The same thing he's trying to
say now. Thy power to say. Let's turn
to Matthew chapter 9 now. Matthew 9. Matthew 9. May have you turn to a few scriptures
this morning, but they're not hard to find. Turn to the book of John, the
first Corinthians, a couple of others in the Gospels, in Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew 9. Let's read the text
this morning. I want you to mark this. We'll
keep coming back to it. Matthew 9, beginning with verse
10. And it came to pass as Jesus
sat at meat Or sat eating in the house. Behold. Many publicans and sinners came. And sat down with him and his
disciples. And another place, I think it's
Mark, that gives this same account. Another place says there were
many. Many publicans and sinners came and sat down. There were
many of them. It says it again. There were
a lot of people here. And they sat down, these sinners, sat
down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it,
when they saw this crowd, they said unto his disciples, or privately
over to the side, they took his disciples over to the side and
said, Why eateth your master? with publicans and sinners. And Christ, who knows all, sees
all, hears all, heard them. They didn't mean for him to hear,
but he heard. He knew the thoughts of their heart. He said, verse
12, when Jesus heard, he said unto them, They that be whole
need not a physician. But they, they're sick. Now,
go ye and learn what that or this meaneth. I will have mercy,
not sacrifice. I am not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. is not within a thousand miles
of true Bible religion. Not within a thousand miles.
The gospel—the gospel—written and recorded in the pages of
this book that exalts God and abases—brings down man. has been replaced with a so-called
gospel that abases and brings down God and exalts man. Do you hear me? It's exactly
the opposite. The gospel which exalts God and
brings man down where he really is, abases him. in the dust has
been replaced with a social gospel, so-called, that men love to hear,
that brings God down and abases him and brings man up and exalts
him. And so-called preachers today
don't even resemble true gospel preachers of old. They don't
resemble them at all. With all of their spit and polish
and pomp and show and degrees of learning and all of their effeminate manners, they don't resemble preachers
at all. I told you about shaking the
hand of that so-called pastor of one of the largest so-called
churches in this community. It felt like shaking the hands
of a His hands were softer than my
daughter's. The apostles wouldn't have anything
to do with these fellows. They wouldn't have anything to
do with most of these preachers. They would renounce them. And do it like Peter did to Simon
Magus. He called down judgment on him
for being in it for money. Wanting power. Remember that
story? Had old Simon Magus killed because
he was in it for the money and in it for power. Prestige. And neither would the apostles
walk in many of these so-called church buildings today. They
wouldn't be seen in them. because of their glitter and
gold and idolatrous decor and crosses and statues and pictures
and stained glass and elaborate this and that and the other.
If they did come in, it'd be for one reason, one reason only,
to preach the gospel. If that so-called church would
give them time in the midst of all their choirs singing and
all of their liturgies and all of their entertainment and so
forth. If they had time for the apostles
to preach, they might give them fifteen minutes. They probably wouldn't be singing
in these places. And if you will look at the people
who attend most of these places, you'll find a who's in the community,
made up of doctors and lawyers and educators and business leaders
and political leaders, the wise, the mighty, and the noble. Everybody
who's anybody can be seen there—everybody but God, that is. Now, if you want to find the
true church of God, If you want to find the true
Church of God, where Jesus Christ is, he said, where two or three
are gathered in my name, that's where I am. Where the Holy Spirit
is, where the Holy Spirit is actually doing something. If
you want to find where the true Church of God is, you find me. You find me. A bunch of common,
ordinary, everyday, working-class, nobody-from-nowhere sinners,
in a plain, unadorned little building, and that is where you
most likely will find God and hear the gospel. It's just so. It's just so. And I don't have
anything against lawyers and doctors. I have a friend who
is a doctor, and he's a believer. And I know women, there are men,
there are teachers and so educators with much, with degrees and so
forth who are believers. But you'd never know it talking
to them. I mean, you'd never know that they were, had high
learning and degrees of knowledge and so forth. They don't flunk
it. They're just nobodies from nowhere who happen to have gone
to school a little longer than somebody else. Look over John
chapter 4. Why is that? I just said if you
want to find a true church, you're most likely to find it where
you'll find a bunch of common, ordinary, everyday, working-class
people who are nobodies from nowhere, just a bunch of sinners
in a plain old undorned little building. It's where you're most
likely to hear the gospel. It's where you're most likely
to find Christ. Why is that? Why is that? Because
true worship has something to do with the heart, not with the
flesh. Matter of fact, it has everything
to do with the heart and nothing to do with the flesh. Any show
of flesh One old wise fellow said, the less you have on the
inside, the more you have to have on the outside. It's like
a hollow bucket makes a louder sound than a full one. Right? The less message you have, the
more mess you have to have. The less gospel you have, the
more music you have to have. Right? The less truth you have
to have, the more you'll try to hide it. and entertainment. It has something to do with true
worship. Look here at John chapter 4.
Look at this story. A woman came to him, verse 20.
And she said in John 4, verse 20, he came to her. Excuse me. Christ came to her, this woman
at the well. And though she was a notorious woman, she was religious. She went to church somewhere.
Verse 20. She said, Our fathers worshiped
in this mountain, and you Jews, you say, in Jerusalem is the
place where men ought to worship. I am a Baptist, and you're a
Methodist. What is your denial? Isn't this
the same thing you hear every time you run across somebody?
You'll have two questions popped up to you whenever you run into
somebody. I hear it all the time when they
find out, Oh, you're a preacher. Oh, well, I go to church. Well,
I'm so glad to hear that. But there's two things they'll
ask you every time in it. Two things. What's your denomination
and how many? Huh? What's your denomination
and how many you got coming down? How many you running? How many
are you running? Preachers will ask that. How
many are you running on Sunday? Scott said they sound like we're
running a cattle yard here. How many head are you running?
We got 40 head. 40 head. We got 150 head. They're getting fat too. Fattening
for the slaughter. Running cattle? How many are
you running? I don't know. If you'd asked that to David
after he numbered Israel, he'd say, I don't have the foggiest.
I quit counting heads. Truth is generally in the minority
anyway. What denomination are you, this
woman? Our Father said we're to worship
here, and you say in Jerusalem is the place to worship. We have
this and that, and we're at this and that. Verse 21, Christ said
unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh. when you shall
neither work in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship
the Father." You worship, you don't know what. You don't know
what you worship. You're not worshiping. You're
going through the motions of religion. Verse 23, "...the hour cometh,
and now is, when true worshipers worship the Father in spirit." in spirit, or that is, from the
heart, in truth, in sincerity, from the heart. They're coming
to worship God, not to be seen by their neighbor. They're coming
to find out about God, not find out what Susie's wearing. They're coming to worship God.
They're coming to hear from God's Word, not to catch the preacher
up in a mistake or coming to worship God in spirit
and in truth. In truth. Truth. You've got to have the truth
to worship God, evidently, don't you? The truth. Which is, Peter said, the word
of truth which you heard in the gospel of your salvation. The
gospel. They're coming to hear the truth. Tell us the truth,
preacher. How many times have you heard anyone come up to you
and ask to hear that your religious Would you please tell me what
so-and-so verse of Scripture says? Have you ever heard anybody
ask you that? I don't. You know, I heard a
message the other day, and a fellow said this, and I just want to
know, is that so? Is the Scripture, what's the
truth? What do y'all believe about God
down there? Huh? What do you, what's your preacher
preach? Have you ever heard anybody ask you that? instead of how
many and what denomination. True worshipers worship in spirit
and truth. The Father seeketh such to worship
Him. Verse 24, God is a spirit. They
that worship Him. God does not worship with men's
hands. God does not worship with the flesh. God does not pay any
attention to the fact that I have a gray suit on this morning as
opposed to a robe. Or that I don't have any hair
on my head as opposed to a hat? A little beanie? Or the fact that we don't have... God doesn't see as men see. As
Christ himself said, God looks on the heart. Men look on the
outside. God's looking at the heart. Why
are you here this morning? That's what he's looking at.
Not so much what you're doing, why you came. That's just so. He's not paying so much attention
to how the preacher's saying something as to what he's saying. Truth. Look over at 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians 1. Found it right after the book
of Acts, Romans, and then Corinthians. John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 1. Whenever Christ
and His true Church is found, it has something to do with down-to-earth,
ordinary, common people who are not lifted up with pride, who think themselves to be somebody
and know something, Pride is the word I'm looking for. It
has something to do with people who are not lifted up for pride. Wherever proud the flesh is,
God's Spirit is not. The God is Spirit. They that
worship in flesh, God's not there. Wherever proud flesh is being
shown off, God's not in a thousand miles of that place. Look at 1 Corinthians 1, verse
26. Read here. 1 Corinthians 1, verse
26. You see your calling, brethren.
I hope you see your calling here. I hope you can find yourself
here. I hope this is talking about you. You see your calling,
brethren. Not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen
the foolish things of this world, or people. are those who are
thought to be foolish by the world, to confound the wise,
the educated. And God hath chosen the weak
things, the nothings, the nobodies of this world, to confound the
things which are mighty, or those which are somebody." Verse 28,
Beth's thing. Well, who is he? He's nothing.
He's nobody. He's from nowhere. He doesn't
know anything. That's probably God's man. base
things of the world, things which are despised," verse 28, why? God hath chosen. "...yea, and
things which are not," or nothing to bring to naught, "...things
that are." Why? Verse 29 is the whole key to
this thing. Why God chooses somebody above
another. "...that no flesh should glory
in God's presence." No flesh glory. Like that woman who got
up and sang. You see them all the time. They
grab their microphones, you know. They sing. What is that? Barnard said, that old Barnard,
that time, you know, that woman got up to sing in that revival
he was taking part in. She got up there, you know, crooning
those words and looking toward heaven, you know, tears running
down her eyes and everybody was all so affected. And they forgot
what Barnard said, and they remembered that song that little girl sang.
Barnard got up after she sang and said, Honey, that wasn't
nothing but the flesh. Somebody else say that to all
these crooners. You look real good on Nashville
now. You look real good on CMT, but
that has no place in God's house. To God be the glory! You can draw a near with your
lips and your pious little look on your face. Your heart is saying,
Don't I look good? Don't I sound good? No flesh should glory in his
presence. Why? Because there's no reason
for it to glory. Because 1 Corinthians 4 verse
7 says, What do you have you haven't received? Now, if you
have received it—in other words, if God freely gave this little
lady her voice, why does she act like it's hers? Why is she
bragging on herself? Why is she getting the glory,
John? If she really was giving God the glory, she wouldn't take
a compliment. She'd be ashamed of herself that she didn't sing it really
from the heart. No flesh is glory. Turn back
to Matthew 9 now. Turn back to the text again.
Matthew 9. Keep your place there now. Matthew 9. Today's religion is almost entirely
made up of bragging on the flesh. That's just so. It's just so. But where Christ and His true
church is has something to do with people. who know themselves
to be helpless, hopeless, undeserving, no good—here's the word—sinners. Who are you? A sinner. Where'd you go to seminary? I haven't yet, but I've got a
plot waiting on me. I'll be there eventually." Well,
who are you? Nothing. That's what they said
to John. Christ said, is not a man born
a woman any better, never has been, never will be, who walked
planet earth better than the man John the Baptist. And they
came to John and said, who are you? He said, nothing. I'm nothing. A voice. Oh, he's somebody. There cometh one after me. I'm
not wearing any tight shoes. Glorify Him. Come asking me who
I am? Go ask Him who He is. Sinners who need saving. That's what this thing's all
about. Not religious people who need seeing. Sinners who need
saving. Sinners who need leading. Sinners
who need teaching. Sinners who need keeping. Weak people. Weak people. It has something to do with weak
people who need an all-powerful God. A God who's really God,
not just a sugar daddy. Weak people. Can't do anything
for themselves. God doesn't help those that help
themselves. He doesn't say that anywhere in the Bible, as Barnard
would say. God helps those who can't help
themselves. Weak people. That's why he calls
himself They're hell. I'm the hell. Ignorant people. Has something to do with ignorant
people. What do you know? I don't know
nothing at all, except Jesus Christ is all in all. Ignorant people who need some
wisdom from above. I got all the earthly knowledge
I need. I'm 38 years old. I can't learn
much more carnal knowledge. I got all I need. I know all
there is to know to get by on this planet Earth. I know all
I... I need some wisdom from above. I don't know half of what
I need to know about God. Don't give me your degree. I
don't need that. I got a thermometer on my wall. Don't need any more. Guilty people. Has something to do with guilty
people who love the sound of mercy. Guilty people who need
mercy. Helpless people who need some
real help. Ordinary people. Just ordinary
people who need an extraordinary gospel. Real people with real problems
to real questions who need some real answers from the real Word
of God. Real sinners who need a real
Savior and a gospel that will really save them. Is that anybody
in here? Matthew 9, look at verse 10,
Matthew 9. These fellows came to Christ,
verse 10, and beheld, and many publicans and sinners sat down
with Christ and His disciples. Publicans and sinners came and
sat down. with his disciples. Who were
his disciples? Who were his disciples? It says
these publicans and sinners came and sat down. Sinners came down
and sat down with Christ's disciples, his saints. Who were his disciples?
Publicans and sinners. Matthew was a publican. Peter,
James, Joseph were a bunch of sinners. They wanted to hear
you have your sinners and your saints. That's how preachers
like to refer to people, don't they? Well, who's he? He's a
sinner. Well, who's he? He's a saint. He's a good Christian.
No, no, he's a sinner. He's a sinner and he's a sinner.
He just happened to be a slave sinner. He's still a sinner.
He's no better than this sinner. He's just a slave sinner. Right? Many publicans and sinners came
and sat down. Why? Why did these people come
to Christ? Why did these lowlifes, these
common, ordinary, no-good street people, sinners, nobodies, nothing,
despised, lowlife—turn over to Mark chapter 12. Mark chapter
12, it says over there, Mark chapter 12. Read—look over there
with me. Why did these people—why were
they drawn to the Son of God? Now, Margaret, why were these
sinners? Look at Mark 12. It says in verse 37, Christ finished
speaking. He said, David therefore himself
calleth him Lord, speaking of Christ, and whence is he then
his son? He asked the people a question. And it says, a commentary here,
it says, and the common people heard him gladly. Hey, Joe Parks,
you hear that? You like that? I like that. I always ask Joe, how you doing?
Joe, he says, common. That'd be a good thing for all
of us to say because it says common people heard him gladly.
They liked what he was saying. They liked what he had to say.
Why? And then he warned them, verse
38, he said, beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothes. They love to wear their religious
robes and love salutation and so forth. Why did these ordinary
street people. Harlot? Why would a harlot, Deborah,
why would a harlot be drawn to the Son of God? Now, I'm talking
about the Holy Son of God now. He could see through her, Deborah.
He knew her thoughts. He could tell what she was thinking.
He knew everything she'd ever done, everybody she'd ever slept
with. Why would she be drawn to Him?
Looks like she'd turn tail and run, wouldn't you? Huh? The holy,
pure, all-knowing, all-seeing eye of this one. Looks like people,
he knew their thoughts, every deed they'd ever done. Looks
like they would have turned and run, wouldn't they? Huh? Why?
Why did the common people hear him gladly? Why were publicans
and sinners drawn to him? Why? Listen to me. Though Jesus Christ was the Holy
One of God. That's what the Scriptures calls
Him. The Holy One of God. The Son
of the Most High God. Who came down to earth. That's where He stayed. Down
to earth. He ate with Him. They had a big
potluck dinner. I don't know why they call it
potluck. I guess whatever you get out of the pot, you're lucky
or something. You're lucky if it's good. I don't know. They
had a potluck dinner. He came. He ate it. They passed
a bottle of wine and he poured him a glass and drank it. And
had it been beer in that day, he'd have drunken one. Huh? The Pharisees, the good
religious folks, are why he's a glutton and a wine-beaver.
Look at him eating and drinking. John the Baptist didn't do any
wine, and they said, well, he's got a devil. There's something
wrong with him. They had a dinner, and they ate and drank, and he
ate and drank with them, just like a man. He walked like a
man. He didn't, you know, He walked like a man. He talked
like a man. He didn't say thee and thou,
and this and that, and reverend, blah, blah, blah. He didn't talk
in some pious, affected language that nobody else talked in. He
could have spoken a heavenly language that nobody would have
understood, didn't he? He spoke earthly stories. He
spoke in a common language, which anybody can understand. People
said, hey, I understand what he's talking about. That's cornbread
and tater-rope, Richard, they'd say. I know what he's saying.
And the Pharisee said, what is he saying? See, they'd been sheltered
in a cemetery so long, in the religious these-and-thousand-and-oh,
yes, brother, and if you didn't talk in this manner, Praise the
Lord. You weren't religious. You weren't
good a good Christian. Hallelujah. And he didn't talk
like that. He talked like a man. He walked like a man. He worked
like a man. His hands weren't smooth as silk.
They were rough. He worked. Somebody had a fancy
building. He went out and built it. Didn't sit in his office while
they poured money in. Support his lifestyle. He looked
like a man. This can't be the Son of God.
He looks like a man. That's what He is, a man. Though infinitely high above
everybody, He said, I'm from above, you're from beneath. But
though infinitely high above them and holy, yet He came down
to their level and rubbed shoulders with the worst of them, and they
didn't feel As a matter of fact, they felt good. Scripture said,
we don't have a high priest who sits in an ivory tower, can't
be touched, and he's never lived like we doesn't know the thing
about sin. Flickers never touched his lips. We have one who's touched with
a feeling of our infirmity, tempted in all points like as we are,
who knows what you're going through, who can relate to you. A man. Don't you like that fact? Christ
was a man. And He knows you don't have to
live like an angel. You're a man! That's all you'll
ever be is a man and a woman. He knows that. Not some holier-than-thou ultra-pi
super-saint! Ultra-Christian! A man. A woman. That's what He was. A man. That's the reason that
religious people say, he can't be nothing, he's just acting
like a man. Right? He looks like a man, he
can't be religious. He doesn't talk or he doesn't
preach like the Pharisees. He speaks like a man and he does
it with authority. While he's not just preaching,
he's telling me something. He's not just delivering a discourse,
he's actually trying to tell me something. He's not trying,
buddy. Like Benjamin Franklin one time
went to hear George Whitefield. And somebody stopped Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was a pitiful
fellow. He may have been smart, but he
was a pitiful fellow. He had something like eleven illegitimate
children. Our founding father. One of our heroes. About like
our president, you know. At any rate, Benjamin Franklin
went to hear... Pardon me, I'm not supposed to
speak evil. At any rate, Benjamin Franklin went to hear George
Whitefield, a true preacher of the gospel. And somebody stopped
him and said, Ben, where are you going? Man, let's go down
to the ale house. What are you going up to hear
Whitefield for? Huh? He said, you don't believe
what Whitefield's preaching. Franklin said, I know it. But
he sure does. And I can't help it. Well, that
man's not just preaching, he's telling me something. He really
believes. He doesn't preach like the scribes
and the Pharisees. He preaches one having authority
as the oracles of God, like God speaking. Well, these people saw a man,
they said, he's not just preaching, he's telling me something. who
had authority, had a message to deliver, telling them something,
they had some real problems, they needed some real answers,
they needed real help, and it says they heard him gladly. Oh,
I like that. I like that. Why don't, why won't, let me
ask you some questions, okay? And I won't keep you much longer.
Let me ask you some questions. You know, the Scripture says,
over in John 3, I wasn't going to have you turn, but just listen
to this. It says that they, let me, I need to turn so I won't
misquote it. John chapter 3 says that, He
that doeth the truth cometh to the light that his deeds might
be made manifest. He that doeth the truth cometh
to the lights. that his deeds might be made
manifest. Over in Psalm 139, listen to
this, David said, Search me, O God. He said, You know everything
about me. You know my thoughts afar off.
There's not a word in my tongue, but, lo, You know it altogether.
You know what I'm going to say before I say it. You know what
I'm going to do before I do it. You know everything about me.
You're God. And David said, Hallelujah, I
like that. I don't have to hide. I can come
right to you, naked and open, and say, now do something about
this, would you? Search me, try me. Do this. You see, the truth
is known about sinners. Did you know the truth is out
on Ed Berry? Do you know that people around
here know he's a sinner? Yeah. Because he is. Truth's out, Ed. Now you can
just fess up. Truth's out about me. You know
what? This community, well, he's nothing but an old sinner. That's
right. I'm not proud of it. But that's
fact. The truth is out. You see, the
truth is known about sinners, and sinners will know the truth. The truth will be known by sinners. Why, he's a sinner. He's nothing
but a sinner. Right. And that's who Jesus Christ
came to save. Oh, Scott Richardson used to
say, go ahead and call me a sinner. Go ahead. Convince me of it. Say it loud. Say it from the
Scriptures. Come up with Scripture after
Scripture, calling me, describing me as a sinner. He said, prove
it. Go ahead, prove it that I'm a
sinner." He said, the more you prove it, the more right I have
to the promise that Christ came to save sinners. Right? It's a faithful saying,
worthy of all acceptation. Jesus Christ came to save sinners.
And he said there in Matthew 9, I didn't come to call the
righteous, the religious, the holy, the mild, the self-pious,
the self-righteous. I came to call sinners. Any sinners
in here? Jesus Christ is calling them. You know, if I were you,
I'd say inside, hear, hear, hear! That's me! Any saint, any good
Christians in here? Any good Christians in here?
Well, God said, good Christian. No, I didn't say that. I said
sinners. Here! Here! Anybody lost? Anybody struggling going down?
No, I'm going down. My sin is over my head, David
said. Billy John, Psalm 30. More than
the head, over my head. I'm going down. If I do that
one more time, I'm going down in a ditch like everybody else.
Anybody like, here! Jesus Christ here? Let me ask you some questions. Why won't the gospel attract
more scholarly, intellectual people? We had some in here this
morning. Some people are real smart. Real
smart people. I'm being smart aleck, excuse
me. We do have some, but why won't it attract very many people?
Scripture says, wise men, not many wise. Why won't the gospel
attract many scholarly intellectual people with degrees behind their
name? Why don't we have more? Because the gospel says, if any man thinks
he knows anything, he knows nothing. Yet, as he ought to know. The Gospel says the worldly wisdom
is fleshness with God. It says that in 1 Corinthians
1. Look it up for yourself. It says the world, by wisdom,
can't know God. That's what the Gospel says,
doesn't it, Jeanette, in 1 Corinthians 2? With all your education, Jeanette,
you don't mind me saying it, Did you know God when you were
in all your... It'd be brought down. The Scripture
says that people are foolish and ignorant by nature. And the
worldly wise just not going to take that. That offends their
learning. Well, I'll have you know that I have studied in the
finest universities of our day. And I understand physics and
medicine If you don't know Christ, you don't know nothing. Because
in Him, the Scripture said, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge. And I don't care what you know.
If you don't know Christ, you don't know anything, as you ought
to know. You may be able to talk about the stars, but unless you
know the bright and morning one, the day spring, you don't know
the first star, the sun. who's arisen with healing in
his way. Huh? Why won't the—and the gospel says the truck driver
knows more than the doctor if he knows Christ. That's what
the gospel says. The truck driver knows more than
a doctor in the Barrow College of philosophy—doctor of philosophy—if
he knows Christ, and he knows more than that man. Because Christ
is all. And that's all you need to know,
Joe. What's he got that you ain't got anyway? He ain't going to
eat. He's got to eat. Are you eating? Well, that's
obvious. He's got to have a house to live in. You got a house to
live in? Yeah. You got a car to drive? You got a car to drive?
What good's it done him, Stan? All he's learning, huh? If he doesn't know Christ, he's
going to hell, Joe Potts. You know Christ? Bless God. You're going to sit with the
Son of the Most High God. Why won't the gospel attract
more famous, influential, and important people? Noble, as the
Scriptures call them. Not many wise men at that place,
not many noble. Influential, important. You know,
impotent people. Impotent. Now, why won't it attract
more influential, famous people? You know, the who's who in the
community, huh? Who's, is the mayor in here this
morning? What about this council person? And I'm not making light
of these. Somebody has to do that, but
just the fact is they're not here, are they? Anybody, Charles,
are you on the board of advisors of General Electric Corporation?
Where are they? Why won't the gospel attract
more famous, influential, important people?
I can't say it. Because the gospel says, all flesh is grass. The gospel says you think you're
something when you're nothing. That's what the gospel says.
I'm telling you, and the Word of Scripture says if any man
thinks he's something when he's nothing, he deceives himself. And the gospel says God doesn't
need you. I'm not telling anybody in here.
I'm not about to tell any son of Adam, God needs them. God
doesn't need anybody or anything. You see, the gospel puts everybody
on the same level. Why aren't the high and the muckety,
mighty, influential people in here, impotent people? Why aren't
they here? Because the gospel brings men
down on the same level. You know what the gospel makes
us to be, or calls us to be? Now one little worm may have
a bigger mud hut than you. Joe, that professor, may have
a bigger mud hole than you. But he's still a worm, isn't
he? Huh? And you imagine walking out in
your yard and there's one worm sitting up on a pebble. Kind of smiling, looking around,
looking down his nose at the other worm. Now there's one worm as good
as another one, isn't it? Still a worm. One worm says, I've traveled
farther than most worms. How far is that? Across the yard. Still a worm, isn't it? Huh? The gospel calls us worms. That's the good news, though,
isn't it, John Davison? Huh? You know what he said to old
Jacob? Huh? He says, fear not, thou! What? Is that what Scripture says,
John? Fear not, thou! I'm a mighty
man named Worm Jacob, and I'm your God. I save worms. I don't
save big worms, I save little worms. I turn those little worms into
butterflies. Why doesn't the gospel attract
more talented, beautiful, you know, the beautiful people? You
know who they are, don't you? The beautiful, and we don't qualify.
We can stand. Somebody told Stan the other
day, said that we looked alike. I'm sorry, buddy. I'm really
sorry. And he's sorry. I mean, I'm sorry he said, you
know, you, me, I don't look like him. Yeah, I do. There were. I'm a
worm. Why doesn't the gospel attract
more beautiful people? Huh? There are more beautiful
preachers out there, Stan. Huh? Mighty men and we're strong. You know who I'm talking about.
Beautiful people. Huh? Because the gospel says, without Christ, you can't do
anything. The gospel says to the mighty
says when you're weak that's when you're strong. The gospel says if you're helpless
he'll help you. The gospel says the world says
only the strong survive. The gospel says only the weak
survive. Isn't that right? And there in Matthew 9, one more
place, OK? Let's look at it. Matthew 9. These high and mighty religious
leaders couldn't understand why Christ would have anything to
do with these lowlife people. And listen to his answer here.
They couldn't understand why he'd have anything to do with
these sinners. They didn't understand the gospel. They just didn't
understand the gospel. Teresa, that's what this religion's
all about, honey. That's what this is all about.
That's why you're here. Not so you'll be goody two-shoes. You never will be anything but
an old sinner, Teresa. You're going to feel worse than
you ever did. You're going to feel worse. You probably do,
don't you? Feel worse now than you did when
you first started coming here. Well, why would he have anything
to do with his low life? That's why he came. Huh? That's why Christ came. Listen
to what he said. Why is he eating with public
and the sinner? Because if there wasn't none,
it wouldn't mean they'd need for it to come. Verse 12, Christ
said, don't you hear? Sick people need a doctor. That's
all the church is supposed to be, John Cheesley, is a hospital
for sinners. Not a country club to pat each
other on the back and brag on each other. But a hospital for
sinners. I told you before, I'd love to
put on our church building, sinners only. No good people allowed. I'd love to put that on the top
of this building. No good people allowed. Sinners
only. Listen to me. Listen to Christ. He said, verse 13, Go and learn
what this means. I'll have mercy. Not your merit. Mercy. Not merit. I'll be gracious. Not works. Grace. Read on. I came not to call the righteous sinners. I came to save who? People that can save themselves,
why do they come then? If they can save themselves or
help them, John, they don't need any. I came to save the plum
lost. The plum lost. They can't find
them. And lost. I came to save them. Listen to me. Here's the difference
between religion today and real disciples of Christ. And I don't
apologize and hesitate to say that there's some of those real
disciples in this little building. Here's the difference. Listen
very carefully, will you? I say in the same words of Christ,
you listen to what I'm saying. Self-righteous people, I'm talking
about, you know, holy, you've seen them. Self-righteous people,
all they want to hear about is what they can do for Jesus. Sinners
want to hear about what Christ did for them. This will sum up
everything we preach, as opposed to the world. Self-righteous
people want to hear what rewards they're going to receive from
God for their good life they've lived. Sinners want to hear about
being accepted by God in the Beloved because of the good life
he lived. Self-righteous people want to hear about what they've
given up for Jesus. Sinners want to hear about how
Christ gained himself for their sins. Self-righteous people talk
about how they made Jesus Lord. Sinners talk about how God did
it a long time ago before the world began—made Him Lord. Self-righteous people talk about
how they gave their life to Jesus one day. Sinners talk about how
God gave them to Christ before the world began. Self-righteous
talk about work. Sinners talk about grace. Self-righteous
talk about reward. Sinners talk about mercy. Self-righteous
talk about our righteousness. Sinners talk about His righteousness.
Self-righteousness talk about my will. Sinners talk about His
will. Self-righteous talk about man's
decision. Sinners talk about that covenant
of grace. Self-righteous talk about the
mourner's bed. Sinners talk about the mercy
seat. Self-righteous talk about flesh. Sinners talk about blood. Do you hear the difference? Do
you hear it? And listen, people. If you're a real man and a woman,
I believe that's what you are. Earlene, you look pretty much
like a real woman. I may be mistaken, but I think
you are. You are, aren't you, Mr. Woman?
And that fellow is a man besides you and me. I sure hope so. But if you're a real woman, that
makes, and you live in a real world, you work in a real factory,
don't you? You got real problems, don't
you? Family problems, inner problems, personal problems, sin problems,
problems, problems, don't you? You got real problems in the
world, problems on your job, huh? You got real problems, don't
you? You got real desires? Desires
crop up in that real flesh and blood body of yours. Really?
Huh? You're a young man yet, Stan.
You still have the real desires come up, don't you? Real problems
with these things. Real feelings. You got them? Anybody? I'll confess it. Huh? I'll confess it. I got real problems
with this thing. I'm a real man. You need a real
man, not like Jesus Christ, who knows what it feels like to be
a man. Like I said, touched with a feeling
of my own firmness. There's not a sheltered pope
in a pulpit who's never sinned, who doesn't know what sin is
like. Of course, Christ never sinned.
But a Savior who knows what it means to be a man. And what it takes to save you,
he knows what it takes to save you. And would do nothing less
until he did it. And don't worry about these religious
hypocrites. You take this message out there to them. Take it. Tell
them exactly what I said. Tell them, better yet, tell them
what Christ said. Don't worry about these religious
hypocrites who love to wear long clothing, like I read to you,
and salutations, and reverend brother, and you don't talk that
way, so you don't feel real religious, you know. Don't worry about them. They're hypocrites. They're blind
losers of the blind. They're both going to fall in
a ditch, saying, praise the Lord, brother. It's nothing but these people
have never, liquor never touched their living. Touch not, taste
not, handle not. Paul said that's will worship. They're just worshiping
their will. They're not worshiping Jesus Christ. They're worshiping
the fact that they've never touched liquor. You be a real human being. Why? That's all the canon of Christ
came to say. Admit your problem. Try to hide
it. Come to the light. Be exposed. You're a real sinner, huh? A
real human being with real problems. A real man living a real world,
not a sheltered one. Not some fake, ultra-pious religious
world where everything's just hunky-dory, huh? And if you are, I got some real
religion for you. Joe, I got some real help about
a real man, a real Savior, a real salvation. Huh? Listen to these
words and turn to it. We're going to sing this. 474, 474. Listen to the words of this hymn. Sherry, you can come up. We're
going to sing this. Joe, come up here. It says, naught have
I got, nothing have I got. I don't have anything but what
I receive. Grace hath bestowed me, since I have believed. Boasting is excluded. Pride I
abase. What are you then? A good Christian? Not only a sinner, saved by grace. I'll leave that up to God to
call me a good Christian. Once I was foolish, and sin ruled
my heart. That described me in the past,
causing my footsteps from God to depart. Jesus Christ has found
me. Now, happy my case, what are
you now? I am a saint. I am only a sinner. I am still foolish. I am only
a sinner saved by grace. Would you, verse 4, suffer a
sinner? whose heart overflows, loving his Savior to tell what
he knows. Once more I'll tell it, would
you embrace it? What are you? Come on now, tell
us who you are. I'm a holy sinner, saved by grace. That's who Christ came for. Made
a man for men, Savior of sinners, Take them to God sometime. Real
religion, real Savior, real man, real people. All right. Joe,
lead us in a couple of verses, if you will. Stand with me. We'll sing the first and the
third stanza. The first and the third. Oh. Oh. Oh, dear Savior, save my grace.
Oh, dear Savior, save my grace. Oh, dear Savior, save my grace. It is my glory to have thee for me. And oh,
dear Savior, save my grace. Tears on her face, the weary
sky, her saints and heroes on the sky. See them walking here in this place, with their eyes set, set on the
grave. I'm only a sinner saved by grace.
I'm only a sinner saved by grace. I'm only a sinner saved by grace.