Today in the Apologetics Class, we watched Hell’s Best Kept Secret – Ray Comfort / Kirk Cameron:
Here is the note-taking form:
Hell’s Best Kept Secret (Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron)
- The “fall-away rate” – 80-90% of “decisions” fall away from their faith. In other words, there are 80-90 “backsliders” for every 100 decisions for Christ.
- The Church has strayed away from the b_______________ way of presenting the Gospel.
- Mark 10:17-22 – Jesus’ approach with the rich young ruler. He was using a principle that prepares the heart for g______________. It shows people why they need the Savior.
- Psalm 19:7 – “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…”
- Civil law example – someone paid $25,000 fine on your behalf… (doesn’t make sense)
- Telling a person precisely what they’ve done w_______ first, makes the good news make sense.
- Romans 3:19 – One function of God’s law: “…that every mouth may be st____________…”
- More about the law – Romans 3:20, 1 John 3:4, Romans 7:7, Galatians 3:24
- The law doesn’t help us, it just leaves us h_______________. The law doesn’t justify us, it just leaves us g______________ before a just and holy God.
- We are not saved by the law, we are saved by God’s grace, through faith.
- Modern evangelism tries to attract people to Jesus with the promise of “life e______________”.
- Modern Parable about 2 passengers on an airplane that are told to put on a parachute for different reasons – one to improve his flight, the other to prepare for a 25,000 foot jump.
- Modern Gospel says, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and He will give you “Love, Joy, Peace, Fulfillment and Lasting Happiness” (i.e. Jesus will “improve your flight”)
- The sinner responds and puts on the Savior in an ex___________ fashion and gets just what Jesus promised – trials, tribulation, persecution (other passengers mock him). He’s offended, disillusioned and bitter – he was promised Love, Joy, Peace, Fulfillment and Lasting Happiness
- Instead of telling sinners that Jesus “improves the flight”, we should be warning them that they’re going to have to j_____________ out of the plane. (Hebrews 9:27)
- When a sinner understands the horrific consequences of breaking God’s law, he will flee to the Savior solely to escape the w______________ to come.
- It’s not an issue of happiness, but of righteousness. It doesn’t matter how happy a person is or isn’t in their current lifestyle, without the righteousness of Christ, they’ll p____________ on the Day of Judgment. (Proverbs 11:4)
- If a person comes to God looking for peace and joy in their life, but they’re not broken in their heart, repentant over the fact that they’ve s______ against Almighty God, they won’t find peace with God! They won’t know the joy of the Lord – they’ll remain e________ of God in their mind.
- If we continue to give people a wrong reason to come to Christ, they’ll respond with the wrong motive – lacking r_________________.
- If you and I have put on the Lord Jesus Christ for the biblical motive to flee from the wrath that’s to come, when tribulation strikes (“flight” gets bumpy) we won’t get a_____________ with God or lose our joy or peace – why should we? We didn’t come to Jesus for a happy life-style, we came because we’d sinned against God and needed a Savior to save us from the wrath to come.
- If anything, tribulation drives a true Christian c______________ to the Savior.
- One of the functions of God’s law: it c_______________.
- Wooden table analogy, looks dust-free until the sunlight shines on it. Did the light create the dust? No, the light merely ex_______________ the dust. In the same way, when the light of God’s law shines upon a sinner’s heart, all that happens is that he sees himself in t___________.
- People can hardly name any of 10 c______________, but can name a lot of b________ brands.
- If someone does not know God’s law, they will not see their sin as being exceedingly sinful.
- Modern evangelism takes the good seed of the Gospel and casts it on the hard, unregenerate h_____________ of humanity.
- Biblical evangelism, without exception, is always “Law to the p______, Grace to the h________”
- With the law, He (Jesus) breaks the hard heart and with the Gospel, He heals the broken heart.
- God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6b).
- What doctor would give a c_____ to a patient when the patient is not 1st convinced of his disease
- The disease is s__________, and the cure is the G________________.
- John 4 – the women at the well (they call it “the W____ of the M___________”). Jesus does this:
- Starts out with the n________________ conversation
- Then swings the conversation to the s_______________ realm
- Then, brings c_____________ of sin using the commandments
- Finally, reveals Himself as M_________________.
- Show a person they’re not a “g__________ p____________” by looking at the commandments (lying, stealing, adultery, etc.) and showing them they’ve not kept them perfectly.
- God is forgiving – try that in a court of law. Someone charged of murder says to judge, “because you’re a good man, and therefore, you’ll let me go…” That wouldn’t be a good j_____________.
- If God is good, then by nature, He will make sure that j______________ is served and that people are punished for what they’ve done. If God gave you justice, you wouldn’t be headed for heaven but for h_________.
- We broke the law and Jesus paid our f____________ – it’s as simple as that.
Discussion Questions
- According to this video, what is a “biblical motive” for salvation?
- Modern evangelism attracts people by promising what unbiblical motive?
- What does the phrase “Law to the Proud, Grace to the Humble” mean? How would this work in an evangelistic encounter?
- Explain the parable told in this video about the 2 passengers on the plane and the parachute. What does it mean?
- Explain the analogy about a dusty table and the morning light. What truth is that trying to communicate?
- According to this video, what is the “Way of the Master” and what Scripture is it based on?
- What opportunities do you have for evangelism at your work, school, neighborhood, family or circle of friends and acquaintances?
- According to this video, what is “Hell’s Best Kept Secret”?