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Pray to Receive Jesus
00:04:49
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| What are the misconceptions about what the fear of God is? | |
| Well, I think some want to make it sound like you're supposed to be scared to death of him. | |
| I don't think that's the meaning. | |
| On the other hand, sometimes I think we do need a dose of that. | |
| Nobody's afraid of God. | |
| And if they understood what he's like, I think there would be a sense, a sense in which we're afraid of him. | |
| Do you not realize that the very first message of the New Testament, first message, Matthew chapter 3, verse 7, John the Baptist, opening words, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? | |
| That's the opening message of the New Testament. | |
| People forget this. | |
| And when you say flee, that means you run from it because you're afraid. | |
| So, whereas I don't think God intends that on the concept of fear of God, to mean be scared to death, but I turn around and say, I think many were in the day of John the Baptist. | |
| And I can tell you, on the day Jonathan Edwards preached that sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, people were scared to death. | |
| It would not surprise me, Jim, Lori, on the day Jesus comes, it says, He comes with clouds. | |
| Every eye shall see him. | |
| They also which pierced him. | |
| And all the kindred of the earth shall wail. | |
| W-A-I-L wail because of him. | |
| Now, that's what's going to happen. | |
| And I say, I think there's a sense in which we need a taste of that now to prepare people for the judgment to come. | |
| It's true. | |
| If we fear God, we can trust God. | |
| And fear of man is a snare. | |
| How does this book help to explain what fearing God looks like? | |
| Well, I give the gospel, and I can just put it right now. | |
| I would ask anybody watching, anybody right now, this question. | |
| Do you know for sure that if you were to die today, would you go to heaven? | |
| Do you? | |
| And then I ask, if you, when you stand before God, you will. | |
| If he were to ask you, he could do, why should I let you into my heaven? | |
| What would you say? | |
| And I put this question wherever I go in the world. | |
| What would you say to God if he were to ask you, why should I let you into my heaven? | |
| And if you immediately don't have the answer, something wrong. | |
| Everybody who knows they're going to heaven should have the answer. | |
| It should come to your mind immediately because Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. | |
| That's how you know you go to heaven. | |
| You're trusting the blood of Jesus. | |
| But if when I put the question, what would you say to God if he were to say to you, why should I let you in? | |
| If the first thing that enters your mind is, well, I've tried to do this, I've tried to do that, or I was baptized, I joined the church, I would say with deepest respect, you're lost. | |
| You're not saved. | |
| But if it comes to your mind to say, because of the blood of Jesus, that's the good sign. | |
| And I would say to anybody, and I know, Jim, Laurie, you won't mind that I say this. | |
| I'm sure you want me to do it. | |
| Anybody right now, if you do not know for sure that if you die today, you go to heaven, I would urge you right at this moment, wherever you are, pray this prayer. | |
| You can say it out loud. | |
| You can say it in your heart. | |
| Lord Jesus, I need you. | |
| I want you. | |
| I'm sorry for my sins. | |
| Wash my sins away by your blood. | |
| I welcome your Holy Spirit into my heart. | |
| And as best as I know how, I give you my life. | |
| That's the prayer. | |
| And if you prayed that prayer, I would urge you to tell one other person this very day, share it, and then write to Jim Baker and tell him that you prayed that prayer. | |
| That would encourage him no end to think that God would use me on this program when we're talking about the book, The Fear, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, that you actually prayed to receive Jesus as a result of this program. | |
| Jim and Lori would be thrilled. | |
| So I would urge you to write in. | |
| There's a phone call. | |