Luke 21:8

Christian, Be Not Deceived!

Transcript:


Thank you very much. Our subject tonight deals with a question in the Christian Church that is so important I don't know how to impress you with its importance. 


Beloved, please do this for your own sake. When you came in you were given a quiz card and a blank piece of paper. We wish you'd use that piece of paper to write down the scriptures we give you and any other notes you'd like to take. You're going to hear things from night to night out here as you continue attending that you perhaps have not heard before and you need to check to see if Pastor Brooks is telling you the truth. Do you know one of the reasons there's so much confusion in the Christian Church today is folks just sit and swallow everything preachers say. Now you don't know me so check and see if it's there and if it's not there you don't have to believe it. Amen. 


Now this question that I was alluding to is how do you become a Christian? and after having become one how do you remain one? And I want to deal with that tonight and I tell you out front I want to be as simple as I possibly can be. How to get religion; how to keep it: claimed and kept. 


Now I want to tell you this to begin with: two monkeys could get married and produce a monkey. Two cats could get married and produce a cat. Two sparrows could get married and produce a sparrow. But two saints cannot get married and produce a saint. Two saints will get married and have a little baby and that little baby is not a saint, it's a sinner. For everyone who is born only once is born in sin. And the problem in the world today is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; and too few of the world's inhabitants have ever tried to avail themselves of the help they so desperately need, which is freely theirs through Christ Jesus. 


Or let me put it another way. The problem in the world today is not so much the problem of war and the problem of crime. It is the problem of sin. And the reason we have such an enormous problem is that most people have only been born once; and the only solution to this dilemma is to be born again. Would you say amen out there? 


Now ladies and gentlemen until this happens the unregenerate heart cannot be kind. The unregenerate heart cannot be honest and pure. The unregenerate heart is selfish; it indulges the flesh; it does its own thing; it does what it wants to do. It'll run roughshod over you. It will take your life. But when a man surrenders to Christ and is born again, that man becomes a new creature. And as a new creature, he has the power that comes from outside of himself. It's called the Holy Ghost. And that power comes into his life and resides in his life and gives him victory; which means he does not do what he used to do. And until that happens we cannot change human nature. 


Now what do you do about it? I have suggested already that Christ has an answer to that dilemma. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to suggest to you that in all your lifetime there are only four really important things you can ever do. Now we get involved with all kinds of things, but I want to assure you everything else is of a secondary nature. There are only four important things and you've already done one of them. The first one is to be born into the world. Now if you're not born, you don't have anything to worry about. Isn't it right? The second one is to be born again. I'm coming back to that one. The third one is to get married. And the fourth one is to die. And everything else is related to these four in a secondary nature or way. 


There are people with millions and millions of dollars who have not been born again and they have not begun to live. They are miserable and wretched and scared and insecure. There are people with millions of dollars who would give it all to have a wife like mine and a home like mine. Now these four important things, strangely, you don't have a lot to do with, personally. 


Let's look at it. You had nothing to do with being born. As a matter of fact you were here almost a year or two before you even knew you were here; had nothing to do with it. Being born again I got a proposition on that. But, getting married, you know, one out of two marriages now ends in divorce. That's incredibly tragic. Ladies and gentlemen. When God got ready to give Adam a wife He put him to sleep; and when Adam woke up there she was. Considering the divorce rate, I almost wished that when young folk got ready to get married, God could put them to sleep. So I wish we had less to do with that. And the last one, die–we don't generally choose how and when we shall die; we don't have a lot to do with it. Now the second one is the one I'm talking about tonight; and I am suggesting to you that you don't have a lot to do with that. The business of taking a sinner and changing him into a saint is the work of the Holy Ghost, in Christ's name, by the merits of Christ at Calvary, and through His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Would you say amen out there? 


But having made a proposition is not enough. One must proceed then to prove it with Scripture. And that's what I'm gonna do. I wish you'd write these down. First of all would you please write down Romans chapter two and verse four. The Bible says in Romans 2:4 “it is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance.” 


Now I'd like to give you three steps to conversion. I have read people who said there are 10 or 12. I want to be simple; three: repentance, and confession, and then conversion (acceptance of the grace of God). 


The first one is repentance. What is that? It is sorrow for sin. It is becoming disgusted with a rebellious life. But it isn't that only. It is a turning away from sin. And you have not repented until you're ready to stop. Would you say amen out there? Now if repentance is wanting to do right and giving up wrong–I have just read to you that it is the goodness of God that leads you to that. 


I've had people come to me who thought they had gone beyond hope. And they would say, oh pastor, I want to be a Christian but I don't believe I can be saved. I said what did you say? You want to be a Christian? Oh yes, I do. I said to them, you can't even want to be a Christian without God. “For it is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance” Romans 2:4. Here is another, write it down, Philippians 2:13: the Bible says “it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Would you say amen? 


Now I'd like to put that in our language. It is God that works inside of you to will (to want to do right;) and to do (to perform the works of righteousness). If you find a person who wants to live right, that's God in that person making him will to do right. And if you see somebody who is walking circumspectly, and living a good Christian life, it is God inside of him through the presence of the Holy Spirit that gives him the power to live above sin. I'm not special up here; nor are these preachers who come out here with me night after night. If these men, and if I am, able to be true to my wife it is because of the grace of God. We have nothing to boast about. If God turned His head all of us would do what everybody else does. Would you say amen out there? 


Let me give you one more conclusive text: John 6:44. the Bible says, and Christ was talking, He said, “no man” [how many men?] “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” Amen? So beloved, understand me now. you can't even want to do right. You can't have that desire to follow the Lord. Those impulses that come up inside of you that say I want to go to breath of life tonight, rather than go to the discothèque. That desire to come out here and listen to the word of God is the Holy Ghost working with you. And you ought to thank God that He is dealing with you. You don't have a lot to do with it. It’s what God does because of His desperate love for sinners. He hates sin, but thank God, He loves sinners. And it is His spirit wooing us and speaking to us and playing upon the strings of our hearts that causes us to desire to do the will of the Lord. That's repentance, when you're ready to quit. 


And I gotta say this: any religion that offers forgiveness without offering victory is worse than no religion at all. 


And they are great bodies of religious groups that will tell you to repent and to do confession and then you go back and do the same thing just come back tomorrow and do it again. I say that's worse than no religion at all. 


Now I'd like to tell you why. The reason is by repeating sin you harden your heart; and you burn your conscience out. And you keep that up long enough, you will drive the Holy Ghost away and you cannot be saved. 


I'm glad that the religion of Christ, not only pardons me, but it causes me to walk straight in the future. I'm glad that He not only forgives my sins, but He gives me the victory over that sin, if I want it. You can live right by the power of God. You can't live right by will power. You can't live right by self determination. You can't live right by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. You can't live right through behavior modification. But you can live right by the Holy Ghost. You don't have to do what the devil has you doing. You don't have to be a slave to the devil. There is victory in Christ. And there is power in the blood. Would you say amen out there?


And God gives you the spirit of repentance. Now after you come to that and you want this changed life; and I've talked to some young people this week, who've come down here in tears to take my hand. And these young people suddenly are being overwhelmed by the spirit of God and they want to live right. That's what they come to tell me and I look at them and smile and let them know you can. I'm tired of people thinking they can't. Yes you can. Yes you can. You can treat your wife right. Oh yes you can. You can give up your dirty habits. Oh yes you can. Don't tell me you can't stop drinking and smoking and carousing. Oh yes you can. And if you don't, it's because you don't want to. 


Now having felt the impulse of the Holy Ghost, and having felt that you want to live a good life, the second step is confession. What did I say? or what is that? Confession is what the old negro spiritual calls a little talk with Jesus that makes it right. Confession is getting on your knees in private and telling God about your dirt and asking Him to forgive you and to give you the power in your life to live above it; to say goodbye to it. Someone said that real repentance is a U-turn on the road of life. You were headed one way toward hell and now you turn and you're going in the extreme opposite direction. It doesn't mean you won't make a mistake now and then. But it does mean that you are now committed toward heaven. And having come to that you get down and talk to God who is a friend. Oh beloved, let me tell you about Him. It's a pleasure tonight to tell you about Jesus. Christ didn't come all the way down here and die because He doesn't love people. Jesus didn't come down here to condemn you either. Some of us think of Christ as a policeman or a sheriff or something who's just watching and meddling all the time to see if He can catch us wrong so He can condemn us. My beloved friends, if Christ only wanted to condemn us, He wouldn't have to do anything. We are born condemned. So the Lord's not trying to see how many people He can punish. He's trying to see how many people He can save. The Lord's not interested in how many folk He can send to hell. He's trying to see how many are willing to go to heaven. So think of Him as a friend. And when you get on your knees you can talk to him. and the thing I love about Jesus is when you tell Him all your secrets He won't put your business in the street. The Bible says, your heavenly Father that heareth in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:18). Amen! 


I was talking about Jesus one day on a college campus and some youngsters surrounded me and they said, Pastor Brooks is it true that God sees all you do; and hears all you say? Of course that's true, I said. A-ha, they said, if He already knows what I've done, why do I have to confess? Why tell Him if He already knows? Well that's a good question. My answer is this: if you are human, and you are, you've mistreated somebody somewhere. You know you have. Now when you've done someone wrong, it might be your husband, or your wife, your child, your parents, your neighbor, your friend. But when you've done somebody wrong, you know it, and they know it. Isn’t that right? And every time you're around that person that you've wronged, you feel awful. You swell up. You don't feel like eating anymore. Isn't it right? You can't even talk when you've mistreated your wife. You can't call her darling, can you? It's rough when you've mistreated someone. Now if you've got good sense you'll get tired of that and make up your mind I'm going to apologize. Now the minute you decide to apologize you start feeling better don't you? And you start feeling humble too. And when you approach the person you've wronged, your head's always down–that's humility. And you say to that person–you know you can't even look at them you know– I mistreated you. Are you telling that person something he does not know? Why if anybody knows he knows. Then why tell him? And that's the same question they asked me about God. If the person already knows why tell him? If God already knows why tell him? Confession is not informing God. Confession is God's way for you to get rid of the load of your sin. Confession is like an apology. You're getting it off your chest. Confession is like an apology. You're clearing the air between yourself and an offended God. Confession is not informing God. It's letting God know that you acknowledge your condition, and you come to Him the only One who can help, and you're willing to accept His terms. You want to be His friend. you want to be forgiven. That's why you confess. And if you're a liar tell Him you're a liar. If you're an adulterer, tell Him you're an adulterer. Whatever your problem is, or has been, talk to God frankly about it. But talk to Him knowing that His one interest in you is to take your sin away and save you in His kingdom. Would you say amen out there? Talk to Him knowing that it is He who made you want to talk about it. He's already reached out to you and He has overshadowed you with an aura of heavenly affection. Talk to Him in that atmosphere and don't be afraid. 


Now the college kids said, well pastor, suppose I do all that, how do I know He heard me? Well he's not going to call you on the telephone and say, hello this is God, I want you to know I heard you. He's not going to write you a letter that the postman will deliver. Then how do I know? The word is faith. What did I say? Romans 10:17. Write it down. The Bible says “now faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” So you gotta have faith in the right thing. Faith in the Word of God. Well what does it say? In 1 John 1:9 (now write that down.) First John one nine, the Bible says, “if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all and righteousness.” Proverbs 28:13 says “whoso confesseth and forsaketh [his sins] shall have mercy.” Now ladies and gentlemen I could go on reading the Bible to you but whenever God speaks that's enough. And the Bible says God cannot lie. The Bible says it's impossible for God to lie. The Bible says he's “not a man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19). You know how I interpret that? Even if God did wrong, He wouldn't have to lie about it because nobody could do anything about it. Now if it's impossible for God to lie, and if He cannot lie, then He is spoken to you out of His word. You've got to have faith in the word. The Bible says “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Bible says “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Would you say amen out there? The Bible says those that come unto God must first “believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Now I'm putting scripture to you. You must begin with faith in God. Without faith it's impossible to please him. And if you want to read something, turn to, or write down, James chapter one, James chapter one beginning around verse four; and it goes on to say, “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally upbraideth not; … but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with a wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord" (James 1:5-6). Did you get that? 


If you pray and don't pray in faith, God is not going to answer your prayer. The Bible says, ask in faith. I hear people on the news and on television sometimes expressing a puny faith in God. And they said well you know, I believe. and prayer can't hurt. God must be insulted when He hears something like that. What the person is saying, I don't really believe, but since it can't hurt, I'll take a chance. That's not faith. Faith is knowing that God sits on the throne. Why? Because He said He did. And faith is knowing that God hears prayer. Why? Because He said He does. faith is knowing that God is able to answer prayer. Why? Because He said He can. And when you pray like that, All you got to do to have the answer is appropriate it to yourself by faith. It's just like somebody held out his hand full of money and said to me, Brooks you may have this if you want to. Now he's not going to force it into my hand. But I may reach over and take it myself because I believe in him. God says with your faith it is done. When Jesus was here, He healed the sick, He gave sight to the blind, He cleansed the leper. He did all these things, but always Jesus said according to your faith be it unto you. Or He said, thy faith hath made thee whole. Not His faith, yours! 


Now my faith cannot answer your prayers. You've got to trust God. Now the Lord said, if you confess your sins I will forgive you. You've got to believe what God said. And the minute you do your part and then believe the word of God, it is done. Let everybody say amen out there. 


Not long ago somebody said to me, but pastor I can't help it, I'm just that way, I don't believe anything I can't see. Now that's not true. and if you feel it where you shouldn't brag about it. you ought to complain. We are creatures of faith. And the reason we are is because we are creatures of limitation. We don't even know what the next minute is going to bring. Do we? So we have to live by faith. You came into this auditorium by faith. You sat in those seats by faith. You didn't know those chairs wouldn't collapse and break your back. But you sat in them. You had faith that whoever built that chair, made it strong enough to hold you even if you weigh more than you ought to weigh. And look up there all of that stuff could come coming down on your head and kill you. But you had faith that they must have built it right. You didn't see it built but you sit here. Go home and eat dinner by faith. How do you know your wife didn't get mad and put poison in it. Every month pay your bills. write out a check and put it in an envelope and lick a little old stamp like the end of my thumb and take it out on an impersonal corner and drop it in an impersonal box and then come home and say honey I paid the bill. You haven't paid anything. You dropped the check in a box. But you have faith that the postal–and it takes faith nowadays. And we get on the bus and trust that driver. Some drivers drink. But we trust him to drive us home. We live by faith. And yet when it comes to trusting God, We think it's smart to question. Well I'm not so much interested in those who won't believe, I'm interested in those who will believe. And the Lord is working on the hearts of people. And I believe all of you here tonight believe in God. If you do say amen out there. Then believe all the way. Let yourself go with God. Stop holding back. “If you confess your sins he will forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.” And when that happens, you believe that it has happened. You believe that you are His. You believe you belong to your family, and it is so. In that way Christ claims you. 


You become a Christian, But you're not changed as much as you thought you would be. And I want to be as clear with this as I possibly can. There are more people than you can imagine who are looking for a certain feeling as evidence of conversion. You can't read it in the Bible. The Bible says, “faith,” not feeling. Would you say amen out there? The feelings are related to emotions. When my mother died my wife cried more than I did. Did she love my mother more? No sir. It just happened that perhaps she was a bit more emotional than I. Now there's nothing wrong with emotions. I'm not kicking those. But I am saying that you ought to keep the horse in front of the cart and not get feeling mixed up with faith. You are saved by faith! And the Bible says that over and over and over again. But there are people waiting for an electric shock to run up and down their backs, you know, before they will believe. Or they're looking for a sign or a wonder. Haven't you read the scriptures? –When Thomas said, I won't believe unless I put my finger in the sore in His hand, Jesus presented Himself and said all right Thomas go ahead. and when Thomas saw it was the Lord, he said, “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Christ said Thomas you've seen me and finally believe. Blessed are those who believe without seeing. Amen! 


So we've got to have the faith to believe what God says. And when we believe it is done. We become Christians, But we're not angels. How does the Lord take care of a man's past sins. I'm tempted to do something here tonight. And I'm gonna try my best to have time for it all. But there are some terms, and some words in the Bible that we generally associate with high theology. Let me tell you everything God put in here, was put in here for ordinary folks who are willing to believe him. Would you say amen? Nothing so complicated. Theologians make things complicated. some folk lose their faith trying to explain it. But for those who want to serve God, everything is in here for you. Now the words are justification and sanctification. I'm gonna ask this audience to say those words with me: “justification.” come on everybody. “Justification.” and “Sanctification.” 


Now what do those words mean? 


Justification: the business of justifying or making one just; or taking away one's guilt. you got it? Sanctification: from the Latin sanctus which means “holy.” Making one holy. One of them: Justification–making one just or without sin. Sanctification–making one holy. One of them taking care of a man's past sins. The other, keeping man in the future and making him a holy witness. Amen? 


Now Saint Paul, the great theologian, used two terms. I want to associate those with those words. They are “imputed righteousness,”( would you say that with me?) And the other is “imparted righteousness.” Say that please. Oh but you say pastor that's deep. Of course it is. But it's also simple. And I want you to see how simple it is. 


I've already explained to you justification–taking away one's past sins and making him just. Sanctification–keeping one in the path of righteousness so that he becomes holy. You got it? 


Now how does God justify or take away past sins? He does it through imputed righteousness; 

the righteousness of Jesus Christ. How does God sanctify a person? He does it through imparted righteousness; the righteousness of Christ. But now pastor, don't leave us there. What do those words mean? Impute means to give credit for. Say that with me. Impute means to give credit for. Impart means to share as is needed. Impart, come on now, impart means to share. 


Now watch how simple it is. Here is a man who sinned for a long long time. He comes to God and says, Oh Lord, I'm sorry; forgive me. The Lord says, I'll do it. I'll take all your sins away. But our God is not only a merciful God, He's a just God. He has to keep the books balanced. Otherwise other beings would accuse Him of being partial. So you can't just have all your 20 years of sin taken away, and then be left with 20 years of clean pages. You got to have something in the book. So the Lord says all right I'll take away 20 years of lying, and I'll give you credit for 20 years of my son's truthfulness. You've been fooling around for 20 years. I'll wash it away. And in the place of it, I'll put the purity of my son Jesus' life. Let's say amen! 


I'm giving you credit for the life of… oh wait a minute. Let's just make it clear. On the cross God looked down, His only begotten son was dying. There were two thieves up there. Finally one of those thieves, looking out through his dim eyes, saw the place of the dead. The place where his own body would be thrown to be burned on the city dump of Jerusalem. And the smoke was wafting across dead man's hill. And suddenly, it could be that, his consciousness became aware of the fact that after all of his riotous living, he was headed for the trash heap. And the desperation in his soul made him look around for help. and as he looked around, there was a mob. There were the frightened disciples. There were travelers. None of them could help him. So he looked toward the cross in the middle. And when he did his eyes fell on God. He saw Jesus Christ in His purity; he saw Jesus Christ in His honesty; and in His innocence. And when he looked at Christ, it could have been that, he remembered something he was taught as a child from the Old Testament. Isaiah said that the Son of God would come. His name would be Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and that “he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5). And as that thief began to think in his desperate hour. He began to put it all together. and somehow faith sprang up and said, this must be the Lord! And that thief turned toward the cross in the middle, and he cried out, Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. 


I want to pause to tell you something about that thief. He called Jesus, “Lord.” Now everybody I see, would like to have a Savior. What they don't want is a Lord. A Lord is somebody who tells you what to do, and you do it. A Lord is somebody that you allow to be in charge of your life. Would you say amen? A Lord is somebody who gives you commandments, and orders, and you obey them. Would you say amen? When that thief looked at Jesus, he didn't just say Savior; he said Lord! I'm willing to turn my life over to you, if you'll take me, and remember me when you come in your kingdom. 


Jesus stopped dying to hear that sinner pray. And Jesus turned to him immediately, and said I'm telling you today, “thou shalt be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus didn't say, how much money did you put in church? Jesus didn't say, how many Sabbath have you kept lately? Jesus didn't say, how many sick people have you visited? Jesus didn't say, have you been praying lately? Jesus didn't say anything about that. Jesus said, I'm telling you, you're going to heaven with me. 


Now wait a minute. We've got a problem. Now the Bible says except the man repent, and is baptized, he cannot go to heaven (Acts 2:38). Now that fellow repented, but he didn't get baptized, huh? He didn't get baptized. He’s on the cross. And yet Jesus said I'm gonna save you. Is Christ violating His own word? 


Let's go back to the day that Jesus was baptized (Jhn 1:29-34 ). He was walking down to the river Jordan. John the Baptist had been preaching that I am sent as a forerunner of the Messiah. And one day John looked through the crowd and saw Jesus coming. And he said to that crowd behold–(that means everybody look yonder)–here comes “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.” Jesus walked out into the river and He asked John to baptize him. John said Lord I'm not worthy. You don't need baptizing. I need to be baptized by you. Now ladies and gentlemen, that's true; because baptism represents a burial of sin and rising to walk in a new light. Christ had never sinned and didn't need baptizing. But Jesus said to John suffer it to be so. In other words, go ahead and force yourself to do it anyhow, that I might fulfill all righteousness. Three and a half years later, He was on the cross and a thief cried out, Lord save me. Jesus could have said, I would if you could only be baptized. No Jesus didn't say that. He said I'm gonna save you! Well what about baptism? I'm gonna give you credit for my baptism. Would you say amen?


Ladies and gentlemen, that's why it's called amazing grace! 


I've gone to the bed sides of dying men and women. Went to a man's bed, He had cancer of the throat. no possibility of being baptized. He began to weep, and he told me the kind of life he'd lived. I said fella, we don't have time to discuss that. Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? He said, I do. are you willing to surrender your life to him? I am. Will you believe what he said–that he's able to save to the uttermost? I do. I said, man if you believe that let's pray together, confess your sins and then you are a child of God. When I left he had a smile on his face. And his wife threw her arms around my neck, and said pastor thank you for bringing hope to my husband! I said sister, the Lord brought the hope! 


Christ justifies you, and gives you credit for His life. That's imputed righteousness–to give credit for. And in that way, He has earned the right through His sacrifice to take away sin; and to take away your guilt; and to take away all the dirt you've ever done. Bless the Lord! 


Now when that happens you are His child. But where people get thrown, is, they discover they're still human. Now please hear me. I've had so many folks stumble over this. They have a good experience. They say to themselves, I've given my life to the Lord. I believe. And they go home and before the day is over they've lost their temper and they've called their wives a name. And then the devil jumps on their shoulders and says, aw haw!, there's nothing to your experience. You're not for real. And they say, well I guess, I guess,  it wasn't real. And they backslide. 


Now that happens all the time. The hard thing is, how do you remain a Christian? 


Well I'm gonna encourage you right now from Romans chapter 7. And I'm gonna begin with verse 18. What did I say? Now the Bible speaks (and you know who wrote Romans, don't you? Saint Paul.) Now when Paul wrote this he had been a preacher for a long time. Have you got that? He was a saint. He had been converted, and had lived for Christ for a long time. Now this is what Paul said, verse 18, Romans 7: “for I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing”–Paul, a saint and yet he said–”in my flesh [is] no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not.” (Romans 7:18-20). 


What's wrong with me? Paul said there is a law of sin “in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:23-24).


Now that's Saint Paul talking. I want to go back over that quickly with you to let you know what Paul was saying. Paul said in my flesh is no good. Why? Because I'm born in sin. through Adam's fall, the fall of sin is planted in my flesh. Well, how then do I accept the Lord? With my mind. Paul said, now my mind wants to do right, but my flesh makes mistakes. My mind wants to be clean and pure, but my flesh wants to read the wrong kind of books and watch the wrong kind of television. And there's a conflict going on inside of me. 


I go to the store, the clerk gives me too much change. My mind says be honest, give it back. My flesh says no you can buy a necktie with that. have you got it? Paul, a saint, said he had that problem. then he cried out “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”–who can help me with sin in my body like that? In the last verse he answered his own question, and said: “I thank God through Jesus Christ [my] Lord” (Romans 7:25).


And then verse one of chapter 8 he said “There is therefore now no condemnation to [those]... who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).


Now ladies and gentlemen I want you to get this because many people give their hearts to the Lord and get discouraged, and turn around, simply because they are sorry to discover they're not angels. You are not an angel. You are not divine. Don't look in the mirror for a halo. You are still you. And you got to grow in grace. You got to have some time and some experience. You've got to do some praying. You got to do some believing. And you got to be tested along the way, just like in school. and as you grow, you get stronger and stronger; and you overcome more and more. But I don't know anybody who's overcome every temptation. Are you listening to me? Because there is sin in the flesh!


Well Lord, what can you do? I will forgive your past by imputing righteousness and giving you credit for my life and taking away your sin. But Lord that takes care of the past, who's going to keep me in the future? I can handle that. How Lord? By imparting righteousness. How do you do that? I'll give it to you as you need it. I'm not gonna give it all to you at one time. If I did that you wouldn't pray. If I gave it all to you, you just criticize everybody else; like some of these hypocrites do. If I gave it all to you, you wouldn't be patient with other sinners who are struggling. If I gave it all to you, you would just gossip about everybody that made a mistake. So I'm gonna give it to you as you need it–not too much–just what you need so you will stay humble. Well Lord, how do I get it? “Ask, and [you shall receive]; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). I will impart righteousness as you need it. 


Well what will that do for me? It'll sanctify you. What does that mean? It'll make you holy. You mean right down here in sinful washington, DC I can be holy? Mm-hmm. How? Through imparted righteousness! 


Now listen to me beloved, this is God's amazing grace. And it's not just for me and a select few. It's for whosoever will. The most rotten sinner in this auditorium tonight can have it. He is anxious to give it. He loves to save men and women. And the worse you are, the more He is glorified when He saves you. He loves saving people. He begins the process and He finishes the process. That's why Paul said, He is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). 


Now there is sin in the flesh…. I'm tempted to tell you a story that… I that's… it's old now…. But I was a youngster in college, and I only have seven sisters, and they all are kind of funny about their few brothers. 11 of us you see. And all those girls are crazy about their brothers. Most of them older than I am. And whenever I go around, I got to visit all of them. Go home to see mother, got to spend the night with each sister, you know. So one night I was over in the high court, North Carolina with my sister in her fabulous home. Her husband was principal of a high school…you know all that business; and they live very well. And early the next morning I went into the bathroom to get groomed and shaved and everything. And the minute I hit the light switch, it startled me so I almost ran out of there. The minute I touched the light switch, the room was filled with the most ruckus, riotous music you ever heard. Well after I collected my wits, I called my sister and I said, what in the world is going on in here? I tried to cut on the light and I got all this noise. She laughed and said, well I should have warned you my husband loves to tinker with electronics, and and and he has a regimen you know every morning at a certain hour he is there to begin shaving and getting ready for school and he hooked up a radio with the light switch so that he could hear the news while he's shaving. The problem was by the time I got in there the news was off and rock was on. I learned a lesson; and I hope you'll learn it tonight. Don't wait till you get your shower to pray. Pray as soon as your eyes open. You need the Lord the minute you are awake. Would you say amen out there? 


Now ladies the gentleman we've got a problem. Jesus told us we had one. He said “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17) for “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh” (Mt 26:41) is what? The flesh is what? How many of you have flesh? Say amen. And the flesh is what? The flesh is what? So Jesus said if you want a remedy, the remedy for weak flesh is to pray with our ceasing. You see I got sin in my flesh, but my mind wants to do right. I go in the bathroom, first thing comes on that music. If I'm not careful my flesh will take over. You know what I'm talking about don't you. I didn't even intend to do it. Don't have to intend. The flesh sins automatically. Isn’t that right? And I'm in trouble. Well what can you do about it? When you're in trouble, Jesus said pray without ceasing. What kind of prayer should I pray? A desperate cry for help because you're in trouble. Should I go back in the bedroom and kneel down and pray? You're in trouble in the bathroom; pray in there. Do I have to close my eyes? Not really. Prayer is not posture. Prayer is the cry of the soul in need. It is the unspoken appeal of the heart. 


I prayed one day while driving a car that was out of control and supposed to wreck. I had both eyes open wrestling with a steering wheel. Never did I pray a greater prayer than I did that day. And the Lord answered that prayer–listen to me. Well should it be a long prayer? One day Peter was walking on the water and he started to sink, and the Bible says, and Peter “beginning to sink” cried “Lord, save me” (Mt 14:30). Just three words. If Peter had tried to pray long prayer like some of these pretenders pray, he would have drowned before he could say amen. 


Now I'm trying to be practical folks, when you're in trouble all you got to do is cry Lord help me. 


Now I'm gonna give you a secret, and I hope you'll remember this long as you live. You cannot pray and sin at the same time. Would you say amen out there? So the minute you're in trouble with the flesh, cry out, Lord stop me. Save me. Help me. Now prayer without faith is what? (Ja 5:15) and faith without works is what? (Ja 2:20). So when you pray, you got to believe. You got to know that you got a connection with God and He's willing to help. And your very faith will cause you to stop that foolishness. And then you got to do some works. You got to reach over and turn off that radio. You got yourself a victory. That's sanctification. How did you get it? He gave it to you–imparted righteousness. Amen. 


You come on downstairs and you sit down at the breakfast table. You've done the best you could for that husband of yours. You want to be a loving wife, and a sweet wife; and you fix this food and you got it all together, and you sit down with a smile on your face. and you say good morning dear. and he says ummm. And your mouth gets tight, and something inside of you wants to tell him…. don't be discouraged that you're human. What are you gonna do? Pray Lord help me. I'm about to lose my temper with this…. and here comes another victory. Let's say amen out there. 


All day long, victory after victory. That's the way to live right. Would you say man? If you don't learn to pray, you're not gonna live right. 


One day I was hungry in Columbus, Ohio walking down the street; and I saw the cutest little tiny restaurant sitting on the corner you ever saw. And you know what? That restaurant was only one little tiny room; and it had a food bar and eight stools. How many stools? And above the counter was sign. That said, we can feed 8,888 people. And underneath it said, eight at a time. 


When you make your decision to follow the Lord, don't go worrying about how you gonna make out two years from now. (Put the lights out please.) You might be dead two years from now. Matthew chapter six, in the last verse says, “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Mt 6:34). Wake up in the morning and say, Lord, thank you for a new day. Keep me today. Don't go worrying about next month. One day at a time. You worry about two months, you'll get discouraged. One day at a time. Now if He keeps you one day, He can keep you two. If He keeps you two days, He can keep you a week. If He keeps you a week, He can keep you a month. If He keeps you a month, He can keep you a year. If He keeps you a year, He can keep you a decade. If He keeps you ten years, He can keep you rest your life; one day at a time! Would you say amen out there? Claimed and kept! And I gotta add this word, if you make a mistake; If you stumble and fall, don't just lie down to dirt feeling sorry for yourself. Say, Lord, have mercy on me, and forgive me, and try me one more time. And the Lord will wash away your sin and start you on the way again. He said, “if any man sin”, he's got “an advocate with a father” (1Jn 2:1). Let him “come boldly unto the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16), and he'll find mercy. What kind of mercy? Imputed righteousness to cover that mistake; and then imparted righteousness to get you going again. Let's say amen, everybody! Thank God for His amazing grace. 


The problem is this is a world of sin. And you know this world is just about gone. This world is sinking in sin. But what you and I must realize is, one sin. How many? One sin can keep you out of the kingdom. You've got to give up every sin. Read it in Hebrews, chapter 12. It says, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin (definite article, “the”) [the sin] which doth so easily beset us” (Heb 12:1).


So don't make excuses for yourself. All of these old character flaws and all that old high temper. You can get rid of how? I know. My biggest problem was a temper. If the Lord can keep me, He can keep you. I've pastored the churches for years. Set on boards, dealt with all kinds of problems. Never, thank God, never once have I exploded in a meeting and hurt somebody's feelings. And it isn't because I didn't want to. Cause there's something within me that holds the rage. Something within me. I cannot explain. All that I know is there's something within. 


But you've got to be born again. Nicodemus said, Lord, how does that work? What do you mean? He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5). Not just baptized into a church. You've got to be baptized with the Holy Ghost. A man who is unconverted and uncommitted, even if he's baptized, just goes down a devil and rises a wet devil. But when you are washed in the blood of the lamb and then you are baptized, Jesus considers that the new birth; and you can then become the child of God. 


Christ came down here to work it out and to reconcile sinners to God. Let's say, amen for Jesus. 


The Bible says, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Believe what the Bible says. Jesus, when you believe and when you confess and when you make that commitment, will blot out all of your sins and give you the credit for His own good life. 


The problem is some folk don't want to give up sin. I read somewhere that many people run from temptation, others crawl away hoping it will catch them. They don't want victory. They got precious little old sins they love. They don't expect to give them up. They want to walk the fence. They want to hold on to the world with one hand and to Lord with the other. it can't be done. The Bible says, ‘’He that is not with me is against me” (Mt 12:30). Would you say, amen? Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters” (Mt 6:24). And I'm saying to you tonight, it's time to stop compromising, fooling yourself, listening to compromises tell you it doesn't matter. If you do something, it does matter. It's time for folks who claim to be Christians to act like it. Would you say amen, again? 


Not only two ways, darkness and light. You've got to decide which way you want to go. And remember, the Bible says “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Pr 14:12). You can't go by opinion if you want to find the right way. You've got to go by the word of God! Would you say, amen? 


Let's go on now…. Jesus wants to save us. Devil wants to destroy us. You have the deciding vote. It's up to you. Christ came to save. Don't tell me how bad you've been. I can read you the names of harlots; prostitutes in this Bible who are going to be in heaven. I can read you the name of a man who killed another man to take his wife, and yet God said that man was a man after His own heart because he repented and gave up his sin and came back to Jesus. So don't come telling me how bad you are. I can tell you about a drunkard that's going to be in the kingdom of God. Read it to you out of the Bible. It’s there! The power of Jesus' blood can save to the uttermost (Heb 7:25). He came to do that. So all you got to do is decide whether or not you want to let God save you; and it's a matter of the will. You can't save yourself. All you can do is cooperate with God. You can will to be saved. 


Young woman wrote me a letter not long ago; and she said to me, you know what, I ought to be in the church, but I'm just not going to pretend to be what I'm not. It hasn't happened to me. And I wrote back and said, my dear lady, I don't want you to be a hypocrite either. But you act as though conversion is an explosion out there somewhere. And if you happen to be standing near, maybe it'll hit you. That's not the way it is. The Bible says, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found” (Isa 55:6). You've got to make up your mind, I want it. You've got to will to be saved. And then the benefits of faith accrue. “It is God [that] worketh in you both to will and to do” (Phl 2:13). 


If without that new birth, the Bible says the carnal mind, that's from the Greek word carnos, which means flesh. The mind you're born with is enmity with God. It's against righteousness. If you're born only once, right things don't make sense to you. Preaching seems ridiculous. A service like this turns you off. You have to be in touch with God and surrendering and cooperating in order to appreciate the things of God. Would you say, men, out there? 


“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44) I read that to you already. Now, what is your responsibility? To hear the word of the Lord. for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). And after you hear, you must do what? You must do what? And after you believe, you must do what? Repent. And the time is when? (Rom 13:11, 2Co 6:2) Now, ladies and gentlemen, that's simple. And God does the work. He performs the miracle. And we need to keep that in mind. Don't tell me He can't save you. 


My Bible tells me that a lunatic came to him (Mar 5:1-20). The madman of Gadarenes. Jesus cast the devils out and the man fell down at His feet and worshiped him. Don't tell me you can't make it. 


The Bible tells me about a prodigal son (Luk 15:11-32); ended up in the pig pen. And that's where you end up when you go away from the Father. But one day he came to himself. The Bible said, he decided I will arise and go back home. That man was out there in his misery. And sometimes God lets you get in a fix just so you can see where sin leads. While he was out there, every time the pig would grunt, the grunt said, go home, young man. Every time he swished in the mud of the pig pen, the swishing of the mud said, go home, young man. Every time the wind blew, the wind said, go home, young man. So the lad set his garbage down and slowly turned his head toward home, and warmth, and friendship; toward peace, and daily bread. And if the prodigal could make it, you can too. 


My Bible tells me about a woman who met Jesus at the well (John 4:7-38). And the Lord said something to her. And she said, Oh, Lord, I don't have a husband. He said, that's true. You've had five. And the one you're living with now is not yours. And that woman got converted. Don't tell me you can't make it. 


And then the Bible tells me about a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). And the Bible says she was caught in the act. That's what the Bible said. And she was supposed to be stoned to death. took that woman to Jesus [to] see what He had to say. And when He got through with those who brought her, all of them had gone. And the Lord forgave that woman. And she became a saint and was the last to leave the cross and the first to reach the empty tomb. 


And now we go to the heart of the matter. This is how He earned the right to save us. If it wasn't worth doing, He wouldn't have gone to all that trouble. Would you say amen, out there? And if it's not important, then you've got contempt for the flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 


Let's move in a little closer. I want you in your mind's eye to go to Calvary now and see what the Lord had to go through in order to work it out; and open up the portals of glory for sinners like you and me. And let me make something clear to you. We are all sinners. This business of saying I'm better than that one. That is stupid. Comparing ourselves amongst ourselves and measuring ourselves by ourselves as the Bible says is foolishness. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). If you knew what I have done, I couldn't look you in the eye and preach tonight. But I want to tell you I can look you in the eye, not because I'm good, but because Christ is good. I'm here preaching tonight, not because I'm special, but because Christ is special. He took my sins away, sat my feet on a rock to stay. That's the kind of Jesus I'm talking about tonight. And he'll do it for you. 


Let's move in a little closer. There is a spear driven by a Roman arm through the pericardium. When that spear finds its mark, it opens up the cavity of the chest of the Lord and out flows blood and water (John 19:34). There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stay. So seek ye to Lord. Salvation is available. You can make it folks. You ought to say amen to that. 


You've been hounded and harassed by the enemy, but you can make it. That's the gospel tonight. You can make it! There is a power available. You can make it! You can stop doing what you're doing. You can live right. The gossiper can shut up. The crooked can straighten up. Those who are low down, can rise up. Oh yes, you can make it, if you will seek the Lord while he may be found (Isa 55:6).


What's coming? What's the benefit? Why should I? Well, we've had it hard down here. And even when you get along pretty well, it's hard enough. And John said, in vision, I saw a city which hath foundation whose builder and maker is God. And I saw this “holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2) John said, one of these days the gates of the city are going to open wide and the saints are going to go marching in. Ladies and gentlemen, who are these people? They are rotten, no good sinners who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We've going to glory to be with Jesus. Would you say amen out there? That's what's in the future. And it's ours by faith! because Christ has opened the way. That's what I'm talking about. 


I want to be saved. I want to go to that place where the tree of life is blooming. Where there is rest for the weary. Somewhere in the sweet fields of Eden, God's people can get together. I want to be there. I'd like to see you. I want you to see me. I'd like to shake your hand in the kingdom. It's not hard. It's easy. And once you become a child of God, He said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:30). My question tonight is how many of you want to go? If you want to go, stand up in this auditorium and let Jesus know by your standing that you want to be saved tonight. Now it's easy to stand. I've got to ask you one more question. How many of you tonight, right now, I'm not talking about how weak you are and what's going to happen next week, I mean right now. How many of you who are standing in this auditorium right now feel as though you'd like to do anything Jesus said do in order to be with Him in the future? If you would say amen. 


Now let us pray. Oh precious Lord, it's a thrill to talk about Jesus; and what He can do for a sinner. Oh, we are unworthy and we know it. But Lord, you are willing to save and you can save to the uttermost. Oh, dear Lord, look at these people. These are your people. They've come out here led by the Holy Spirit. They didn't come to hear me. They came to meet Jesus and hear whatever He had to say. But if tonight, in human weakness, I've not made your way plain, let the Holy Ghost be the teacher. Now your people go home. Don't let them go to sleep until they have thought it through. Disturbed them on their beds tonight. Help them to make a commitment in their hearts that by the grace of God and with His help and His strength they're going to follow Jesus. Oh, blessed Lord, bring it about, for we cannot, for we cannot. And we beg it in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. 


There is hope for you who are worried about your past. There is hope for you when habits hold you fast. There is hope for you, on Him, your burdens cast. There is hope in Christ for you. There is hope for you while you can see your need. There is hope for you while He will give you heed. There is hope, I say, He'll set you free indeed. There is hope in Christ for you. 


Now may “the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD [cause] his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Num 6:24-26). Peace in your hearts. Peace in your hopes. May you have a good night's rest; and a safe and good day tomorrow. And tomorrow night bring your husbands, your wives, your children, your sons, your daughters. Don't let anything keep you away. If it's storming we're going to be here to worship the Lord. O precious Jesus, bring us back safely tomorrow night we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 


Leave your song books and pencils and good night everybody. Be safe going home. May God bless every one of you. That's my prayer for you tonight. Good night.


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