I turn with me to the book of
the prophet Jeremiah again. Jeremiah chapter 1. While you are finding it there,
I will begin reading. The words of Jeremiah the son
of Hilkiah of the priests that were at Anathoth in the land
of Benjamin. to whom the word of the Lord
came in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king of Judah,
in the 13th year of his reign. And it came also in the days
of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of
the 11th year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. Then
the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee
in the belly, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out
of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet
unto the nations. Then said I, ah, Lord God, behold,
I cannot speak, for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, say
not I am a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee. Whatsoever I command thee, thou
shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces,
for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the
Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said unto
me, behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this
day set thee over nations and over kingdoms. And then here
is my text for this morning. To root out and to pull down
and to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. These words that God gave to
Jeremiah had nothing to do with the reestablishment of Jerusalem
after the captivity. It has nothing to do with geography.
It has nothing to do with land. It has to do with the truth of
God as it is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Jeremiah on one occasion
was told to go buy a piece of land Have all the legal processes
went through and then take that Document put it in a clay pot
and hide it in the ground and Jeremiah never seen that land
again It's not about the land. It's about Jesus Christ Now today's
so-called Christianity at least that which is called Christian
is and that which is considered Christian or to be Christian
by most. Now it's not Christian. I said
so-called Christianity. Today's so-called Christianity
has imbibed the intoxicant of man's pleasing sermonizing for
so long that they are oblivious to true gospel preaching. especially
the true gospel approach. That's the title of my message
this morning from our text. The true gospel approach. Today people, at least most,
there are some out there on the truly fringe, but today most
people want a live and let live kind of thing. You believe whatever
you want to believe, but don't say nothing about what I believe.
This live and let live mentality. Or it's a, when you come from
a movement, there's nothing wrong with that kind of ministry. That's
what they like. There's nothing wrong with that. To each his
own. As I have told you often, and I will tell you again, the
Constitution of the United States may give you the freedom of religion,
but God does not. You will worship God and His
Son, or you will be condemned. And it's that simple. God will mock if you use the
Constitution of the United States as your hope before Him. That's
just a fact. And I'm not against the Constitution
of the United States, but it's not going to stand before God. Today, men will believe what
you want, but never scrutinize any opposing view. Never rebuke
a differing view. God told Jeremiah, I'm going
to send you out. You're going to do what? You're going to root
out. You're going to pull down. You're going to destroy. You're
going to throw down. Then build. important. Men want their persons admired. That's what they want today.
And I'm talking about, remember, I'm talking about in so-called
Christianity. I'm not talking about here in
the dregs of the dance halls and the bars. I'm talking about
in places called churches. That's what I'm talking about.
Men want their persons admired. They want their race recognized.
They want their hearts praised for their great humanitarianism.
The universal brotherhood is espoused as the pinnacle of all
union. And this is coming from so-called
Christians. Christians. Gospel preaching
is held to be pep talks in social justice. Now there's a lot of
social injustice in this world, but that's not gospel preaching.
That's not gospel preaching. Most so-called preaching today
is just pep talks. Calls for political equality. Is it not? There are whole denominations
based upon these things. Social justice, political equality,
and a God loves all approach so oozes forth from most pulpits
that it makes any true Christian sick at their stomach to hear
such things as that. God said he does not love everyone.
They say God does. Who are you going to believe?
You going to believe them or you going to believe God? It's that simple and yet that
impossible apart from God himself. Because I want to tell you, there's
a part of me that feeds on those things. Mason, there's a part
of me that would give myself wholeheartedly to certain causes. But those causes are not gospel
preaching. They're not gospel preaching.
But the true gospel approach is this. It exposes all human
corruption by doing what? Brooding out, pulling down, destroying,
throwing down. At best, and I know from one
point of view now, don't misunderstand me, I hope you don't, from one
point of view, God Almighty is not building His kingdom amongst
the edifices of this world. He is destroying the edifices
of this world and building His kingdom on their ruins. On their
ruins. The true gospel approach is to
expose me. is to expose you. There's a lot
of people that do not, they don't mind to hear, don't drink, don't
drink alcohol, don't use tobacco, don't go to dirty movies. They
don't mind hearing that, but they don't want their heart exposed
for the corruption that's down inside here. Even our religious
corruption. true gospel preaching against
it. Remember, it is to expose human corruption and is to exalt
God's way. Paul warned of this very thing,
did he not? Listen to what he wrote to Timothy. Let me turn to it here. Second
Timothy, chapter four. Listen to what the apostle Paul
wrote to Timothy. I charge thee therefore. You
see it? I charge you. I charge thee therefore
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick
and the dead and his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word. Yes. Now right there is where
it's at. Preach the word. Amen. I mean, there are men who
stand behind desks like this, podiums like this. They preach
about today's circumstances. They'll even preach messages
based upon what was in the newspaper the day before. They're not preaching
the Word. Oh, they mention God. They flavor
their sermon notes with a name God or Jesus or some blood or
maybe salvation, but they're not preaching the Word. One of you told an individual,
you know, about me. He's not a counselor. They were
asking advice. He's not a counselor, he's a
gospel preacher. Preach the word, be instant in
season and out of season. In other words, there are gonna
come times when preaching the word is gonna be one of the most
difficult things you ever did in your life because of everything
that's all about you. Preach the word, be instant,
in season, out of season. What's the first thing he says?
Build everybody up, edify everybody. Is that the first thing he mentions?
No. Rebuke, or I'm sorry, reprove. Rebuke, he ain't done yet. What? With all long-suffering and exhort
with all long-suffering and doctrine for the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lust shall
they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto fables. I don't think Paul was expecting
that to take 2,000 years to take place. As a matter of fact, we
read of Paul and of Peter and of Jude saying it began even
in their day. Even in their day. It's been
going on for 2,000 years. It's been going on for 2,000
years. You see, all true gospel preaching
has the same approach. It has the approach of exposing
error and trumpeting forth the excellencies of Jesus Christ.
Why? Because God's Christ competes
with no one and no thing. He is superior to and preeminent
above all things. Your Bible reading, he's preeminent
to that. Because thousands read this Bible
and never see him. I'm not downing Bible reading,
oh no, but thousands read this Bible and never see the Christ
of this Bible. Thousands pray, but they don't
pray to this Christ, they pray to a Christ they've imagined
in their own mind. No, granted, people, preachers,
love to rebuke and reprove all the immoral things in society.
And as Earl used to say, most so-called churches are places
where people come together to congratulate one another on how
good they are. Jeremiah wasn't that kind of
preacher. As a matter of fact, you look way back in the beginning,
Enoch wasn't that kind of preacher. Enoch, you remember Enoch? And
maybe I should say Enoch, but turn to Jude. Listen to what Jude wrote. Listen to these words, Jude verse
14, and Enoch also, the seventh from Adam. That wasn't too long,
was it? Now we have every reason to believe
it was going on even before that, but Enoch is the one the Spirit
of God moved Jude to mention in particular. And Enoch also,
the seventh from Adam, prophesied of thee, saying, behold, the
Lord cometh with 10,000 of his saints. Who is Enoch preaching?
Jesus Christ. Can you see it? Jesus Christ.
Well, they didn't know about him. Oh, yes, they did. Adam and Eve knew about him.
God called him he. He shall come. The seed of the
woman. He shall bruise the serpent's
head. Enoch also the seventh from Adam
prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all and
to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly
deeds which they have ungodly committed and all of their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These
are murmurs and complainers walking after their own lust and their
mouth. speaketh great swelling words,
having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. You've
heard it said before, and sadly not even too many say this, well
if I preach like that, it'd destroy my church. Sound like to me your
church needs to be destroyed. Huh? We'd root out everything
in my church if that, that's what's supposed to be done. That's
what Jeremiah was sent to do, was he not? Root out. Pull down. Destroy. Throw down. Build and plant. Build and plant. The prophets preached this way.
Christ taught this. This is what he taught. He said,
Christ said concerning the scripture, all of that scripture speaks
of me. And go back and look through the prophets. Constantly, they
were woe unto this place. Woe unto that place. Woe unto
this people. Woe unto that people. Woe unto
this idolatry. Woe unto this ungodliness. Was
it not? And they weren't trying to change
the society in which they lived. Were they? See, most people think
that the approach of the gospel is you're trying to make everything
better in society. That's just not so. Preaching
the gospel is done to, one, exalt Jesus Christ. And in so doing,
God has been pleased by that kind of preaching to save them
that believe. It's not just any kind of preaching,
it's the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ. When it says
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, Paul is clear there,
he qualifies it. It's not just any kind of preaching,
it's preaching Jesus Christ. And Christ is preeminent. Nothing
can compete with him. Joe, if I make this book, and
I'm talking about the book, not the words that are in it, if
I make this book to be more than Jesus Christ, this book is an
idol to me. There are people who know nothing
about what's in it, but they wouldn't dare lay another book
on top of it on their coffee table. Is that not true? They
know nothing of the glories of Him of whom this whole book speaks. And yet they hold the book itself,
the paper, the ink, as some great wonderful thing. If you don't
see the Christ of God in this book, this book is totally nothing
to you. No matter how much you read it.
Satan quotes scripture. Satan quotes scripture, uses
it to his own advantage. The Lord himself preached this
way. He denounced the hypocrites, did he not? He called them hypocrites. He wasn't trying to get them
to quit being hypocrites. He was exposing them for what
they truly was. Hypocrites! And he's talking
about these one God kind of people. These people who believe in one
God. Even the God of Israel, put that in quotes. He said,
they draw nigh unto me with their mouth, but their hearts are far
from me. He denounced the heathen. Did
he not? The polytheists. He said, don't
pray like they pray. And then actually rebuke. They use vain repetition. They
think they're going to be heard because they just keep saying
it over and they aggravate their God till he does something. Now
you know what they're really doing because their God isn't
real. They just keep praying it and praying it and praying
it until finally they find some circumstance that looks like
an answer to their prayer and say, ah, my God does answer prayer
after all. You ever seen these men on TV
and they say, they read these letters and say, see right here,
this happened. Well, there's billions of people
on this earth. Certainly it happened somewhere. Get off of it. If they speak not according to
the law and the testimony, it's because there's no light in them,
even if what they say comes to pass. Christ said, you've heard it
said of them. This is the way he preached.
You've heard it said of them. And then he'll tell you, he tells
us in the book, These men wrote it down. He exposed their error
for what it was. He called it what it was. He
didn't just say, now there's some things that just aren't
right, but here's the right way. No, he exposed error wherever
error existed. The Lord himself preached this
way. He exalted true righteousness. He said, seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, all that other stuff will have
its proper place. But God and His righteousness
is first. And who's that? The one that
was saying those words is God's righteousness. Why? Because Christ will have
no rival for His affection. That's why. He will have no rival
for His affection. See, I have sent thee this day,
this day sent thee over the nations and over the kings to root out,
to pull down, to destroy, to throw down, to build and to plant. Paul preached this way, did he
not? Turn to Acts. Acts chapter 20. And I'll begin in verse 17. Acts
chapter 20 and verse 17. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus,
and called the elders of the church. And when they were come
to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that
I came into Asia, and after what manner I have been with you at
all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and
with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying
weight of the Jews. and how I kept back nothing from
you, nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you
and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying, now
here it is, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks,
repentance toward what? God first. Not repentance from
sins, though that's certainly a part of the message, but it's
repentance toward God. You're wrong about God. You don't
know the truth about God. You have error about God. It's
repentance toward God. You can give up all the immoral
things of this world. If you miss Jesus Christ, you
still missed it all. And I'm not telling you go out
and imbibe in the immoral. No, don't do that. But if you
miss Christ, you've missed it all. You'll go to hell, a moral
person. That's just the fact. You'll go to hell, a moral person.
Look, testifying both to the Jews and also the Greeks, repentance
toward God and, no one ever truly preaches repentance toward God
who doesn't preach this second aspect of it, and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ. There are people who actually
get upset that we emphasize Christ, Christ, Christ. They get upset. I mean, there was one preacher,
been several years ago, but I'm sure there are probably some
of them still saying it. We gotta get past Christ. Actually preach
that. We gotta get past Christ. You
best not get past Christ. Cause you've went too far. If
you ever get past Jesus Christ, you've missed it all. He's the
forerunner. Don't try to beat him there.
He's already there. You won't get there other than
the fact He's there for you. Now acknowledge Him for that.
Bow before Him in that. Thank God for Him in that. Paul preached this way, why?
Because nothing shares Christ's throne. Nothing shares Christ's
throne. No matter what it is, my prayers,
my singing, even my worship is tainted with sin. And worship
we are this morning, but it's still tainted with sin. And as
I'm sitting here preaching the gospel, my mind is, my mouth
is preaching the gospel. Matt can still wonder in all
the foul filthiness of this world. And yours can too. And it does. It's all in, all of my prayers,
my singing, my reading, my preaching, that does not sit on Christ's
throne with him. He sits on that throne and he
alone. And that's the only place that
you can ever build and plant. Paul says there is no other foundation
than what? Christ Jesus. Other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid. Well, but let's get past the
foundation. You never get past the foundation.
The greatest thing your house has going for it is if it has
anything going for it is a solid foundation. That's it. You can tweak and do a little
thing up here, Joe, but if your foundation's bad, guess what?
All of us gonna eventually crumble and come down. No, you remember the account.
Our Lord said that two men, there were two men, both of them built
houses. Both of them built houses. Both of them knew they needed
a house. Remember, there were some people that knocked. They
know Christ. They know of Christ. They know
about Christ. But everything about Christ they
knew was centered on them, not on Christ. We preached in your
name. We did many wonderful works in
your name. We cast out devils in your name. And then he says,
two men built a house. Both of them built a house. Knew
they needed a house. But one built his house on sand. The
other built his house on a rock. And when the floods came and
the winds blew, and they will, all faith will be tested. All
faith, true faith or false faith, all faith will be tested. If
you're built on anything other than Jesus Christ himself, your
house will fall. And according to the illustration
our Lord gave, you might not even know it until it's too late.
when you're knocking, expecting to get in. And God said, nope,
you've been on sand all this time. You've been on sand all
this time. Mason, that great storm and those
tempests may be at the last judgment alone. And you may go sail through
life with your kind of faith built on something other than
Jesus Christ and everything be hunky-dory for you. until that
last day when you're knocking, seeking to enter in. That's frightening. That's frightening. Think about
it, light and darkness personified, or is even personified about
God's people. Turn to Ephesians, and let me
read this, I need to move along. Turn to the book of Ephesians,
chapter five in particular. Let me get to reading, but I
wanna just point out a couple things. Ephesians five, verse
one. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children. We don't
follow the denomination. We don't follow Calvinism, folks.
We follow God. There are some points of Calvinism
that are good and sound. There are other points of Calvinism
that are error. We don't sprinkle babies. I'm
not going into all that. But look at it. Be ye therefore
followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also
hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication and uncleanness
and covetousness, let it not be once named among you as become
a saint. Somebody says, y'all never preach
about walk. All you talk about is Christ, Christ, Christ. Well,
when you talk about Christ, Christ, Christ, you're talking about
honoring Christ in the way you live. That goes hand in hand
together. And right here, Joe, he's tearing
down. He's saying, don't build upon these things. Don't build
on, don't plan upon these things. Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting. You know what that is? Telling
dirty jokes. Things that are off color. That's what he's talking
about. Which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks.
Oh, God help me. This ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no
man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be ye not therefore
partakers with them. Why now? Because you're so much
better than they are, is that why? No, look, for ye were sometime
darkness. We were just like they are. These things, what our lives
revolved around was things like this at one time. For ye were
sometimes darkness. You weren't just in darkness,
though that's true, you were darkness. But now are ye light
in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for
the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. It's not about,
well, just keep your nice little Christian boy now, your nice
little Christian girl now, now just serve God all to yourself
and leave society alone. Is that what it says to do? Now
look at what he says, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather, what? Reprove them. Do you see it? Reprove them,
for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done
of them in secret. And let me tell you, you know
where most people's thoughts run when they read a passage
like that? They think about the bedroom. They think about sexual
crimes, huh? Rightfully so. But you know what's
also an abomination in God's sight? An abomination! Self-righteousness. And yet men tout it from the
mountaintops today, that is, their own righteousness. For
it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of
them in secret, but all things that are reproved are made manifest
by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest
is light. Light and darkness cannot walk
together. Isn't that what the Lord Jesus
Christ taught us through the Apostle Paul? Turn to 2 Corinthians. You know the passage. 2 Corinthians
chapter 6. You see, when it comes to light
and darkness, all of these things, they are total, absolute opposites. It's an absolute distinctiveness. Listen to what he says. Let me
just begin in verse 14 of chapter 6, 2 Corinthians. Be ye not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers. Why? Now why? Is it just because
God's just mean and likes putting rules and regulations on us?
No, it has a real meaning to it. Look, for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? When the child, listen, even
the child of God, that's what he's writing to here. When the
child of God lets the things of darkness in, the darkness
always overtakes the light. It'll do it. And it'll bring
you down into the dregs. That's what it'll do. I don't
care whether it's things of immorality or things of false religion.
Doesn't matter. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
And what communion hath light with darkness? What concord hath
Christ with Bilal? And what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. We don't go meet at the temple,
we are the temple. as God has said, I will dwell
in them, and look at that, walk in them, and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people. Now, because of that, Wherefore,
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I
will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit. Most preachers deal with just
the things of the flesh out here. The very visible, overt things.
But there's a lot of nastiness down in here. Down in here. And if you deal with the down
in here first, these things out here become more evidently seen. Perfecting holiness, how? Not by just doing it. In the
fear of God. Why? Because darkness and light
cannot mix. And the Lord Himself, light incarnate,
said that in John chapter 3. Did He not? Verse 18, I know
I'm not gonna read verse 16, everybody already knows that.
They quote it, it's on placards at football games. This is what
verse 18 says of John 3. He that believeth on him, that
is the Son he's talking about here, he that believeth on him
is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world,
and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. For everyone that doeth evil,
hateth the light. That's our primary problem by
nature. We hate Christ. That's our primary problem. We
hate Christ. Who is the light to come into
the world? It's Jesus Christ. For everyone
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh the light. Why?
Because they don't want his deeds exposed. There's one thing about
it. You've been getting for 30, 40
some years in this place, your filthy vileness exposed and the
excellencies of Jesus Christ exalted. And by his grace, we
haven't stopped doing that because that's where it's at. We're not
here. Joe and I are not here. Earl
Cochran was not here to make you feel good about yourself.
We're here to make you question yourself. See yourself for what
you truly are by nature and hope in Jesus Christ alone. And it's
a good thing to have yourself constantly exposed in the light
of the personal work of Jesus. It don't feel good, but it's
a good thing. I don't know how many times I've
sat there with Earl Cochran preaching, or Joe Glusick preaching, or
any of these men we've had come to preach, and how I feel so
exposed, not because I'm sitting up there in the front, but because
this man's exposed my heart for what it really is. But I know
there's an answer for folks like that. That's Jesus Christ the
Lord. For everyone that doeth evil
hateth the light and they don't come to the light why because
they don't want their deeds exposed But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought
in God If I was to sum it up I put it this way Oh God root
out my deep-held errors Yes Oh God, give whatever preacher I
listen to preach, give him the strength and the ability to root
out my deep-held errors. Oh God, pull down my barriers
of pride. Wackles, they're still there.
Oh God, pull down my barriers of pride. Oh God, destroy my
righteousness. Let me see it for what it is,
dung. Isn't that what Paul called his
righteousness? Dung. That's not easy to say because
our righteousnesses, David, those are the things we hold in the
most esteem. Yet they're the things that are abomination in
God's sight. If you offer them to God as satisfaction to Him,
as acceptance for Him, now serve Him to His name's honor and glory,
but it brings you no merit. It brings you no merit. What
it does is it honors Christ. What it does is it honors Christ.
Oh God, throw me down. Me, if a man will deny himself. I ain't talking about being an
idiot and thinking you don't exist. If a man denies himself,
everything about me is worthless. It has no glory to God because
it's not Christ-centered. It's me-centered. Oh God, help
me to deny myself, to take up my cross. And what is the cross?
It's denying yourself. To take up my cross and follow
who? Christ. Christ. Then God build me. and plant
me on Jesus Christ. May it be that people think I'm
a Jesus Christ nut. You're a nut. All you think about
is Jesus Christ. Your only hope's Jesus Christ.
Maybe you'll get that one day. Maybe you'll get that one day.
Again, I say it, I mentioned it. Paul says there is no other
foundation. You're not gonna lay another
foundation. Now, all men are building. If anybody's trying
to preach the gospel, they're building on that foundation,
or they're not building for God at all. but now we all gotta
beware and look into what we're building on that foundation. Now, isn't that the way Paul
puts it? Because he said it this way, because other foundation
can no man lay, then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Father, be with us, continue
to be with us, Lord, as we continue here and eat together. We thank
you for the food. Just thank you for it. We thank
you most of all for our Lord Jesus Christ, by which all these
other things find even a thought of sweetness. Lord, bless us
in Christ. Amen.