If you have little kids or younger brothers or sisters, you probably have seen a really young child stand in their parent’s shoes or boots and try to walk around in them. It’s really cute to watch this. They can usually get in them and even stand up, but obviously they can’t walk around in them because the shoes or boots are too big. But the little kid is trying. They are trying to emulate their mom or dad. They want to be like them. They want to do what their mom or dad does. They are trying to follow in their footsteps.
People also try to emulate athletes. Michael Jordan was an amazing basketball player. He just always seemed to know how to beat his opponent and how to beat the other team. He was a very popular player and of course he had a lot of endorsement deals. There were so many different large corporations that had him in commercials – I think they were afraid that people would get burned out on him. So Gatorade came out with a commercial – I wanna be like Mike. And that’s exactly what it was, many kids and teenagers wanted to be like Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods had the same effect in golf that Michael Jordan had in basketball.
But these guys really aren’t very good role models. They both had affairs on their wives. Michael Jordan may even have a gambling problem. They were both very good at their chosen sports, but they really weren’t the best role models for people to pattern themselves after, especially not young people.
We all follow or want to be like someone. Even if we don’t want to admit it. I was a false convert for 33 years. I said the sinner’s prayer when I was 11 years old. I cried real tears on a Sunday night, I walked down the aisle and I repeated a prayer after someone else and I asked Jesus into my heart. But I was not saved. I foolishly thought that I could live my life for myself or really for the devil and still go to Heaven after I died. I’m sharing this with you because my three oldest kids are as lost as the day is long.
My oldest daughter is a Buddhist. She saw how much of a hypocrite I was when I took the kids to church, even taught a Sunday school for middle school and later high school students. During that same time, please remember that I was as lost as my kids were, but I thought I was saved. So I taught Sunday school and was a youth group leader and I’d be just as likely to cuss them out like a dog on the way to church as to not do so.
Being a hypocrite like that made my kids not want to follow after me. It made them not want to walk in my shoes. So my oldest daughter attended Drury University and she followed her professors there and became a Buddhist. My oldest son went off to college and now he is an Atheist. My youngest son is out of school and he thinks that he is a Christian, but he’s not. He loves the pleasures of the flesh too much to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It is very painful to share this with you, but I’m doing so because since God truly saved me seven years ago, all I can do is pray for my kids. I know they see a difference in me now, but they just think – good for me, that I found the crutch that I needed. But they are wrong. Salvation is not a crutch. Salvation is salvation! Salvation is of the Lord.
But my three oldest kids were all brought up in churches where they went through confirmation classes and they all three have been baptized. But they are not saved. And from their weak church experiences, they don’t see any need for Christ, because they never really saw Him when they were younger. They think, If that’s all there is to it, then they don’t need it. I don’t blame them.
So if you are out here tonight and you say that you are a Christian, but you live your life for the devil – do not be a hypocrite. Don’t pretend that you are a Christian. Admit that you are a sinner and even go ahead and love your sins and keep on sinning if you want to, but don’t tell others that you are saved when you are not. I don’t agree with Atheists, but I actually have more respect for them than I do for hypocrites. Even though they foolishly say that they don’t believe in God, they are at least consistent with what they believe, even if that belief is wrong. But don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t tell your friends that you are a Christian and then go out partying with your non-Christian friends. Man up and say that you don’t believe. Admit that you are lost and that you are on the broad road to Hell, just like your lost friends. There may be more hope for you to come to salvation than if you continue professing Jesus with your lips while your heart is far from Him.
We all follow someone. Who are you following tonight? Why are you following that person? Do you respect and want to please and be like a movie star, American idol, famous athlete or someone else? Do you respect and want to be like one of your parents? Maybe you have an old neighbor that you respected and really liked or may be an aunt or an uncle. Do you want to be like them? Who do you follow?
When I was lost, I idolized money. I worked some days from 9 am to midnight. Again, my oldest kids saw how I worked. I thought I was instilling a good work ethic in them, but they just saw what it really was – a man working himself half to death along with his wife, and for nothing but money. Sure we bought bigger houses and chased material things, but my kids saw that those things don’t make you happy. Unfortunately, they did not see what they really needed, which was and still is Jesus.
Jesus told his disciples to follow Him and that He would make them fishers of men. He’s the one we should follow. He’s the only one we should emulate. Why? Because He is the only Savior. He is the only way of salvation. He is the only way for any of us to get back in a right relationship with God. We have all sinned. Each and every one of us. We have all separated ourselves from God through our rebellion against Him. All sin is primarily rebellion against God. You may harm your neighbor, friend or stranger, but your sin is primarily against God Almighty.
None of us are righteous. None of us are good. We are all defiled. We are all vile sinners. No matter how good you think you are tonight, you are not. The Bible says that there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that seeks after God. We have all gone astray. There is none that does good, no not one. If you don’t listen to anything else tonight, I truly hope that you hear this: you are a sinner in need of a savior. There is nothing that you can do to make things right with God. You can never be good enough. You can’t do more good than bad. You cannot earn salvation. Our very best is as filthy rags to our Holy God.
That’s the crux of the problem. Most people think more highly of themselves than they ought to and they don’t recognize how Holy God really is. The Bible even tells us that most men will proclaim themselves good in their own eyes. Most people do what they do, because they think it is right. Even a thief will justify stealing. Either those rich people get all the breaks, or the world owes me, or I’m just trying to provide for my family. However they try to justify it, they will make excuses and they will convince themselves that they are doing what is right. A drunkard will make excuses for getting drunk. An adulterer will blame his spouse for his fooling around. She doesn’t love me. She pushes me away. She’s not the same woman she was when we dated. Whatever your sin of choice is, and you may have more than one, you will justify what you are doing.
But all the justification in the world won’t make it right. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 -9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21 – 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:24-32 – 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
And Revelation 21:8 states: 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Make no mistake, you are following someone tonight. I recently read 1 Kings through 2 Chronicles. All the kings of Judah and Israel either did what was right and it is described such as: in the sight of the LORD or they turned neither to right hand or to the left or they followed after David their father. Or they did that which was evil and did evil in the sight of the LORD or he walked in all the sins of his father or he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God or he did that which was evil as the kings of Israel or he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
We all follow someone and no matter who you are, we are all sinners and we all need to be saved. Jesus is the only Savior. He is the only One who kept the perfect demands of God’s Law. He’s the only One who perfectly kept the 10 Commandments. He never sinned in His thoughts, words or deeds. He took the punishment that we deserve. He was the propitiation for our sins. In other words, God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus while He hung on that cruel cross.
The punishment that you and I rightly deserve; was administered to the Son of God. He died on the cross, was buried and rose from grave. And God gives eternal life to each and every person who repents from their sins and puts their trust in Jesus. Salvation is not repeating a one time prayer. Salvation is being born-again. When you are truly saved you are a changed person. No change, no salvation. No repentance, no salvation. If you have never truly been born-again, then you are still dead in your trespasses and sins.
You can be saved tonight. But you must recognize your need for salvation. You must admit that you are a sinner and that you are separated from God. When you truly see this, when you really see the predicament that you are in, then you can really cry out to God to save you. You stop counting on your own goodness (which isn’t good to begin with) and you realize that God is Holy, righteous and just and that you don’t measure up to His perfect standard. That’s when you can cry out for God to save you, that’s when you can be saved.
If this describes you tonight, please admit to God that you have sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins, because godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation. But you also have to put your faith in Jesus. You put your trust in Him by surrendering your life to Him. Jesus told His disciples to follow Him and that He would make them fishers of men. When you are saved, you want to tell others about Jesus, your Lord and Savior. Follow Jesus tonight and then go and spread the Gospel!
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on September 5, 2014)