All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. I will be in verse 16 and 17
again. Of course, last week I was not here,
but the two weeks prior to that, I dealt with this verse. We'll
try to deal with this verse again today. And I will certainly not
exhaust all that's in these two verses. Paul wrote these words, Romans
1 verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. For it is the power of God and
the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek. For therein, that is in the gospel,
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. Briefly as introduction, because
I will not deal in detail with this phrase, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. Do not think of this in the sense
of the Jew was superior and the Gentile inferior, therefore the
Jew deserved the gospel first. It had nothing to do with it.
This is simply about God's sovereign design. God's sovereign design,
and that's about all I'm going to say about that. Let me get
into this in earnest. Paul makes clear in this short
passage, Paul makes clear that the gospel is limited in scope,
intention, and purpose. The gospel is not limited in
power, but it is limited in scope, in intention, and purpose. For he makes this statement about
the gospel, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith. Now I realize that if you or
I were to take up various commentaries, however many commentaries we
were to read, we would probably get about that many different
explanations of this phrase from faith to faith. I understand
that. And I don't mean by what I'm
going to say this morning to be critical. But this phrase from faith to
faith lets us know this. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel. So this righteousness is revealed
from faith. That's a faith that proceeds, accompanies, and continues after
the gospel. But it's too, not a different
faith, but a different, and this is where a different aspect,
a different facet, There is but one faith. But it's revealed,
that is the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. Now I will not stand here
this morning and try to pick apart what I believe some have
wrote or said that does not actually explain this phrase. So, as I
said, so far from these two verses, three weeks ago we talked about
the gospel of Christ. And the gospel is the gospel
of God concerning his son. If you leave the person and work
of Christ, you've left the gospel. I mean, it's that simple. It's
not about Though, and I know this could be misunderstood,
it's not about do I believe that God, through sovereign fiat,
spoke the world into existence. That is absolutely true. And
if you believe this book, you'll believe that is true. But that
in and of itself is not the gospel. Satan believes that his God created
this world with his own words. Satan knows God created him. And Satan, I said this at a funeral
one time, the guy automatically knew I was a Calvinist. Satan
can't spit unless God gives him say so. He can't spit. The gospel is about Christ. Two
weeks ago, we looked at the gospel defined. Paul does not define
the gospel here. He mentions its power. and that
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, to everyone that
believeth, but he doesn't deal with the details. I tried to
define those details somewhat a couple weeks ago. Today, I
want to look at this, this is not my title, gospel recipients. In other words, here's my title,
here's my subject. Who truly benefits from the gospel? Who truly benefits from the gospel? This book is clear. Reality makes it clear. The book makes it clear. Reality
makes it clear. Not all do benefit from the gospel. Is that not a reality? Has everyone
who's ever heard the gospel preached benefited from the gospel? No. As a matter of fact, you know
the passage, don't turn to it. Peter says there's some people,
it'd have been better for them not to have heard the way of
truth. That after they've turned, or after they've heard it, to
turn from that holy commandment which was delivered unto them.
So again I say, Paul makes it clear that the gospel is limited
in scope and intention, in purpose, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. Now, rather than me bungling
this, you hear what I said? Rather than me bungling this
with many words, I just have three passages that I wanna give
you that show us this truth. Only some benefit from the gospel.
Others do not benefit from the gospel. Now let me just stop, turn to
Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews chapter four. You remember
the subject, my title, my subject, it's all this. Who truly benefits
from the gospel? Hebrews four verse one, the writer
says, let us therefore fear, lest a promise be left us of
entering into his rest, and that rest is The Christ of God. I don't have time to go into
it, but it's the Christ of God. Of entering into his rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it. Do not ever take this
thing for granted. Don't ever take it for granted.
Somebody says, well, I believed this all my life. You're a liar.
You ain't believed this all your life. As one lady told Henry
Mahan, or may have been a man, I don't remember right off, she
said, well, I've been a believer all my life. He said, that's
impossible. That's impossible. Hebrew says,
for, here's why we should fear. Take this thing seriously. Do
not be flippant or presumptuous about this matter. For unto us
was the gospel preached as well unto them. The context is those
Jews in the wilderness. Those whose carcasses fell in
the wilderness because of unbelief. For unto us was the, now notice
it doesn't say, we had a gospel preached to us just like they
had a gospel preached to them. That's not what he says, is it?
For unto us was the gospel preached as well as the gospel was preached
unto them. The same gospel. Now maybe more
detail now. And Joe, now we know his name.
It is Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord. We know his actual human
name, Jesus of Nazareth. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached, that's the gospel
now, but the word preached did not profit them. Is that what
it says? Did not profit them, why? Not
being mixed, and that word, if you translate it, you can say
commingle, like this. Not being mixed with faith in
them that heard it. There is a from faith to faith.
Now, let me rephrase that. This is an illustration of a
lack of from faith to faith. It defines to us what from faith
to faith is. When the faith of the gospel,
that is the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ is preached,
it must fall upon ground that is ground that is a good heart,
a heart that God has bestowed life within and faith within. And then we hear this truth. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Now as I've said before, it does
not state faith comes into existence by hearing. Because faith is
eternal. Because faith is a fruit of God. And a fruit of God only. And listen to me, I've said it
before but I was wrong. God don't create faith in his
elect when he regenerates and converts them. He gives them. That faith, when he regenerates
them, and he gives them faith that is then manifested when
they hear the gospel from faith to faith, they believe. They
believe. Now someone says, well, then
men and women are lost because God don't give them faith. Wrong. Wrong. Men and women are lost
because of unbelief. And unbelief is not a lack of
faith. because I am persuaded I have faith right now. But I
also know, I also know I have unbelief right now. So faith
is not the absence of unbelief. Unbelief is not the absence of
faith. Unbelief is positive disbelief in God. Men do not profit from
the gospel unless God gives them faith. But men perish because
of their unbelief. Now, I have to drop that, right,
because the more I try to explain that, the more I say, well, I
will fog the issue. But folks, that is the truth. Here's another passage, 2 Corinthians
chapter two. 2 Corinthians chapter two. Now, this is nothing new. but I was just trying to emphasize.
Who truly benefits from the gospel? Not all benefit. Those old Jews
back there in the wilderness, not all of them benefited, did
they? They perished in the wilderness because of what? Unbelief. Because
faith, the faith that's preached in the gospel must be co-mingled
with faith inside an individual. 2 Corinthians chapter two, verse
14, Paul writes, now thanks be unto God, which always causes
us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of
his knowledge by us in every place. Now, this doesn't mean
that the apostle or a prophet or a missionary or a pastor teacher
or a believer is going to triumph in everything they do. That is
not what he's talking about here. But it don't matter who you are,
if you're a believer, apostle, prophet, missionary, evangelist,
he calls it in the KJV, a pastor, teacher, or a believer who's
witnessing to someone else of the truth of Christ. When we
testify to the truth of the person and work of Christ, it always
triumphs. But does that mean everybody
that hears it always believes? No. I mean, reality proves that
to us, does it not? But look, for we are unto God
a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved and in them that
perish. To the one we're a saver of death,
unto death. You see, for an unregenerate
individual, when they hear the gospel, it is nothing to them
but death. It is not good news to them,
though it is good news. It is death unto death, and to
the other, the savor of life unto life. And of course the
question comes up, and who is sufficient for these things? Is it because of the preacher?
Has nothing to do with the preacher. You have three men that preach
to you almost every Sunday. We have one missing today, preaching
somewhere else. And our styles and manners and
delivery is all three different. All three different. But salvation
doesn't depend upon the deliverer who's preaching the message.
It depends upon the power of God. Now God will use live preaching. Some may be listening to me live
over electronic devices. Some may hear this not live,
but hear it recorded later, Joe. Or some may, or if we're not
putting this in right, it may read a message written out of
men that preached years ago when they didn't even have recording
devices. Still the gospel. And you can read that, and if
God Almighty accompanies that in power, and it's the gospel,
it'll be life in the life. But no matter how true it is,
how eloquently delivered or how uneloquently delivered the deliverer
gives the message. If that person is dead and trespasses
and sins, it will be a message of death unto them. But it's
a sweet savor to God in Christ nonetheless. Amen. For we are
not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity,
but as of God in the sight of God, so speak we in Christ. First Peter chapter two. Is there
any question? Is there any question to the
reality? Does the gospel benefit everyone? No. No. As a matter of fact, the gospel
only adds to some men's condemnation. And I quoted that from Peter.
It'd been better for them not to. Does that mean they wouldn't
have went to hell? Wouldn't have perished? No sir. But when a
man or a woman hears the truth and then disbelieves God, it
adds to their condemnation. Now Mac, what that means in the
judgment and in hell, lake of fire, I don't know. But I know
God said so. It'll be more tolerable for Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for some people that Christ
preached to and they rejected him. Their problem wasn't they
didn't have faith. Their problem was they disbelieved
God. But the only way the gospel will
profit you or I is God gives us faith. First Peter chapter
two. Now let's look at, start in verse
six. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold, I lay
in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded. What's that mean?
Have you ever been confounded, confused when you read the Bible?
Yeah, I have. And if you're telling me this
morning you ain't, I'm gonna call you a liar right now. That's
just the way it is. What it's all about, you will
not be ashamed or offended in Jesus Christ. That's what it's
talking about. It doesn't mean you're gonna
understand all this book. No, you won't understand all
this book. And do you therefore which believe he is, what? Precious,
and that's the whole thing. I mean, I cannot tell absolutely,
but I can tell, at least in some quasi manner, whether Christ
is really precious to a person or not. And we'll look at that
here in a moment. and to you therefore which believe,
he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient. So see,
it's not just the absence of believing. It's not the absence
of believing, it is being disobedient that is their problem. That's
the problem. God doesn't send men to the lake
of fire simply because God was pleased to damn some people.
Men and women are damned, they're judged because of their sin and
sins against God. Unto you therefore which believe
he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient. The stone
which the builders disallowed, and that's what men do when they're
in unbelief concerning Christ, they disallow him. Oh, they have
a spurt of emotion for a little bit, but it don't last. The only time they usually have
a spurt of emotion is when somebody else is talking to them about
the gospel. We're gonna look at, I'm talking about a time
when you're by yourself and ain't nobody but you and God around.
And God's got you hedged in so that you can't turn up or down
or left or right or forward or backward. That's what I'm talking
about. Disobedient the stone which the
builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner
and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense Unto them which
stumble at the word being disobedient Wherein to also they were appointed
But there's a group of people that that's not true about but
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation,
a peculiar people. How did we get that way? Through
an act of God in Christ Jesus. That you should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. At one time you were no people,
but now you've attained what? Mercy. Mercy. Now three things. I'll give you these three things.
I have one passage for each of these three things. I will make
some comments from those passages, and then we will close this thing
out. Turn to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. This is my first
point. Mark chapter 16. Remember, who
truly benefits from the gospel? My first point, are you there?
Mark 16. All are to have the gospel preached
unto them. You hear me? All are to have
the gospel preached unto them. Someone says, well, and they
try to rationalize these things. The natural mind tries to, well,
if it's not for all people, why do we preach it to all people?
Because we don't know who God's elect people are. We don't know,
they don't have a mark on their outside somewhere. They don't
wear certain kinds of clothes. There's one in the neck, I'll
preach to them. Look at what our Lord told the disciples.
In Mark chapter 16, just two verses. And he said unto them,
this is Christ speaking, go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. Now I ask you, does that mean
we go preach to dogs and cats and lizards? And snakes? Of course
not. That's not what that's talking
about. This is talking about humankind. Trees are creatures. Now they may not be sentient
creatures as we claim we are. I've heard that phrase before.
But they're a created thing. You don't go preach to the trees.
Look. Go into all the world, preach
the gospel to every creature. Again, the natural mind, the
unregenerate mind, the unbelieving minds as well. It must be them
because God wants to save every creature. Isn't that a natural conclusion?
Yes. It is a natural conclusion. But
I'm gonna tell you something. These disciples right at this
time still didn't get the magnitude of what Christ was saying to
them. Because when Peter had that vision, remember? That sheep
come down, all them polliwogs, as Earl used to say, and gophers,
and frogs, and catfish, and God said, slay and eat. And Peter
said, not so, Lord. I ain't nothing ever unclean, enter these lips. God wasn't talking about those
creatures. He was talking about humankind creatures. Now what's
the point I'm trying to make? In the Old Testament, it is prophesied
that God's people will be scattered throughout all the world. And
God would gather them into Christ, out from all the world. Never
ever did God ever declare or preach, never has he preached
or declared in this book that he wants to save all humankind
without exception, never. Even John 3.16 lets us know that. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish. So therefore it's only for who?
Believers. Believers. And I can say it this
way, Christ died for believers. And nobody else. Now he died
for those believers before they were believers, but he died only
for believers. And they'll all come to believe
and believe what? And he that believeth, believeth
what? Anything? Everything? Some things, deep things, shallow
things, believes Christ. I know it don't say that there,
but it says that there. Now you hear what I'm saying?
Because you either believe Christ or you'll perish. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. Don't you shrug that off. Don't
you shrug that off. Because if you truly believe
Christ, you are going into the waters of baptism. You will submit
to his command. That's right. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not. And that's all it takes. It's
not he that is baptized not. He that believeth not, wasn't
saved, shall be damned. So Christ is actually telling
us here, actually was telling the disciples, this is not a
command for me to go into all the world, I can't do that. This
is not even a command for this local assembly only to go into
all the world. We can't do that. I guess in an extent, though,
we maybe are now, aren't we? With the electron, there are
people maybe in Zimbabwe today listening to me preach, I don't
know. Amazing. But yet, what does he say? Some
people's not gonna believe. You know what he says here? And
they shall be what? Damned. And justly so. It's not a sad consequence from
God's perspective. It might be mine if I'm an unbeliever,
but God purposed it so. So all are to be preached to,
but it's not because God's trying to save everybody. It's because
God has his children scattered throughout all the world. Even
Ananias preached that and didn't know he was preaching that. when
he said, it is expedient that this man die, not only for this
nation, but for the whole world, for everybody. He was saying,
this man needs to be dead and gone. He's causing too much trouble. But the book tells us, he being
the high priest that year, spake by the power of the Spirit. He
didn't know what he was saying, but he was saying that all the children
of God should be scattered from all around. That's what it's
about. Here's the second thing. but all preached to will not
benefit. Acts chapter 13. This was prophesied
in the Old Testament. Paul preaching in Acts 13, we're
recorded this now therefore. Wait a minute, I'm in the wrong
chapter. Acts chapter 13. Be it known, verse 38, be it
known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Not that
you can have forgiveness of sins, but that forgiveness of sins
is wrought by this man. It's preached to you, not offered
to you. It's preached to you. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things by which it could not be justified
by the law of Moses. Beware therefore lest that come
upon you which is spoken in the prophets. Some people gonna hear
this and will not ever be able to believe. Now I paraphrase
that, but you read it for yourself. Is that what it says? Here's
the third thing. Who really benefits? Turn to
1 Thessalonians. Now this, my time is about up
as far as time for a TV broadcast. So those who made us hear it
on TV, if you wanna hear the rest of it, you'll just have
to go back. This will all be recorded, God willing. But I'm gonna park
here for just the last few minutes. Who really benefits from the
gospel? First Thessalonians one. Paul
and Silvanus and Timotheus, under the church of the Thessalonians,
which is in God the Father, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace
be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention
of you in our prayers. And folks, and I don't say this
because I think people don't, let's pray for one another. Why? Because God delights in it. Not because we're going to move
God to do something, but God delights in us calling upon Him.
Prayer is saying, God, we can't do it. You got to do it. That's
what prayer is. Now, it ain't what my prayers
always, but usually my prayers are telling God what I want to
happen. How about you? Well, God, this is all I want.
I want this, I want that. That's not what we're talking
about. It's not the prayer I'm talking about. Remember without ceasing your
work of faith and labor of love, patience of hope in the Lord
Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father, knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God. Now how is that possible? This book teaches that the election,
when God chose a people, and he chose a people, I'm not debating
that. I used to want to argue about that. I don't argue about
that with people anymore. I hope to God I don't start back
up again. God chose his people in Christ before the world began. And he doesn't have their names
written down for us to read. But he has their names written
down. And it's the Lamb's book of life. That book of life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So how can you
know that a person is elect? It's not about believing in election,
it's about believing Jesus Christ because God chose you to do so.
That's what it's about. So how could Paul say to these
Thessalonians, I know God chose you, here it is, for our gospel
came not to you in word only. Now it must come in word in some
fashion. In some fashion. If a person
is physically deaf, Joe, they will probably find some kind
of braille, a message of the gospel in braille. Don't you
figure? Now, could God give them a vision?
Maybe so, but that vision better be the truth of God as recorded
in this scripture. I'm not gonna try to put God
in a box, but the word has to come in word, in some way. But, our gospel came not to you
in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost. This power
is the same word that Paul used in Romans 1, verse 16 and 17.
The gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It is
not in the preacher. The power's not in the preacher.
I was born and raised that when a man got to a certain fevered
pitch and was preaching and animated and boy, wasn't that a powerful
delivery of that message, that's not what we're talking about.
It might have been a powerful delivery of a message. And it
may be a powerful delivery of a false message. It's not in
the power of the person doing the preaching, it's in God Almighty
attending the truth being preached in the gospel. And this gospel
will conquer your soul. We get our word dynamite from
the Greek word. In other words, God's gonna blow
you apart. He gonna blow you apart. For our gospel came not
to you in word only. A person that this happens to,
let's say they're here this morning, and this happens to, they ain't
gonna be able to forget it tomorrow, or the next day, or let it slide.
Let me tell you something, you leave out of here, oh it bothers
you for a while, and then you just go on about your merry way,
and you just start doing what you always did. That wasn't the
gospel and the power of God. When the gospel comes, if the
gospel comes to you as the power of God and in the Holy Ghost,
you won't be able to get away from it even if you run like
Jonah. Where gospel came not to you
in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance. Much assurance of what? Much assurance that
you're nothing but a corrupt rebel against God. You'll be
assured of that. God'll make you the taste of
that and you won't be able to get that nasty taste out of your
mouth. That's right. But also much assurance
that God's Christ is the only Redeemer. God's Christ is my
only hope. And much assurance, as you know
what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Look, and
ye became followers, Now it amazed me when I first, it dawned on
me how Paul wrote this. You became followers of us and
of the Lord. Did he put us first, talking
of himself and other gospel preachers because they were more preeminent
than the Lord? No. But your first point of contact
with God's truth's gonna be another sinner that he saved by his grace.
And if God sends you one man, or a woman for that matter, Not
a woman pastor, but a woman telling you the truth. If God sends you
one or 15 and they all, God is pleased to use them all to bring
that gospel to you and it's in the power of God in the Holy
Spirit, you'll love each and every one of those people. I
love Charles Spurgeon. But I never met the man, he was
dead when I was born. But you know why I love him?
Because God used his preaching of the gospel to at least begin
a converting point in my soul. And then I've turned around and criticized
him. How inconsistent are we? But you became followers of what,
of us? Don't tell me that you're a follower
of the Lord. if you don't want to be around
God's people. Now just quit fooling yourself,
quit deceiving yourself, quit leaning on your profession and
your knowledge of doctrine. If you don't want to be with
God's people, you're not one of God's people. You got to spend
eternity with his people. Granted, they'll be better folk
when eternity comes. But if you don't wanna spend
eternity with them, if you don't wanna spend time with them now,
you ain't gonna spend time with them in eternity. And I say that
not to be mean, I say that because I care about men and women's
souls. And this coronavirus has exposed a lot of people. A lot
of people. But you know what I found out?
Those who loved the gospel before the virus hit still love the
gospel now and make every effort they can, things hinder, to be
with God's people. It's the ones who said, well,
I just can't do it, that coronavirus is too dangerous, or my spouse
this, or me this. They're the ones that never once
come to start with. They had other excuses now, now they think
they got a reason. So may preacher you be in me,
know I'm being as loving as any fallen son of Adam could ever
be to another fallen son or daughter of Adam. trying to tell you the
truth about ourselves and the truth about Jesus Christ. Look,
you became followers of us and of the Lord. Now here's a, having
received the word and much affliction. What's he talking about? Now
does he mean when the gospel's being preached, there were people
out banging on the window saying, that's a bunch of lies, we hate
that old Jew, Paul. Don't listen to him, is that
what he's talking about? This word affliction comes from a
Greek word which means a real narrow, deep trench. And the
implication is you're in that trench, and you're stuck. I'm telling you, when God Almighty
sends his gospel to you in power and in the Holy Ghost, he gonna
put you down in that ditch, stuck! And you can't move up, down,
right, left, back, or forward. You're gonna be shut up unto
the Lord Jesus Christ. and your sin and your sins will
haunt you. You will come to understand to
some degree I deserve to go to hell. If God puts me in hell,
there's not a merit one I could offer to him because even my
righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. God's gonna
hem you in before he ever turns you loose. God's gonna make you
know you're lost before he ever saves you. God's gonna make you
to know how naked you are in righteousness before him, before
he ever closed you with the righteousness of Christ. You got to know you're
a sinner, an ungodly sinner, before he ever makes you a saint.
A saint. You became followers of us and
of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction.
This is with joy in the Holy Ghost. I don't think you realize
that right at first. You know what I mean? When God
hymns you in, it ain't a happy place to be. I mean, I remember
I was reading the Bible one day. No, nobody was preaching to me.
Wait a minute, they were. Isn't the Apostle Paul a preacher?
Is this not the word of God? Now, I'm not saying just any
old blow joke and read this and decide I'm gonna find God out.
That's not what I'm talking about. But you don't have to hear me
preaching live. God can stick your face in this
book and then stick you down in that trench and hem you in. And I remember God hemming me
in. And Joe, I didn't even really
know Christ yet, but God began to show me how corrupt I was. And I was at that time a young
preacher who had given up all the things you're supposed to
give up and was trying to take on all the things you're supposed
to take on. And Mac, he made me to know you are nothing in
my sight in yourself. And that wasn't a pleasant place
to be. But when God began to reveal to me the person and work
of his son, there was joy in the Holy Ghost, wasn't it? What
else is gonna leak out on you, as Earl used to say? Other believers
are gonna recognize this. Go ahead and read it. You became
examples, not to all of your idolaters, no, to all that believe. It looks like God's done something
for them folk. That's what he's talking about. And then look,
verse nine, for they themselves show of us what mattering of
entering in we had unto you, because God uses this means. You despise, somebody says, well,
I'm not gonna believe what that preacher says, because I don't
like his manners. I hope that's true. I hope you
can come to despise my manners, but love my Lord. and love me
in spite of my manners. You understand what I'm saying?
Some men that stand behind this desk or other desks may be far
more amicable and loving than I am, but Joe is not about us. And I'm afraid there's some folk,
they started believing the gospel because they like the preacher.
They like his delivery, they like his style. No, you got to
be following Christ. You got this, it's us and the
Lord. Boy, I love that preacher. Do
you love Christ? And I know some of you have experienced
this before. And I don't mean to throw off, no, no. Henry Mahan,
God used that man. in our age and is still using
that man though he's dead to bless many of his people and
call out many of his people in this world. But some of you one
time heard some folks at a conference basically say, in a ladies restroom
I believe it was, that basically, I don't know why all these others
preach, y'all just have Henry preach. That's basically what
was said. That scares me. There are some men that I like
to listen to better than others. But I know the problem is in
here. The problem's not with those
other men. The problem is in here. As a matter of fact, Paul is
clear in 1 Corinthians 3, that is walking as a man in the flesh. When you brag about the preacher
rather than the Christ he's trying to preach. Here's another hallmark
who it really benefits. and to wait for his son from
heaven. Here's the question. Are you
just waiting to die, or are you waiting for his son from heaven?
Are you just waiting for the rapture, or are you waiting for
his son from heaven? That's the question. Because
either way, Christ will come and get you. Whether he takes
you in death, or he takes you in the rapture. He gonna come
and get you. And God's people are looking
forward to that day. I will not be here forever. I
don't know who will be here when I'm gone or who won't be here
when I'm gone, but I will not be here forever if this world
stands for another 50 years. As a matter of fact, most, maybe
some of us, most every one of us gonna be gone. And there may
be nothing here. Somebody may come along and level
this building. You understand what I'm saying? but the God
we're preaching is calling out his people by the gospel. And
folks, I thank God for you. Because this small group, we
don't know, this small group, God has been pleased to use all
over this world. It's amazing to me. You know,
I told you, no, we're not gonna give out everybody the codes
to get on Sermon Audio, but some of us can get on Sermon Audio
and we see all the places that hears me and Joe and Paul preach
to other men. Let me ask you, how many preachers
do you know that has two TV broadcasts and ask other men to come in
and preach messages for that TV broadcast? How many do you
know? You know why I want to do that?
Because I know it ain't about me. I know it may be, maybe God
might use that man to call out one of his people. It may not
be ordained for me to do it. It ain't about me. I know there
are people who think it is, but it ain't about me. It's about Christ. Father, bless
us. by the preaching of thy truth
and the power of thy Holy Spirit and thy gospel, in Christ's name,
amen.