Running To Win

Dave McAllister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and prompter of our faith. The Holy Spirit brings joy and comfort into the lives of believers, but he also works in the lives of those who do not believe. Jesus said that the spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Today, a closer look at the last of three realities the spirit makes clear to those not yet born again. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Pastor Lutzer, if the spirit convicts unbelievers, can they perceive his work even though they're not yet born again?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Dave, I'm struggling a little bit with the word that you used. Can they perceive his work? Now, if you meant to say can they be convicted of the Holy Spirit of God and walk away and fight against God, the answer is yes. Stephen said that in the book of Acts, you have hardened your hearts against the Holy Spirit. But at the same time, we believe that God works in those whom he has chosen in such a way that they overcome that resistance and believe on Christ. And I hope that even today, as people listen to this ministry, for those who have never come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, that today will be transforming even as they believe on Christ.

We here at Running to Win are so deeply grateful for the many of you who support this ministry. And a couple of days ago, I was actually sharing the gospel with some people in another state, and I discovered so many who not only encouraged us, but they gave us the gift of hope and their prayers. But would you consider giving us a financial gift during this time? And I mentioned that because this is a critical time for us at the end of this month. It is the end of our fiscal year, but it's also our matching gift time.

For a gift of any amount, your gift will be matched. What do you say, Pastor Lutzer? I'm going to pray about it. I hope that you do, but also at the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info as to how you can connect with us and learn more about our ministry. And God may indeed be laying this ministry on your heart. For now, let us listen. And then the Bible says that he will also convince of one danger, and that is judgment. There's something within us that tells us about our accountability to God, and there are atheists, you know, who do all that they can to try to discount it.

They keep telling themselves over and over again there's no life after death until their own consciences are deadened. But we all know it, and we all want it. Somebody who has done evil to you, you would want God to really judge them. You're not so sure whether or not you want God to judge you, however. But the Bible says that the day is coming when God is going to judge. Catch this. Romans chapter two, God is going to judge the secrets of men and women by Jesus Christ. No hiding, no tweaking, no fudging, no covering, just you and God and reality.

That is scary unless you know something of the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to your account so that you stand there welcomed into heaven as perfect as God because he has given you his righteousness. Jesus said that Satan, of course, was judged at the cross, seen to be evil, seen to be a failure. He says just like I judged him, so there will be those who anticipate the danger of judgment. And I say this to you from my heart. If you don't know Christ as Savior, you stand in danger of judgment. And the Bible says the condemnation of God already rests upon you.

So Jesus said that the spirit is going to point this out because you and I want to run and hide. We want to give all the arguments. I don't want to believe in Jesus because what is he going to do? And why should it be Jesus? And on and on and on because we are running We're running from what we think might be true and we fear might be. That's why C. S. Lewis, the great apologist, he said that he was brought kicking and screaming into the kingdom. And even while I am speaking, there is some of you who are listening right now, and there's a struggle in your soul because you don't want to believe.

You think of all the implications, and you you want all the reasons. But at the end of the day, I pray that the Holy Spirit of God wins the argument in your heart and that you believe on Jesus Christ. Now, I'm glad I have a witness to that. And then there's one channel You'll notice that Jesus is when the spirit has come to you through you, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. God uses two channels really to convert people. First of all, he uses his word. That's why you'll notice in the conference that is coming up, somebody did a comparison study between the Bible and the Quran.

They ended up un believing in Jesus. That happens again and again because there is power in the word of God. So God uses his word, but he usually brings that word through one of his people. The spirit comes to you through you. He will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. And so the gift of the spirit is poured out upon us, not just for ourselves, but rather for the wider community that needs to know the good news of the gospel and believe and be saved. So how's your witness going? Tomorrow morning, you're going to be in your different workplaces.

You're going to be interacting with neighbors. Do they know, by the way, that you are a Christ follower? Have you told them? Have you even asked them and said, you know, what is your opinion of Jesus? After all, the spirit has come to you, and he's going to use you to give the good news of the gospel so that people understand unless I believe in Jesus, I'll be lost forever. Now, there's some implications here that I want to give you. The first of all this, do you realize how exciting this is? When you begin to witness to Christ and about him, the spirit immediately comes to your aid because we are partners together in this.

You do your work in introducing them to Christ and having a discussion about Christ and the gospel. And then the spirit shows up and he does his work. In fact, if the spirit doesn't do his work, it'll all fall by the wayside. And you have to believe that when you exalt Christ, immediately the spirit is there to support you and to help you. If you've never had that experience as a believer, please take it at my word. I know this sounds strange, but when I was in high school, that is grade 10, 11, and 12 in Canada, a friend of mine and I And I don't do this, young people, you understand.

We used to hitchhike to the closest city, and we would give out tracts. You know what a tract is? It's a little leaflet with the gospel. And God forgive us. Some of them were published on sort of newsprint. They weren't very attractive. We gave out thousands of them. You say, well, isn't that an exaggeration? No, because we would go there when the grandstand was full for a certain event. And as people left, we just hand these out. And of course, everybody took them. They thought it was an advertisement for the next event. And I've often wondered whether or not anyone ever believed the gospel as a result of our witness.

But I remember Okay, I'm about 16 years old or so, and I began to witness to people on street corners and whenever I would bring up the subject of Christ and defend it, there was something that happened within me that gave me such assurance and such confidence. I would say to myself, I absolutely love this. Now, getting started was hard. But you see, whenever you and I exalt Christ, the spirit immediately shows up and says, my responsibility is to point men and women to Christ. We are partners together in this. Partner with the Holy Spirit.

Ask somebody tomorrow what their opinion is of Jesus, or ask them where they are on their spiritual journey, or say to them, would you mind if I were to share with you something that somebody once shared with me that changed my life? Who's going to say no to that? I've never had anyone say no to that. And then tell them your story of conversion. And the Holy Spirit who has been given will begin to do his work. Let me give you a second bottom line is that we are partners together. But remember, conviction is not the same as conversion.

Conviction is not the same as conversion. Many people that we talk to are going to resist the spirit. In fact, one of the ways in which they resist the spirit is oftentimes they become very angry or very agitated or very dismissive. They can't stand what it is that you're saying. Don't be discouraged. It's the work of the spirit to convince them. You've given them some evidence. Let the spirit take it from there because without the blessed Holy Spirit, they can't see their need. They are filled with self-justification. They are defensive. They are upset. They may shake their fist at you.

But don't let that discourage you because it's up to the spirit to do what you and I can't. Now, for God to actually use this conviction to save somebody is a huge work. I mean, if you are here today and you're a believer, God really favored you with a huge miracle. In the Bible, believing on Christ is likened onto being raised from the dead because you're raised from death to life spiritually. It is spoken of as being blind, and now you're able to see what a miracle that is to a blind man. It is like being deaf, and suddenly you can hear.

God then, by the spirit, regenerates a person when they savingly believe on Jesus. That's the miracle that the Holy Spirit is working toward in the lives of those who hear the gospel. Now, of course, the Holy Spirit can be resisted. Oh, I know that there may be some people in whom God just continues to work to overcome their blindness that they might believe. That's a separate story, but there's no question but that many people resist the Holy Spirit. We see it all throughout the New Testament. We see it in the Old Testament. Stephen stood up and says, you know, you And he wasn't very nice and politically correct.

He said, you stiff-necked people, you always resist the Holy Spirit. There are some who are listening right now, and maybe you don't like this sermon. Maybe you're you you you wish you weren't listening to this and and you are you are also resisting the Holy Spirit. Don't resist him. The reason that he is speaking to your heart today is to lead you to Christ so that you might find that forgiveness and that cleansing that can only be found in him. So I urge you today, listen to that voice. Do not stifle that voice. Your recognition of your need in the presence of a holy God is actually a gift that God is giving you because unless you grasp that, you will be lost.

See, that's why Martin Luther said that in order to be saved, one must go from hell to heaven. What he meant is you have to descend into hell. You have to see your need. Now, that doesn't mean that everybody sees it at the same time, but I have to tell you that on Wednesday evening, after our prayer time, a precious little 10-year-old boy came to me and said, Pastor Lutzer, I have to be saved. I want Jesus to save me. I want Jesus to save me. It was beautiful for me to be able to pray with him.

His father was there. And it's a reminder of the fact that if you don't if you don't see your need of Christ, open your heart to the spirit and he'll show you that you need a savior, not a guru or a prophet. You need a savior to save you. And only the Holy Spirit can show you that. So listen to his voice. You know, sometime ago I read a story about a miser who lived in his cottage with his dog. And what he liked to do is to take money. He had some Those were in the days before you could put it in the bank, I guess.

He would take his money, which was sort of in a in a vault beneath the floor. And he would take it out and he liked to count it. Now, if you know anything about a miser, maybe he thought the more often I count it, the more there will be. I don't know. But the story is that he counted his money, put it away, and then took a good shot of whiskey and laid down to sleep. What he didn't know is that there were some thieves who were looking through the window and they knew where the money was.

His dog began to bark. He was so angry with the dog. He cursed the dog that eventually he shot his dog. And then the men broke into the cottage, and while he was sound asleep, they stole his money. This is my parting word to you in this message. Don't resist the only voice that can save you. And that is the voice of the blessed Holy Spirit of God. In a moment, we're going to sing Have Thine Own Way, Lord, Have Thine Own Way. And while we are singing it, if you sing this in your heart and say I want God to have his way, you can be saved even while you are singing this song.

If the spirit has talked to you, the Bible says when the spirit speaks, don't harden your heart. Don't be angry. Don't be defensive. You respond to the spirit and be saved. Would you join me as we pray together? Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you today? So what is your defense? Father, I pray that you might overcome all of the defensiveness, all of the excuses, all of the rationalizations. We pray that many today may see that they need a savior. And that is Jesus. May they believe and be saved, we pray, even as we sing.

Amen. My dear friend, if you've never come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, would you do that right now? Would you submit yourself to him, believe in him, and be saved? As I emphasized in the message, don't resist the Holy Spirit. I am so deeply grateful for the many of you who support this ministry, and my heart is blessed because Running to Win is heard in Russian, and it is being broadcast on a station that reaches both Russia as well as the Ukraine. I'm holding in my hands a letter from someone who is listening there.

He says his dream has come true because he's able to find a program for worship and edification. It goes on. Sorry, I don't have time to read the rest of the encouraging letter, but it's because of people just like you. Would you take down this info very quickly? You can go to rtwoffer.com or you can call us at 1 888 218 93 37. We're in the middle of our matching gift campaign. Right now, go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com. Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

What you see is not always what you get. Kathy lives in Oak Forest, Illinois, and listens to Running to Win on WMBI. Here's her sad account of a marriage gone bad. I was married in 2009 to a man I'd known for 15 years, a man who claimed to be a recent convert to Christ. He became quick friends with my pastor. He was kind, generous, and loving until the day we said our I do's. From that point on, he was the complete opposite. I hoped my then pastor, through counseling us, would help with the abuse and rage, alcoholism, pornography, and later on, the adultery.

That did not happen since he took my husband's side. Thereafter, it was just me and my husband. A counselor I saw was troubled that a pastor could consider this kind of person one of his best friends. He didn't believe my husband was saved, but rather dangerous and mentally ill. I spoke with the elders, and two meetings were called. The pastor was told to cut off ties with my husband. My husband left nine times in the first 10 months we were together. After a threat to kill me, I made him leave and got a restraining order.

There was no response to any of my offers to continue counseling or to attend a marriage retreat. We divorced last May. I've not heard a word from my pastor, and have since left that church. Pastor Lutzer, I find it troubling that a pastor would refuse to support a sister in Christ only to cultivate a strong friendship with someone who shows no signs of being saved and who's abused one of God's children. Also, I received no support from the women's ministry during any of this troubling time. Well, Kathy, first of all, as a pastor, I want to say to you, I'm so sorry that you had to endure this experience, and certainly the body of Jesus Christ failed you from what you've said.

That seems clear. And I don't know the pastor's motives. Of course, his friendship with this man apparently was so strong that he wasn't able to stand against him. You know that sometimes happens in churches too where you have elder boards where one elder is out of control and should be disciplined, but all the rest are his friends, and so the discipline doesn't happen. And clearly, I know you feel betrayed, and it's very important that you not carry with you the bitterness that might result because of the experience that you've had. What I want to do though before I end this is to say a few words to women who might be in a similar position as you.

First of all, it is very important that in a marriage relationship, each member own their own responsibility for their stuff, so to speak. And you know, you as a wife cannot bear the responsibility for your husband. As a matter of fact, he must own his own sin because you cannot change him. I say that to the wives out there. You can cajole him, you can use shame, you can berate him. But the inner appetites If he is a man, for example, addicted to pornography or violence, those inner appetites will not stop simply because you're trying to make him into the kind of man he really should be.

And so what you have to do If you don't receive any help and if that marriage continues, you have to set up some circumstances that will force that man to come to terms with who he is. You know, I frequently say most people don't change when they see the light, but when they feel the heat. And what you must do is to warn him that you will indeed expose him, that you will not only tell your pastor, but if the pastor doesn't respond, you'll go elsewhere for help because the situation as it is cannot continue.

And so I'd like to conclude by asking wives to be empowered. Don't put up with abuse, especially if your husband is abusing your children. Go for help. Let him know that things cannot continue the way in which they are because remember what he wants. He wants to continue his lifestyle with a minimum of interruption. He doesn't even want to hit a speed bump. But what you must do is to make sure that indeed he knows that in the end, he must come to terms with who he is. And you're going to make sure that that's going to happen.

God bless you, Kathy, and my heart goes out to all the women listening today who are in similar situations.

Dave McAllister: Thank you, Pastor Lutzer, and thank you, Kathy, for sharing your story with us. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1 888 218 93 37. That's 1 888 218 93 37. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North La Salle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. Ancient Corinth was a lot like today's America, saturated with sex. In the book of 1 Corinthians, we find teaching on moral purity. It was a rude awakening to new converts used to moral debauchery.

Next time on Running to Win, how the Holy Spirit draws the people of God away from sin and toward living a pure life. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.