I did the sinning, he did the
saving. If you can come to that, you'll
know the gospel. Because that is the gospel. Anything
separate or apart from that is not the gospel. We'll get tighter
this morning. We're leaving total depravity,
not leaving it entirely. Because there will be a constant
reminder and a consciousness that if man is totally depraved,
then salvation must be of the Lord. if man is dead in sins
and trespasses, if man is inactive toward God, then this thing of
who takes the initiative doesn't become optional. In other words,
if man is dead, then God must first come to man. Is that right? Stay with me because it'll make
sense and you will either receive or reject And at this point,
this point of whether we give Him all the glory, at this point,
whether salvation is of the Lord, totally of the Lord, or not,
that we define the Gospel. Let's go to Romans chapter 9,
probably the most avoided chapter in the entire Bible. Romans chapter
9. Really, it is not important what
I say. It is important what God's Word
says, though. The Bible is our only rule of
faith and practice. My dad used to say, the Bible
says it, I believe it, and that settles it. And then I heard
another preacher say, The Bible says it and that settles it.
Did you hear what I said? Did you get the difference? It
doesn't make any difference whether you believe it or not. If the
Bible says it, it's true. Is that right? The Bible is our
only rule of faith and practice. Once you get away from this,
you have no point of reference. So let's find out what the Bible
says about election. Is election true or is it not? And if it is true, then it shuts
us up to this matter that salvation is something God does. Really
and truly, election is objective. There are some things that God
does in us, but election was not one of them. You're not a
registered voter when it comes to the election of God. You don't
cast a deciding vote. You are not a registered voter
when the election took place. You see, this election, according
to the Scriptures, took place before the foundation of the
world. You were not there, except in the mind of God, in the purpose
of God. And so, let's read these passages. And I hope you brought your Bible.
Romans 9, beginning with verse 11. or the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works." In other words, this
election by God of one of these boys and the rejection of the
other was not on the basis of their works because they weren't
even born yet. So they had not done either good
or evil. You still with me? All right,
I want to, as best I can, I can't reveal this to you, I can't make
you believe this, but at least I want you to go away from here
saying, you know, the pastor did a pretty good job of at least
challenging us in our minds with regard to what the scripture
says. And you can go home and contemplate this. All right.
We're going to have an example of God's sovereign election,
God's sovereign selection, and it's these twin boys, Jacob and
Esau. They haven't been born yet and
God made a choice of Jacob. In fact, when you read in Scripture
the biography of these two boys, Jacob was really the scoundrel,
Esau morally was Kind of a better guy. Jacob was a swindler. He was a crook. He was a crook. So, this election did not take
place on the basis of words. You say, well, I don't know whether
that's right or not. Remember this now. Both these
kids are going to be born, and they're going to be born with
a depraved nature. They just haven't overtly committed
sins yet, right? Sin is what we are. Sin is what
we are. We are sinners by nature. We are born sinners. There are
no angels born into this world. As soon as that little baby comes
into the world, it won't be long until it begins to commit sins
in the world. You know why? Because it is a
sinner. Its mother was a sinner, its
daddy was a sinner, especially its daddy. So we come out of the womb speaking
lies. So just remember that. One of
these kids was not born with a good nature and one born with
a bad nature. So, the children not being yet
born, that the purpose of God according to election might stand
not of works, but him that calleth. God really wants us to see that
the Bible teaches this doctrine. This doctrine will make you uncomfortable
because it is totally contrary to our nature. It's just totally
contrary. We don't want to go there. We
don't want to give God all of the glory. We've got to have
a little control of this. Still with me? And it can be
just a little bit, but we've got to have a little bit. We
don't want God totally doing something. And by the way, just
so you know, as we run along here and talk about election,
maybe we'll talk about it again next Sunday, but as we talk about
election, election does not take your responsibility or accountability
away. You go out here and pretty soon,
in a couple months, this maple tree right out here, it has for
20 plus years, began to bud in the spring. And you know what
every bud on that maple tree says? There's a God. And you
are responsible before God. Elected or not elected, you are
all, everybody's responsible. The heavens, Romans 1 says, declares
there's a God. So you are responsible to bow,
to submit, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But by nature
you will not because you're dead. You're inactive. this purpose of election. God
has a purpose in election. You know what that purpose is?
That he gets all the glory. If he left it up to us, if the
devil has a vote and God has a vote and I cast the deciding
vote, then I ought to get some of the praise, right? I ought
to get some of the glory because actually my vote, after all,
was the deciding factor. Now remember this, though. Remember
this. I know you won't get all of this
today. But remember this. God does not save anybody against
their will. When a person comes to Christ,
they come to Christ willingly. But in order for them to come
to Christ, there are some things that have to happen. First of
all, they have to be elected. Second of all, Christ has to
redeem them. And thirdly, the Holy Spirit
has to draw them. The Holy Spirit has to quicken
them. No one is going to come to Christ separate and apart
being quickened by the Holy Spirit. And the wind blow us where it
lifts us, where it pleases. John 3 says the Holy Spirit is
like the wind. It blows where it pleases. The
Holy Spirit is sovereign in regeneration. He doesn't come to every man.
He doesn't quicken every man. You've got to know that. Verse
12, It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger,
as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
I have seen people over the 50 years of my ministry try to twist
and turn that scripture to say something rather than what it
says. I remember hearing one preacher read it this way, As
it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I loved less. But that's not what the passage
says. And I know that kind of goes
against us, doesn't it? Wait a minute, wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait a minute. You mean, you mean that God loved
one of these twins and hated the other one. Let me read that
again. Let's see if we can find out.
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say
then? What are you going to say? What
are you saying right now? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Is that what you're saying? Are
you saying, wait a minute, that's not fair, God can't do that,
there's unrighteousness with God? What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. You see that God
forbid in the King James there? The Apostle Paul would never
say it that way because he had such a reference for God. But
it would be something like this. Is there unrighteousness with
God? It would be something like this. Never! No, never! No, never! No, never! God is not unrighteous. God is never not right. God is
always right. God is righteous. He is a righteous
and a holy God. Whatever God does is right. That's
why you hear me Say this, God could pass you right by, send
you straight to hell and still be God. God doesn't have to save
you. God didn't have to come to you.
God didn't have to look your way. That's why all of us who
are saved should be and ought to be and ought to want to be
doing this. To God be the glory. He could
have passed me right on by. He didn't have to look my way.
In fact, you know, as I get older, I thought I would get better.
But you know I'm not getting better. I'm sorry. Sorry for you folks that have
old age to look to. The truth is, in your flesh dwells
no good thing. No good thing. Totally depraved. Whether you believe this or not,
I believe this all over what I'm preaching today. You know,
you may be better than me, but I'm telling you, if I get to
heaven, it's going to be by the grace of God. If I get to heaven,
it's going to be by the grace of God. Because I'm not going
to make it on my own. And I don't know about you, but
in my flesh dwells no good thing. I'm telling you there's a war
going on. I've been traveling this week. I'm telling you. United
States of America's in big trouble. There are crazy people out there.
This world's crazy. Absolutely crazy. These presidential candidates
are getting death threats. You know, you just look at what's
going on politically. Nobody has an answer. Everybody's
messed up. I was talking to people yesterday.
I got a haircut yesterday. Most of you, you're glad I did
because people were beginning to call me Goldilocks. But I
was in the barbershop, so I was just talking to people about
the state of our country. And three people said to me,
it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who's president.
It doesn't, it just doesn't matter. Things aren't going to change.
You know, we're just going to keep on going the way we're going.
That's stuck. I know this, only a big sovereign
God is the answer. I am so glad one of these days
I'm getting out of here. I'm getting out of here. All
right. So, election. Which simply means
to choose. That God chose. I'm so glad God chose me. I know
God chose me. I just don't know why He chose
me. Other than He chose me to the praise of the glory of His
grace and I'm going to give Him all of it. I am so conscious
that He's worthy. And I'm not. Of any praise or
glory, of any pat on the back, I am not worthy. I am not. And I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus of Nazarene and wonder that He could save me, a sinner
condemned unto death. Now, one of the big problems
when we think about election is people immediately go to this
place. That preacher says that God loves
people, chooses individuals unto salvation, and bypasses other
people. Who does he think he is? Immediately
they think, whether I say it or not, probably some of you
already in here have thought this, does he think he's actually
better than me? No, I actually think I'm probably
worse than you. I see people all the time that
I think are better than me. But here's what the Bible says.
Go to Romans 3 and let's just read a few passages and please
believe the Bible. Please just believe the Bible.
Romans chapter 3 and let's begin with verse 21. But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there
is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God." All have missed the mark. Everybody has missed the mark.
Look at that next verse, being justified freely. being justified
without a cause by His grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. You've been justified. You've
been declared just before God freely. It was without a cause. There was no cause in you that
caused God to justify you. This is unconditional election. God didn't choose you because
you were better than somebody else. Because there is no difference. Listen now, saints. God wants
you to know that there was no difference. It's important that
everyone in here know and believe this, because you can't enter
into the gospel without believing this. I was not better than someone
else. That's not why I'm saying it. I didn't make the difference.
There was no difference. God over in Exodus said to the
children of Israel, I'm going to bring you out of Egyptian
bondage. And I'm going to bring you out
with a high hand. And over 3 million of you are going to leave Egypt. And He said this, when you leave,
now you think about all the commotion of 3 million people leaving.
Think about all the commotion of these people leaving the land
of Egypt. Think about all the horses and chariots all the kids
crying and all the commotion of this exodus. And here's what
God says, when you pull out of here, a dog is not going to bark. Well, that seems strange. Why? That you may know that I put
a difference between you and the Egyptians. That you may know
that I made a difference between you and the Egyptians. Can't
you see those dogs running around and they're nipping at the chariot
wheels? They're not barking. And every
time the children of Israel saw that dog, all of those dogs that
were leaving with them, and none of them barking at the commotion,
they were reminded, God made a difference. God is making a
difference. God is on my side. God is with
me. And don't you know they praise
God for that? God is putting a difference God has made a difference. Let's go over to the book of
Deuteronomy. By the way, that about the dog barking is found
in Exodus 11. Go over to the book of Deuteronomy. The doctrine of election is not
hid in some obscure corner of the Bible. The doctrine of God's
sovereign choice of individuals to salvation is taught through
Scripture. But it's not based on something
you're going to do. Many, many folks, and honestly,
all my ministry, I've heard this. Even in some of my seminary classes,
I've heard this. It's kind of like this, preacher.
Here's how they explained election. God foresaw who was going to
be saved, and on the basis of God foreseeing who was going
to be saved, God foreloved them and chose them. Now, my friends,
the only problem with that is it's just not so. The only way God would foresee
who was going to be saved was He was going to save them. Because we were all dead. In fact, the Scripture says God
looked down through time in Psalm 14 upon the children of men to
see if there were any good men. Any good people. Anybody that
was going to come to Him. And Psalm 14 says there wasn't
a one. God couldn't find a one. Look
right down through the ages. Looking for somebody. And there
is none good, no not one. So this election is not based
on foreseen merit. Foreseen faith. Look at Deuteronomy
chapter 7. I love these passages. I remember
preaching from these passages as an 18 year old young preacher
kid. Look at verse 6. For thou art
a holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. Above all of these people God
could have chose but he didn't. The Lord did not set his love
upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people for you were the fewest of all people. You bunch of nobodies! You read
in 1 Corinthians 1 that God has chosen the low born, the nobodies,
the insignificant ones. God has chosen. Remember last
Sunday? Paul said in Ephesians 1, he
said, I'm praying for you that you may know the power The same
power that brought Jesus from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
is the same power that has quickened you. That's what the Bible says. And then if you go to passages
like Ephesians chapter 2, it says we were such rebels. We
were dead. We were inactive toward God.
But we were active in sins and trespasses. That's what Ephesians
2 says. If we were just so active, remember? how active you were in sins and
trespasses, but totally inactive toward God. You remember, don't
you? You do remember, don't you? You haven't forgot how active
you were, how anti-Christ you were, how anti-God you were,
how self-centered you were. It was all about you. Let me
tell you this, my friend. If God had not directly intervened
in your life, you would have been a wild thing, lived and
died and went to hell. You had the world as your guide
and the devil as your guide. And were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. Now here it is. Here's election.
But God! But God! In other words, you
got apprehended. God intervened. I got in trouble
with CNN. I had a little interview I did
this week and they wrote me up big time. I was reading some
of the comments last night and one guy said, I'm getting sick
and tired of these preachers who take government money talking
about the need of God and telling big government to butt out when
they take government money. I thought to myself, Bubba, you
don't know about Grace Centers of Hope. Because we don't believe
in big government and we don't take government money. And you're
one of the reasons we don't. We believe in a big God around
here. You say, well, Pastor, I don't think that's fair. I
just don't think that's fair. God ought to love everybody. We're not talking about being
fair. Did you know we're not talking about being fair? You
don't want God to be fair. You want God to be fair? Of course
you don't. God in pure justice to deal with
you. God who is of pure eyes and to
look upon sin. The firmament is not even pure
in the sight of God. You don't want God to deal with
you according to His holy justice. We want God to be merciful. So
we're not talking about being fair. We're talking about grace.
We're talking about unmerited favor. We're talking about God
loving us without a cause. That there was no cause in us
for God to love us. Now just think about this a little
bit. Think about it. I want you saints to think about
it because the rest of you folks who aren't Christian in here,
you're going to hate what I'm saying. You don't think that's
fair, so you're not going to like it. But if you Christians
just think about this a minute. There was no difference. There
was no difference. In other words, You're not saved
because you were different and special. Because you were clean. God didn't choose you. God didn't
choose you because He saw some spark of goodness in you. He
just saw a mess. And the wonder of it is, I know
us Christians in here, we can't figure this out. But He loved
us. dirty as we were, messed up as
we were. You know, I don't talk to God
this way. I don't talk to God this way. Well, you know, you
saved me. You know, why don't you save
Him? I don't talk to God that way. I talk to God this way.
Oh, what a wonder. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you. Thank you for having mercy on
me. God chose before the foundation
of the world. elected a people and gave them
to Jesus Christ. Oh, you say, well, pastor, I
don't know whether I believe that or not. It doesn't make
any difference whether you believe it or not. Before I formed thee
in thy mother's belly, I loved you. Before you were an embryo,
before the sperm hit the egg, God loved you. Just let that simmer a little
bit. Let that sink in a little bit. And if you're a Christian,
you'll like it. If you're a child of God who's
been quickened, you'll like it. You won't fight this. You'll
say, that's almost too good to be true. If you just think about
what you did this morning, what you thought this morning, what
you did yesterday, you just think about this past week, and yet
God chose you before you were ever born. Well, you're not quoting much
Scripture. Okay. Ephesians 1.4, Do with that what
you will, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world having predestinated us. 2 Thessalonians 2.13, But
we are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved
of the Lord, because God from the beginning hath chosen you
to salvation. Jeremiah 1-4, before I formed
thee in thy mother's belly, I loved you. And before you came forth
out of the womb, I'd already predestinated you. We know that all things work
together for good to them that love the Lord, to them who are
called according to His purpose. For whom He did pour love, He
also did predestinate. And whom He predestinated, they'll
be also called. And whom He called, they'll be
also justified. And whom He justified, they'll
be also glorified. If God be for us, who can be
against us? You're looking at a winner. We are more than conquerors
through Christ who loved us. God chose us and gave us to Christ to redeem.
But God didn't choose you because you were different. Because Romans
3 says there is no difference. All have sinned and missed the
mark. That little verse ought to get
you excited. Everybody missed the mark. You're nothing special. And yet, God chose you. Don't
get over it. Say, well, I don't understand
it. That's okay. I don't either. Because, you
see, we have this kind of love. You send me a Christmas card,
I send you one. You know, we got our Christmas
card list. Everybody who sent us one last year, you're on our
list. We're going to send you one back.
We hate the whole thing of sending Christmas cards, but Since you
sent us one, you deserve to get one back. Our love is... Oh, I love her teeth. I love
her hair. I love her figure. I just love...
But God saw one big blob. I love this blob. And this blob
looks no different than that blob, but he passed that blob
by and chose this one. Say, I don't believe that pastor.
I just don't believe that. I know you don't. That's why
I'm preaching it to you. Because once you begin to believe it,
you get your hands up in the air and you praise God. You're
never going to praise God completely until you know He did it all.
You're going to take a little credit yourself. See, the very
fact that some of you are angry about this, says there's something
wrong inside. You want to look lower, don't
you? You want a little bit of peacock
in you, don't you? You want a little strut in you,
don't you? Between here and heaven, God's going to take all the strut
out of you. And He's going to take it out of me. And those
that go to hell, He's going to take the strut out of them too.
Because every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord. It's true. Election is such a
sweet truth to those of us who enter in to this matter of what
a wonder. You know, I praise Him every
day. Every day. By the time I get
to heaven, you know, because since the older you get, the
worse you get. By the time I get to heaven,
I'm going to explode in praise. Yeah. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? three seconds
after you die being in the presence of Emmanuel. Can you imagine? Hey! I'm here! And it's your fault! You know, when I was a kid growing
up in a Baptist church years ago, they used to sing a song
occasionally. I hated that song because it
wasn't true. There's a new name written down
in glory. And they used to sing that with all of them. There's
a new name written down in glory. And it's mine. Oh, yes, it's
mine. There are new names written down in glory. God didn't go
like this. Is that Bill? Did he just get
saved? Wow, I skipped that one. Bill! Oh no, God has his checklist,
my friend. You see, you know what I know
right now? There's some people down in the hood that belong
to God. And they're wandering around
down there, shooting up. And there's some folks out in
the church that are just so stinking religious. that you can't get
near them, they're so self-righteous. But election went in the forefront
and marked the houses that the heavenly deposit was to be made. And predestination makes sure
that deposit is made. And it's just a matter of time.
All of those folks who haven't been saved in the hood right
now, they're going to come. Because they're elect. That's
why they're going to come. And they're not going to get
saved by rabbits with luck. They're going to get saved because
God elected them, God chose them, and God predestinated them. This is not lotto luck. Why would
you, let me ask you this, why would you think that God Almighty,
you wouldn't do this, You wouldn't do this if you only had one son.
God Almighty sent His only begotten Son down here for the chance
that a crack addict in the hood would decide for Jesus. That doesn't even make sense.
That God would do anything counting on you or me. God saved me all by Himself. I'm going to ride the river with
this. I think about the crazy things
that are happening in our world and I'm so glad God has not dropped
the reins to this universe, that he's still in control. He's got
a power. I couldn't believe what I heard
on the news today, that the president and Israel's Prime Minister have
agreed that Israel will not bomb Iran until after the election. That was on the news this morning.
And I said to myself, huh? I mean, huh? So, Iran, you don't have to worry
about it for a few more months. But as soon as the election's
over, you better get in the game! And by the way, just so you know,
if I was without Christ and didn't know God, I'd be watching what's
going on over there in the Middle East. Because anybody who's read
their Bible knows the end is going to start right over there.
It's going to start right over there. The bear from the north? I wonder who's helping Iran,
Iraq, Russia. Oh, the bear? Oh, yeah. I don't know. I was getting a
haircut yesterday. I was talking to people there
in the barbershop and people going like this, you know, it
really doesn't make any difference. Nothing's going to change. My
friends, things are about to change. And the American people
aren't going to like the change because you've never experienced
the change we're about to experience. I mean, if you just use your
noggin a little bit, you would like to have, I think you would
like to have, you use your head a little bit, you'd like to have
a big God in control. Because, you know, when you have
a $16 trillion debt, no way to pay it off. China owns the United
States. We're running out of oil. By
the way, have you filled up your gas tank later? Say, well, Pastor, I don't think
you ought to be talking about it. I'm not talking about politics.
I'm talking about what a mess. And I'm talking about this. I'm
glad there's a God who predestinates. I'm glad there's a God with a
plan, that that plan can't be thwarted. I'm glad there's a
God whose foundations stand sure. The Lord knoweth them that are
His. I don't want to fight over the doctrine of election. I want
to rejoice in it. But the main truth here, that
is, the doctrine of election is so important It is so important
because it's just another step in removing all boasting. I know some of you don't believe
in the doctrine of election, but that's with you. That's with
you. And I'm going to tell you why
you don't believe in it. This is not going to set good
with you. But you want room to boast. That's really all it is. Well,
I'll tell you right now, Pastor, that's not my God. I know. That's
what I'm telling you. Your God and my God are different.
The God of the Bible is a God of purpose. He is. And plan. And God's putting all
the pieces together. And God's saving His elect. That's
why I preach the Gospel. Because the elect don't have
an E on their forehead. But I'm pretty sure there's probably
somebody sitting out there like this. Some of you are angry, but there's
somebody out there like this. I don't really, that word predestination
is a big word, and you know, everything I've heard about predestination
has been, you know, fighting, you know, people don't religious
people don't believe in predestination, and you talk about election,
and I have heard a little bit about that. I know this, Pastor.
I know this in my heart. I'm wicked. And I know that there is no hope
of me recovering on my own. I'm not talking about drugs.
I'm talking about from the sin factor. What we are. Really, the Holy Spirit has brought
you to an honestness about what you are. And the grace message. I can't tell you how many people
have met me at that door and said with tears running down
their teeth, that's the greatest message I have ever heard. That
God would love me unconditionally. That God would love me unconditionally.
And that is true. I pray that before the Lord returns,
that this church becomes a praise church. On a firm foundation. On this foundation. God chose
it. That people can get up here and
say, you know, I was hooked on heroin for 20 years. I had no
thought of God other than putting it on my little sign, will work
for food. which was a lie in itself. And
then you said, God bless you. God bless you for helping me
get high. You're not going to work, and
you really don't want God's blessing. You're just trying to trick somebody
into giving you a $20 bill. When you just think about this,
out there in all my craziness, he had me marked. I was blood
marked. And He had the hound of heaven
after me. The Holy Spirit was tracking
me. And I could have died a thousand deaths were it not for God Almighty. And you know what? There are some of you here that
have never been in the hood. You've been in the Baptist Church.
And you got all nice and cozy and camouflaged. And there you
sat in the church, whether it was a Baptist church or whatever
church it was, you got all cozy and camouflaged there. You know
the best place to hide from God is in church. You know that.
So you're all camouflaged like somebody hunting a big buck out
in the woods. You're all camouflaged. You leave
the house of God and you're committing adultery and fornication all
kinds of mess, being unfaithful. You're just sitting there in
the house of God. You're wicked! And some of you, anybody been
saved out of church? I mean, you were in church and
God brought you out? Yeah. Three, four, five people. Yeah. You know that. The hardest place
to save a sinner, as far as I'm concerned, is one hunkered down
in a church, hanging on to his baptism papers. thinking there is a fountain
filled with water drawn from the city main and sinners plunged
beneath that flood lose all their guilty state. You all hunker
down in your self-righteousness. It takes a mighty powerful God
because you're in a double darkness. You're in the darkness of your
nature and then in the darkness of religion and you're all hunkered
down. You need a miracle and God came
to you and saved you out of church. Listen, the heroin addict has
nothing on you. You've been saved out of a double
darkness because God elected you. People right now in here,
you thought you came here by accident. All the time it was
God moving the checkers, moving the chess players, moving you
around, letting you do stupid things where you'd end up here.
And out of nowhere, when you was least expecting it, gotcha! I know, I know what some of you
are saying. That's the most unsophisticated church service I have ever been
to in my life. Listen, you can go to hell sophisticated.
I'm not trying to get us sophisticated here. I'm telling you there's
a big God who knows the heart. And He didn't send His Son down
here for you to be religious. He sent His Son down here to
die for somebody. And I'm telling you, He's dead
serious about this business of who gets the glory. He's dead
serious about it. You're not going to praise a
church. You're not going to praise a preacher. You are not going
to praise your baptism. If you get to heaven, you're
going to praise Him. So just let go of all of it. Some of
you got such a heavy burden. You're doing your best to be
good and continually failing. And so you carry the load of
guilt. Some of you Christians just always
living in the past, remembering what you've done, you carry all
that baggage around. If you just knew this, hey, Jesus
paid it all. You don't have any baggage before
God. He's got your back and your front and underneath and over
your head. He's got you covered. I was thinking the other day,
this week in my running around, why on earth would anybody want
to run for President of the United States? You know they investigate
and try to dig up mud. Anybody in here have any mud
that might hinder you? Lord, I don't want them investigating
me. But I'll tell you this. Just so you all know, I have
a closet. And I ain't coming out. Not to you. But just so you know,
I have one. And we all have a closet, don't
we? Thank God for grace. Thank God for grace. Thank God
for grace. It is amazing grace. I'm going
to go to heaven in spite of myself. And I'll tell you something else,
too. Grace will let you be honest. I really don't have to impress
you. I just come right out and tell you I've got a closet. But
I also tell you this, I'm not going to keep my mouth shut about
right and wrong. Even if I do something wrong,
I'm going to say, that was wrong. Because I'm a Christian. I know
it was wrong. Anybody else in here do things
that are wrong? Well, don't let your wrongs cause
you to keep your mouth shut about what's right and what's wrong.
Right? It's all right for us Christians
to say, I was wrong, but God has me covered. I really messed
up. Yes, I messed up. The old Puritan
used to stand on the street corner and preach the gospel. And a
self-righteous church person came up to him and said, You
know what? You're such a liar. You're such
a hypocrite. You're such a... He started accusing. And the old Puritan said this,
Man, if you knew the truth, I'm worse than that. I'm going to
take all your powder from shooting at me away from you. Whatever
you think, I'm worse than that. I'm worse than that. In fact,
I'm going to talk to the Apostle Paul when I get to heaven about
that. He said, I'm the chief of sinners. I have a bone to
pick with him. You're looking at the chief of sinners, saved
by the free, sovereign grace of God.