Do you want to know something that has been lighting a fire in my soul lately? And I’m speaking in a good way here. Lately I have been on fire for the Gospel, energized by it yet also completely humbled by the opportunity to receive it. The Lord’s grace is truly a mystery yet such an amazing gift. And two references come to my mind when I think about the humbling grace of the Gospel and the fire in my soul to share it. The first is an infamous and amazing sermon illustration by Allistair Begg. To drive his point home, he says the following lines. I’ll share the sentences that gets his point across, not every word of the 4-minute illustration, for the sake of time of course.
“Without the preaching of the cross, without preaching the cross to ourselves, all day and every day, we will very quickly revert to faith plus works as the ground of our salvation. So to go to the old Fort Lauderdale question, if you were to die tonight and you were going to get entry into Heaven, what would you say?” He then goes on to say: “If you answer that in the first person, you’ve immediately gone wrong.” He adds that if you say anything like: because I, because I believed, because I had faith, you are wrong. He follows by saying: “Loved ones the only proper answer is in the third person. Because He. Because He.”
Allistair Begg then goes on to imagine what the thief on the cross must’ve experienced when he entered into Heaven. Allistair says he bets the angels were confused by his arrival, and would ask the thief questions about faith, theology, etc. And when the thief can’t answer those questions, the angel grabs the supervisor angel. Finally, the supervisor angel asks the thief on what basis are you here? The thief responds with: “The Man on the middle cross said I can come.”
And that moment in the sermon illustration is just so beautiful. You understand that any and all validation for your forgiveness and entry into Heaven is because of Jesus and because He said so. There’s nothing we did or will do. It is because of Jesus. He is the Lord over salvation, He is the One who defeated sin and death, and He is the One who will stand before the throne of God and say we are worth all of it. Not because of what we have achieved, but because He chose us.
With that Gospel truth playing out in my mind, I’ve got to tell you that it starts to put a fire in my soul. I have also paired that illustration with a quote I read by Charles Spurgeon – this is the second reference I was telling you about earlier. Charles Spurgeon is a renowned 19th century British Baptist preacher who is known for making this one of many great quotes. This quote is speaking about evangelizing to those who are lost. “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” I love this quote so much and rarely read it with a normal cadence. I emphasize several parts of it: let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay, let Hell be filled in the teeth of our exertions. This quote is a solid rock for me to be motivated by when sharing the Gospel in unknown places. And what a heart one would have who would live and breathe the same dedication to the Gospel as explained by this quote.
So, as I close, both references live rent free in my mind most days. But I’m okay with that, it’s simple reminders and boosts of energy when I remember them. These references make living for the Gospel and sharing the Gospel so easy, so simple. And it helps you see that Jesus has your back – that His Gospel is motivating you and empowering you to live for it and share it. I hope you can see that too and have your soul be stirred up by it too.
If you’d like to watch the illustration by Allistair Begg, here is a YouTube video sharing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDl8euKhd3U
