Good morning, everybody. OK,
before we start, let's bow our heads in prayer. Dear Lord, we thank you for letting
us gather here this morning to hear your gospel preached. We
ask that you be here with us and the voice your people hear
is not the one of this man standing here. We need to hear your voice,
Lord. We ask you speak to our hearts
and give us understanding as we look through your word. And
we thank you for our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who is our
all. We pray in his name. Amen. Okay. We're going to start in
Genesis 3. We're going to read verses 1-7. First, I want to make a comment.
The first time I came to Bethel, sitting there, I heard Rupert.
This is the first thing I ever heard Rupert say, and I wanted
to restate it because it has something to do with what we're
going to talk about this morning. He said, if there wasn't a time
in your life that you can remember when you hated God, you still
do. You still do. Okay. Genesis chapter 3. Now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he
said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent,
we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,
lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye
shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant
to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed
fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. At first we see in verse 1 that
the serpent uses very suggestive language when speaking to Eve.
He asks the question, yea, has God said, ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden? And we know that God did not
say that Adam and Eve must not eat of all the trees of the garden.
In verse 16 and 17 of chapter 2, we see that God only specifies
one single tree that they may not eat of. Let's turn back a
page to chapter 2 and read verses 16 and 17. And the Lord God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat freely.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not
eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt
surely die." Clearly, God had said this, more so commanded
Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So
in chapter 3, verse 1, we see the serpent asking Eve a question
he already knows the answer to. This is done to lure Eve into
a conversation, leaving an opening for Eve to correct him, to inform
him of what God has said regarding his command. The serpent was
more subtle than any beast of the field. I said that this was
suggestive language. The question asked is used to
introduce doubt into God's word. It implies something. It questions
God's word. Henry Mahan said that it may
have suggested the following. You are superior creatures. The
whole earth is supposed to be in subjection to you, yet you
are not totally free nor fully blessed. For there is something
God is withholding from you and will not allow you to have it.
Hath God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The first attack we see is on
God's word. That is still Satan's objective
today. False religion questions God's word. It picks apart our
glorious gospel and applies only what is agreeable to the creature.
A man once told me he believed in God, but did not believe everything
that was written in the Bible. I asked him what parts he didn't
believe, and before he could answer I said, let me guess,
the parts you don't believe are the parts that don't agree with
you. He smiled and said yes. Basically, man's fallen corrupt
will only accepts what it will accept. False religion will accept
a Jesus, but not the Jesus of this Bible. They will accept
a savior, but only if they get to make the decision. God's word
is all or nothing. It's either the inerrant word
of God, or it's altogether no good. You can't have it both ways.
God either elected a people before the world began, saved those
people in Christ Jesus by his own merit, and shed blood on
Calvary's tree, imputed to his people a perfect righteousness,
and keeps those people in Him for all eternity, or you might
as well throw this book out, out the window, because that's
what God proclaims everywhere in this book. To cling to anything
else makes Almighty God to be a liar. Let's turn to Romans
1, verse 25. Romans 1 verse 25, Paul wrote,
speaking here about man, who changed the truth of God
into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than
the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. The religion of today will
not give God all the glory. All of it attempts to rob God
of his glory and give it to man. The problem is we cannot give
God's glory away. It is His. From eternity it was
His. In the span of time it is His.
And for all eternity it will be His, not man's. Let's turn to our second text,
Isaiah chapter 45. We'll read verses 18 through 20. Isaiah
45, 18 through 20. For thus saith the Lord that
created the heavens. God himself that formed the earth
and made it, he hath established it. He created it not in vain. He formed it to be inhabited.
I am the Lord, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret
in a dark place of the earth. I said not unto the seed of Jacob.
Seek ye me in vain. I, the Lord, speak righteousness.
I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come
draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They
have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image,
and pray unto a God that cannot save." In verse 18, we see God's sovereignty. He created the heavens, He formed
the earth, and made it. He established it. He did not
create it to be empty. He formed it to be inhabited.
Thus saith the Lord, I am the Lord, and there is none else.
So we see God's sovereignty here, that he has done everything and
still does. Yet false religion says that
this God, the one we just read of, cannot save his creation
unless they let him. They rob him of his glory, of
his sovereignty. When this happens, he ceases
to be God. If any one characteristic of
God Almighty is lessened or taken away, he ceases to be God. If
he can't save the creatures that he made, he's not sovereign. He's not omnipotent. Who wants
the salvation of their eternal soul to rest in the hands of
a God who cannot save? Who is bound to his own creature's
will? Who brings everything into existence and then has no control
over it? Not me. They have a God, all right, of
their own vain imaginations, a peanut God who's in the hands
of the creature, of man's fallen will. Not so with the God of
this Bible. Turn to Daniel chapter four. Keep your places in Isaiah. Chapter four in verse 35, Daniel. Daniel chapter 4, 35. And all
the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay his hand or
say unto him, what doest thou? What a wonderful scripture describing
who our God is in comparison of what fallen men make him out
to be. Back to Isaiah 45, verse 19. I have not spoken in secret in
a dark place of the earth. I said not unto the seed of Jacob,
seek ye me in vain. I, the Lord, speak righteousness.
I declare things that are right. This book, this Bible, this gospel
of our precious Lord Jesus Christ is today translated in over 2,000
languages. God has not spoken in secret.
His word is clear to all who read it. The way of salvation
is written everywhere in this book. The way of salvation is
none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14.6 says, I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Clearly written, this book teaches
that Christ is the only means of salvation accomplished by
him, not by man. The Lord has not asked the seed
of Jacob to seek him in vain. Seek the Lord and be ye saved. Seek the Lord and be ye saved.
Isaiah 45 verse 22 says, look unto me and be ye saved, all
the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. John chapter 5 and verse 40, and ye
will not come to me that ye might have life. Ye will not come to
me that ye might have life. You will not come. Men will not
come to Christ. It's against our fallen will.
No man will come to Christ unless the Father draw him. John chapter
6, verse 44. No man can come to me except
the Father which has sent me draw him, and I will raise him
up at the last day. That does not excuse man for
his unbelief. Man is commanded of God to believe
on him whom he sent. It is our responsibility to believe
and to obey God. Only in the Lord Jesus Christ
is this possible, though. We don't have the ability to.
Man has fallen and depraved, dead in trespasses and sin. The
belief false religion teaches men that they can do anything
for God is not a gospel truth. It is a flat-out lie. And it attacks God at his throne
and attempts to rob him of his glory. It makes our precious
Lord Jesus Christ out to be a liar. When our Lord said, it is finished,
that's it. It is finished. Not, it is finished, but you
still need to do something in order for salvation to be accomplished. This lie being preached, if you
could call it that, around the world in millions of churches
by millions of fallen men, lowers almighty God beneath man's feet
and raises himself up and sits him on God's throne. That's exactly
what false religion does. It makes man his own God. It
says that the blood of Christ is unaffectual and that he's
a failure. Men take the word of God and
bend it, stretch it, pull it out of context to make it palatable
to corrupted hearts. The fact is the true gospel is
offensive to the natural man. Christ is called a rock of offense
in 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 8, Romans 9, 33, Isaiah 8, 14. He's called a rock of offense.
Today's religion says that Christ died for everyone. If Christ
died for all the sins of everyone in the whole world and people
still go to hell, then what does the death of Christ have to do
with salvation? and make the Lord Jesus Christ
to be a failure. Today's religion says that God
loves everyone. If God loves everyone and people
still go to hell, then what does the love of God have to do with
salvation? They make God's love out to be fickle and worthless.
Today's religion says that God wants everyone to be saved. If
God wants everyone to be saved, and not everyone is, Then what
does God's will have to do with salvation? They make the will
of God less powerful than the will of man. The Lord speaks
righteousness and declares the things that are right. Back to
Isaiah 45 and verse 20. Assemble yourselves and come
draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set
up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a God that cannot
save. Men who turn from the almighty
God of this Bible to their own gods they create out of the dark
force of their own depraved minds have no knowledge. They carry
around the wood of their graven images to be seen of men, to
let others know that they believe in Jesus, or whatever God they're
pretending to worship. Like this verse says, they pray
to a God who cannot save. This is where false religion,
this is where false religion of today's world and any other
in the span of time finds itself, praying to a God that cannot
save. They walk around with their cross
around their necks, carrying other religious memorabilia,
and that's all they have. A cross, a statue, a picture,
idols. That's all they have. They don't
have Christ. They just have stuff. Stuff. They have no knowledge of spiritual
things. No knowledge of spiritual things.
Today's religion preaches another gospel. Let's turn to Galatians chapter
1. Galatians chapter 1, let's read
verses 6 through 10. Galatians 1, 6 through 10. I marvel, this is Paul speaking,
I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called
you into grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not
another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert
the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach another gospel unto you, then that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before,
so I say now again, if any man preach another gospel unto you,
then that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now
persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For
if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Today's religion preaches another
gospel. This other gospel preached throughout
this world puffs up men's egos, which puffs up men's pride, which
creates in them a self-righteousness that is, in truth, damning. The definition of ego is a person's
sense of self-esteem or self-importance. The definition of pride is deep
pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements.
Pride is a feeling of satisfaction from what one has done or achieved. Ego gives one a swollen head,
while pride gives a swollen heart. Fallen men dare to present to
God the works of their own hands, as if they could add to perfection. Christ Jesus is perfect, with
a perfect righteousness. You can't add to perfection.
To add anything to Christ's finished work, accomplished on Calvary's
cursed tree, is to mar it, to spoil it. Let's turn to Exodus
chapter 20. Exodus 20 and verse 25. Exodus 20 and verse 25. And if thou wilt make me an altar
of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, for if thou
lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. You see here
what God is saying. This speaks of Christ. He is
our altar. You shall not lift up your hand
to God's work, for thou hast polluted it. Everything we touch,
we pollute. Everything. Let's turn to 2 Samuel
chapter 6, please. 2 Samuel chapter 6, verses 6 through
7. And when they came to Nacon's
threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and
took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his
error. And there he died by the ark
of God." We see here God's judgment on false religion. The ark of
God being a picture of Christ, and Uzzah a picture of wicked
men attempting to put their hands to God's work. For the oxen stumbled. And Uzzah reached forth his hand
to steady the ark, and God killed him. You don't put your hand
to God's work. You don't put your hand to God's
Christ. Any work that needs to be accomplished for the salvation
of a sinner's soul is already done. Scripture says Christ is
the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Before the world
began, God has elected a people, his people, his chosen seed. Christ shed his blood and died
for those people, chosen sinners, saved in Christ before the world
began, imputed to them a perfect righteousness merited by our
precious Lord Jesus Christ, living as a man in this world of sin.
The only righteousness a sinner can have is the righteousness
of Christ. All others is just a self-righteousness,
which is no righteousness at all. The religion of today puts God
in a box. It limits his sovereignty, which
completely destroys the meaning of the word. It says that God
is sovereign, but when events occur that don't agree with man's
natural fallen self, self-will, God is placed in a box and man's
control is implemented. The creator of entire existence
is only allowed to do what man's will allows him to do. You hear
statements like, God would never cause this, Let go and let God. The almighty God of heaven, hell,
and earth causes everything. That's his sovereignty. Never
is there a time or circumstance where the word let comes before
God. No creature, not man or the devil himself has the ability
to let God anything. He does as he pleases. The natural
man is consumed with control. He must be in control. His God
can only do what is agreeable to his fallen nature. The natural
man does not have the ability to believe the gospel of Christ,
nor does he want to. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse
14 says, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned. This is why his gospel leaves
him to make a decision. According to his depraved, control-driven
heart, he has the final say-so. He must do something. He cannot
see the finished work on Calvary's tree. John 3, verse 3 says, verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except the man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. That is a requirement. You must
be born again. Today's religion says salvation
is accomplished by co-laboring with God. If you come up with
the faith, God will do the saving. Religion says faith, then regeneration. Man's work, then God's work.
This couldn't be farther from the truth. The truth is that
regeneration precedes faith. And both are the work of the
Lord. I've heard Darwin Pruitt in a sermon one time, and this
stuck with me. He said, preaching is the seed
of regeneration. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 21, For
after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew
not God, It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe. God is pleased by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. It starts with the hearing
of the true and living gospel. Once the seed is planted, the
gift of faith is given. Hebrews 12. Let's turn to Hebrews
12, please. Hebrews 12 and verse 2. Hebrews 12 and verse 2, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He
is the author of our faith and the finisher of our faith. Ephesians 2. Let's turn to Ephesians
chapter 2 please. Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9. For by grace are ye saved, through
faith, and that faith not of yourselves. It is the gift of
God, not of works, lest any man should boast." Clearly, clearly
stated right there. That faith is the gift of God. By grace. You can't earn it,
or it's not by grace. not of works, lest any man should
boast. So no man can glory in the flesh.
We can't boast that we believe in Jesus, we made a decision,
or we, oh well, my life wasn't going real well and I found Jesus
and I made a decision to turn my life around. You can't believe
without the gift of faith. And that's by God Almighty. This circumcision of the heart,
this new creation, like a young plant needs water to grow. Let's
turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, please. 1 Peter chapter 2, verses 2 and 3. As newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. If so ye tasted,
that the Lord is gracious. And I want to turn to John 4. John 4 in verse 10. John 4 and verse 10. Jesus here
speaking to the woman at the well. Jesus answered and said
unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink, that wouldest have asked of him,
and he would have given thee living water." And then down
to verse 14, "'But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.'" The Lord Jesus Christ is our
living water. By Him and Him alone do we grow. Amen.