This illustrates the manner in which the command of the gospel is heard by the sinner who is, like Lazarus, dead in sin. If a sinner responds to the command of the gospel (repent and believe, cf. Acts 20:21), it is because God, by His sovereign act, has already awakened the heart of the sinner to respond to the gospel. This is why the Scriptures represent both repentance and faith as a gift from God, not something that man can manufacture on his own (Acts 5:31; 2Tim 2:25; Eph 2:8).
This reality has a significant impact upon the whole issue of evangelism. Our duty as servants of Yeshua is simply to give forth the message of the gospel. It is God’s work to open the eyes and ears, and to prepare the heart to receive the gospel. Apart from this sovereign work of God, the gospel will never be effective to bring about salvation. Thus, the manner in which the gospel is presented must take this basic fact into consideration. We do not convince the sinner to accept the gospel, as though if we are good “salesmen” we will save those who are lost. The presentation of the gospel is not a marketing scheme to reach the masses. The presentation of the gospel must be in giving the message as God intends, with a reliance upon Him to bring life where there is only death. This means that we do not try to make the gospel into something that will be easily received and non-offensive. We do not “dress up” the gospel or diminish its true message in order to make it palatable for the sinner. The message of the gospel is offensive to the depraved soul because it requires the sinner to admit his depravity and rely fully on God’s mercy. In short, the gospel requires the rebellious heart of man to humbly fall before God and plead for His mercy.
But what occurs when God, in His mercy, does awaken the soul to receive the gospel? According to the Scriptures, there is a radical change that occurs: the heart of stone is removed, and a heart of flesh is put in its place (Ezek 11:19f). The old man is crucified and the new man is recreated after the image of God (Rom 6; Col 3). The heart that by nature is bent toward sin and against God is replaced by a heart that longs for righteousness and willingly submits to God. This radical change can only be described as a new birth—a starting over, in which a person is remade from the inside out. Moreover, the Spirit of God comes to dwell within the awakened soul and becomes the leading force in the life of the new believer (Rom 8:14). This means that the depravity with which a person is born is removed, and he or she becomes able to respond to God and to His Spirit. What is more, the will that had rebellion as its primary characteristic is replaced with a will that longs to please God. The believer “concurs with the Torah of God in the inward man” (Rom 7:22).
This is the beginning of sanctification—the process by which the redeemed sinner is more and more conformed to be like Yeshua. However, this is not without a struggle (Gal 5:17). Even though the basic depravity is removed, and a new disposition is created within the heart of the believer, there remains the sinful nature, the ability to sin, and even the natural inclination to sin if one allows the sinful nature to rule. The volition or will has been changed, so that the believer desires to obey God. But the struggle comes in that the remaining sinful nature desires to return to the former way of rebellion.
Quote taken from: http://tinyurl.com/obzvhtn