and the one who left.

-The one who stayed felt like it wasn’t fair to give any attention to the rebel…….YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE THAT DO YOU??

-What is the point?

-God is telling us how valuable we are to Him.

-Lost people matter to God.

-Jesus was demonstrating to the religious people that GOD VALUES THOSE PEOPLE HE WAS HANGING WITH.

-Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It is the sick who need a physician.

2. DEVELOP A STRATEGY

-If this is God’s value system, what are you planning to do about it?

(Parable of a lifesaving station)

-Next week I am going to give away some little books called: Team Mate.

-On the inside of these books is an intentional plan to reach out to seven people.

-I’m going to give you their strategy for intentionally reaching out.

1-IDENTIFY WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE

-We talked about the Engle’s scale. This is a simplified version of it.

-In other words: salvation is a process.

-Read page 21-16 steps.

-Don’t try to pray the sinner’s prayer with someone who doubts whether there is a God.

-Meet them where they are.

-God came to us where we were.

2.PRAY FOR THEM

Mark 3

27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.

2 Corinthians 4

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” a made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

-The first step is to release them from the bondage of the lie.

-Prayer is huge.

-Jesus said to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

-Don’t give up on them. God doesn’t.

3. GET TO KNOW THEM

-This little booklet talks about the principle of 7 touches and three hearings before someone is likely to receive the Lord.

-That is an average but you get the point.

-You have to develop a relationship with them.

-This guides you in reaching out 7 times in things like a ball game, out to eat etc.

-They need to know you care.

-These videos show us the process.

-Before they will respond to your gospel-they have to respond to you.

Romans 16

25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, …….

-Your gospel is what you live out to them.

Philippians 1

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

Philippians 4

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

-Get to know them. Jesus really loved the people He hung with.

-Jesus loved the rich young ruler who then rejected Him.

-It was an unconditional love that wasn’t based on whether he responded to the message or not.

4. GET YOUR STORY READY

1 Peter 3

15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

(Read my tract.)

-These booklets have a little space to write it down.

5. GET YOUR PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL READY

-We will give you a real clear example of that next week.

(Read “They speak with other tongues.)

6. HELP PEOPLE CROSS THE LINE

-Have the boldness to help people cross the line and go from believing to receiving.

-Learn when to leave people to process it and when a harvest is ripe.

(Have Becky share her dream.)