You. Turn to second Timothy, chapter
three. Second Timothy, chapter three. The apostle Paul. was a man who did not mince words. And I don't want to be either. I don't want to mince words either.
Paul didn't beat around the bush. He told it like it was. He called
black black, or white white, or as we like to say, called
a spade a spade. He said in one place, you may
remember back in 2 Corinthians 1, he said, with me, my preaching
wasn't yea and nay. I didn't preach, say and believe
one thing, preach another. I didn't preach one thing and
mean another. It was all yea. He very clearly
understood what I was trying to say, the Apostle Paul. And he was a true watchman. The Apostle
Paul truly cared and had a heartfelt concern for the people he preached
to. And like a true watchman, he was on the guard for wolves.
And he constantly called out, wolf, cried wolf. Isn't it? It's
not very acceptable today. It's not considered charitable
or unity, church unity. to talk about other religious
predominations. And our gospel, our preaching
is not more tearing down than building
up, although there's so much rubbish. Remember like in Nehemiah's
day? So much rubbish that it has to
be torn down and cleared away to pave the way for new construction. But it's not very popular today
to talk about other denominations, and it's certainly forbidden
to talk about people, to mention any names. But do you know Paul
called at least ten names through his epistles? Called their names.
Said, beware this old fella. Didn't he? Alexander the copper
smith did me a lot of evil. You watch out for that old snake. He named at least ten people
who were enemies of the gospel, and he warned everybody about
them. He warned them. I've got to do the same thing.
Got to do the same thing. Here in 2 Timothy chapter 3,
he speaks some of his strongest words. Yet, listen, this is not
just the Apostle Paul talking here. This is the Holy Spirit. This is God talking. This is
who this is. It's not Paul writing. It's the
Holy Spirit riding through Paul in strong words, and he blasts
false preachers, hypocritical church members. He blasts them.
He condemns the natural man. He exalts the Word of God. He preaches the true gospel.
Look at it with me. He's very dogmatic. Nobody likes
dogmatism today. They don't like for you to be
dogmatic. Well, the Apostle Paul was here. Look at verse 1. He says, Now know this. He's
writing to young Timothy and to all those believers that will
read this. Know this. In the last days, and I've got
beside this verse, I've got written the twentieth century. We're
in these days. No doubt about it. In the last
days perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their
own selves. Everybody loves themselves. That's
the buy word today. Buy this hair coloring. You're worth it. You're worth
it. After all, I'm worth it. They love themselves. Why? They don't know themselves. Covetous. We live in a materialistic society,
don't we? Get, get, get all you can. Dog eat dog. Covetous boasters. Oh my. We live in a generation
of big talkers, don't we? And we're guilty of that. Proud,
pride. Oh, so full of pride. Blasphemers,
religiously speaking. Blasphemers. I get so tired and
so angry when I hear the name of God used like it's being in
the name of Jesus, and the gospel, all these, everything has to
do with the Bible used like it's used, in vain. Don't you get
tired of it? Men blaspheme God. They're blaspheming
God. Claiming to do things in the
name of God for the cause of God, the cause of the gospel,
but they're really blaspheming Him. Why? They're sneaky. They're doing it for their own
honor and glory, and what they can get out of it. Disobedient
to parents and you don't have to you probably only have to
look as far as your own children to see that this generation of
children is. A bunch of rebels. Unthankful. Unthankful unholy
without natural affection. Homosexuality and all that. So
rampant. I was down in I was over here
waiting on my daughter. My daughter takes piano lessons
in a local so-called Episcopal church building. Sitting in there
and I usually get books down off the shelf and look at them.
And this fellow was an Episcopal priest and he was writing on
homosexuality in the Bible. And he's so twisted and perverted
and corrupted the scriptures that I was just, I was sitting
there aghast at the way this man was perverting the scripture. He was saying, the Bible doesn't
say anything against homosexuality. He just perverted every scripture
there was. Plain, plain truths concerning
scriptures. Because they're without natural
affection. Truth breakers. A contract is worthless to that. A man's name on the dotted line,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that
are good, truly good, believers, traitors, petty, high-minded,
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. That describes
it all right there. How people claim to love God,
don't they? But yet it's their own selves
that they love. If men, listen to this, here's the telltale
sign, if men were really lovers of God, if men were really out
for the glory of God, they'd be singing his praises and his
honor and his glory, wouldn't they? They wouldn't say a thing
about the flesh. If it were so, if people claimed
to love God, if it were so, how zealous they would be for his
glory and his honor and his gospel, wouldn't they? But it's not so. It's not so. Verse 5, they have
a form of godliness. They have a form of religion.
Christ said it. He quoted the Old Testament scripture. This people draw, how true it
is. The prophet said, this people draws near to me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me. Everybody takes the name of Christ
on their lips, don't they? Everybody, one out of two American
adults claims to be a Christian, but their hearts are far from
being disciples of Christ. zealous for his honor and his
glory. True religion, true worship, true knowledge of God is in the
heart. It's in the heart. The testimony against our generation
right here is that their heart's far away. They have a form of
godliness, but they deny the power thereof. They deny the
godhood of God. They deny that God is truly God
because he wants to and can't. Therefore, he doesn't have any
power. Christ tried to say but didn't. Therefore, they deny
the power of Christ, don't they? The efficacy of his blood. The
Holy Spirit tries and can't if you don't let it. So they deny
the power of the triune God, don't they? And speaking of preachers,
verse 6. Specifically, he said, of this
sort are they which creep into houses, V.I.A. TVs and television
sets, creep into houses and lead captive silly women. That is, women that sit around
in their robes and their hairs up in curlers and watch soap
operas and every now and then this guy Smiley comes on the
television, you know, his hair all slicked back and starts preaching
to them. Lead them captive. led away with different lusts,
different lusts, the womanizers Peter talks about in 2 Peter.
Verse 7, ever learning and never coming to a knowledge of the
truth, ever learning, the right reverend, most holy right reverend,
doctor, master of divinity, Leon H. Thurgood Jones IV. Love those
titles, don't they? Love chief seats and the robes
and greetings in the marketplaces and so forth. Reverend. Ever
learning, but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. What's
that? What's the truth? Yeah. Not what, it's who. Never
coming to know who Christ is. Who is the truth? Christ said,
I'm the truth. Look over 2 Timothy chapter 10
with me. 2 Timothy 10, real fast. Verse
5. Christ said, I am the truth.
If a man ever came to know Christ, everything he did, everything
he said, would in some way be to the honor and the glory and
the exultation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his gospel's
sake. And everything he did and said
toward men would be that he might point them to Christ. point them
to Christ, not himself. That's what John, that's the
reason Christ said about John, there's never been a man better
than this man. Why? Because all John said was,
Behold the Lamb. His disciples came to him and
said, Master, he said, Behold the Lamb, follow him. Don't follow
me anymore, go after him. Now, there's a disciple of Christ.
There is a preacher of the gospel, and this is what Paul says here
that we all need to do. Verse 5, we need to cast down
imagination, every reasoning, every thought, every high thing
that is our high and mighty opinions of ourselves and our knowledge
and whatever, that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.
Everything that doesn't magnify and glorify this sovereign God
and his Christ and his gospel. Cast it down. as being rubbish,
like Paul said. Everything in the past, worthless,
forget it, that I might know Him. Everything against the knowledge
of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
or the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And a man wouldn't
preach anything else. He'd be determined not to know
anything else if he really knew Christ, if he really saw Him
in His glory. and really knew and understood
the gospel, he'd never preach anything but, would he? He'd say like, Paul, I'm determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And I'm determined that you don't know anybody or anything other
than Jesus Christ, not even me. How in the world am I going to
convince anybody of anything spiritually, something that they
don't see? I can't convince anybody of that. It is up to me. And that's what preachers are
trying, you know, trying every trick in the book. They're cracking
it. Besides that, if it was up to
man to receive God, then we're all lost, right? Because no man
can come unto the Father. You remember back then when Moses
threw down his rod and it became a snake? And the Egyptian sorcerers,
through their rise down, they became snakes. Ironically, I just saw an article
in the paper this morning about snake handlers. Anybody see that? A full-page article in the Roanoke
Times about snake handlers, talking about true faith. One fellow
quoted, he said, I'm absolutely positive that the handling of
snakes is essential to salvation. Janice and January, this is Snake
Handler, copying these things. These preachers today, with all
their manner of trickery and miracles and tongues and so forth,
resist the truth. Verse 8, resist the truth. You can get by with all manner
of foolishness, but just don't preach the true gospel. They
resist that. Why? Because they're men of corrupt
minds. Are you following with me? Verse 8. Men of corrupt minds,
corrupted by fame, by fortune, by numbers. Boy, numbers will
really corrupt a man. Crowd starts getting thin. Oh,
we got to get them in. Got to get them in. We do all
manner of things to get people in. Fame. Religion corrupts men. Reprobate
concerning the faith. Reprobate of no judgment. What did he say about the Holy
Spirit? He said the Holy Spirit would convince men of sin, righteousness,
and judgment. True judgment, true understanding.
Void. These men and all of their hearers
are void of judgment. Look down at verse 13. Evil men
and seducers are what's worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived. We can go from a Jim Baker. He
looks relatively good now, doesn't he, compared to this Robert Tilton
dude. How much worse can it get? But
people are sending thousands, aren't they? That's what he said
in chapter 4, they heap to themselves. It boggles your mind, doesn't
it? But that's what Paul said would happen. Worse and worse. Worse and worse. Deceiving and
being deceived. I really think those fellows
believe what they say. I really think they do. Else they couldn't
convince other people of it. I really think that they believe.
what they're saying. I really did. We'll look down
at chapter 4, and this is where I'm going to dwell, chapter 4.
Now, Paul is writing to young Timothy, a young preacher of
the gospel, who's going through all manner of trials and tribulations
and persecution, just trying to preach the gospel. Timothy
has heard a gospel preacher, and he's on fire, he's zealous
for the truth, and he wants to preach the gospel, but yet people
are confronting him here and there with it. He's experiencing
all manner of opposition everywhere he goes. We don't want to hear
that. Let's see some snake handling.
We don't want to hear that. Babble a little bit. Talk in
tongues or something. We don't want to hear the gospel.
And Timothy's perplexed by it all, and Paul's riding him here,
and he says, you know, Timothy, I charge you. I charge you. This is Paul's charge to young
Timothy. He's a true preacher. I charge you before God and before
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead. at his appearing in his kingdom.
Preach the Word. All of it. Start in chapter 1,
verse 1, and go all the way through, and tell people what it's really
saying. Don't pull a verse out here and
there, and twist it, and turn it, and make people think it
says what you want them to say. Preach the Word. God's Word. Thus saith the Word. Cost what
it may. He says, Preach the Word. Be instant. That is consistent. In season, out of season. Whether
people want to hear it or not. Reprove them. And these are hard
words. It's hard to be reproved. It's
hard for people to take a licking and keep on kicking. Reprove. Reprove. That's the greatest
thing, the best, the first thing that God the Holy Spirit does
to us, doesn't it? Reproves us of what? Our evil,
sinful nature. And it doesn't feel good. And
people get offended, don't they? If you'll get offended first,
then you'll be commended at last, commended to God. And it's so difficult to talk
to them? Why? They know everything, don't they?
But he says, preach the word and rebuke them. Rebuke them
for their error, for the false gospel and so forth, and exhort
with all longsuffering. Make sure you do it with meekness,
with meekness. Exhort people. Don't just reprove
and rebuke forever, but exhort them concerning the truth with
all along suffering and doctrine. Now listen to me. Doctrine. Because he says, look at verse
3. The time will come. And like Peter said over there
in our text this morning, it now is. Paul wrote this a long time ago,
and it's right now, though. The time is here. The time will
come when they won't endure sound doctrine. Doctrine. Doctrine. It's all through the
Scripture, isn't it? but after their own lusts will
heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and shall turn
away their ears from the truths, and be turned to fables." Sound
doctrine, the word of God, the truth of God, who God is, who
we are, who Christ is, how God serves sinners, the truth, the
true gospel, the word of truth. Tell me something else. I don't
like that one. Tell me a lie. Prophecy I know
is smooth. That's the way it is right now.
Look at this crowd. Crowd. Call it a crowd. Look
at this little group, this remnant. Where are the people that want
to hear the truth? All we do, I preach expositionally, verse
by verse, nearly every single sentence. Where is everybody
that's really interested in knowing the truth? In Otterd. On some sensationalism
or something. Fantastic or something exciting. Some kind of, something going
on down there. Where do you go down there for it? Because things
going on. What? Going on. You got things going
for our young people. What? Basketball, you know. Softball. Marsh and marshmallows
every Saturday night. What do we do? We put our children
down there in the classroom and teach them verse by verse the
scriptures, hoping that someday God will take the scriptures
and be able to make them wise unto salvation and save their
eternal souls. We've got two in a classroom.
Terry, you've preached to, what, two people, two kids this morning. Sad, isn't it? Turn from the
truth to faith. Now, listen. Listen to me. Here's
the fable, here's what they're saying, and you hear it all the
time, and this is just what I'm trying to say this morning, what
I'm trying to do. The title of this message is From Fables to
Truth, or Truth to Fables. Here's what they're saying. You've
heard it time and time again, and we'll keep hearing it. Here's
what they're saying. This is the gospel. This is the
gospel they claim to believe. God loves everybody. And whatever church, bar none,
save this one, I can say it pretty much with confidence, the ones
I don't know about, but most of them I've seen, articles in
the paper and so forth, people I've talked to that go several
places, they believe those things, everyone you go into. God loves
everybody without exception, right? That's what they believe.
Smack, dab in the face of the Scriptures, Scriptures that say,
Psalm 55, thou hatest all workers of iniquity. I don't like that. And what do
you say about God loving everybody? Isn't that what men do? That's the Word of God. There's the Word of God. Plain
and simple. Bold and clear. Black and white. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Malachi 1, 2 through 3. He said, I hate Esau. It doesn't
mean love-less either. Look it up. It means utterly
despised, odious, despicable to me. I hate him. I detest him. That's what it means. Don't leave that. Now, what have
you got to say? God loves you. Psalm 11. Let's turn over here
with me. Psalm 11. Don't just take my
word for it. Psalm 11, verse 4. Psalm 11. Verse 4. Who does God love? What does
the Bible say about the love of God? We're interested in knowing,
aren't we? Who does God love? Everybody without exception?
Is that what the Scripture teaches? No, it does not. Psalm 11, verse
4. The Scripture says the Lord is
in His holy temple. Men need to understand that above
all else, that God is holy. They can't have anything to do
with, any affection for anything or anybody that's not absolutely
holy. That means pure and perfect and
spotless and righteous. That's what he goes on to say
here. The Lord's throne is in heaven. And his eyes behold,
his eyelids try the children of men. He tries the righteous. Who's that? It's those in Christ. Because there's none righteous
in himself. The wicked in him that loveth
violence, his soul," what does that say? Hated. Hated. And he says he's going
to rain snares and fire and brimstone and horses. Now, remember, Paul said they turn from the
truth and turn to fables. And this is man's gospel, his
gospel fable. God loves you. If you ask the
average person on the street or average preacher, you hear
him preach, this is the crux of what he believes. God loves
you. Christ died for you. God wants you to be saved, and
the Holy Spirit's trying to save you. Now, won't you receive him
into your life as your personal Savior? Isn't that it? That's
their gospel. Let's take it. Let's take it
one at a time. God loves everybody. They say God loves everybody.
If God—now listen to these questions. I know you've thought them, but
they're so plain, so simple, so reasonable, that you're going
to think, it can't be. If God loves everybody without
exception, yet some people go to hell. What does the love of God have
to do with salvation? Huh? God loves everybody and
wants everybody to be saved. He loves them. Yet some people he loves goes
to hell. What good does the love of God
do anybody? Zero. Right? If God Almighty
loves me, and yet my soul burns eternally in hell, I hate that
love. I don't want it. I despise that. That's the love of a monster,
isn't it? You wouldn't do that to your
children. Who loves their children? The zeal of God's truth is eating
me up. You wouldn't do that to your
own children. Would you dream of punishing your children forever? No, you don't. If Jesus Christ died, shed his
blood for all people without exception, if the blood of God's
Son was shed for all people without exception, yet some people go
to hell. What does the blood of Jesus
Christ have to do with anything? All right, cross out the love
of God. It's worthless. Cross out the blood of Christ.
It's worthless. Terry, he died in vain. Isn't this utter blasphemy? To
make his blood boil? This is what these wolves are
saying about my God and my Christ and my only hope. See why it
bears telling from the top of the roof? If God Almighty is not willing
that anybody should perish—God doesn't will it, they say. God
is not willing, 2 Peter 3.9. They say this means God is not—He
doesn't want anybody. God is not willing. It's not
God's will for anybody to go to hell. Yet somebody goes to
hell! What does the will of God have
to do with anything? It's so, so simple you never
even thought about it. Right? Cross out the love of
God. It's worthless. If I go to hell anyway, I don't
even know he lives. It's worthless. Cross out the blood of Christ.
Why in the world did Christ come? Cross out the will of God. Right? He can't. Yet the Holy Spirit is trying
to save people. He wants to so bad. Trying His
best to save people. Yet some people go to hell eternally
that He tried to save. What does the Holy Spirit have
to do with salvation? What does that mean? What does
the holiest mean? That means God doesn't save. The triune God, they can't save
a flea. But isn't that what's being preached
today? Makes me want to weep is what
it makes me want to do. And men just hate this to themselves. Why? Because it exalts peace. of the big will. Bear with me to Ephesians chapter
2. Ephesians chapter 2. Well, some may say this, well,
God saves by his grace. And your faith. This is the way
God will. God willed that it's not his
will, but your will. Where does it say that in the
Bible? God limited his will to keep
from violating your will. Where's the person that says
that? All I read in the Bible over
and over again is, I will, God says, I will. I will work who
will let it. I will do it over and over again.
Don't you, is that what you read in the scriptures? That's this
Bible you got? I will. What does he say about our will?
None will. You will not come to me. Well, but God says, by his grace
and your faith. Oh, now wait a minute here. You
mean, and what you're saying is that salvation is by grace
and works? No, no, no, I said faith. But
I'm the one that believes, right? Well, yeah, you've got to believe
it. Then I do it. I work it. I believe. Right? Well, I guess so. Faith and work.
That's what you say. That's what they're saying. Well, is that true? Is that true? Look at Ephesians chapter 2.
No. A thousand times no. This is
how man is saved. One more time. In verse 1. Ephesians
2, you move past He who were dead. Dead, Barney used to say,
graveyard dead. Stone-cold dead. Dead to God. No light, no eyes, no ears, no
movement, no nothing. Dead. Everybody around here had
been around a dead man, hadn't you? That's what God calls us. Dead in trespasses and sin. No voice to call upon God, no
eyes to see God, no ears to hear His voice, no heart to beat after
Him, no life to walk His walk. Dead. How's a dead man going
to live, huh? A spiritually dead man. He must
quicken and give life. must give life." God! God! Verse 2, "...wherein in time
past ye walked, ye were dead, and trespassers in ye walked
in these things, according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air," that is, the devil,
the spirit that now works, now works, "...and the children of
disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation."
Paul said, I was there too! Me! Paul decided to change. No, he didn't! God struck Paul down on the road,
blind. Paul didn't decide nothing. Yeah, but Paul devoted his life
to God. No, he didn't. God devoted his
son to Paul. When it pleased God, Paul said,
to reveal his son in me. Not for me to come to some divine
revelation, but for him to reveal to me, shine that light of the
glorious gospel of Christ upon me, upon this dead, dark sinner. But Paul became a great believer,
didn't he? No! Verse 4, it's, but God is
what the but is. There's salvation in two words,
but God. God. Salvation is but God. Man's dead, but God can make
alive again. Man can't make himself alive
again, but God can. Man can't choose God. He's only
got a will for sin, but God can choose him. Right? Man can't will anything, but
if God be willing, that man will be saved. God who is rich in mercy. You know what mercy is, you people
here. Mercy means not getting what
you deserve. Judgment. The scripture says the wrath
of God abides upon the ungodly. Who's that? That's me. That's
me. When we're all without strength,
ungodly. We're all ungodly, without hope,
without Christ, without God, without strength, by nature.
That's what the scripture says. And the wrath of God, like a
Like the executioner's knife hangs over our necks, right? But God stopped the hand of wrath,
removed me out from under that guillotine. But the wrath of
God must fall. Sin must be punished, right?
So he took his son. He placed His head there instead. But God, who is rich in mercy,
didn't give me what I deserve. For His great love wherewith
He loved us. Look at it. How many times have
you heard this? Huh? For His great love wherewith
He loved us. Who? Who? Look at verse chapter 1. Who?
Chapter 1. Look at it. Verse 4. according
as he hath chosen us in Christ." Those in Christ is who he loves. In Christ, having predestinated,
predetermined, chosen before the foundation of the world,
a people under the adoption of children by Christ, putting them
in Christ. Verse 6, "...to the praise of
the glory of his grace he has made us accepted in Christ."
That's who he loves. He's too holy, too spotless,
too pure, too righteous to just to love a sinner, but he can
love a righteous man in Christ. Because there's none righteous,
no, not one, nobody in here, including the preacher in himself. But in Christ, we can be made
righteous. We are made righteous. his great
love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sin. How
did he love us when we were dead in sin? He considered us in Christ.
We were considered in Christ. Isn't that what it says there?
He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Joe
Park, bless God, if my name wasn't on the high priest, that priest
who is like forever after the order of Melchizedek, if my name
wasn't on his Breastplate when he went into the throne of God
with that blood 2,000 years ago. If my name wasn't there, I'm
gone. My name had to be there. Do you
remember in the Old Testament, the high priest went in once
every year, not without blood, and he had the names of the 12
tribes of Israel on his breastplate, and he made an atonement, sin
atonement, for those people, not everybody, those people,
if a man wasn't in those tribes. He was not under that atonement,
right? So how can God love me? How can
He ever love me? Only in the breastplate, my name
in Christ, found in Him. How do we win Christ? Remember
that old Philippians chapter 3? Oh, that I might win Christ? How do you win Him? Like a grand
prize winner? You're called. Congratulations. You've been chosen. out of many
people to win the grand prize, the prize, the high calling of
God in Jesus Christ. You know what you win on a trip
to Hawaii? You win Him. Well, how do you
win Christ? We found your name in Him. You're found in Him. Found in Him. Found your name
right there. Found your name right there.
Henry Soward's name on Christ. When he was hanging there on
that cross, God looked within at all the people represented
in Christ and found your name there, Henry. That's the only
reason that he could ever love an old boy like you did. Only
reason. Even when you were dead in sins,
he quickened you together with Christ. That is, you were made
alive in Christ then. Then. Because it's by grace.
That's what he says. It's by grace you're saved. Grace! Grace! A gift! A gift bestowed. It's not a gift
that God just throws out there to whoever wants it. That's an
offer. He doesn't say that by an offer you're saved. He says
by grace. Grace bestowed. Here you're saved. Thank you. He doesn't even ask us if
we want it. Because we didn't. Did we? Weren't looking for God? But blessed God, he's looking
for me. Didn't find God, but blessed
God, he found me. Oh, boy, when we were dead in
sins, he quickened us together with Christ. By grace, you say,
by grace, you say, by grace, you say, by grace, you say, by
grace, you say, by grace, you say. Put that on my thumbstone. By grace I was saved. By grace
I was saved." What did he ever do? Nothing. By grace he was
saved, though. Wasn't much of a preacher, was
he? No, he wasn't. By grace he was saved, though. And it's raised
us up together and made us sit. Do you see the present tense
here? This was written a long time ago. Raised us up together
to sit in heavenly places. We're seated in Christ Jesus. Seated in Christ. He just like those sheep. He
said there in Psalm 23, He maketh us to lie down. Henry's got to
make us rest in Christ, doesn't he? Stop what you're doing and
believe Christ. Put away your religion and rest
it. Come here. Rest in Christ. Oh, okay. This is great. I didn't
know. And we won't until it grabs a
hold of us, makes us lie down in great passion, right? By grace, you say, that in the
age you wanted to do all this, so we could be happy-go-lucky,
everybody happy, say amen, so we can have a yo-yo in heaven,
a little mansion, so we can all just skip-a-dee-doo-dah-day,
skip-a-dee-day on down the road and enjoy some golden streets.
We always wanted to fly, you know, have little wings. No.
No. Our happiness, really, first
and foremost, didn't have anything to do with it. He said over there in the Old
Testament, he said, I didn't do this for your sakes. Isn't it?
And over and over again. Look it, I didn't do this for
your sakes. Why? What does he mean with us? I
was worse than the worst person in here. What did he need with
me? A worm. He wouldn't have been out of
anything if he'd just stepped on me and put me out of my misery
and his. Oh, but he was determined to glorify
himself, to show people who he was, that in the ages to come
he would show the exceeding riches of his grace. If you ever see,
if you ever see what you are, my soul, My soul. You can take an old
boy, it's like people with bad breath, come up to you and it
just about knocks you flat. About knocks you over. And you think, wow, they can't
even smell their own breath. And me and my mates, we don't
even see their own selves. He said that in one place, you
look in the mirror, and like a man beholding himself in a
glass, and look in the Scripture, and the Scripture says, tells
us what we are, no soundness in us. Tells us what we are before
God, and we could be living a life of, I mean, like the woman that's
been married five times. She's still a good Christian.
And living with a man that does, still a good Christian. I know
what your father said, he worshiped, don't see themselves, do they? don't see themselves, but if
God the Holy Spirit ever take this word and open your eyes
to see what you are, oh, you'll cry out to Paul, oh, wretched
man. Who's going to deliver man, huh? Well, here's the answer. In his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus, dying a death, you ought to have
died by Christ going back to the Father and pleading for you
throughout all eternity. That's how. That's a kindness,
wasn't it? He did for me what I couldn't
do for myself. What do you call it? Paul says
you didn't hear it the first time, verse 8. He says, Grace! Grace! You're saved. Oh, let
these wolves and these hucksters hear that and start preaching
that. Start telling men where salvation
is. But they're blind leaders of
the blind. They're all going to fall in the ditch. Oh, what
a pit. What a ditch. But not you. John, Jesus, you're
not going to fall in that ditch, buddy. I'm preaching the gospel
to you, buddy. The gospel of your salvation. Do you believe it? Charles, I ain't telling you
no lie, buddy. The only way salvation can be
found is if you come to Christ. I'd better come to it if I hadn't
come yet. I'd best be coming. Right? And anybody else in here who
doesn't have Christ, who doesn't know Him, you'd best be coming.
How? Believe me. Trust Him. Repent of your sin. Ask God to
show you what you are and show you who Christ is. That it's
all in His hands. That's what this message is all
about. That's what it's all about. I'm not begging anybody to do
anything. I'm begging God Almighty. Begging God Almighty to do something
for us. He doesn't have to. He doesn't
need anybody in here, not the preacher included. He said, I
can raise up on the stones children of Abraham, didn't He? He did. He made the first man out of
dust. All God needs you, God wants
you. God can't do anything without you. What did he do before I
got here? What on earth did God do before
I got here if he needs me? I'm sure glad I arrived on the
scene. That's blasphemy to the highest. This needs to be made fun of.
The truth needs to be proclaimed as loud, as forcefully, and as
boldly as it possibly can. Men need to hear it. You take
his take and you give it to somebody. I might not have been a priest
in the right spirit. I don't know. I'm always ashamed of my
preaching after it's over with, but I told the truth. I exposed
all that error and pointed men to how God saves sinners through
the Scripture. But people say, but if I believe
that, why preach? Because I'm an atheist. I wouldn't preach. I wouldn't
preach if I thought it was up to me. Oh, my. I'd run out of
here so fast. I'd run out of here so fast because
I know I can't do it. I can't convince it. I can't.
I can't convince my five-year-old daughter of hardly anything.