Turn with me, if you would, to
Titus chapter 3. Titus chapter 3. Titus 3 and let's read verses
5 through 7. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us. by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This morning, I would like for
us to really consider what those verses are saying. Really, really
consider what those verses are saying. The title of this message
is Critical Things to Consider. Very critical things to consider
for the delivery of this message. I would like to just set forth
some things to you. Set forth some statements to
you. And I pray this will be clear.
This is my hope and prayer and goal. I want this to be clear. And I want this to be to the
point. And the reason is because it's critical. It's critical. We are in critical condition.
All right, it's critical. Life and death, eternal life
and eternal death, critical. Now, I'm going to get to what
it is, but I want to set it up by saying this. This is what
makes it so critical. Everybody can't be right. Everybody can't be alright. Everybody is not alright. When it comes to spiritual things,
when it comes to eternity, when it comes to salvation, everybody
can't be right. A lot of people think Well, everybody's
right. A lot of people think that. If
you're under the Christian canopy, everybody's right. We all may
be different. We all may have differences,
but that doesn't mean we can't all be right. Well, that's kind of like one
person saying, one plus one equals one. And another person saying, 1
plus 1 equals 2. And another person saying, 1
plus 1 equals 3. And then we all just hold hands
and say, everybody's right. Well, no, everybody's not right. There's only one reality to that
equation. There's only one reality and
I'll declare the truth. I'll take a stand right now for
the truth. This is the truth. One plus one
equals two. That's the truth. All right. There's only one truth concerning
that matter. One plus one equals two. And
just because this one over here is saying, well, now I don't
think we ought to be that narrow minded. That's kind of narrow
minded, isn't it? That's just too dogmatic. That's
just being too dogmatic. That is stifling 1 plus 1's personal
growth. I just believe that if 1 plus
1 works hard enough, I believe 1 plus 1 can attain 3. Well, that's great. But the reality of the truth
is only one of those solutions is right. Only one is right. Everybody can't be right. And let me guess, Gabe, you think
you're right. Nope. No, I do not. I adamantly do
not. This word is right. This word is right. I have thought things growing
up. I'm 42 years old. I have thought
things. I have believed things. I have
felt strongly about things before. I mean strongly about things,
and then found out that the Word said otherwise. At that moment,
I only had one option. Change what I believed was right. Once I see that the Word says
otherwise, that's my only option. Change what I believe to be right.
That is called repentance. Repentance is a changed mind,
a completely changed mind. God is the one who gives repentance. He causes one of his people to
see the truth in the word, and with man it's impossible, but
with God, all of a sudden, that person changes his mind. Repentance. God is the only one who can give
it. Men and women do not and cannot just repent on their own. The cry goes out, everybody needs
to repent. That's true. That's what the
word of God says. Our Lord came preaching, repent,
the kingdom of heaven's at hand. John the Baptist cried, repent. But a man and a woman, a boy
and a girl can't just decide, I'm going to change my mind.
And the reason is because man cannot naturally know the things
of God. He's carnal and they're spiritual. He cannot know the mind of God. It's an impossibility. It is the goodness of God that
leads sinners to repentance. Repentance. And all of God's
people are led to it. The flesh, every soul lives in
flesh. And the flesh, people start out
wrong. Out wrong. People start out absolutely convinced
that they believe the truth. And it's because somebody you
love and respect told you this is the truth. And you believe
them and you argue for it. And just people start out believing
that they believe the truth, but that doesn't change the fact
that we start out in error. People are sincere. I mean, they're
sincere, but sincerely wrong. Until God reveals to him, and
this is such an amazing, amazing one man made the statement. I'm
not trying to get anybody saved. I'm trying to get people lost,
trying to get people lost. And this is an amazing thing
that takes place. The flesh people are in error
there, they're wrong, and then all of a sudden they stay in
that state until God reveals to them. My thoughts are not
his thoughts. They see this all of a sudden.
My ways are not his. That's not the way I would have
done it. My ways are not his ways. And only his thoughts and
only his ways are right. That's what a true gospel preacher
will cry. He won't go around telling everybody,
now y'all listen to me because I'm right. He'll cry, I'm wrong,
he's right. We all better listen to him. When God reveals his thoughts
are not my thoughts, his ways are not my ways, and everything
that he is is right, what that has to mean is I'm wrong. I'm
wrong. Once God reveals that to his
sinful child, that child starts crying, teach me thy way. Don't let me go in my own path.
Don't let me walk down my own path. Lead me in your paths. Open my eyes that I may see. Let God be true and let every
man, starting with me, be a liar. I'm a liar. I'm a liar. Listen to God. Listen to God. That's what God's people cry.
Only God is right. Only God is true. Now, every
human being No matter what doctrine, no matter what denomination,
no matter what religious position anyone holds, every human being
is going to find out that everybody's not right. Every human being,
every soul will realize that only God's word is right. Salvation
is God revealing that to a sinner
right now in this lifetime through His Word. Damnation is finding
that out the moment we go stand before His judgment throne. I
was wrong. I was not right. Everybody can't
be right. So hopefully, we'll see how critical
it is to be aligned with God's Word. I do not want to align
myself with a doctrine. Men love to hold to these doctrines. They love to say other human
beings' names, these old men that God greatly used, and I
love them, but they love to say, well, I'm a hmm-ist. I'm not
holding to a doctrine. I'm not holding to a doctrine.
I don't want to align myself with a denomination. I sure don't want to align myself
with a man. I don't care what man it is.
I want to be aligned with Jesus Christ. And I want to be aligned
with the only way that He has declared in His Word to be right. What does He say is right? Now,
with all that being said, concerning salvation, concerning what God
says is right, concerning what God will allow, what He will
accept, what He will reject, concerning the truth about what
we ought to believe. regarding God's dealings with
us, our relationship to Him, the only way that a sinner can
be justified before Him and to be welcomed to stand in His presence. I have a few statements from
these three verses that every person in this room must heavily
consider. I'm going to try to be brief
with this, very brief. But we all must consider this
because everybody can't be right. God says there is only one way
of salvation. He said, straight is the gate
and narrow is the way. He said, I am the way. No man cometh to the father,
but by me. No man or woman will be saved
outside of His way. So here are a few statements
to consider. All right, number one. It's either His righteousness
or mine. And I pray the Lord might let
that sink into all of us. It's either His righteousness
or mine. It's one or the other. It most
definitely is not both. Righteousness means. Being right. It means rightness. It means integrity. It means
virtue. It means purity. It means moral
goodness, and it's either his or mine. I either go before God in HIS
or in MINE. Which one is it? Verse 5 says,
NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE. People all over this world are
trying to go before God on the merits of their own goodness. Why do you think God will accept
you into glory? Well, it's because, we'll cut
to the chase, I'm a good person. I do good things. They try to go before God on
the merits of their own integrity, their own virtue, their own purity,
thinking God will accept me because of my rightness. He rejects bad
people and he accepts good people. And they go before Him having
no idea that all of our righteousnesses are filthy rags before Him. Filthy rags in His sight. People
have it in their mind that when it's their turn to go meet God,
He's going to be so proud of them for everything they've done.
God's going to be so proud of me. He's going to be so proud
of them for giving their heart to Jesus. People love to say the good Lord.
I hear people say that a lot. Well, now the good Lord, you
know, they think if they say the good Lord enough times, then
that counts for something. And they're going to go there
and they're going to find out I was wrong. I was wrong. I thought he was going to be
pleased with me and pleased with my self-righteousness. But I
was wrong. There's only one righteousness
to go meet God with, and it's not ours. Turn with me over to
Romans chapter 10. Romans 10 verse 1, Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. What is the righteousness of
God? The second word of verse four, Christ. For Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. We plead His rightness. We plead His integrity, His virtue,
His purity. We plead His moral goodness. We plead everything He's done,
everything He's done. He is our righteousness, our
goodness. It's all in Him. All right, go
back to Titus 3. Here's the next statement for
us to consider concerning our salvation. It's either his initiation or
mine. It's either his initiation or
mine. It's either his decision or mine. Either he started this or I did. One of the two. Anytime you start
something, somebody starts it. But either he started it or I
did. What does God have to say about
it? Verse five, not by works of righteousness, which we have
done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. He started the work. began the
good work, he authored it. In 1 John 5 verse 40, he said, you will not come to me that
you might have life. In John 6 verse 44, he said,
no man can come to me except the father which had sent me
draw him. In John 15 verse 16, he said,
You have not chosen me, I have chosen you. Men stand up in pulpits
lying to people, lying to people. And this is what they say. Salvation
is in your hands now. What are you going to do with
it? Are you going to give your heart to Jesus or not? Any soul who goes to meet God
on any other grounds, then, salvation is of the Lord. It's His initiation. It's His
decision. He starts it. He finishes it. If any man goes to go stand before
God on any other grounds, then salvation is of the Lord. and that soul is going to realize,
I was wrong. I was wrong. He will not accept
the sacrifices of my hands. He will not accept my decisions. He will not accept the choices
I made. He will not accept the beliefs
of my own imagination. All these things that I believe
that were just concocted in my mind. I was wrong. All right,
here's the next thing we must consider. It's either His cleansing
or mine. It's either His washing or it's
mine. Either His blood has cleansed
me or I've got some cleansing I need to do. I've got some washing to do.
I've got some dirty laundry that needs to be cleaned. Which one
is it? Who does all of the soul cleansing? not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which
He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. When He shed His blood on a cross for sin, The sin of His particular people.
When He did that, He cried, IT IS FINISHED. That's a critical
moment. When He died on the cross, He
gave His life, gave His blood, He did all this for every soul
the Father gave to Him. When He was there, this is what
He said, IT IS FINISHED. Here's the question, what was
finished? What was finished? The cleansing
of sin. The washing of his people unto
him that loved us and washed us in his own blood. It says, which he shed on us
abundantly. Abundantly. That means the washing
went deeper than the stain. That's what it means. And along with His blood, He
poured out His Spirit, giving the renewing of life. He left
nothing undone, nothing for His people to have to finish. Go
very quickly with me to 1 Corinthians 6. I'm almost finished. 1 Corinthians 6. Verse 9, Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetousness,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but
you are washed." That's the message. not almost washed, not you will
soon be washed, but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you
are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God. Men stand up in pulpits and they
say, you have to progress in sanctification now. You have to grow in holiness.
Yes, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for sins, but now
you, if you don't... No, you don't. That's the answer. No, you don't. In Christ, you
are as sanctified as you're ever gonna be. You are as holy as
you are ever going to be. You are complete in Him. Go back to Titus 3. All of this comes, everything
that we've seen, all of it comes either at His cost or mine. Either it's His free gift or
it's something that I earn. It's one of the two. Which one
does God say it is? Verse 5, Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, That being
justified by His grace. Grace means unearned favor. Unmerited favor. Free gift. For God so loved, He gave. He gave. Men stand up and talk
about God's grace. They put it on their sign. They
lead people in the singing of amazing grace. And in the same
breath, they tell them that they have to go to work to earn God's
free gift. They tell them what they have
to do to get God's free gift. That's not so. If something says
free on it, take it. It's free. If something has a
sign that says free, lay hold on it and take it. It's free. Ho, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, he that hath no money. Come on. No money. Let your soul delight itself
in fatness. It's free. by God's free gift we have been,
verse 7 says, made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. It's either His righteousness
or it's mine, and it's His. It's either His initiation or
it's mine, and it's His. It's either His cleansing or
it's mine. And it's His. All of this comes
at either His cost or mine. And it's His. Therefore, one
last thing, one more thing to consider. When it comes to our
salvation, it's either His glory or mine. And it's His. It's His. Many years ago, there
was an old preacher named John Jasper. And somebody asked him
one time, Brother John, when you die and you go to glory,
if you are asked the question, what right do you have to enter
into heaven? If you are asked that question,
what will be your reply? John Jasper said, my reply will
be, I have no right to enter into heaven. I am not here on
my right. I'm here on the right of another,
my Lord Jesus Christ, who loved me and gave himself for me. I'm here pleading the name of
the only one who has the right to walk straight through the
gates of heaven. I plead Him. He did it all. He paid it all. He gets the glory
for it all. Any sinner who goes to meet God
that way, with that plea, will be right. Any sinner who stands
before God in Christ, pleading the person and pleading the work
and pleading the glory of Christ alone will hear. Welcome in. Any sinner, welcome in. That's right. What do you plead? Christ. That's right. Come on
in. Let's plead Christ. All right,
let's all stand together.