Turn to 2 Peter, 2 Peter chapter
one. I'm not going to read the passage
at large. I will begin with just a couple
verses, then I will deal with a few others. But I want to ask
you this morning, you know, relax, take a deep breath. We'll be
here for just a little bit. Plan on eating together today,
God willing. And I have something for you this morning. The question
is, I pray God has something for you this morning. You know, when you, at least to some degree,
when you realize what you are by nature, and then you realize
you have to stand and publicly speak to men and women about
their corruption and the absolute holiness of God, it makes you
feel not even that tall. Because it is. Who is sufficient
for these things? And even the Apostle Paul, that's
his words. I have a little bit of an idea
what he meant. And Mason, that man had the care
of all the churches. The only care I really have,
I'm talking about that responsibility, is this little small group right
here. And whenever you do this, you
know, because people come in here and it doesn't matter who
it was, it doesn't matter, but boy, Walter's cocky. And you
know, yeah, they're right. They're right. But then somebody
else comes along, comes in, says, well, Walter needs to quit apologizing
for himself. It's like, you can't make everybody
happy all the time. If you are, you're lying to them.
And you're lying to yourself. The one thing is true, as Joe
and I stand here, we are not preaching ourselves. But ourselves,
your servants, for Jesus' sake, we're preaching Him. And that's
what people really don't like. If we stood up and preached about
us and how boy we used to be a sinner and now we've straightened
up our life and we serve the Lord, we'd be far more accepted
in society today. But because we tell men and women
what they truly are by nature, and we continue to keep hammering
on it, and hammering on it, and hammering on it, and then say
the only answer to your problem, which is you, you are your problem,
the only answer to your problem is Jesus Christ, they hate that
more than anything else in this world. They don't even mind election
as long as you tell them God chose you because of something
you do. If you give men the credit, they
don't mind any doctrine of scripture. So then, let's look at 1 Peter
for a moment. Chapter one, I will read because
to give you what I want to try to do this morning is found in
these two verses. 2 Peter, did I say 1 Peter? If I did, 2 Peter, I'm sorry.
2 Peter 1 in verse 12. Wherefore, so that lets us know
he's continuing here with his train of thought. Wherefore,
I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of
these things, though you know them. And be established in the
present truth. In other words, he's saying it
doesn't matter that you already know this and you're established
in it. I'm gonna keep hammering on it and hammering on it and
hammering on it. So-called Christianity today despises that. It's what
Tim James called that splendid redundancy. Just line upon line
upon line. God's people love it. but the
unregenerate hate it. It's boring. It drives them mad. You just keep saying the same
things over and over and over. That's right, because we're saying
it over and over. Peradventure, God will give somebody
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. There is nothing
deeper to go to other than the personal work of Jesus Christ. Prophecy, future events, they
don't cut it compared to the personal work of Jesus Christ.
Of course, whatever is still prophecy, whatever is, God Almighty
and the person of his son is in sovereign control of all of
it. Now, wherefore, I will be negligent to put you always in
remembrance of these things, though you know them and be established
in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, it is proper. I think it meet, as long as I
am in this tabernacle. In other words, I'm gonna do
this till the day I die. Isn't that what Peter's saying? It
ain't gonna change. You know, there are people who've
been here, left, got upset. They come back and they think,
well, maybe things will be different. It'll be just like it always
was. We're still the same old sinners.
We've not got any more holy. Jesus Christ hadn't stepped down
off the throne one iota, so it's still all the same. It's still
all the same. Yeah, I think it meat as long
as I'm in this, as I am in this tabernacle. And then he says,
to stir you up. Now, if a man claims to be sent
to preach the gospel and he's not trying to stir you up, he
ain't sent to preach the gospel. If he's just trying to make you
feel good, just trying to make you feel comfortable with yourself,
he's a liar. He's not called of God to stir
you up by putting you in remembrance. I wanna keep hammering on these
things and just keep putting it before you and putting it
before you. It's what some of the old writers used to call
pressing upon men and women the claims of Christ. I like that
phrase, I like that phrase. Now, inspiration declares, and
I say that, not just out of left field, you'll see it here. Inspiration
declares that it is meet, it's proper to be reminded of some
things. Yes, sir. Right? Yes, sir. And
inspiration declares it, because you'll look at what Peter goes
on to say in just a moment, what it goes on to write. He said,
I had this marvelous experience on the top of this mountain.
Do you remember the account? Peter, James, and John, Christ
took them up into that mountain, and they seen things that no
other individuals, other than maybe Paul, when he was caught
up into the third heaven, no other individuals have ever seen.
And yet, Peter says, we got a more sure word of prophecy than that.
Even that glorious experience means nothing compared to what?
This right here. God Almighty's inspired word. This, if it's not taught here,
end under the auspices of the new covenant. That's why a lot
of they read the Bible and say, I'm confused. So if they don't
realize there was an old covenant, it's done away. Now we're under
the new covenant. And the fact that the new covenant
is officiated and brought into pass and relegated all by the
person of Jesus Christ, that's why they don't want to have anything
to do with it. Because he's in charge of it all. Inspiration
declares that it is me, it's proper. Why? Because Peter wrote
it down being moved by God to say this. I'm sure Peter said a lot of
things in his life that weren't inspired of God. But when he
wrote this epistle, Mason, It is God Almighty's mind opened
up. At least in language, opened
up for us. To be put in remembrance of God's
great truth. And you're right, Joe. A lot
of things are true, but there's only one truth. A lot of things
may be true. The law is true, but the law
is not the truth. You know that? The law is true, but it's not
the truth. John said so. The law was given by Moses. Grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. The law is true. It's holy, it's
just, it's good. But it's not truth. Somebody
says, I don't understand that. I'm sad. I'm sad that you don't.
Shows a lot. Says a lot about you. to be put
in remembrance of God's great truth, ushers in, according to
Peter, being inspired now, never forget that, according to Peter,
it ushers in spiritual stability and assurance. Now look at verse
10, wherefore. So we realize he's still going
on about a, this is the previous statement he made to what I just
read, but he's going on from something else. Wherefore the
rather brethren, rather than being like the man in the previous
two or three verses, wherefore the rather brethren give diligence,
So that means pay some attention to this. Pay some attention,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Now let me
say this, there's nothing you can do to get yourself called
or elected. Peter is not saying now go out
here and do something and that way you can make sure you're
called and elected. That's not what he's talking
about. God Almighty calls men at His sovereign pleasure, at
His sovereign time. Peter's saying you better check
and find out if what happened to you is really what happens
to those God saves. Look back and see what happened
in your life and see if it was real, if it was of God. Now I have not and will not,
will try not to use the word here, experience. I'm talking
about what God Almighty does to an individual when He saves
them. Now, experience is not a bad word, but here's the problem
with experience. A lot of people have had experiences,
and don't ever say, well, you didn't have an experience. Yeah,
they had an experience, but it's an experience of Satan. It's
an experience of error. It's an experience of, they can
even have a wrong experience under gospel preaching. Simon
the Sorcerer did. He believed in so much he seemed
so real that Philip baptized him. And then when Peter comes
along, he showed what he really was. You see it? You see what
I'm saying? So I'm not just talking about
them out there. I'm talking about right here, even here. Don't
think because you come here, you automatically have a lock
on God's truth. Look at it, but here's what,
make your calling and action short for you. If you do these
things, be constantly mindful of this. Did God really call
me? because the only way I can know
if I'm chosen is if God called me. Nobody can know they're elect
until God calls them. Well, I think I'm one of the
elect. I got a little concern. A lot of people had concern.
A lot of people has concern. Every one of those people that
said, Lord, Lord, had concern. The man that built his house
on the sand, he had concern, but he was on the wrong foundation.
And what happened to his house? The fall of it was great. If
you do these things, you should never fall. For so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you see it?
That's what I said. To be put in remembrance of God's
great truth ushers in spiritual stability and assurance. This
morning, what I want to try to talk about, what I want to try
to do is to put you in remembrance. When I say you, I mean myself
as well. Let's concentrate on Peter's
first amazing thought with the idea of remembrance. Look at
what he says. This is amazing. Chapter one, second Peter, verse
one. Simon Peter, a servant, and an
apostle of Jesus Christ. I could preach probably for months
upon that, but that's not the point I want to remind you about.
You know that part, but you know the other part too. But remember,
I'm gonna put you in remembrance even though you know it and established
it. But I'm getting tired of hearing it, preacher, then go
somewhere else. That's just it. Go somewhere
else. You'll find a place that'll preach
to you what you want to hear. I'm preaching to you what I know
you need to hear. because God Almighty sent me, and if that's
cockiness, but it ain't about me. God Almighty sent me, I know
that. Now look, to them, here's the
amazing, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. If you
got faith by your free will, you don't have this kind of faith
Simon Peter's talking about. I'm not gonna sit and argue with
them if free will real or not. If your experience is your free
will brought you faith and you believe in Jesus by your free
will, you don't have this kind of faith. Because this kind of
faith is obtained how? Through the righteousness of
God, not through free will. It says it. to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. The fact that I have a God-given
faith this morning is because God Almighty did right. Yeah,
that's because God Almighty did right and he did right through
the person and work of his son. Somebody says, boy, that's a
bold statement to make about yourself. I'm not making that
statement about myself. I'm making that statement about
God. So you don't get it. You still haven't understood.
You still haven't heard. If you think I'm talking or bragging
or having merit to myself. I want to put us in remembrance.
Note the wording. It doesn't say to them who have
obtained like precious righteousness through the gift of faith. Although
we could say that's true. But that's not what Peter says,
that's not what he's talking about. So you see what I'm pointing
out here? If you have faith, this faith,
you obtained it by righteous act of God. And through Jesus
Christ the Lord. That's the only way you'll ever
obtain this kind of faith. This like precious faith, not
just any old kind of faith. Remember those people that knocked.
They had faith, Joe. They had faith, but they had
faith in themselves. They had faith in themselves. Have we
not? Have we not? They expected to
enter in because of what they did, not because of a righteous
act of God. So again, I want to put you,
put us in remembrance. So let's concentrate on this
for just a moment. May God, may God enable us this
morning to remember. Remember. And I will give you
this, kind of probably sum it up, the message up this way.
You realize that you cannot go back to a place you've never
been. It's just a human impossibility. You cannot go back to a place
you've never been. You cannot remember something
that never happened to you. So, oh God, help us to be honest
with our souls this morning. And I'm not going to give you
my experience, because my experience don't mean squat. I'm going to
give us what men and women experienced in this book when God Almighty
moved upon them in free, sovereign, saving grace, and I must ask
myself, you should ask yourself, does my calling fit that? Because if it doesn't, I don't
care what kind of calling you had, what kind of experience
you had, it was not of God. You understand what I'm saying?
You understand what I'm saying? First of all, and I'm not going,
this is just prelude, I'm still on the introduction. First of
all, when it has obtained like precious faith through the righteousness
of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, one, we have obtained like precious
faith with them through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ
because of God's sovereign purpose. Go back sometime and look at
Ephesians one, verses three through six. God predestinated a people
and chose that people. And God was right in carrying
out that purpose. He goes on to say, even believing,
having heard the word, even believing is included in that purpose.
Right? So Mason, when somebody believes,
having been predestinated and chosen, it's because of the righteousness
of God. God is doing right in fulfilling
his sovereign predestinating will. Secondly, We've obtained
like precious faith with them, that's with the apostle, others
who have this truly, this true like precious faith. We've obtained
this like precious faith through the righteousness of God and
our Savior Jesus Christ by Christ's substitutionary sacrifice in
our place. Romans 8 verse 32. He that delivered
him up for us all. And go look at the passage, the
us all are a particular people. Go look at it, it's what it says.
He that delivered him up for us all, if he died for me, how
shall God not with him also freely give us all things? Is faith necessary? Absolutely. Where does it come through? Comes
by a righteous act of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Is repentance
necessary? Now we're talking about faith,
but is repentance, absolutely. But how's that come? God grants
it based upon the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. That's what
Romans 8 verse 32 sums it up clearly. If Christ died for you,
God's gonna give you everything else you need. And if Christ
didn't die for you, he'll leave you right where you are and you
will get your just reward in hell. And God will have offended
you, not one iota. But if he saves you, it'll be
all free, absolute sovereign grace. Thirdly, We've obtained
like precious faith with them, that's with Peter, with these
others in scriptures, through the righteousness of God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the creative act of the Spirit
and regeneration and the power of the Spirit, attending gospel
preaching. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13 through
14. Where Paul said to the Thessalonians,
I'm bound. That's a duty thing. The truth
is such that I'm bound to give thanks always to God for you
brethren Beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning
Chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and that always must come first and belief of the truth and that
always must be If you don't believe lies, you believe free will religion,
you're believing the lie, you'll perish. Through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth, where unto he called you? By our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, my brothers and sisters,
God make us remember, but remember the facts. Remember the facts. Don't, oh God help you, don't
deceive yourself. You hear me, any of you? I'm
looking you in the eyes. Don't deceive yourselves. If I could
look myself, don't deceive yourself. Don't say, when I give you these
things, well, I'm close to that. But it really don't matter. After
all, I'm a chapel. I'm under sovereign grace preaching.
That's not a solid foundation, folks. Oh God, make us to remember,
and remember what? Properly. Remember the facts. You know, sometimes the spirit
reveals things to men, but unless he regenerates them, they'll
see some truth. But if they're unregenerate,
they will rebel against that truth and twist that truth to
fit their own experience, rather than bowing down and saying,
my experience don't meet that. You see what I'm saying? I hope
you see what I'm saying. So then, let us remember that
what happened to God's people recorded in scripture, and that's
the standard, right? I mean, in other words, this
book says God saved. I want to know how did he save
them, right? Now, I've given you the foundation
of it in them first three points, but now I'm talking about what
happens to you when God Almighty lays hold of a man or a woman.
You understand where I'm coming from now? Let us remember that
what happened to God's people recorded in scripture, this has
come upon us also with them. Obtained like precious faith
with us. So Peter's saying, I'm no better
than you are. Right? You're no better than I am. And
people don't get that. Well, so and so don't love me
enough. You're not lovable. You're not lovable. The love
of God's people is in Christ. We love what God has done for
other people because he's done for us the same thing he has
for them. And we can relate to that and
to them. and they still know they're a
sinner. And every time they point their finger at somebody else,
eventually God will smite their heart and realize, oh, what a
hypocrite I am. Well, I'm not treated right.
You don't deserve to be treated right. Get off your high horse
of pride and may God shove your face in the dust and realize
it's not me you gotta meet up to. It's not Joe you gotta meet
up to, it's the holy, thrice holy God of heaven and earth. He's the one before whom you'll
stand or fall. Quit worrying about other sinners.
Quit worrying about what they think about you. You best be
concerned what God thinks about you. Help me, God, help me to
remember. Two aspects to remember. First
of all, God has wrought upon us That's what I'm saying, God
has wrought upon us. Now you can turn to it if you
wish. I'm not gonna read it. But you go back to John chapter
16. I'll make a few statements if you wish to turn there. John
chapter 16, verses seven through 14 in particular, our Lord Jesus
Christ said this, the spirit of truth must come. And when
he has come, he will prove the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment. And unless that happens to you,
you are not saved. Right? I mean, I'm not gonna
sit here and argue with that. It's just the way it is. That's
God's ordained way. He will reprove, not try to reprove,
not make reproof possible, not give them a good nudge and then
they finish it up. He will reprove the world of
sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Remember? Remember when God convinced you
of your unbelief? Do you remember that? Now, if
you say to yourself, well, I've always believed, Walter, then
you don't know. You've not been wrought upon.
Well, I've always believed. No, you haven't. See, the first
thing the Spirit of God does when he works upon a man or a
woman is convince them that they are in unbelief. I've brought
up another truth. I've believed this since I was
born. You believed up here. You might even believe here,
but you haven't believed by an act of the righteous God. Because
God Almighty sent himself in the person of the Spirit. That's
all I'd say. He sent even Christ, because
he's called the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is in you.
Sent his Spirit himself into this world to convince us of
the first thing is what? Our unbelief. Our unbelief. to convince them of sin. What's
my main sin? What's my main problem? Unbelief. If I believed God as God deserved
to be believed and as I ought to believe, I would never sin
again. But I can't. I'm still reproved of unbelief
today. Today. Remember when God convinced
you of your absolute lack of righteousness? Have you ever
been convinced of your absolute lack? Not just you have some
unrighteousness. What'd he say? Convinced the
word of righteousness. Why? Because I go to the Father
and you see me no more. He is the only source of absolute righteousness. And when you don't see him, you
don't see any absolute righteousness. That lets me know that when I
see me, what am I seeing, Joe? that even my righteousnesses
are as filthy rags in God's sight. Amen. You remember when God convinced
you that God must judge everything that's fallen? Yes, sir. Of sin, of righteousness,
and what's the third one? Of judgment. Judgment. Why? Because the prince of this world
is judged. If you ever thought of it, that's an odd statement.
But it's not that odd when you quit trying to find the great
deep meaning. When you're looking for that
great spasm of religious enlightenment. The first sin, God condemned
it. At least the first sin that's
ever mentioned in scripture that we know about. And that was whose
sin? Lucifer's. Lucifer's and God cast him out
of heaven. And Christ said, I beheld him
as lightning falling from heaven. And if God will judge him, you
think God won't judge me? Neil, he was created in absolute
holiness. He was a perfect angel. But pride,
and we're not even told how it got, we don't know! It doesn't
matter. God said, I seen pride in you. God cast him down. Don't think God Almighty won't
judge you. Don't think, oh, but I'm not
that bad. Yeah, you're that bad. You're
that bad. You deserve to go to hell a million
times. I deserve to go to hell a million
times. And I deserve to have God mock
when it happens. Because he called. And what do
we do by nature? We refuse. We refuse. Every person that's ever even
read this Bible, had this Bible read to them, has had a call
from God. They've had the truth of God
read to them. And men say, I will not respond. I will not follow. I will not
obey. You know what God said? Go back,
it's in Proverbs. God said, I will mock. That's
what God, this is who God is, folks. Not trying to ease God
into your left pocket. Maybe you might reach in one
day and pull him out. He's so sweet and lovable. He
said, when your calamity comes, I will mock. That's God. Quit playing games. Don't listen
to these liars out here. God is a God of judgment. And everybody God saves, he convinces
them of that. Sin? Righteousness and judgment. Right there's three sound pillars
to remember. Have you been there? Can you
remember that? Here's number two. God wrought
this work upon us by the gospel. By the gospel. A lot of people's had a lot of
experiences. But there's very few people, even in our country
today, that really have heard the gospel. Did you know that?
And I believe at one time in this country, the gospel was
preached far more than it is today. But be that as it may,
that's God's business too. That's God's business too. But
the fact is today, most people think that we're just like everybody
else. We're not like everybody else. And who made us to differ? Not ourselves. God did. God did. We're different because
God Almighty did something different to us than what everybody else
has experienced out here in this world. And that ain't bragging
on us. That's bragging on God. Remember,
God's fulfilling, He's doing righteous in fulfilling His sovereign
purpose. He is doing righteous in giving
us what we need based upon the substitutionary sacrifice of
Christ, and He is through an act of life, giving us life within
our souls, and He brings that which brings that life to light. Life and immortality is brought
to light through that gospel, and that person with life says,
I believe that Christ. And it happens that way for all
of them. All of them. Paul didn't tell
Titus we're saved by regeneration. Did you know that? He said we're
saved by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost. The only way you're gonna know you're ever regenerated
is if he renews you. That's why you'll know. Because
when he renews you, that's when the gospel lays hold of you and
conquers your soul. You remember the goads? You remember? I'm not asking you to remember
a day, a time. That's not what I mean. You remember
the goads? And we're talking about goad, remember that's what
our Lord told Saul of Tarsus. It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. And that's not talking about
a little prick, talking about a goad. Goad, actually it has
to do with the soul sting of poison. It's talking about like
a bite from a poisonous snake. You see, when God Almighty goads
you, he gonna cause you to see how poisoned you really are. That's what he did to Saul of
Tarsus, didn't he? That's what he did to Saul of Tarsus. Remember
the goat? Do you remember the gospel sent message? Do you remember
it? I'm not talking about this one.
I'm not trying to say, well, I heard this. Do you remember
that the gospel preached? I don't care whether it was in
a written form and you was reading a message by a man that's been
dead for 200 years, or you just heard it on a cassette tape,
or you heard it from a man standing behind a podium. But I'm saying,
do you remember when the gospel began to conquer your soul and
you couldn't get away from it? You found yourself believing
it even in spite of yourself. You remember that? And let me
tell you, God has a way of doing it. You look through the book
of Acts, but I'm just gonna give you a few. I'm not gonna go back
and touch on it. Acts chapter eight, verse 35,
Cornelius is praying. Now God had done something for
Cornelius. And he's praying, and he's praying, and he's asking
God for something. And what was he asking for? I
need to know who the Messiah is. Because when he recounted
it to Peter, he said, the angel told me my prayer is answered,
it's heard. So what then did happen? God
sent Peter to him to preach Christ to him. But here's the amazing
thing. He'd already sent him an angel. Why didn't the angel
go in and tell him? He said, your prayer's heard,
send for Peter. Why didn't the angel go ahead and tell him?
Was he not able? He could have been able. He could
have told who the Christ was. He was Christ's servant. That
angel was, was he not? No, because it pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching. And preaching happens this way.
God will send a sinner to preach to you as a sinner that you need
to bow to Christ. And there are men and women who
hate that. I will not listen to him. Who does he think he
is? It don't matter. God sent him. You better listen. And when God lays hold of you,
you will. You will. He said, sin for Peter. Right? Sin for Peter. What about Saul
of Tarsus? He met Christ personally on the
road to Damascus. Lord, what would thou have me
to do? Why didn't Jesus just tell him? Huh? Think about it. Why didn't
Jesus just tell him right there? What did he do? No, you go down
there and you wait. You go down there and you wait.
I'm gonna send a man to you. And he'll tell you what you should
do. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that
amazing? It's amazing, why? Because it
pleased God to do that way. It ain't because God had to do
it that way, it pleased God to do it that way. Hmm go look at
Acts chapter 10 verses 1 through 6 look at Acts chapter 16 verse
14 God opened Lydia's heart And God must do it. I can't do that
for you. My preaching itself won't do that for you God must
open the heart, but when he does what will it be in lieu of? Well,
it will be because of, because there's a messenger there with
a message your heart needs to hear. And it says, he opened
her heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken
by what? Paul. Paul. You malk God's ordained means,
you malk God, not the means. You understand what I'm saying?
Understand what I'm saying? You remember though? I remember.
I remember God sending a man called Joe Galusik, and Joe wasn't
just Joe, and he'd give me a tape here. He'd give me a message
by Spurgeon here or there. And Mac, I read these things,
and my heart was smoked within me. I couldn't get away from
the truth of who these men were preaching. Get away from it. As according to Paul in second
Corinthians chapter 10, this gospel breaks down all the citadels
that we have raised up against God and it knocks them down and
crumbles it all into proud dust before us. And it brings every
thought into what? Obedience to Christ. To Christ. Do you remember? This is an amazing one. I want
you to, I want to read this one. I'll try to, turn to Galatians
chapter three. I've seen this for years, but that don't matter. There's a
third one. Do you remember Christ's crucifixion
being made real to you, as if it happened right in front of
you? Huh? Now listen to me. Don't play
off what I'm saying here, because I'm going to give you what God
says. Do you remember? Do you remember Christ's crucifixion
being made real to you as though it happened right in front of
you? Look at what Paul told the Galatians.
Oh foolish Galatians, now granted he is using it, he's rebuking
them. I'm saying, do you remember this?
Look at it. Oh foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth? Look, before
whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified
for you. Among you. Do you see it? You don't just believe the death
of Christ as a historical fact, it becomes a reality to you.
It affects the very way you think, the very way you pray, the very
way you walk. It affects everything about you
and you can't get away. Jesus Christ was crucified right
there. And I seen him hanging there
for my sins. crying out, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me when it should have been me on that cross? Me! And I should have died that
miserable, torturous death. And then read I should have went
to hell. But he suffered that for me. Is the gospel that real
to you or is it just a doctrine you believe? Remember? Remember? Remember gospel truth turning
you against yourself? There's another good one. Turn
to Job now. Where is Job? It's right before
Psalms, ain't it? Job chapter nine. I like this
one. You know why? So I can remember
this. I can remember this. Job chapter nine. I'll give you time, I want you
to read it. Job chapter nine, look at verse
20. Look at it, are you there? Job
nine, verse 20. If I justify myself, my own mouth
shall condemn me. You remember that? I remember
that, not just 30 some years ago, that happened to me yesterday.
It happened to me this morning. The wife says, you should have
done this, and even if I don't say that out loud, I'm grumbling
under my table, it wasn't that bad. Huh, you ever done that? You ever tried to justify yourself?
It might work before me. You might be a better man or
a better woman than me, but I'm not your standard. Think about that. If I justify
myself, my own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I am perfect, It
shall also prove me perverse. You remember? Do you remember?
I still remember that today. Today, wait a minute, we're not
done yet. Look at one more. Let me get the right, verse 30.
If I wash myself with snow water and make my hands never so clean,
that is cleaner than they've ever been before. Make them never
so clean to look at it, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch,
and my own clothes shall abhor me. You remember God bringing
you to realize you're dirtier than even your clothes are? And he's not talking just about
physical filth. You see the metaphor that Job's
getting here? I am unclean, so unclean that
my clothes are better before God than I am. My clothes. Do you remember? Well, I've never
been there, preacher. God hadn't saved you yet. Oh,
may he begin to cause you to experience these things. I say this, maybe this is one
of them places where I'm supposed to not apologize for myself. People misunderstand us all the
time. And sometimes because we state
things wrongly. But most of the time they misunderstand because
they say, I will not listen to another man. Mark it down. You remember Job's three friends?
and all they did was just make it worse for him. But then God
sent what? A fourth man. A younger man than even the other
three. Now boy, isn't that insult, that
an insult to India. Huh? Younger than Job, younger
than his three friends. And he said, I kept my mouth
quiet. Y'all fellas older than I. But basically, y'all said
enough. Now here, I'm gonna tell you
the truth. You remember that? See, even then, Mason, God was
still using one sinner to talk to another sinner about what
the truth of God is. See, if you say, well, I read
this book and God opened up Christ to me. You're reading what sinners
wrote. Don't you get that? Sinners wrote this book. Did
they not? But they wrote this book being
moved of the spirit of God. What I say is fallible. What
they wrote is infallible. Infallible. You remember that
this wasn't a one-time event? All of these things I'm talking
about? It still happens over. I heard Tim James say this one
time at my prize. Tim said, God saved me every
time I heard the gospel. I like that. When I first heard
it, I thought, well, come on now. Every time I hear the gospel,
God saves me. He enlivens my soul. He encourages
me. He lifts me up. And if he doesn't,
you, something's wrong with you. You hear me? It ain't Walter. It ain't Joe. It ain't any of
these other preachers we have come in here. No, sir. It's you. And at best, at best, it's complacency. We've been in the way so long
and been so used to it so long. Oh, God deliver us from what?
Complacency. Oh, God help me to remember.
I remember how, what a joy. When I began to see these things,
Mason, and it wasn't a one time, all like that. I began to see
a few things that God had bring me down. Then I'd hear another
message over here by Henry Mahan that God had bring me down. So
finally it was like, God, I give up. I can't win. And you finally
get to that place where you don't want to win anymore. You know,
it's all right. Lord, put the boot on my neck. I'll be your slave. Ever been
there? Paul said, I'm a what? A bond
servant. That means a slave, but a slave
who wants to be one. That's the difference. A slave,
I don't like that language. That's tough. That's scriptural
language. That's God's word. You will be
the slave of Jesus Christ willingly or you will perish. Or you will
perish. He'll put his boot on your neck
and conquer you or he'll just let you go your way on to hell.
He don't even have to do anything to you. But he might do something
to you along the way. It says he hardens whom he will.
It says God sends some people strong delusion that they should
believe the lie that they all might be damned. Does it say
that or not? It says that, don't it? Do not
play games with God. But you're just a man, that's
right, but that's the way God's ordained it. And if you hear
from God, you'll hear from God through another fallen man. You
can't even bypass me, just go to this book. Remember, who wrote
this book? Sinners. Sinners! Isn't that amazing? But you know
what, Joe, there's some comfort there. Because I can remember
that. That happened to me. And let
me tell you, that is still happening to me. Here's Paul the Apostle. I don't know, I could have researched
it, it don't matter. He'd probably been an Apostle
to him for a while now. Is that a right word? Apostle
him for a while. He's writing down an epistle, a letter to
the church at Rome. And he's being moved to the spirit
of God to do it. And it gets to what we now have as divided
up as chapter seven. And he gets to this place where
he says, I know that in me dwelleth no good thing. and his inner
corruption. He wasn't talking about any particular
sins, was he? He talked about this inner corruption,
this inability. I have the will to do, but not
the power, the ability. But what does he say? He cries
out, oh, wretched man that I am, if you ever get over that. God
Almighty's never done this to you. Once God Almighty sends
His Spirit and begins to convince you of sin, righteousness, and
judgment, He will do it till the day you die. Till the day
you die. If it ever quits, it wasn't the
Spirit of God doing it. It was maybe the preacher's influence,
maybe family's influence, mama's influence, daddy's influence,
somebody's influence. But it wasn't through the power
of the Spirit of God. Because how do I know that? Paul
said, he that hath begun a good work in you, how long he gonna
do that? He will do it until Jesus Christ
comes again. That's not a verbatim, but that's
what he's talking about. He'll perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ. You see, it is impossible to
forget that which happens to you every day. I mean, when it
happens to you every day, every day God brings me down. Every
day! I drive to work and I ain't done
nothing wrong yet, Joe. Drink some coffee, eat a little
cereal, driving to work. And I feel so unclean and undone. And I've got that gospel message
on. And I'm listening to it. And
all of a sudden I hear the truth of Christ and it lifts me up. while I'm still flat-faced in
the dirt. Do you understand what I'm getting?
I'm not talking about I come up here, boy, I'm so great. No,
I'm still right there in the dust. But I realize if my Lord
died for me, it's all okay. Isn't it? It's all okay. It's impossible to forget that
which happens to you every day. Do you remember? As I said, no
one can go back to where they'd ever been, but no one can forget
when they deal with the same need and the same hope every
day, every day. That's pretty simple, but that's
profound, is it not? Think about it. No one can forget
when they deal with the same need and the same hope every
day. If you ever get past that, you're
in trouble. If you ain't never been there, you're in trouble.
If you're there, remember. You hear me, brothers? Heavenly
sisters, remember. Father, as we continue, as we
eat together and fellowship together, oh God, comfort us in Christ.
Lord, reprove us. We need reproving. Lord, make
us glad for it. In Christ's name, amen. Thank you, Joe.