I want you to open your Bibles
again to the book of 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Let me read a couple of verses
from 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 12 and 13. 12, 13, and 14. All right, 1 Timothy
1, verse 12, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled
me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
who was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious, though and because and but I obtained
mercy. I obtained mercy because I did
it ignorantly, ignorantly in unbelief. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ was exceeding with faith and love which is in Christ
Jesus." Paul said, I did it ignorantly. Now, most people would consider
it to be a great insult to call a person ignorant. And yet here the Apostle Paul,
the chief, I suppose, of all the apostles, the Apostle Paul
who graduated from the highest school in his day, the school
of Gamaliel, a man considered by everybody
to be brilliantly intelligent. In fact, one ruler, Felix, when
Paul was preaching, he rose up and said, Paul, much learning
has made you mad. I imagine Paul would have said,
better to be mad than ignorant. And he said to young Timothy
here, I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor of Christians. I was injurious. I put people
in prison because of what they believed. I was ignorant. I was ignorant. I did all of
this in ignorance and unbelief. Now write this down. A man or a woman may be very
intelligent and brilliant in the affairs and matters of this
world, and yet be totally ignorant of spiritual things. Now that—you
know that's subtle. You know that's subtle. Because
Paul said, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. which none of the leaders, princes,
great people of this world knew. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery which the leaders and rulers and princes of this world
did not know. For if they had known these mysteries,
they never would have crucified Christ. They did it ignorantly
and unbelief. Also, a man or woman may be very
knowledgeable in religious matters, very knowledgeable in things
of religion. The Bible. People say, I read
the Bible every day. And yet they may be totally ignorant
of God's saving grace. Listen to what Paul says about
that. He says this, that the mistress of God, totally mistress
of God, are unknown even to the Pharisees, publicans, and rulers
of the synagogue. Our Lord said to Nicodemus one
day. Nicodemus was a ruler of the
Jews, a man high up in religion. And our Lord said to him one
day, are you a master in Israel and you do not understand or
know these things I've been talking to you about? So you can be a
master in religion, you could be a master in mechanics, master
in things of this world and still be spiritually ignorant. And I'll give you several reasons
for this. Spiritual ignorance may be attributed
to about five things. Now listen carefully to this.
Spiritual ignorance. Our natural depravity and deadness
in sin contributes to our ignorance. We're dead in trespasses and
sin. The natural man receiveth not
the things of God, their foolishness unto him, their sheer nonsense
to him because of his natural deadness in sin. He does not
understand spiritual things. Secondly, Satan's influence blinds
the minds of natural men. The Scripture says, If our gospel
be hid, its head to them who are lost. in whom the God of
this world hath blinded their minds." That's the reason. Spiritual
ignorance is because of our natural depravity. Spiritual ignorance
is because Satan blinds natural men. And thirdly, religious traditions
and religious customs, what we were talking about on chapter
Corinthians while ago. These people were married to
the law. They kept the Sabbath days and
customs and religious traditions. And Christ said of them, you
search the Scriptures. And they did. They searched the
Scriptures, for in them you think you have life. But the Scriptures
testify not of the law, not of the customs, not of the traditions,
The Scriptures testify of me. And though you come to the law
and all of these traditions and customs, you won't come to me,
that you might have eternal life. And then fourthly, this is a
problem that all human beings have, it's pride. Just natural
pride. Pride reigns. At that time, our
Lord lifted his eyes to heaven, and this is what he said, I thank
you, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you
hid these things from the wise and the proud and the prudent,
and you've been pleased to reveal them today. Today. So may God May our Lord enable
us to escape the pitfalls of pride and religious customs and Satan's
influence and natural depravity. May he enable us to escape these
pitfalls and be taught of God. It is written in the prophets,
but they They, the children of God, shall be taught of God. And every man, therefore, that
hath learned of the Father, he'll come to me. He'll come to me."
All right, Paul uses this word, ignorance, over and over again
in the Scripture. Many times he said, I wouldn't
have you to be ignorant now. I wouldn't have you to be ignorant.
I wouldn't have you to be ignorant. Don't be ignorant. Now here are
four or five things I want to leave with you. Turn with me
to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, verse 1 through
3. Romans 10, 1 through 3. Scripture says in Romans 10,
1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them
records. They have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant. They have a desire for God, but
not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant of God's
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have
not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. Now, let
me ask you this. Is Paul saying that these Israelites,
that they were atheists? Oh, no. No, no. Those people
believed in God. That's right. Whatever the belief
is, they still believed. Our Lord said to His apostles,
you believe in God, believe in me. If Israel has believed in
God, is Paul saying that they were atheists? No. Is he saying
they did not believe God? No, he's not saying that. The
devil believes in tremples. They have a belief. What he's saying is this, they
don't know God. They're ignorant of the righteousness
and the holiness and the greatness of God. They're ignorant of God. of God. Any person, any person,
any person who thinks that he can be accepted of God on the
basis of his own holiness and his own works doesn't know God. No matter what he knows, no matter
what he professes, if he does not, if he thinks that he's accepted
by God on the basis of his good works and his own holiness, he
doesn't know God. And secondly, any person who
cannot say, I have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
he doesn't know himself. He doesn't know God, he doesn't
know himself. And any person who cannot say
with Augustus' top lady, in my hands, no price I bring, sent
it to the cross of Jesus Christ, I claim, he does not know the
gospel. So he has a zeal for God, an
enthusiasm for God, but he doesn't know God, doesn't know himself,
and doesn't know the gospel. For verse four, watch verse four,
Romans four, verse four, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness,
for holiness, for salvation to everyone that believes. What
does that mean, Christian? Christ is the end of the law.
Well, number one, Christ is the goal of the law. That's why the
law was given, to shut our mouths. and bring us to Christ. That's
the reason the law was given, to shut our mouths, to shut us
up to faith and only to faith, to Christ and only to Christ.
That's the reason. That's the goal of the law. That's
why the law was given, to shut our mouths, that every mouth
may be stopped and all the world become what? And secondly, Christ is the end
of the law, that is, He's the fulfillment of the law. The law
was fulfilled in Christ, by Christ, for us in Christ. He fulfilled
it. I always do those things that
please my Father. And in pleasing the Father, the
Father was pleased with us. The fulfillment, the goal of
the law, the fulfillment of the law, And Christ is the end of
it. He's the end of it for a covenant.
He's the end of it for a curse. Christ was made sin for us, put
an end to the curse of the law. And He's the end of the law as
far as you and I are concerned. We should trust Christ. The book of Hebrews uses the
word better, better, better, better over and over again. Hebrews
talks about a better covenant. Hebrews talks about a better
sacrifice. Hebrews talks about a better
tabernacle. Hebrews talks about a better
home. Hebrews talks about a better
priest, a better priest. All right, turn with me to 1
Corinthians 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 10. And the pastor had
been on this for several, several Sundays talking to us about the
types and the shadows and the figures and the patterns and
pictures of Christ. And here in 1 Corinthians chapter
10, verse 1, Moreover, brethren, I would not
that you should be ignorant." There it is again, don't be ignorant.
How that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea, and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the
sea, and they all did eat the same spiritual meat, drink the
same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock
that followed them, and that rock was Our pastor has been
teaching us these pictures of Christ. All of God's dealings
with Israel were to set our Lord Jesus Christ forth as being the
way, the truth, and the life. He is the way, he's the truth,
and he's the life. Now I'll just show you briefly.
The Ark of Gnosis, the Ark of Noah, was Christ. The Ark of
Noah was Christ. The Passover lamb is Christ. The serpent lifted up on the
pole, that's Christ. The smitten rock was Christ who
was smitten and afflicted for us. The manna from heaven, that's
Christ, the bread of life. And the priest, the tabernacle,
the mercy seat, the atonement, all of this is Christ. And our
Lord summed it up In Luke 4, verse 44, I'll just quote it
for you. Our Lord says here in Luke 24,
verse 44, these are the words which I spake unto you while
I was yet with you that all must be fulfilled which were written
in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Don't be ignorant. Don't be ignorant
of the pictures and the types of our Lord Jesus Christ. All
of them are in him, fulfilled in him. All right. Number three. Turn to 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse
1 through 7. Now let me read this right here. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Now
concerning spiritual gifts, Bratman, I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles
carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore, I give you to understand
that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed,
and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord. but by the
Holy Spirit. Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of administration,
but the same Lord. There are diversities of operations,
but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation
of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. And my friends, These spiritual
gifts were real. They were real. When our Lord
was here on this earth, real men were healed. The blind received
their sight. Even the dead were raised. And
the apostles spoke in other languages and other tongues. However, before
the New Testament was written, those gifts And those miracles
and those signs were prevalent and they were useful. And before
the, when the Old Testament, when the New Testament was written
by the apostles, there's no longer a need for those miracles. They
serve their purpose. The apostle said this recently.
These miracles, these gifts serve God's purpose to reveal that
Jesus Christ is who he said he is. Jesus Christ is Lord. He healed the sick. He raised
the dead, proving He is the Lord. He is the Son of God. Also, these
apostles had to have some proof that they were speaking for God.
All they had was the Old Testament. They didn't have a New Testament.
All they had was the Old Testament. And Hebrews tells us why God
used these miracles to give emphasis to these men's message. Turn
with me to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2. These miracles in Hebrews chapter
2, verse 3 and 4, just to give you the reason My God used these
miracles to give approval to these men. Hebrews chapter 2
verse 3. How shall we escape? Hebrews
2 verse 3. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation which at first began to be spoken by our Lord
and was confirmed It was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
God also bearing them witness. Who's that talking about? Peter,
James, John, all the apostles. It was confirmed. His message
was confirmed by them. God bore them witness with signs
and wonders, with divers miracles, gifts of
the Holy Ghost according to his own will. These men performed
these miracles and gifts to prove that God sent them. Now, now,
we don't need proof. I could, if somebody were here
this morning that was crippled, and I by laying hands on him
would give him full use of his legs and walk out of here. This
place would be packed tonight. They'd be standing outside. There'd
be cars up and down the road. There'd be sick people all here.
So we're not accomplishing anything for the glory of God. We're trying
to show off our powers and so forth. So it's not by miracles
that people come to Christ. It's not by miracles and signs
and wonders. It's by the preaching of the
gospel. That's how men come to Christ. Let me show you that in 1 Corinthians
14. 1 Corinthians chapter 14. 1 Corinthians 14 verse 18. Listen to this, 1 Corinthians
14 verse 18. All right, Paul says this, you
haven't, I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you are.
Paul preached in so many different languages, more than everybody. Yet, in the church, in the congregation
of God's people, I had rather speak five words that can be
understood by the people than by my voice I might teach others
also. I'd rather preach five words
by which I could teach others than 10,000 words that nobody
understands. Brethren, verse 20, don't be
children in understanding. Now how be it in malice be children. Don't be children in understanding.
Be children as far as getting even with one another. In malice
be a child and forgive, forgive, forgive. But in understanding
be men. In the law it is written. Now
this is what it says in the Old Testament. With men of other
tongues and other lips will I speak to this people. And yet for all
that they won't hear. They won't hear the same thing. In another language is a sign
not to them that believe. I've heard people say, well,
now, if you speak in another tongue, that's proof that God's
with you. No, no. There's tongues, no proof of
anything like that. But I'll tell you what tongues
are for. It's to them that believe not,
but prophesy preaching service, not for them that believe not,
but for you that believe. That's what it is. You know,
the Scripture says John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ, the
man of whom our Lord says the greatest man born of woman, the
forerunner of Christ, last of the Old Testament prophets, he
never performed a miracle. John the Baptist never performed
a miracle. Scripture says that in John 10,
41. John did no miracle. He came
as a witness for Christ. not witnessing of himself for
Christ. If, you know, our Lord said this,
when the man from hell said, send Lazarus
back to the earth, and if he, if Lazarus went back to the earth,
they would believe, they'd believe, they'd receive you. And Christ
said this, our Lord, if they hear not Moses and the prophets,
They won't be convinced, though one rose to God. Miracles, signs, and wonders
do not accomplish anything of good for Christ and for you and
for me. They're just signs and signs.
It takes the preacher, the gospel, to bring a man to Christ, break
his heart, and bring him to the Savior. Back in 1952 or three,
there was a big meeting down in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in
which a lot of preachers, even some grace preachers, got affected
by the restoration of the tomes. They used this proof. They said, well, we have the
message of power, sovereign election. We need the power of power. We
need the gifts of the Spirit. We need to speak in tongues.
We need to heal people and all that. And most of them went down
the road, went down the drain. I mean literally down the drain. Lost everything. I could tell
you so many terrible things that happened to those men and those
people. But stay with the gospel. Stay with
the gospel. All right. Turn to 2nd Corinthians. Here's another thing Paul says
about ignorance. 2nd Corinthians chapter 2. 2nd
Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9. 2nd Corinthians 2 verse 9. For
to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of
you whether you be obedient in all things. To whom you forgive
anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to
whom I forgave it, not for your sakes forgave I it in the person
of Christ. Lest, what's this? Lest Satan
should get an advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of Satan's
devices. Don't be ignorant and use and
misuse the miracles and the gifts. And don't you be ignorant of
Satan's wiles and Satan's devices. I don't claim, I don't claim
to know much about Satan. I haven't investigated him. I
just know he's real. I don't know much about demons
and rulers of the darkness. I was warned years ago when I
was just a very young preacher not to seek or to search or to
study or inquire into evil spirits. Don't play that game. Don't touch
it, because what you seek for sometimes you'll find. Don't seek Satan, evil spirits,
and all demons, rulers of the dark. Seek the Lord while he
may be found. Call upon him while he's near. I was warned about that and I
paid attention to that because I saw some fellas get to studying
Satan and evil spirits. And one friend of mine said he
went into a study one day and he felt like somebody was in
there. He had a weird testimony. Very weird. Don't search for
anything like that. You might wind up, wind up finding
it. Satan's chief objective, where
you and I are concerned, is to take our minds off Christ and
get our minds on something else. Something else. I'm warning things.
Don't be ignorant of Satan's devices. He's a terrible enemy. That's right. His objective is
to take our minds away from Christ, away from the gospel, away from
the sincerity and simplicity of Christ Jesus. Let me show
you that. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Verse 3 and 4. Now listen to this. And you don't think that Satan
is a subtle enemy. You listen to this verse here,
2 Corinthians 11 verse 3. I fear this by any means, as
the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety. So your mind, so
your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that's in
Christ Jesus, the oneness that's in Christ. For If he comes preaching
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, if you receive another
spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you
have not accepted, you might well bear with me. You stay with
me. You stay with what I've taught
you. Don't go into anything else. Oh, sir. Same scripture, 2 Corinthians
11, verse 11. Wherefore, because I love you
not, God knoweth. Look what I do. What I do. Verse 13. Look at verse 13. For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's no
great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Satan is subtle. He's a terrible enemy and he'll
use any means, any means. He doesn't play fair. He doesn't
draw first. He'll use any means, religion,
morality, promotion, success, prosperity, even trials, severe,
severe trials. to disrupt us from our saving
faith. And I'll show you proof of this
in Psalm 73. Turn to Psalm 73. I'll show you
the proof how that Satan gets an advantage, and he'll use any
advantage. Psalm 73. Now this is David speaking. David, the sweet psalmist of
Israel, David, the man after God's own heart, the David who
wrote most of the Psalms. And David found himself complaining
against God's providence, finding fault with God's providence.
He certainly did. Psalm 73. Look with me at verse
12. Behold, David says, these are
the ungodly. They prosper in the world. They increase in riches. You
ever thought like that? These people don't love God,
know God, and yet they're prosperous. They have everything in this
world. Verily, he said, verse 13, I
have cleansed my heart in vain. I washed my hands in innocency.
For all day long I've been plagued trouble, broken, and chastened
evermore. The Lord really worked me over.
That's what David said, exactly. Now, if I say this, if I speak
this way, behold, I'm going to offend the generation of God's
children. I'm going to be offensive to
God's children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful
for me until, until I went to the sanctuary of God. And then
I understood these people's end. End result. These people that prosper and
riches and get everything. The end is death and destruction. I finally realized when I understood
their end. Surely, verse 18 says, God will
set them in slippery places. thou castest them down to destruction. How are they brought into desolation,
as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors, as a dream
when one waketh. So, O Lord, when thou wakest,
thou shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was pierced, I
was pricked in my reins." Listen to this. So foolish was I, and
I was ignorant. I was ignorant. I was as a beast before thee.
Now watch this. Nevertheless, I am continued
with thee. Thou hast holden me by thy right
hand, and thou shalt guide me with thy counsel. I know all
this, David said. I just had to be reminded of
it. I went through a time of ignorance. And afterward you're
going to receive me in the glory. Verse 25, Wherefore, whom have
I in heaven but thee? There is none upon earth I desire
beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. For lo, they that are far from
thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed all them
that go a-whoring from thee, but it's good for me to draw
near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord
God, and I will glorify all His works." All right, here's my
last poem. And let us remember this, God
moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He plants
his footsteps on the sea and he rides on the storm. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage
take. The clouds you so must drag are
full, big with mercy and will break with blessings on your
head. So judge not the Lord by feeble
sense, but trust him. trust him for his power, behind
a frowning providence he hides a smiling face. Here's the last
one now, 1 Thessalonians chapter four. 1 Thessalonians chapter
four, verse thirteen. Here he is again, Apostle Paul,
talking about ignorance. But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you
sorrow not, even as others who have no hope." Paul says, I would
not have you to be ignorant concerning our loved ones who have gone
on to be with the Lord. Everybody here has dear precious,
wonderful loved ones who are with Christ. And Paul said, I
don't want you to be ignorant now. I want you to, that you
sorrow not, that you grieve not, that you despair not as those
who have no hope. But he tells us, he gives us,
therefore, reasons why we shouldn't sorrow as those who have no hope.
Look at the verse 14. For our number one, we believe
that Jesus Christ died. He died for our sins according
to the scriptures that he might bring us to God. Jesus Christ
arose again. We believe that our Lord arose
from the dead and he's at God's right hand making intercession
for us. Even those that believe in Jesus
will God bring with him. Our Lord said, I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place,
I'll come again and receive you unto myself. Because where I
am, there you may be also. We believe. We're not ignorant. We're not going to starve ourselves
to death in hope. Because we believe Christ died, Christ arose,
and Christ is coming back. He's going to bring them with
him. and verse 415. For this we say
unto you. Now something Mr. Mahan made
up, Pastor Paul made up. Now we say this to you by the
Word of God. That's our own reason. That's
our hope. By the Word of God. Don't believe
anything except what God wrote in His Word. I say this by the
Word of God. that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, and the dead in Christ." They're going to
rise first. Those who've gone on before us,
they're going to rise first. And then, we which are alive
and remain when He comes, we're going to be changed. We will
be changed. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be changed and caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet our Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with
the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these
words. Not imaginations or miracles
or anything. that he's worth. I want us to sing a closing hymn,
number 505. Number 505. That will be glory
for me. Would that be all right? 505 in the green hymnal. Let's stand as we Let's sing it. When all my labors and trials
are o'er And I am safe on that beautiful shore Just to be near
the dear Lord I adore Will through the ages be glory for me. Oh, that will be glory for me,
glory for me, glory for me. When by grace I shall look on
His face, That will be glory, be glory for me When by the gifts
of His infinite grace I am accorded in heaven a place Just to be
there and to look on His face Will through the ages be glory
for me Oh, that will be glory for me,
glory for me, glory for me, when by His grace I shall look on
His face. That will be glory, be glory
for me. Friends will be there I have
loved long ago, Joy like a river will be their song. Yet just
a smile from my Savior I know, will through the ages be glory
for me. Oh, that will be glory for me.