When you read the scriptures,
and I admonish you and myself, make it your determination and
your purpose to read the scriptures regularly, daily, just to read
the scriptures. And as you do, try to read focusing
on the passage you're reading, asking God the Holy Spirit to
speak directly to you personally, from His Word so that you take
away from the reading that which is personally beneficial for
you. With that in mind, let's turn
to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. Last night, Brother Todd gave
us a pattern of every believer, a mold for our lives. There are
many, many portions of scripture that describe what a believer
is, what a believer experiences. Here in 1 Peter, there are nine
words in these first nine verses of 1 Peter that identify God's
elect. The apostle says we are the circumcision. We are the true Israel of God,
those people circumcised in their hearts. The Old Testament writer
circumcision referred to the new birth, the cutting away of
the flesh, the piercing of the heart by God the Holy Spirit.
Circumcision identifies us as God's covenant people. We are
the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Here Peter describes
God's people as he's writing to them. Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ to the strangers. That's the first word. God's
people, all of us, are strangers. Strangers in this world among
people who are not our own. Strangers to this world. so that
the world does not know you. We know him whom the world knew
not and the world doesn't know you. The world can't understand
you. The world can't fathom your motives,
your lives, the direction of your lives, your purpose in life,
no need for you to expect it, your sons and daughters, until
God gives them faith in Christ, can't possibly understand why
you do the things you do and don't do the things you refuse
to do. The world knows us not. We're strangers and strangers
to ourselves. Strangers. We recognize that
while we live here, we live in constant struggle with the flesh.
And we live in constant struggle seeking to walk with God, seeking
to bow to him. We have constant conflict in
our souls between flesh and spirit, good and evil, that which we
love and cannot perform, and that which we hate and constantly
do. And these, God's people, these
strangers, are found everywhere. Look at this. scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God has his
elect everywhere in the world. He has his servants everywhere
in the world. Just because you don't know them
doesn't mean they don't exist. Just because you don't know a
man who preaches the gospel, I hear folks sometimes say there's
a priest, there's somebody around who's preaching it, I know it.
I know all of them. No, not quite. Not quite. There are yet 7,000 that have
not bowed the knee to Baal, and they worship and serve our God.
And we recognize that God's people are scattered among the nations
of the world, both those who have not been called and those
who shall be called. Now look at the next word that
describes us. Elect. Elect. That means you're chosen
of God. Elect. God chose you. How many times have you been
trying to talk to somebody about this blessed gospel truth? And
they say, well, you just think you're special. And you kind
of, no, no, no. Listen. That's exactly what it
means. You're special. Special to God. Lots of pretty girls in this
world, but none special to you like that one, is there? Special
to God. Elect. Chosen of God. Made honorable
because God chose you. Made to be an honor because God
chose you. But Peter speaks of this election
a little differently than you commonly see it. Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Now let me tell you what
that does not mean. That does not mean God chose
us because he foreknew that we would choose him. That does not
mean that God chose us because he foreknew what we would do. Foreknowledge here is not an
act of God, I'm sorry, not an attribute of God, but rather
is an act of God. This foreknowledge refers to
God's everlasting determination, God's everlasting purpose. God's sovereign foreordination,
his predestination of his people in love as his sons. In everlasting love, according
to God's eternal purpose, he has chosen you. He's chosen you
through sanctification of the spirit. That simply means he's
chosen to save you through the new birth. through the regenerating
work of God the Holy Spirit, putting in you a new nature,
making you new creatures in Christ Jesus. Not that he's chosen you
so that later on you'd start behaving good. Now that's certainly
a result. Not that he's chosen you so that
later on you would lead a devout and holy life. That is a grand
purpose, but that's not what this is talking about. This is
talking about God chose you unto salvation by the sovereign regenerating
work of his Holy Spirit. Unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. God chose you with reference
to Christ's obedience and his blood being sprinkled upon your
conscience in the new birth when God gives you faith in Christ
Jesus. He chose you. upon this condition
and this condition alone that Jesus Christ, your mediator,
your covenant surety, fully meet all the demands of God's holy
law, his character, and his justice on your behalf, and that his
blood be sprinkled on your conscience to purge your conscience from
dead works, to purge your conscience from guilt, to serve the living
God. Now listen. Listen. The gift
of faith is like that hyssop with which the father in every
house in Israel took the blood of the Passover lamb and smeared
it on the doorpost and on the lentil of his house. The gift
of faith takes the precious blood of Christ and sprinkles the heart
and this is God's spirit work in you so that now you have no
dread of God. No reason to be afraid of God.
No reason to be terrified. Christ has taken away my sin.
Conscience frequent. Read on. Grace unto you and peace
be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father.
Oh, let him be honored of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath forgotten us again. unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There's
the third word, begotten, begotten, born of God. You who believe on the Lord Jesus,
you whose consciences have been purged with the blood of Christ,
you have this blessed experience of grace because God the Holy
Spirit has given you life. You've been born of God. Born
of God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That
is by the power of the risen Christ. By the power that Christ
Jesus experienced in his mortal flesh when he was raised up from
the dead by that same life-giving sovereign power of God You've
been begotten of God. Some of you here today are yet
dead in trespasses and in sins. And we plead with you to come
to Christ, to believe on Christ, to trust Christ. But we recognize
that you can't and you won't. All it'll take for you to go
to hell is for God to leave you alone. So we plead with God. that he would do for you what
you cannot and will not do for yourself, that by the power with
which he raised up his son from the dead, he might give you life
this very hour. Oh, God, make your word quickening
word of life to chosen sinners. Read on. To an inheritance as
the fourth word. Inheritance. You who are gods,
have an inheritance. You haven't yet come into the
experience of it, but it's an inheritance we have already obtained. For the Lord Jesus Christ, our
Redeemer, entered into heaven as our forerunner, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. This inheritance is ours by right
of our relationship with Him. We are heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ, the sons of God in Christ Jesus. And it's
an inheritance that is ours by right because our Redeemer fully
earned it in our stead. And we in him are fully worthy
of this inheritance. Watch it. An inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled and that fadeth not away. I know some people
who in recent years have lost everything they had
worked for all their lives. Their retirement's gone. The
inheritance they hoped to give their children's gone. Gone. Just took wings and flew away. The economy shattered for them
for certain. Not this inheritance. This inheritance
is incorruptible. It's undefiled. It fades not
away. It's reserved Listen now, reserved
in heaven. It's not here. But this is a
spiritual inheritance. Yep. But even now, you haven't
begun to grasp what this is. It's reserved in heaven for you.
And I have not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. But He's revealed to us by His
Spirit. Yeah, I know. I know glory awaits me. I know freedom from sin awaits
me. I know life in the constant knowledge
and companionship of the Son of God awaits me. But Brother
Todd, I don't have a clue what that means. I just grasp at it and can't
get hold of it. It's an inheritance reserved
in heaven for you. You'll not understand it until
you've possessed it. For you who are kept. Kept. That's the next word. You're kept. You're kept. Kept by the power
of God. the omnipotent, irresistible,
uncontrollable power of God kept. Kept in the midst of all your
lust. Kept in the midst of all the
obscenity of your depraved character. Kept amidst all the trials and
temptations of life in this world. Kept by the power of God, now
watch this, through faith. through faith, but it doesn't
identify whose faith it is. Does that mean we're kept by
our faith in Christ? Certainly so. Does it mean we're
kept by the faithfulness, the faith of Jesus Christ by whose
obedience we were justified? Most certainly so. We're kept
through faith unto salvation. Well, I thought we were saved
already. Well, sort of. Sort of. We're experiencing salvation
now. This is salvation ready to be
revealed. Ready to be revealed. Maybe this
refers to our Lord's second coming when this salvation is fully
revealed. Maybe it refers to that which
we shall experience when we close these eyes in death and awaken
His likeness. It's referring to the salvation
ready to be revealed when Christ comes again and raises us up
in resurrection glory. Ready to be revealed in the last
time. In the last time. Well, that
answers the question, doesn't it? Yeah. All with what I just
said. You see, John said it is the
last time. Right now, this is the last time.
This salvation is being revealed in our lives day by day. It shall be revealed when we
close these eyes in death. It shall be revealed when Christ
raises us from the dead. It shall be revealed when our
Lord makes all things new. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, rejoice
in this salvation, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness." Heaviness, that's the sixth word. heaviness. I know a lot of people whose
hearts are peculiarly heavy. God's people bear heavy burdens. Some, it seems, almost incessantly. And this heaviness distinctly
refers Not as much to our inward struggles, I think, as to those
outward things that affect us so much. This heaviness is through
your manifold temptations. And these temptations, these
trials have a reason. Nothing happens without a reason
for God's people, that the trial of your faith, not your faith,
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire," now watch this,
"...might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ." Pastor, does that say that our
trials in this world will make heaven more glorious than it
otherwise could have been? That's exactly what it says. Exactly what it says. The trial
of your faith here on the other side will show the wisdom and
prudence of God our Savior in all the details of providence,
bringing us through these things by his grace for his glory. All right, read on, verse eight. Whom having not seen, ye love. There's the seventh word, love. I hear people sing, congregation
sing, and I'm not saying don't sing it. Oh, how I love Jesus. And I just can't join the song. I just can't join the song. Because
my love for him is not something I can talk much about, let alone
sing about. But our Lord came to Peter. after
Peter's denial and asked him three times, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? The first two times he used a
very common word for love. The third time he used another
word. He said, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? And he used a different word
for love. He used a very, very, very strong word for love. It's
as though he said, now, Peter, let's push everything aside. You said you'd go to prison and
death with me. You said you'd love me. Do you
really love me?" And Peter was grieved because he said the third
time, love us that way. And I can imagine a long pause. And Peter said, he appealed to
that. Darrell, which is the most comforting
thing for you and I to appeal to, he said, Lord, you know all
things. You know what I've said and what
I've done, and everybody else knows that. But you know what
nobody else can possibly know, judging by my recent behavior.
You know that I love you, and you know whether you do or
you don't. You know. You know. I don't. I don't. You can impress me with
loving God while you hate him. Or you can impress me as though
you hated God all the while you love him. Lord, you know all
things. You know that I love you and
God's people do. What's that mean? That means
my life is committed to you and your glory. That means I'm utterly
yours. All right, here's the next word.
Whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him
not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory. Here's a description of God's
people. Believing. Believing. George Hartman and
I were talking just a little bit ago, Shelby, we were talking
about this thing of faith. Believing God. Believing God. We are a people who by the grace
of God are believing. Sometimes our trials cause our
hearts to break. And we weep. Sometimes we're
confused. Sometimes we're angry at what
God does. Angry at God for his providence. You read the scriptures. Go find
Brother Bargham. You go visit one of these old
saints. And especially one that's real quiet. Been through a lot
of trouble. And you start to leave and read
scripture. Go pick up their Bible and read
it. I'll guarantee the thickest pages of the Psalms. And I'll
tell you why. We read the Psalms and they become
so precious to us because in the Psalms we are able to go
with the man after God's own heart into his closet and hear
him say to God what we want to say and don't dare say. Lord,
is your mercy clean going forever? Have you forgotten to be gracious?
Will thou not be gracious unto me? Why have you forsaken me? Those are the words of a believer,
a man at God's own heart. Believe it. Believe it. All the
while, believe it. That's God's people. We believe
him. Say, well, I know a believer. No, I doubt that. A believer doesn't even know
himself. But I'll tell you what you do know, Glenn. You know
whether or not you believe God. Believe it. So that you're hesitant
to move, and you're fearful, and you fumble, and you don't
know the answers to what's going on. What do you do? You believe
God. Believe it. Believing. Believing ye rejoice. There is in us a joy in God that's
utterly strange to this flesh and strange to the world, with
joy unspeakable and full of glory. Now watch this. Here's the last
word. God's people are receiving. We
are right now receiving. the end of your faith, the object
of your faith, and the termination point of your faith, even the
salvation of your souls. Receiving, receiving, actively,
with purpose, with determination, receiving, receiving God's salvation. Isn't it amazing how that word
salvation is used in this book? He hath saved us. He is saving
us. And He shall save us. And all the while we are in this
world, we are receiving God's salvation. He, by His Spirit,
pouring it into us, just like somebody poured Water in this
glass. What'd that glass do? Not a thing.
Not a thing. Now, and receiving it just like
I'm fixing to receive some water. What's this here? I'm going to
receive some of this. You know how, this is a mystery. Nobody understand this, will
you? Watch me receive some. Well, Brother Don, you reached
out. and took that. That's what faith
does. Believing Him, we continually reach out to Him
and take His salvation. And day by day, to the end of
our days, receive the end of your faith. And soon we shall
have it, the salvation of your souls. Amen. Would you turn to First Timothy
chapter one, please? I sure enjoy that music. I've entitled this morning's
message swerving from the goal. Swerving. From the goal, now
look in verse five. The first Timothy. Chapter one. Now the end. The aim. The purpose. The goal. The fulfillment. The end. The goal. Of the commandment. Is charity out of a pure heart. and of a good conscience, and
of faith unfeigned, from which some, having swerved, they swerved
from this goal, this end, have turned aside unto vain jangling,
empty words. But they were religious words
desiring to be teachers of the law. understanding neither what
they say nor whereof they affirm." The end of the commandment. Now what is he referring to when
he speaks of the commandment? Look back up in verse 3 of 1
Timothy chapter 1. Paul says to Timothy, "...as
I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia,
that thou mightest charge some." Now that word charge is the same
word as commandment in verse 5. I besought you that you might
charge some that they teach no other doctrine. Now this is the
charge. This is the commandment. And
the end of this commandment, the end of this charge, is charity
out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and a faith unthanked. Now would you turn to 2 John,
please. The charge is that they might
teach no other doctrine. 2 John, verse 7. For many deceivers are entered
into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh. Now, there was a group in John's
day called the Gnostics, Knowing Ones, and they maintained that
Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. They said if he would
have came in the flesh, he would have been sinful because all
flesh is sinful and forbidden from us to ever make him sinful. So, well, we say he didn't come
in the flesh. That's what was going on at this
time. And that's why John makes this statement. For many deceivers
are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we lose
not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive
a full reward, whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine
of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son, If there come any
unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house,
neither bid him Godspeed, for he that biddeth him Godspeed
is a partaker of his evil deeds." Now, this doctrine John's speaking
of is the same doctrine that Paul speaks of when he says,
here's your charge. You've charged them to preach
no other doctrine. The doctrine that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh. Now, in that simple statement,
We have the Gospel. Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. First, when I make that statement,
when I make that confession, I confess that He was before
He came. I confess His deity. He's God. In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. I confess His utter deity. He's the God-Man. And I confess
He came in the flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. Grace is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. I confess that He came in the
flesh. And in making that confession,
I confess that he did what he came to do. What were his intentions? Matthew 121 says, I shall call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. That was his intention in coming.
And that's exactly what he did. He saved his people from their
sins. Now, you charge some that they
preach no other doctrine than this. This is a summary of the
gospel. And everything we hear can be
brought up to this simple statement that has such truth in it. That's the doctrine, he said,
that to charge them that they teach no other doctrine. Now
turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 1. This is the command. Now here's
the end of this command. Verse three, as I besought thee
to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou
mightest charge some, that they teach no other doctrine but the
doctrine of Christ, the one doctrine. There's only one doctrine. Any
time you read the word doctrines in the plural, it's always false
doctrine. There's only one doctrine. That's the doctrine of Christ.
Now, he said, need to give heed to fables and endless genealogies
which minister questions rather than godly edifying which is
in faith. So do now the end, the goal, the purpose of this
charge to preach no other doctrine. Here it is. The end of the commandment
is charity out of a pure heart. And of a good conscience. And of faith. Unbanked. There's the goal. Charity out
of a pure heart. And I want to have this, don't
you? Whatever this is, this is what I want. Charity out of a
pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned. There's the threefold goal of
the commandment. First, charity out of a pure
heart. Now, what is this pure heart? Now, I can remember reading through
the Beatitudes, and I could identify with blessed are the poor in
spirit, I felt. I could identify with blessed are they that mourn.
Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they which hunger
and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the merciful. But
this is the one I always had a hard time with. Blessed are
the pure in heart. Now, why did I have a hard time
with that? Not because I didn't believe it, but because I look
at my heart and it didn't seem very pure. I mean, you look at
your heart, would you say, well, that's a pure heart? Well, I
didn't understand that what the Savior is talking about is the
heart he gives in the new birth. Blessed are the pure in heart.
Without blemish, without spot, that's a holy heart. That's the
heart he gives in the new birth. Blessed are the pure. in heart. Listen to these scriptures.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 2.22, follow righteousness, faith,
charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart. Peter said in 1 Peter 1.22, we're
to love one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word
of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Now, do I have This
pure heart. But here's how I can answer that
question. Am I poor in spirit? That means I don't have anything
to recommend myself to God. I can't come up with a penny's
worth of merit. Do I mourn over my sin? My sin is ever before
me. Am I meek before God, really
believing that whatever He sends my way is right because He sent
it? He's God. Do I hunger and thirst
after righteousness? There's only one righteousness,
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I hunger and
I thirst for His righteousness. Am I merciful because I've obtained
mercy? I know something about the mercy
of God to me. Well, if I'm those things, I
am pure in heart." There's where those things come from, that
new heart that he has given. Now, he says, the end, the goal
of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart. Charity. When I think of charity in the
scriptures, the first thing I think of is 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
Would you turn with me there for a moment? Now let me say this about charity.
Charity is not found in the natural man. No unbeliever possesses this
thing the Bible calls charity. Let me read you a scripture from
1 John chapter 4 verse 7 says, that loveth is born of God. That's the word charity. Everyone
that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not
knoweth not God, for God is love. Now, the natural man does not
possess this kind of love that the scripture is speaking of
when the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart.
Now, men and women fall in love. And they really love each other.
And that's wonderful. You love seeing two people fall
in love. But there's people who genuinely
fall in love who end up hating each other. And leaving each
other. Now they really did love each
other. But not anymore. That's not the charity the scripture
is speaking of. Because charity never faileth. A mother loves her child. How
wonderful that is. Aren't you thankful for that?
A mother loves her child, will sacrifice for her child. That's
good. Thank God for that love, but
that's not the love spoken of here. The love spoken of here
is the fruit of God, the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit
is love. This is not found in the natural
man. And remember, this is the goal
of the commandment. This is the objective of the
commandment. Charity. The love spoken of here out of
a pure heart that comes from a pure heart. Now look in First
Corinthians, Chapter 13. Verse 31 of Chapter 12, he said,
but covet earnestly the best gifts. I want to be gifted to preach
the gospel in a simple way. so that people understand. There's
all kinds of gifts we desire. And he says, come at those gifts.
Yet show I unto you a more excellent way. This is better than any
gift. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels
and have not charity, I'm become as a sounding brass or a tingling
cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and I understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith, miracle-working faith, so that
I can remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and there he's talking about for the cause of God and truth,
to die as a martyr, though I do all that, and have not charity,
it profits me nothing." Now this is that charity from a pure heart. He says regarding this charity,
it suffers long. It's forbearing. and it's kind,
gracious and easy. It's not mean. Charity envieth
not. You can't envy somebody you love. Charity is not, it doesn't vaunt
itself. It doesn't push itself. It's
not a braggart trying to sell itself to you, quick to let you
know how great it is. It's not puffed up, swollen with
pride and self-righteousness. Charity is lowly. You know, the
Lord Jesus Christ, meek and lowly in heart. Isn't charity beautiful?
The work of God. Let's go on reading. Verse 5,
it does not behave itself unseemly. It's not rude. It seeketh not
her own. It's not self-seeking. It's not
easily provoked. You don't have to walk on eggshells
around charity. It's not touchy. It's not easily
provoked. It thinketh no evil. It's not
suspicious. It doesn't keep records of wrongs.
It rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It
bears all things. It covers with silence all things.
What that means? It covers with silence all things. It believes all things. What
it can't see, it believes. It hopes all things. What it
can't see, it hopes for. It endures all things. It never
fails. It's never reduced to inactivity.
Now, that's the goal of the commandment. Charity out of a pure heart. Now, look at the next thing he
mentions. Turning back to our text in 2 Timothy chapter 1,
verse 5. Now the end or the goal of the
commandment, the charge to preach no other doctrine, to preach
the gospel, who Christ is, what he did, what he accomplished.
Now the end of the commandment, here's what it produces, charity
out of the pure heart, and secondly, a good conscience. A good conscience. Now what is
a good conscience? I think all of us have some idea
as to what a conscience is. You know, when your conscience
bothers you, you feel like you've done something wrong, and you
feel guilty. Your conscience smites you. Every
man and woman is born into this world with a conscience that
tells them the difference between right and wrong. I've heard preachers
talk about, well, we need to teach people how to live. No,
you don't. People already know how to live.
Everybody in here knows it's wrong to commit murder, don't
you? Everybody in here knows it's wrong to commit sexual sin. Every one of us knows that. Every
one of us knows it's wrong to lie, to covet, to steal, and
so on. We know that. We know we ought
to pay our bills. We know we ought to be good to
our neighbor. Now, when we're talking about
conscience, a good conscience, everybody has a conscience. But
here's the problem with man's conscience. It's fallen. Turn
with me to Romans chapter 2 for just a moment. Romans chapter 2. Verse 14. When the Gentiles, these are
the people who don't have a copy of the Bible. They don't have
the law. They've never read the scriptures.
Never have. Don't have a copy of the Bible.
When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the
things contained in the law. Even though they've never seen
the Ten Commandments, they still know it's wrong to murder. They
still know it's wrong to steal. They know this in their heart. They're born with this light,
the work of the law written in their hearts. These, when the
Gentiles would do which have not the law do by nature those
things contained in the law. These having not the law, as
far as written down, are a law unto themselves which show the
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience. Now
here's what the natural man's conscience does. Only two things. Their conscience also bearing
witness and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing. one another. That's all a natural
man's conscience does. It accuses him, makes me feel
guilty, I know what I did was wrong, or else I'll find some
way to justify what I did. I had a good excuse. I was forced
into this. I mean, the way somebody treated
me, or some kind of environmental, or the way I was born, or the
way I was raised, or the particular attempt, I was forced into this.
We all have an amazing ability, and I know this from experience.
I'm an expert at this. We all have an amazing ability
to justify ourselves. And that's what the natural conscience
does. It either accuses or it excuses. So what is this good
conscience that Paul is talking about? I know it doesn't come
from the conscience of the natural man. So what is this good conscience? What is a good conscience? Well,
is a good conscience a conscience that feels no guilt? No. That's what you call a seared
conscience. That's all you can call it. Now,
at all times, listen real carefully. 1 John 1.8. Let me turn there. 1 John 1.8. If we say that we have no sin,
now there the word sin is a noun. If we say we have no sin, what
do we do? We deceive ourselves. And the
truth is not in us. We've lost all credibility. We're
dishonest because at all times we have a sinful nature. There's
never a time when we do not have a sinful nature. So if we say
we have no sin, We deceive ourselves and the truth is not even in
us. Look in verse 10. If we say we've
not sinned, now there the word sinned is a verb. You know what
that means? That means with regard to anything
that I do. If I say I didn't sin there,
I'm lying. I'm lying. If I didn't, it's
sin. That's all it takes is for me
to do it. If I did it, it's sin. Now, therefore, I always feel
guilty about something. I really do. I always have a
cloud over my head about something. Somebody says, well, what's wrong
with you? Same thing is wrong with you. I have a cloud over
my head about something. And I dare say, I know any believer
feels that way. I mean, there's never a time
when my sin is ever before me. If I did it, it's sin. I can't
feel good about it. So what is this good conscience
that says, well, I don't feel guilty? Well, that means your
conscience isn't working then. Because if it was working, you'd feel
guilty. You would. There's no such as, I wasn't
guilty there. Yeah, you were. Yeah, you were.
Regarding anything. Regarding anything. So this good
conscience is not one that doesn't feel guilty. That's what Paul
calls a seared conscience. One that doesn't work. Well,
if a good conscience wants, it feels guilty all the time. It
just feels bad. I'm always beating myself up.
I'm always down over how bad I am. No, that's an accusing
conscience. That's not a good conscience.
That's an accusing conscience. What about a conscience that
is always unsure? You know, just, should I do this?
Should I not do it? Just a real timid, is it? No, that's a weak conscience.
Is it okay to do this? Is it not okay to do that? That's
a weak conscience. What is a good conscience? A good conscience is a conscience
that has nothing to feel guilty about. It's not one that doesn't
feel guilty. It's not one that's accusing.
It's one that has nothing to feel guilty about. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter
3. 1 Peter chapter 3. Verse 21. The like figure, wherein to even
baptism doth also now save us. I like the language there. You
know, the Lord quite often states things in such a way as to give
people enough rope to hang themselves if they want to do it. And I
think that this scripture certainly does that. Somebody said, well,
see, you've got to be baptized to be saved. As if the act of
going under the water and coming up would save you. Well, you
know better than that. Let's go on reading. The life that you wear into even
baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, here's a good conscience. When Christ was raised from the
dead, I was justified. And I have nothing
to feel guilty about. All my sin was put away and I
stand before God altogether righteous. Perfectly conformed to the Lord
Jesus Christ. I don't have anything to feel
guilty about. I don't try to keep the law. I've kept it. I've
kept it perfectly. And that is the answer of a good
conscience toward God. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
9. You know the only thing that satisfies my conscience, this
is the only thing, is this. It is finished. And I am satisfied. All that God requires of me,
I have. And listen beloved, I don't have
the minimum. I have the maximum. All that
God requires. When Christ was raised from the
dead, God could ask for no more, and He would receive no less.
Hebrews 9, verse 12, Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. For if the blood of bulls and
of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God. Purge your conscience from dead
works. Works that have something to
do with your flesh. Purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God. And the end of the commandment
is charity. out of the pure heart. The end
of the commandment is this good conscience. Now back to our text,
1 Timothy. Now the end of the commandment,
verse 5. The goal, the purpose of the preaching of the gospel
for the glory of Christ. The end of the commandment is
charity out of a pure heart, that new heart that he gives,
and of a good conscience, that conscience that has nothing to
feel guilty about because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the third thing he speaks of is faith unfeigned. Faith unfeigned. un-faked. That's what that is.
Faith that's not hypocritical. This word fame is the word for
a hypocrite. A hypocrite. Now what's a hypocrite?
Well back then they called the movie stars hypocrites. A hypocrite
was the actors of those days. When you referred to an actor
you called him a hypocrite. Faith un-acted out. unhypocritical. Now, a good hypocrite seems real. A bad hypocrite, well, you can
tell they're acting, but a good hypocrite, a good actor, seems
real. We read in the scriptures of
unfeigned love. We read in the scriptures of
unfeigned wisdom. And we read in the scriptures
of unfeigned faith, which tells us that there is such a thing
as feigned love, acted out, nothing more. There is such a thing as
feigned wisdom. And there is such a thing as
feigned, faked faith. Now, let me give you from the
scriptures a sure mark of hypocritical faith. Turn with me to Matthew
chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. Judge not that you be not judged. Now, how many different ways
are there to take that? Judge not. Now, that doesn't
mean we don't have an opinion about something, whether it's
right or wrong, doesn't mean that at all. As a matter of fact,
the Lord said, judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
He's not saying judge not period. I mean, in the sense that you've
got to make a judgment regarding everything you hear, whether it's of God,
whether it's not, whether it's according to the scriptures.
You know, the next thing he says, as you go on reading in this
passage of scripture, he talks about casting not your pearl
before swine, and so on. Well, you're making some kind
of judgment on some level there, aren't you, when you do that?
So, when he's saying judge not, what he's meaning is, what he's
saying is, don't you sit as someone's judge in moral superior. Don't
look down your nose at them and think, I wouldn't have done that. The fact of the matter is, you
would have. And you can't look down upon anyone. I can't look
down upon anyone. I'm to judge myself as weaker
and more sinful than that individual. Let's go on reading. For with
what judgment you judge, with the harshness that you bring
in judging somebody, you shall be judged. And with what measure
you meet, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye? But considerest
not the beam, the log, that's in thine own eye? Or how wilt
thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine
eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite. That's the Lord's words. Thou
hypocrite. You're doing some acting right
now. That's what he said. You're doing some acting. We
assume the position of a judge. For one thing, we're assuming
the position that belongs only to God. He's the only one who
can do this. And all of a sudden, we've turned
into actors. We're not being real. We're being
hypocritical. Turn to Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. Beginning in verse 28, And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind, to do those things which are not convenient, being filled
with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness,
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers,
fat biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant
breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who,
knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure
in them that do them. Now, would you agree that the
people spoken of in the passages of Scripture I just read are
bad people? I mean, there's no doubt about
that, is there? These are wicked, evil people that Paul is describing. Chapter 2, verse 1. Therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. Did you look at this list of
people and say, that's not me. He says, for wherein thou judgest
another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest, doest. the same things. So whenever we take the place
of a judge, we're doing some acting. We're pretending to be
what in reality we are not. Now what is unfeigned faith? It's faith, it's not an act. What do I mean by that? Well, first of all, I'm not a feigned sinner. I'm not just using the term when
I know it's appropriate. I'm the real thing, and I say
that to my shame. I say that to my shame, but I'm
the real thing. I was trying to talk last night
about what a sinner is. What is a sinner? According to
the scriptures, what is a sinner? A sinner is somebody who all
they do is sin. Period. A sinner is someone who
cannot, they lack the ability to not sin. They cannot not sin. A sinner is someone who truly
cannot sit in judgment of any son of Adam. They really believe
that. They really believe with Paul,
I am the chief of sinners. And a sinner is someone who has
no claims upon God. If God saved everybody in this
room but me, If He elected everybody in this room but me. If Christ
died for everybody in this room but me. If God the Holy Spirit
irresistibly and invincibly called everybody in this room but me. Holy and just is His name. Now that's a sinner. Holy and just. is his name. I'm not a famed sinner. I'm the
real thing. I also know that what was going
on on Calvary was not acting. It was not role-playing. The Father did not say to the
Son, Oh, my beloved Son, I know these sins aren't yours, but
I'm going to treat you as if they were. I'm going to play
that role and you play this role." No, on Calvary's tree, there
wasn't any role-playing going on. Christ Jesus the Lord was
made sin so that my sin became His sin. It wasn't acting. It wasn't role-playing. And the
Father's wrath came down upon Him completely. And He put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. That's what He did. There wasn't
any role-playing going on. Real. Now here's what unfeigned
faith is. I really believe that I'm a real
sinner. And I really believe that He's
a real Savior, the real Savior. And I really believe that He
is all in my salvation. I'm not acting that. Really,
His righteousness is the only righteousness I have. I'm not
acting about that. When the Scripture says Christ
is all, well, I know this, He is all. And He's all in my salvation. I've got nowhere else to look. Here's what I'm depending on.
that all that God requires of me, He looks to His Son for. I really am dependent on Him. Now that's unfeigned faith. That's not acted out. That's
not fake. I really do believe that my, I really believe, this
is all my hope right here. This is all my hope. My hope
that I'll stand accepted is for this one reason. The Lord Jesus
Christ will live for me And He died for me. And He was raised
for me. And I find all my salvation and
all my desire right there in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that
is the end. That's the goal. That's the purpose
of the charge of the command to preach no other doctrine.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's to bring about this
in every believer. Charity. out of a pure heart.
That pure heart that God gives. Charity out of a pure heart.
And of a good conscience. A conscience that has nothing
to feel guilty about. And I don't have anything to
feel guilty about. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. Putting my life up on
a screen, I'm not a bit ashamed. Whatever thought I've ever had,
I'm not a bit ashamed. I stand perfect before God's
holy law because my life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the answer of a good conscience. And faith unfeigned. This is
no fake. From the very depths of my heart, I believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ is all in my salvation. I'm looking nowhere
else. From this, some have swerved.
Swerved. Turned aside unto vain jangling. Empty, silly, useless religious
words. May the Lord deliver us from
swerving from the goal. Charity out of a pure heart,
a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.