I do hope you have a Bible with
you, or if you don't, I hope you'll follow along with someone
beside you. If not, follow along closely
whenever I mention a particular verse, because I always read
the Word of God in search of a message for you.
I'm firmly convinced that the only way to find a message or
to preach is to read the scriptures listening for a message from
God. Listen, to have a message for
the people, it must be the Word of God, and I don't want I've
done it before, I've brought messages just from a thought
or an illustration, but that's not the way it's to be done.
You read the scriptures and if God impresses you with a particular
portion of scripture or verse of scripture, that's how you
find the message. And God speaks through his word
to his people. This is how God speaks. So if
he's going to impress you, Henry Sword, with anything, it's going
to be from this book. It's not going to be my thoughts,
is it? It's not going to be my opinion. It's not going to be
a dissertation or a discourse that I bring you. You'll only
be impressed by that, but you won't be spiritually fed by God's
Word. Now, last week, when I look for
messages, I look for a message I look for something that will
fit everybody because we've got a different crowd, you know. Every time we meet together,
we've got somebody anywhere from four years old up to 82 years
old, 81, 82. And I want something that will
meet both. I want something that will meet
young and old and male and female. Last week I addressed last Sunday
morning I addressed a message to young people. And this morning
and in preparing this message I had Jennifer in mind I had
Andrew Sarah Kevin Wendy young people Stephen Catherine young
people. Shannon young people and keep
going you know the twenties and so forth. And invariably, well,
nearly every single adult came up to me after the service and
said, that was for me. Henry Sword, this young man here,
came up to me afterwards and said, that was for me. He said
it was to young people. That was for me. The Word of
God will do that, won't it? The Word of God is like, and
the Spirit of God is like the wind that bloweth where it listeth. have someone in mind, but it's
for somebody else. And I say this, I do not prepare a message
with any particular one individual in mind. I've learned my lesson
on that. I've learned it the hard way,
because that person usually doesn't show up. And I believe I've quit
doing that. I do have particular classes
like the young people in mind or a particular application.
And if the word fits, So be it. The shoe fits. Wear it. But it
all applies. It all applies to all of us.
Invariably, I get a blessing. I get a blessing from it. Wednesday
night's message, I had a good time. I enjoyed it personally. I was able to. It's not always
that way for me, but I enjoyed it. But it all applies to all
people, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. All have sinned. A young man
Stephen Kinsley's age is a sinner. Stephen, you're a sinner before
a holy God, and you need a Savior the same way I do. Even though
I'm a preacher, I'm still a sinner, OK? And you're a young man. Getting
older, we're both sinners. We have the same needs. So we
need the same message. All right? Now, the Scripture
before us, 2 Timothy 2, is case in point. There's something here
for the young. There's something here for the old. There's something
here for strong. There's something here for the
weak. There's something here for everybody, men, women, children,
and so forth. And before we get into this,
let me say this. We're going to begin with verse
19 in a minute. But before I do, let me say this. Now, there's
always been trouble in the church. The visible church has always
been trouble. There have always been false
prophets, teachers, false teachers. false preachers, and the world
is full of them today. There's all kind of men on TV
and claiming to be pastors and preachers who are false prophets. And we read it back there in
chapter three, wicked men, evil men, seducers, wax worse and
worse. And there have always been false
prophets and preachers. Paul said that in one place,
he said, there must be heresies among you, there must be, that
they which are approved, that true believers might be made
manifest, the cream will rise to the top. But since, because there are
hypocrites, now listen to what I'm saying, because there are
hypocrites in the church, and there are many, And every one
of us in here will readily admit I'm a hypocrite, preacher included. We're all full of hypocrisy.
But because there are hypocrites in the church, that's no excuse
for anyone to reject the gospel, the truth, the Word of God. This
is the Word of God. Well, no matter what I do, if
I run off with some woman, God forbid, But if I did, the Word
of God is still the Word of God, and the truth I've been proclaiming
is still the truth, isn't it? The gospel is still the gospel
no matter what the preacher does, no matter what the deacon does,
no matter what happens in the church. The gospel is still the
gospel. The truth is still the truth.
God is still on the throne. His words still apply. There's
no excuse for somebody to reject it. Now, the flesh is looking
for an excuse, right? We're naturally unbelievers,
and we're looking for an excuse. We're looking for, always looking
for reasons and excuses to sin and reject God and to salve our
country. But because this or that happened,
or because so-and-so turned out to be false and fake and so forth,
and they left, that's no excuse. No excuse. And in spite of all
the false religion going on today, and I mean to tell you, it makes
me want to quit. When people group me as a Christian,
so to speak, with all of this nonsense and absurdity that's
going on today in the name of Christ, it makes me want to quit.
I'll just be honest with you. It sickens you. You say, I want
to be part of this. Are you a Christian? Well, not
like the world is saying that a Christian is or
is acting. So in spite of all the absurdities that go on in
religion today, and in spite of all the hypocrites, verse
19 says here, the foundation of God still stands sure. What is the foundation of God?
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and His righteousness. There is a fountain. How firm
a foundation is laid for your faith in this excellent Word.
The word of God is still true. The gospel still saves. I mean
really saves. The gospel really saves some
people. I know there's a lot of hypocrites
out there. I know there's a lot of fake and forgeries. I know
there's a lot of people who end up in the end as being false. But some people do. hold out to the end. God does
truly save some people from danger. It's real, this thing of salvation. And the foundation is sure, God
has a people. He knows them, He calls them,
He draws them, they hear His voice, and they are saved, in
the true sense of the word. And they will persevere to the
end. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. Now we don't. This is the reason we get so
upset and so shaken or so disappointed by people. When somebody leaves
the church, somebody we had confidence in, and I've seen men who've
sat under the gospel for thirty years, elders, who I grew up
hearing the message preached by, leave and not attend the
church. I'm not talking about going to
another church. I'm talking about not attending, not worshiping
God at all. And we put this confidence in
men, and then we get upset. We get shaken. We say, well,
maybe, you know, who knows? No, the foundation of God stands
as sure the Lord knows them that are His, and all those that are
His shall come to Him. And those who come to him by
faith will stay by him, stay with him. I give unto them eternal
life, and they'll never perish. And let every... look, continue
here, verse 19. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. Now let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity. Some of you in here have professed
Christ in this very pool right here. And right now, you profess
or name the name of Christ as being the one you believe in,
the one you trust in. OK? Let every one that nameth
the name of Christ departs from iniquity. If you profess to be
a believer, a seeker of God, you're seeking anyway. You think
you are, but you don't know. But anyway, you're seeking, all
right? That much. A child of God, at least if you're
sincere about this thing. He says, depart from iniquity.
And as we saw last week, flee from the wrath to come. Give
diligence, the scripture says, to make your calling and election
a possibility. No. Sure. Give diligence. This is what this message is
all about. giving diligence to make your calling and election
sure. The scripture says, seek the Lord with all of your heart,
if you're interested. Trust Christ, follow Christ,
study Christ. Like Pilgrim, run for your life,
away from this perishing world to Christ. I wish, I wish I could,
I wish I could convince somebody of that. Somebody that I see
is walking that direction, and they need to make an 180 degree.
All right, verse 20 says, in a great house, though, there's
not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and
of earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. Now, I want you
to turn over to 2 Corinthians, chapter 2. In a great house,
there are many vessels, vessels of gold and silver, wood and
earth, and dishonor turn over the second Corinthians chapter
two. And this was what I was trying to say at the outset that
in the church there are hypocrites. There are false professors. OK. And right now this morning there's
some people sitting in here right now in the sound of my voice
who do not believe the gospel. If they are here for one reason
or another. Either out of constraints, someone
has constrained them to come, or out of duty. Is there religious
duty? They come every Sunday for various
reasons. It's the habits. Many reasons,
but I'll tell you the primary reason. God Almighty has you
here. That's the number one reason.
God Almighty says, so and so, Steve Parks is going to be here
this morning. Why are you here? Because you
got up and decided to come? No, he made you willing to come here. And now you're here because God
Almighty purposed for you to be here. And the same goes true
with everybody in here. All right? And God Almighty has
a purpose for you, and it's either one of two things for being here.
Now, this is about the most serious thing that a man could utter. It says in Isaiah 55, God's word
will not return void, doesn't it? It will accomplish that whereunto
he has sent it. Isaiah 55, is that 11? He says
it's going to be one of two things. The word of God will either save
you or damn you, doesn't it? Let's read it here, 2 Corinthians
2, verse 14. Paul, a preacher, as preachers
all the time are getting, always feel so down and blue, feel like
they're such pitiful failures at this thing of preaching, but
Paul rejoices here, and I wish I could learn this. And he says,
Thanks be unto God, verse 14, who always causes us to triumph
whenever we preach Christ. There's a victory and makes manifest
or reveals the savor of his knowledge or that is the gospel by us when
we preach everywhere. We preach every place, but we
are unto God. Whenever Christ is preached,
we're a sweet savor. God hears it and says, Oh, that's
music to my ears. My son's name. You know how you
love to hear your, your children, your grandchildren. their names
and hear them talked about. God loves to hear his son's name
exalted. Like old David said to those
runners, what about my son? I want to hear about him. What's
the story? What think ye of Christ? Preach
Christ, he says. I want to hear that name. I want
to hear it loud and clear. We are unto God a sweet saver
of Christ, but we do something unto them that are saved and
them that perish. Verse sixteen to one here sits a man under
the sound of the gospel the gospel. And it says in the gospel comes
forth and he hears it and he's on the. He has no thoughts of God. Or
very little anyway. He doesn't really. Have any. interest or concern for God about
his soul. You know, God may be holy. I believe that's a fact. Yeah,
I believe that. And he's unconcerned about himself.
Scripture says he's hanging over hell by a spider web, and he's
under the wrath and condemnation of God, but he's really not touched
by that. It doesn't bother him any. Young people, same way. I've
heard this message before. When I get older, you know, it's
been a savor of death. It's dead words, okay? My words
are going to go over, fly over somebody's head this morning,
just dead words, just a sermon. What did the preacher preach
this morning? I want to say this as nice as possible. The crowd's
down this morning. I hope I didn't run them off
from last Sunday. I apologize Wednesday night. But some people,
the word's going to go over like just so much dead, dry doctrine
of another sermon. You know, I haven't heard that
before, you know. See you on down the road, Jack. Savor of death. But there's another
man sitting there, and he hears the same thing. The very same
words. And his heart is bubbling up.
He's enthusiastic. He's got tears in his eyes. He's
got a smile on his face at the same time. He's got joy in his
heart. He's thrilled by it. He's enthused
about it. He's following along carefully.
He's studying it. That's right. That's what it
says. He's seeing. He's learning. He's joyful. And he'll be back that night
to hear the same thing again. Because it has been a saver of
life. Life has been begun in that man. A spark of life, no matter how
small it may be. He's got life. Spiritual life. He's alive to God. Not dead. Alive to God. He hears God's
Word. That's what it says, doesn't
it? Well, I believe that. Tell me more. Tell me more. Now, back in our
text, in 2 Timothy 2, now you're going to have both sorts every
time the gospel is preached, OK? We got that this morning. How I wish, how I wish, this
is all up to the Holy Spirit, to take this message and convey
it and break an old hard heart before it's too late. That's what I told the folks
Wednesday night, kind of apologizing for my demeanor in preaching,
mean or whatever, but I said, I've got one shot. On Sunday
morning, there are people that are there just for that one time,
I've got one shot, one shell in the rifle. and I'm aiming
for the heart. And if it takes it, I'm going
to scream, holler, cry, not beg, but beseech you with every fiber
of my being. If I don't, I ain't much of a
preacher. Sit down and let somebody else
stand up here who will, as though God did beseech you by us, we
beseech you, be reconciled to God. I don't apologize for preaching
with concern and fervency about our young people or whatever.
I don't want to scare anybody into a profession of faith. But
knowing the terror of the Lord, I do want to persuade men. Today is a day of salvation,
right now. Boast not thyself of tomorrow."
Now, he says, verse 21, if a man purge himself from these, he
shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified meat for the master's
use, prepared unto every good work. Now, let me read you, I'm
going to read a couple of times from this study, this help here. This is an amplified Bible. It
translates to Old English here, and it's good. Just listen to
it as I read that same, these same two verses. 2 Timothy 2,
19 and 20, or 21. The foundation, the firm foundation
laid by God stands sure and unshaken. It bears this seal, this inscription. The Lord knows those who are
His. And let everyone who names himself by the name of the Lord,
a Christian, give up all iniquity and stand aloof from it. But
in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver,
but also utensils of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable
and noble use, some for menial and ignoble use. So whoever cleanses
himself from what is ignoble and unclean, whoever separates
himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences, will
then himself be a vessel set apart, useful for honorable and
noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the master, fit
and ready for any good work." Now look at verse twenty-two.
He says now, now listen young people here, this is addressed
to you, all right? Stephen, Shannon, young people. Let's put an age group on this.
Twenty on down, all right? We'll put that at youth. Nobody over twenty got into Promised
Land except two. So we'll put it there, all right?
It's not any age of accountability. I'm just setting an age. Young
people, everybody under twenty, listen very carefully to 2 Timothy
2, verse 22. Fleeing youthful lusts. Let's raise that up to the age
of 30. Flee youthful lusts. Now, you young people, I'm talking
to you. I want your attention. Jennifer, everybody wants your
attention. When you think of lusts, what do you think about?
You mostly think of sexual desires, don't you? That's the first thing
that comes to your mind, sexual desires and And they are youthful. I mean, they're at their height
when you're young. But that's just one of many hurtful
lusts. Let me say this about that. There's
nothing wrong or evil with these bodily feelings that a young
person begins to experience at a certain age. There's nothing
wrong or evil about these natural feelings you experience toward
the opposite sex. Nothing wrong with that. This
is God-given. God gives this for procreation
or that we might have children. Multiply and replenish the earth. So he makes it enjoyable that
they will do that. These are natural feelings. There's
nothing wrong or evil about that, okay? But the evil is in that. The evil is in being consumed
with it. The evil is in allowing it to
control your life in such a way that you seek to vent it or express
it by any crude and animalistic way you can. The evil is in practicing
this outside of the ordained way of marriage. The Scripture
speaks as clearly about fornication or premarital sex as anything. God condemns it and adultery. Practicing it outside the holy
ordinance of marriage. Now that's another story, the
reason God did that. Leaving the natural use of the
body. Homosexuality is clearly, clearly forbidden and denounced. in the Scripture. The way that
God ordained this thing of a man and a woman expressing their
sexuality to one another is one man for one woman in the holiest
state of matrimony. All right? This thing of burning
in lust with animal desire and trying to fulfill this just for
physical gratification is lust avoided. You sow to the flesh. Now, this certainly applies.
If you sow to the flesh, if you seek to vent this thing outside
of this, you will of the flesh reap destruction, because this
is something that permeates the body and runs rampant. And once a taste of it, it turns you into a wild person.
It will destroy your body, mind, and soul. All right? And this youthful lust, I raised
the age to thirty. Let's go on up to about sixty
or seventy, what do you say? This never leaves you, does it,
Henry Sowell? I'm sorry to pick on you. John.
Joe. Rick. This youthful lust here
is not confined to youth. It's just more alive when you're
young, but it's still experienced by older people. And every one
of you older people acknowledge this. It still flees, the Scripture
says. Like Joseph, run. Not as modern philosophy. They're
going to teach you in school to practice so-called safe sex. The scriptures don't teach that
the scriptures practice say practice no sex before marriage. No sex outside of marriage. No sex with anyone other than
your husband or wife. You may die for it. That's good practical advice
isn't it? It's the word of God. We need
to our kids need to hear this don't they flee on youthful lusts
everybody and follow after righteousness. Well let me go on quickly. There's
plenty there's plenty of other lusts that all of us experience
is lust of worldly pleasures. world of pleasure, you know,
the riches of Egypt and everybody's got this in the riches of Egypt,
houses, lands, cars, just name it. Jewels, beauty, women after
beauty, men after strength, pleasure, honor, fame. That's the riches
of Egypt, right? Money. And again, there's nothing
wrong with these things. There's nothing wrong with these
things. That makes sin an object. Sin is not an object. It's in
principle. Christ said, Christ didn't say
the money is the root of all evil. The love of money. You've got to have money today.
You just got to have money. The love of money is the root
of all evil. Christ said it's hard for a rich
man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And the disciples said, well,
who's going to be saved? There's a lot of rich people. He said, how
hardly shall they that trust in riches enter the kingdom of
heaven? Right. How hardly should they
that trust in Richard look over the page at when it's over first
Timothy six, a couple of pages back. First Timothy six, look
at verse nine. Look at this. This is another
left day. First nine, they, that will be rich. You see that first
Timothy six, nine, they, that will be rich. What does that
mean? They that pursue it, they that
are ambitious after it, they that will do anything to get
it, forsake anybody and anything to get it, they'll fall into
temptation, a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts
which drown men in perdition and destruction. They that will
be rich. In other words, the love of,
the trust in, the pursuit of, ambition for, the world and everything
in it. I got to leave this. Flee lust.
I want to go on. And follow after righteousness,
verse twenty-two. And I said, follow after righteousness. As I've said countless times,
at least a hundred times since I've been here in three short
years, a little over three years. You and I all have sinned in
some sort of the glory of God and we're under the wrath and
the judgment of God unless we be in Christ Jesus by faith. We must have faith. Young and old. God is no respecter of persons
just because he or she may be twelve, fourteen, fifteen, twenty,
twenty-two, seven, doesn't mean God's pleased and he's a cute
little boy or a cute little girl. God is angry with the wicked
every day. You must have this righteousness
of Christ to be accepted by God Almighty. So follow after it,
learn it, pursue it, try to find out what it means, and lay hold
on it. Christ. Christ righteous. And faith. Look at verse 22 again. Follow faith. Somebody in here
may say, Preacher, I don't understand you young people. And once again,
I'm not picking on you in particular. You may say, I don't understand,
I just don't understand what this thing's all about. I hear
you talking about justification, I hear you talking about sanctification,
redemption, propitiation, the blood, the righteousness of Christ,
faith being in Christ, all of these things. I just don't understand. I really, I can't put it together.
I want to know, but I just don't understand. Well, if you're interested,
do you want to know? If you want to know. God will
show it to. If you have a half an ounce of
interest. Half an ounce of interest in
God. And seeking the Lord and finding him. Call on the name
of the Lord. Right now. Shannon right now. In your heart call on the name
of the Lord. And say, Lord, Vicki, I'm not
talking now. I'm not saying anybody's unsaved
or safe. Everybody. Call on the name of
the Lord right now in your heart, Lord. Would you reveal this to
me? Years ago, there was a man named
Hugh Latimer back in the 15th century. He was an old Preacher
of the Gospel of Marjorie died at stake for what he believed.
Hugh Latimer, one of the reformers. God used him greatly. One day
he was coming through a country town and he stopped in a place
and he was preaching there. And there was a young girl there,
a young servant, a young maiden. And Hugh Latimer preached his
message and a young girl about Wendy's age came up to him After
the message and said that I'm interested in this, this is.
I enjoyed your sermon. I want to know more about that.
I'm seeking I want to know. And Hugh Latimer said to her,
he said, well, I'll tell you what you do. I'm leaving, I'm
going down the road to preach, but I'm coming back through.
And while I'm gone, I want you to go home. And sit down. And I want you to call upon God.
And here's what I want you to ask God, OK, listen to me, and
this I'm talking to you, Wendy, Kevin, Nancy, Joe, this is what
I want you to do. If you've got a half an ounce
of interest in. All right, you're here. Ask God, oh, Hugh Latimer
told that young girl, ask God to show you. Yourself. Ask God to show you yourself.
Steven, if you got any interest, buddy, if you want to know God,
want to know salvation in Christ, I'm telling you right now, you
go home today and do it right now. Ask God to show you yourself. Well, old Hugh Latimer went down
the road and he came back in a few days and he was preaching
in that same place and that girl was missing. And after the message,
he went up to her parents and said, Where is Susan or whatever
name? And the parents said, Oh, she's
distraught. She's she's melancholy and sad
and depressed all the time. We can't get her to hardly come
out of a room. Something's wrong with her. Something's happened
to her. And they said, We wish you'd come down and talk to her.
So he did. Hugh Latimer went down and and found the young
lady and said to her, what's wrong? She said, Brother Latimer. Preacher, when you left here,
you told me to ask God to show me myself, and I did. And he
did. And she said, I just don't hardly
think there's any hope for me. I'm no good. I've been a cheat.
I've been a liar and a cheat, unfaithful to my parents, the
gospel. I've been a thief, a no-good
bum, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy without God.
There's no hope for me. I've been a hypocrite from this
day. God won't have anything to do with me, preacher." Now,
he said with a smile on his face, he said, young lady, now you
ask God to show you the Lord Jesus Christ. And he came back a few months
later and he had. And that young lady was sitting
on the front pew with a smile on her face. And told him later,
he did. And I believe. If I don't get through this,
I've got to tell this illustration anyway. I grew up in a church. I attended there. I was born
as one of the founding babies. The church was established the
year I was born, 1955. I was the first baby to be brought
in the doors of the new building. It's a wonder it stood from that
day forward. I was as rotten as Andrew. But
anyway, and my sister did, and both of my brothers. I made a profession of faith
when I was twelve years old. I went through some kind of experience. I don't know what it was. The
gospel was preached and it tore me up and I was crying. I came
running down the aisle and threw my arms around my daddy, my preacher
at the time, and just crying. I need a savior. I need a sinner
and so forth. And for all practical purposes
and it looked like the real thing. But it wasn't any time at all
that I was on down the road just as mean as ever. So there wasn't
anything to that, I just was convicted by the message. And
I got in, I was a prodigal son, I just took off on down the road,
wine, women and song. And was gone. But that's not
the story I wanted to relate to you, that's another story.
My sister. Now my sister grew up in that
church. And she made a profession of
faith. As a young girl, about 12 or 13, there were a lot of
us that did this, founding babies. She made a profession of faith
and she continued there. She never left. She was there
every service. She was a model child. Becky
Mayhem, she was a model child, a moral Upright, she never got
caught, she never got caught doing anything. Model child, upright, moral,
got a good hard working, the apple of daddy's eye, you know,
I was the. Black sheep. Apple of daddy's
eye, she never got caught, she never did anything to get caught
at. Always in church. Never got in trouble. But do
you know one day, she was about 22 or 23 years old, the Lord
showed her herself. And she came running down the
aisle again. And she was saying, I've been
a self-righteous hypocrite all up until this point. Just because
I was in church, just because mom and daddy were Christians,
just because I was moral and upright and never got caught,
never got in trouble or anything, I didn't think I was a sinner.
I wasn't plagued as other men are, other women, other young
people are. I didn't get, I didn't, wasn't
in the things that they were into. I was moral, I was in church,
but I didn't know Christ. And I realize now I'm a self-righteous,
no good sinner. If God gives me what I deserve,
I'll go to hell. God saved her, saved her. If you've got an ounce of interest,
that's what I'm saying, young people, an ounce of interest,
ask God to show you yourself. And if he does, by his grace,
he doesn't have to, he could leave you on your wild road to
destruction. If he, by his grace, shows you
Christ and reveals the gospel to you, there'll be a real change,
a real change. And call on them, he says, out
of a pure, call on them with them that call on the Lord out
of a pure heart. You know what we are here? You
know what this is, Violet? It's just no different right
here. What this is, is just like Noah's Ark. Just like that. There
was a little church thousands of years ago, eight people attended
it. Big church down the road said
ain't nothing to that, only eight people in it. They had good fellowship,
though, didn't they, Joe? Those fellows in that ship had
real fellowship with the father, with his son. They're the only
ones that made it, Joe. And they are. That's what we're
like here. All fellows in the same ship. You young people.
Don't think because of what you're going through and all that, that
it'll just end. Everybody in here is experiencing the same
things. Aren't we? Adults. We're all going through
the same thing. We have the same troubles, the
same temptations, the same trials. We're exposed to it. Jennifer,
I'm exposed to the same world you are. I'm a young man, 36
years old. My body is still very much alive. And I'm still exposed to the
same temptation and lust of the flesh and troubles and trials.
What's my hope? How am I going to get out of
this? How am I going to get through it? The same way you are. faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
following after Him, and with them that do call on the name
of the Lord, I'm going to be here. Henry, I'm going to be
here with God's people, where they're worshiping, where they're
learning about Christ, and hope and pray to the end that He's
going to save me someday. I ain't going to be down the
road with Joe Blow, who doesn't give a flip about the gospel. Or Jim
Blow. I'm not going to be out here
doing this and doing that. I'm going to be where God can be
found. If God can be found, I want to
find Him. If salvation can be had, I want
to have it. Right? If Christ can be known,
I'm dead serious about this thing. I want to know Him. And I've got my affection, along
with some of the people here, set on things above. said on
things about. Well, now the servant of the
Lord, I want to say this, this is to me. Verse 24. He said in verse 23 to you, young
people and everybody, avoid foolish and unlearned questions. I pity
our people, young people going through the public school system.
They do. I believe they should, but I pity. I pity them, because
they're going to be taught all manner of error and godlessness. And that's the reason it's so
important, you parents, to have your children right here. And
if God will help me, I'm going to bring, I'm going to teach
them the scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation,
not only of soul, but of body. I'm going to cover whatever the
scriptures cover and tell it like it is. If you don't want
a graphic message told to your children, don't bring them here,
but I want to tell them. That's the way it ought to be. I really
wish it had been, I wish that it talked to me on my level when
I was growing up, but a lot of things were taboo. You know,
you never, you didn't even, I never even heard the word pregnant
in my house. Never even heard the word. Some
of you the same way, weren't you? Never heard the word beer. Don't bring that in here. Not
even the word. I'm going to tell your young
people in a language they can understand exactly like it is
what this book says about it. God deals with everything. Doesn't
he? All right. Well, there's forces
of evil at work and they're at work in our school system. Just
because a woman's a teacher and got a Ph.D. or whatever, doesn't
mean she knows anything. She may know arithmetic, but
she doesn't know God, and she doesn't know the mysteries of
the universe. There are some people who do, and they're studying
a book that does tell us. So avoid foolish and unlearned
questions. Avoid. Don't get taken up with
them. They gender strife and unbelief.
Verse 24. Now, this is addressed to me
and really every believer, but me principally. The servant of
the Lord must not strive, must not be a fighter. and rail on
and bash people over the head and be mean to people. Oh my,
that convicts me. But be gentle unto all, gentle,
kind, considerate, compassionate, apt to teach, ready to teach,
that is, ready to instruct, give help where it's needed, ready
and willing to help if called upon, patient Long-suffering,
putting up with, forbearing, putting up with the childish
annex and weakness of the flesh and so forth, ways and attitudes
of those that are weak in the faith, and unregenerate people.
Remember that that which is flesh is flesh. I need to remember
that because I get awful disappointed. I get awful downcast of some
of the things. people do or don't do. I need
to remember this above all else that and keep in mind that the
natural infirmities of the flesh. And then he says in verse twenty
five in meekness, we need to in meekness instruct those that
oppose themselves. Oppose themselves. Proverbs twenty to fifteen says
this listen, parents. Foolishness is bound up in the
heart of a child. Full, bound up, ready to just
explode. Foolishness. But the rod literally
spanking. That's the form of discipline
the scripture speaks of. The rod shall drive that foolishness
from them. Okay? And the heart of an adult
is bound with foolishness, right? But thy rod and thy staff will
drive it from them. Did you know this foolishness
bound up? It says they that oppose themselves. Polly, did you know that you
are your worst enemy? I believe you know that. I think
some of you have. That's the sense in which old brother Latimer
told that young lady, ask God to show you yourself. You're
your worst enemy. If God allows you, you'll kill
yourself. Henry Sword, I use that quote
by you. Henry said, I try to get away
from my troubles. I try to run away from my sin.
And when I get wherever I've gotten, I find that I'm still
there. Try to run away from my troubles
and I get there and I find out I was running along with me.
I'm the problem. We will destroy ourselves unless
God Almighty intervenes. and stops our wild career. Now I've got to say this I've
got just five more minutes. These careers might take different
forms. There is a way that seemeth right
unto man. The scripture says but the way
is a way of death. The end thereof is death and
destruction. Listen to it. Isaiah 53 6. All
we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to our
own way. All right. There is a way. Are
you listening to me? Everybody listen, please. Young
people. We have turned everyone to our
own way. There is a way that seemeth right. But to end is destruction. There's only one way that is
right, but every man thinks he's going the right way by nature.
Number one, it could be this. There is a way of worldly pursuits,
right? Worldly pursuits. Now, there's
nothing wrong with good, hard, honest, hard work. There's nothing
wrong with laboring. It's good. But do you know, Joe,
that God said even the plowing of the wicked is evil in the
sight of the Lord? The plowing of a garden by an
unbeliever is evil before God. You know why? This is going to
happen here soon. God's been causing the rain to
fall. Everybody here at the yard is green as iron. Your garden,
my garden, John, I don't have much good soil in my garden,
but my beans are just growing like Jack's beanstalk. I'm going
to have the best beans, Lord willing, I've ever had. They're
just, my taters, Rick, my taters are big, buddy. They're growing.
Growing. Fine. God says, I'll send the
rain to cause your gardens to grow. And the wicked man, he's plowing his garden. He doesn't
believe in God. He's plowing his garden and saying,
well, I got a good one this year. Look at my things, would you? I did a good job, didn't I? Isn't
that foolish? All you can do is plant. And
unless you've got an endless supply of water, you can't even
water. God's got to send the rain. God's got to bring you
in, Craig. So even the plowing of the wicked,
a plowing of a man in his own garden, if he doesn't give God
the glory for it, is evil in the sight of the Lord. And I
don't care what honest work you do and pursue in your life, if
you don't give God the glory for it and glorify him in your
life and commit your life to him, if you will, to coin an
Armenian phrase. It's true nonetheless. It's evil. Family. There's another way that
seems right. You know, men, people think,
Jerry, people think that if I work hard, I'd be a good citizen.
pay all my bills, you know, grow a garden, I'll be saved. Surely God will acknowledge that.
No, he won't. It's one way. That's the way
it seems right. That seems right, doesn't it?
Death and destruction. All right, what about family?
He's a good family man. He loves his kids. He spends
time with his kids and so forth. Boy, we ought to. Nothing wrong
with being a loving family man. Nothing wrong with it. Unless
you love those kids and that wife more than you do God, then
that's idolatry. That's idolatry. Then, there's
this way that everybody's going, a broad way. On Broadway, everybody's
traveling and dancing the tune and singing the song, We Love
Jesus. the broad road of religion, and
you will never miss God anymore than you do when you travel that
road. Nobody opposes themselves more
than those who have a self-righteousness and who are not trusting Christ
and Christ alone. I've baptized. I never smoked,
never drank, never chewed, never cussed. I've attended church. I've got Sunday school pens.
I'm a teacher. I'm a preacher. kid of a preacher, like my sister. I've never done no such thing. I believe Calvinism. I'm a Calvinist. I believe the truth. I know the
truth, you know, in your head. You're walking down the road
being a Calvinist on your road to hell. God only saves sinners. You know that? I'm sure you do. Scripture says it over and over
again. Christ said, I'm not come to call the righteous. I'm not
come to call a nice little girl or boy. I'm come to call sinners
to repentance. And unless God in His grace shows
us what we are, we're on this broad road of religion on the
way to hell. There's more hope for a drunkard
than a harlot. than for a religious man. A deacon. You know, there's more hope,
Joe, for a drunkard than there is a deacon. Most deacons aren't sinners either,
buddy. Are you a sinner? Not many deacons think they are. You bless God Almighty. But peradventure. He says you
instruct those that oppose themselves if God per adventure. Do you
know that God does not have to save you or me? Young people, Wendy, Kevin, John,
like I said, I'm not taking for granted anybody's sake. Me? God doesn't have to save me.
I'm a preacher, though. Yeah, but you're a pastor. It's
a big deal. Big deal, right? He was everybody's
brother's preacher. You can build your little church
and make yourself a pastor, can't you, this day? Big deal! God doesn't have to save me.
What in the world does God want with me? Yeah, but you're such
a cute little... What in the world? Why in the...
Poor adventure! But God, who is rich in mercy,
poor adventure! This is what the parents are
crying out. Peradventure, Lord, would you save my daughter? You
don't need to. You don't need her. She's causing
me all kinds of problems. Her heat. I know what she is
before you, you holy God, but peradventure. Would you save
her? Him? And let me tell you, young people
or anybody for that matter, it'll be an adventure. If God does, it'll be an adventure.
From that day forward, you say, my troubles are over. No, they've
just begun. Just begun. But I tell you what,
you've got hope then. You've got hope. God grant you
repentance, that you may recover yourselves out of the snare of
the devil. that are taken captive by him
at his will. Do you know that you're a willing
enlistee in the army of the devil? Oh, that's old-fashioned. What
are you talking about the devil? The devil made me do that. You just read it, didn't you? I know it's old-fashioned. I
know a lot of people like to blame it on him. The truth of
the matter is, if you're not under the banner of the Lord
Jesus Christ, you're following the devil. And you're doing his
bidding. Doing exactly what he wants you
to do. And what God allows for him to do. Exactly. Can I read this to you in closing?
Titus chapter 3. Let me tell you my story. I didn't
finish it. That young prodigal son. Let me tell you my story. You
know, the scripture says that Christ, when he saved that man
or healed that man, he said, now you go tell everybody what
great things the Lord has done for you. Maybe this will have
an effect on somebody. Maybe that story of my self-righteous
sister will have an effect on some young girl who's grown up
under the sound of the gospel. Maybe she'll be touched by that
and go home and ask God to show show her herself, but maybe this
will touch some young prodigal boy or son hearing about this
one. It happens. I mean, it really
happens. It wasn't just a story our Lord
gave. Titus chapter 3 says, verse 3, We ourselves also are sometimes
foolish. Y'all looking at the biggest
fool that ever walked the planet. I know I am now. I know I'm a
fool now, but boy, at 18 years old, 17, 16, I started early,
Stan, 15. Going back, oh, you're talking
about foolishness bound up. If there was trouble to be had
and got into, I wanted in it. I didn't like my parents. I despise my parents for making
me go to church. Foolish. God, here God was clothing
me, feeding me, taking care of me. I went through countless
automobile wrecks, not me, but with my buddies, close calls
with death. Defying God, I used to love to
walk high places, do crazy wild stunts, diving off cliffs, a
bridge, a high river bridge. Defying God, shaking my fist
in God's face, now I'm tough and my friends admire me for
it. Preacher's kids are the worst
kind, you know that? It's true. A fool. And you kids that are under the
sound of the gospel right now, they're in the same condition
I was in. You're a fool. And some of you are being foolish
and not getting caught for it. My brother got caught in everything.
My sister never got caught in anything. My brother got caught
in everything. I don't care what it was, he
got caught. And I did the same things, but
I didn't get caught. Oh, I was obedient pretty much
on the outside for what I could get out of my folks. But I sure
was a rebel on the inside. Deceived. Deceived. I'm a Calvinist. Daddy's a preacher.
I'll be all right eventually, surely. Serving different lusts
and pleasure. Living in malice and envy. Hateful. Hating one another. But after the kindness of God
my Savior appeared, the love of God our Savior toward man
appeared, it wasn't by works of righteousness which I had
done. I didn't have any. But according to His mercy, He
reached out His hand for me, an old prodigal. Like I said,
my sister was, as it were, the boy that stayed at home or the
girl that stayed at home, all fine. But I was a prodigal. And the Lord brought me back home,
sat me down in the gospel, broke my old hard heart, and still
breaking it. According to his mercy, saved
us. I am not what I want to be. I
still have the same problem. Worse. I have worse struggles
now than I did when I was 16. I didn't think a thing about
what I was doing. Now it kills me.