Next speaker is Brother Mike
Walker from Millsite Baptist Church. This is a church I went
and preached to when I was in Henry's preacher school. Several
of us would go up. They didn't have a pastor at
the time, and we'd go up there and preach at this little church. And I got to go up for a Bible
conference here a few years back, and I'm just amazed at what the
Lord's done there. Just amazed. Shouldn't be. Why are we so surprised when
God works, huh? He's God. He's God. All right. Brother Mike. What a blessing to be here. You
know, It's amazing how as we've sit and listened to three amazing
messages and how like each one just builds upon the other one.
I saw on the schedule that I was really, I think, scheduled to
come first. And it's amazing in Providence how things always
work out the way the Lord plans it. And about the time David
was finished with his message, I understood why he went first.
He introduced my message. When he quoted that verse, he
that's been forgiven of much, loveth much. If you would turn
with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. We're going to begin reading
in verse 10. Darvin, thank you for everything.
I appreciate you. I appreciate this church. Thank
you for our accommodations. Thank you for your generosity.
And I feel so, so honored to be able to be asked to come this
way and to be able to sit. Preachers don't get to sit a
lot and listen. Yeah, when we get the opportunity,
It's just like Frank, he preached last night, so he's done for
the weekend. And I noticed he went, whew. It's a burden lifted. We love to hear preaching. And we love also to preach. Necessity's laid upon us. We've
heard, but do we believe, as Darwin said. There's a lot of
people here. But do we to believe? If you
believe, I know this, God did a work of grace in your heart.
Because by nature, you'll never believe, never. Here we see in
2 Corinthians 10, I mean 5 verse 10, we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things
done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto
God, and I trust also we're made manifest in your conscience.
For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but we give you
an occasion to glory on our behalf that you may have somewhat to
answer them which glory in appearance, but not in heart. For whether
we be beside ourself, as some would say, some would say that
he was mad, It is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for
your cause, in verse 14. For the love of Christ constrains
us. That's the title of the message,
constraining love. Because we thus judge that if
one died for all, then we're all dead. Now boy, some people
would just jump all over that, wouldn't he? He died for all,
and yes he did. He died for all. He died for
all of his sheep. He died for all the elect. He
died for his bride. He died for his friends, all
of them, every one of them. And we leave it in the Lord's
hands. We don't have to, I shouldn't have to explain that we don't.
But the sad thing is the world don't understand that. If he
died for all, what kind of love is that? If he died for a man
and he wound up in hell, his love couldn't save him. That's
why, it's worthless. And that he died for all that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
him which died for them and rose again. The Apostle Paul, whether
he was in religion as a Pharisee, or if he was laboring for the
Lord, he was doing it with very great zeal. As David said, when
he was there in Thessalonica, he was there for three Sabbaths
in a row, teaching, preaching the gospel to those Jews who
had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Listen to what
it says in 1 Timothy 1, verse 15. This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I'm chief. Now, you think about
who this is talking. What kind of sinner was he? Well,
he said he was the chief of sinners. He says, I'm the worst one. Now,
this was a self-righteous man. And if you want to put a scale
on sin, that's the worst type of sin is self-righteousness. A man that thinks that he can
earn God's favor, he can merit God's favor, and this man was
zealous in religion. Zealous. He said, of whom I am
chief, how be it for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me
first Christ Jesus might show all longsuffering for a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. What I want you to see is God
made a pattern out of that man. An example. Can God save a sinner? Well, here's one he saved. Can
he save a self-righteous sinner? Yeah, he can. How do we know?
He saved Paul. Can he save any sinner? Oh yeah,
he can save to the uttermost because he can save the cheapest
of sinners. And God, you think about this, God even ordained
and allowed this man to be a Pharisee and he knew about the law, he
tried to keep the law and all those things, and then God saved
him and changed him and made an example out of him. Can you
imagine David being a friend of Saul of Tarsus? And then God
saved him? Man, something has happened to
that man. And everybody knew, everybody
knew who Saul was. Everybody knew. Everybody. Something's happened. It's that
you read in the book of Acts, it talks about when he came to
Jerusalem, the disciples didn't even believe it. They were afraid
of him. And Barnabas said, listen, I've heard this man preach. I've
heard him preach. He was very motivated. But what motivated him? What
drove him in religion? There was some principle that
pressed him and moved him on. That's what it says in Acts chapter
22, verse three. A very young man, which is a
Jew born in Tarsus, the city of Cilicia, brought up at the
feet of this city, in the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according
to the perfect law of the fathers and was zealous toward God as
you all are this day. That you talked about last night,
God teaching his people, and he does. Paul was taught in religion
from Gamaliel. He said to his feet, he was taught
and he learned and he was zealous toward God. This is what he said
in Galatians chapter one, verse 13. He said, you've heard my
conversation in times past when I was a Jew and was a Pharisee,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church. and wasted it. He said, you say you believe
in this little Jesus that died outside? He's a fake and he's
a phony and he's not the Christ. And he said, I'm gonna kill you
and I have authority from the chief priest and I've got these
letters and anybody that I find, I have the authority and I have
the ability. I can do with you anything that
I want to. And that's what he did. He did
it wholeheartedly. And listen to this, and wasted
it, now listen to this statement, and profited in the Jews' religion. Why did he do what he did? He
did it for profit. What do you mean he profited? Well, he had a name. Well, and
you know, it's just like religion. You know why they do what they
do? It's for profit. They make merchandise of men's
soul. You think about that, that they
would actually take the souls of men just to line their pockets. That's what Paul was saying,
and he admitted it. I profited in the Jews' religion,
above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous for the traditions of my fathers. All those traditions,
oh yeah, we're gonna fight for our traditions. Why do you do
it? It's tradition. Why do you do
it? It's tradition, now think with me. I remember the things,
you know, I was raised in religion, just like Paul. I can tell you
by first-hand experience what it's like. Even sit under a man
who claimed to preach the gospel, preach the five points of grace,
but his methods were sure not grace. We used to have a little
red wagon in front of the church. We're going to have a fundraiser.
So what we're going to do, we're going to pull this wagon up and
down the aisle on Sunday morning. Everybody puts pennies in it.
Well, somebody figured out how many pennies, if you put them
end to end, how many it takes to make a mile. Well, how many
pennies we got is how many miles he's going to pull this wagon.
Now, does that sound like the gospel to you? Resilious. Exceedingly resilious. And what
I'm saying, it was traditions. And Mother's Day, we're going
to make sure we honor mothers. I remember the first time I said,
well, I'm just not going to mention it. And before a lady could get
out the door, she said, why didn't we celebrate Mother's Day? Well,
why did we celebrate Mother's Day? Why did we do what we did
in religion? It was tradition. Why are you
going to the synagogue? Well, it's tradition. Why are
you going to Jerusalem? Well, it's tradition. Why are
you going to celebrate the Passover? Well, it's tradition. And we're
really zealous for it. That was Paul. Listen, Philippians
chapter three, verse four. Though I might have confidence
in the flesh, if any man thinketh he have whereof he might trust
in the flesh, I am more circumcised the eighth day of the stock of
Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching
the law, Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church,
touching the righteousness which is of the law. He said I was
blameless. But what things were gained to me, I counted loss
for Christ." Well, here was a man, Zilius, for gain in religion. It's just like any others. We've
heard of men like Alexander the Great. Why do we know that man? What made Alexander the Great
who he was? He was consumed with the desire
for conquest. The man was never happy, he was
never happy when he was at ease or at peace. His best days were
spent on the battlefield and on the march. He was undefeated
in battle and was widely considered one of history's most successful
military commanders. He could have never have conquered
the world except for his insatiable greed for conquest. This is what I'm going to do.
Hitler, Napoleon, any others you want to think of, and even
some like George Whitefield. What drove them? Like Paul said,
the love of Christ constrains me. And Paul was zillious in
religion, but I can tell you this. When God saved that man,
he saved him. It wasn't just a term. God did
something for this man. You see this book that I hold
right here? This Bible, this New Testament, 27 books, 14 books
of them was written by that man we're talking about this morning.
A man, a man, a sinner, just like you. I stand before you
this morning, a sinner, just like you. God used that man,
you think about it, that man, saved that man, gave him life
and used him. And we're reading this morning
what he wrote, what he knew, what he had been taught, taught. He had been taught religion and
he was zillious in religion. Oh, now he's been taught about
Christ and oh my goodness, zillious. Oh yes, he was zillious, he was
zillious. Gamaliel taught him how to live
as a self-righteous man, but the Lord taught him the gospel.
Now listen, in Galatians chapter one, verse 11, but I certify
to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached to me is not
after men. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it by man, but by revelation of
Jesus Christ." You say, well, who taught Paul the gospel? Well, I can tell you this, it
was not Peter, James, and John. As soon as God crossed his path
on the Damascus Road, he did not send him to Jerusalem. It
was years later before he ever went. And if it was not, I think
for the book of Galatians, we would not even know about him
going to a place called Arabia. Galatians 1.15, but when it pleased
God. Who separated me from my mother's
womb. Who told him that? Well, I can't imagine Paul reading
the book of Jeremiah. Can't you, the first part of
the chapter? We said, before I formed you, I ordained you
a prophet. I wonder how many times Paul
read that, but never read it. How did God teach him the gospel?
We taught him from what he knew of the Old Testament. He revealed
unto that man Christ in those scriptures. You mean that's what
that means? You mean this, what is this sacrifice?
This is Christ, the day of atonement, the high priest, all these things.
He had been taught these things and never knew Christ. But listen,
please God who separated me from my mother's womb and call me
by his grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him
among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with
flesh and blood, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia. And while
he was in Arabia, our Lord Jesus Christ taught
this man, a mere man, the gospel. What did he teach him? He taught
him that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And now he don't
want to do anything but do one thing, and that's preach Christ
and Him crucified. Why? He met Him He told him, he revealed
himself, and that's how it is, this is salvation. All that the
Lord saves, as Larry said, he will teach them the gospel. It's
by revelation. These men have preached, oh,
well, how they've preached. But unless God reveals what they
preached unto your heart, you'll never see it, you'll never understand
it. They shall be all taught and
they shall all learn. Learn. I have a hard time learning
things. I've got a sign up in my little
shop I have. Sandy bought it for me because
I was picking it one day. We were doing something. She says,
it's because I've been born in October. I don't want things
done. Let's get this done. And we were doing something one
day, and we was kindly behind. And she says, how do you do that?
And I said, Sandy, I don't have time
to explain it to you. And I said, if I explain it to
you, you're not going to do any more about it than when we get
done. And then I've wasted your time and my time. And the sign she brought me,
it says, I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it
for you. You know, and there's a lot of
truth in that. We can preach the gospel to you, but only God
can give you an understanding. Understand. Oh, God want to understand. I want to understand more about
Him. That's what Paul did. God revealed and he understood.
For the first time in his life, he understood. That's what that
means. The Lord is my shepherd. That's
what that means. I understand. I can't understand
for you and you can't understand for me. Oh, here was a man, he's a new
man, new motives, new principles. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. All things are passed away and behold, all things
are become new. He was zillious for a person,
not a doctrine. He was zillious for a person.
Not a doctrine. And you know, when the Lord saved
Paul on the Damascus Road, he said in Acts 9 verse 16, I will
show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. Well, what did Paul suffer? In
2 Corinthians 11, he records some things in verse 25. He said,
three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck,
a night and a day I was in the deep, and journeyings often,
and perils of water, and perils of robbers, and perils of my
own countrymen, and perils of the heather, and perils of the
city, and perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, and perils
among false brethren, and weariness, and painfulness, and watchings
often, and hunger, and thirst, and fasting often, cold, and
anachronism. Beside those things which are
without that which cometh upon me daily, the cares of all the
church." Why would a man suffer that much? He believed his Lord. Why didn't
he? I mean, you think about, you
know, now think with me for a minute. We suffer very little. I know
we think we suffer some things, but not what they, not what he
suffered. I thought about this morning, if you imagine if we
were in here this morning and all of a sudden, some cars pulled
up and they come in here and they knock them doors open. They
said, we come in to arrest you. We come to get that man. We're
going to take him out. We're going to take him right
out here and we're going to make you watch it. We're going to
stone him. He believed God. What would make a man suffer
like that? He said, I endure all things
for the elect's sake. In Romans 1, he said, I'm a debtor, both
to the Greeks and the barbarians. The barbarians? You know what
barbarians are. both to the wise and the unwise.
So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to
you that are in Rome also." And how did he go to Rome? I think
it's Acts 26, I was reading it the other day. Read about that
shipwreck. When he was on that ship, and
the Lord told him, everybody that's on the ship's gonna be
saved. but the ship's gonna be tore out of pieces. But that's
how God took him, to Rome, as a prisoner. And let me tell you
this, you think about Rome, the seat of idolatry, where Nero
reigns, but God took this man, and when he took Paul there,
he took the gospel. Didn't he? It didn't matter what
he had to suffer, because he wanted those people to know the
same God that revealed himself to him. He said, I'm ready to
preach to you. I'm not ashamed of the gospel.
It's the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth.
He said, one time, the offense of the cross, if I just changed
my message, they wouldn't bother me anymore. Just preach what
everybody else preaches, preaches free will and all this, everything
would be fine. Oh, no. He knew what it was going
to cost him. He knew. And listen to this. In Romans 9, he said, I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continue
sorrow in my heart. that I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according
to the flesh. I don't know anything about that.
I heard someone try to explain that away one time, and they
said, I was listening to a message from Brother Henry, and they
said, I don't think Paul really loved those people that way.
You know what Henry said? He said, just because you don't
love people that way, don't mean that Paul didn't. And I thought,
you know, that's true. He said, I say the truth in Christ. He said, my conscience bears
me witness. I love those people. He said,
I would be willing to go to hell for them people. Would you? Amen. And then in Romans 10,
the next chapter, verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer for God for Israel is that they might be saved. I bear
them record. Yeah, they've got a zeal of God,
but it's not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. And basically, how did he know
their zeal was not according to knowledge? He had been there. They being ignorant. What's the
problem with men? They're ignorant. Nobody likes
to be called ignorant. I think I heard you preach a
message one time on ignorance. Ignorant. What are they ignorant
of? God's righteousness. And because
they're ignorant of God's righteousness, they're going back to try to
establish and make to stand their own righteousness. And they've
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. If
God ever reveals to you that righteousness is only found in
Christ, that's when you'll submit to it. Until then, you will keep
going like Paul did, playing games, playing religion, and
you think that you're righteous. There's only one righteousness,
and that's Christ. But he wanted these people to
hear the gospel. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to every man that believeth. When Paul stood before King Agrippa,
you think about this, Lord brings this man in chains and stands
before this king. And Festus says, Paul, much learning
does make you mad. You're out of your mind. You're
insane. That's what he said about our
Lord. He's beside himself. He wasn't the one that was mad.
They were the ones that were mad. A man that doesn't believe
God, he's insane. Really, he's insane. But listen. It says here, the love of Christ
constraineth us. He didn't say his love for Christ
constrains us. It's Christ's love for us that
constrains us. That's a whole different story.
You remember when Lazarus was sick in John chapter 11 and Mary
and Martha sent for our Lord? You remember reading what they
said? They said, Lord, he that you
love is sick. He didn't say, now, Lord, Lazarus
loves you, and you know he loves you. Why don't you come and see
where he's at? No, him that you love. And how
did they show his love? He waited two days before he
left where he was at. Listen to what Paul said, Galatians
2 verse 20. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself. That's how I want to live. who loved me and gave himself
for me. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Someone said, I suppose, constraineth us is the best rendering
of the passage that could be given, but it might be translated
restraineth. The love of Christ restrains
true believers from self-seeking and their own self-rights. It
restrains us. It's untelling where you would
be if God did not constrain and restrain you from yourself. It's like someone said, you know,
God reveals the sins and the mistakes of men. He doesn't cover
them up. They're there. He restrains them. The day which lives should not,
as our text says, should not henceforth live unto themselves. That's what we want to do. If
God leaves you alone, you're going to live for yourself. You
still think you're God. And I'm talking to believers. We're not exempt from this. We're
zealous for ourself. The love of Christ controlled
Paul and held Paul in its, it gripped him. I don't know who
I got this from, but when I read it, I wrote it down and just
put it on a sticky note on my computer screen. And I've looked
at it for months. And now I'm getting to share
it with somebody. Here's what they said. We are the conquered
captives of his omnipotent love. We are the conquered captives
of His omnipotent love. He conquered. That's what salvation
is. What is salvation? What is it
to be saved? It's when the Son of God comes
in and He takes over. He conquers. He sets up his throne,
he drives out the strong man, and he spoils his good, and he
says, I've come to reign. Grace reigns. Grace reigns. The word may also signify compressed. It's like a river running between
two banks. It's got it compressed. When
a stream is compressed, it moves with much more force in one direction. It's like, you know, you see
a river, if it floods, you know, it just floods out its banks.
It gets all over the fields and everything. It's not real deep,
but when it's compressed, it's going one way and it's restricted. That's what he's saying. Someone
said, the love of Christ has pressed Paul's energy into one
force, turning them into one channel, and then drove them
forward with a wonderful force. You know what he said in Philippians
3? Now listen to this. It compressed him. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which
are before me. Lord, you know what that is?
That's the violent taking it by force. I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He compressed. It's one thing. You can't do a lot of things
well, but he said, I'm one thing. One thing I do, this one thing,
is also means to be employed. I thought this was a good definition.
You remember Jacob working for Rachel? I remember that message
by your pastor when Jacob worked for seven years and then he was
tricked by Laban and he was given Leo, the ugly sister, and he
wakes up with her. But what I'm getting at, he worked
for seven years like it was for nothing. It just seemed like
a few days. He worked for her. Why did he
do that? He loved her. Well then, okay, he gets deceived.
Well, I ain't working seven more years for her. He works seven
more years. He's constrained. Well, why is
he doing that? Something's pressing him. Did he get her? Did she become
his wife? Oh, yes. He said, this is why I'm here.
Why are you doing all that, Jacob? Well, I'm getting Rachel. I'm
on her. I've got to have her. You know,
the Son of God was constrained to have us. He said, his face
like a flint. She's mine. I'm going to have
her. It's like Peter said, when they
don't be it far from you, Lord, you don't have to do that. He
said, get thee behind me, Satan. I come to save a people. And
he did. And he did. Then it is like an
army. They rally and are constrained
by the banner. You know, I had a, when I first
went to Millsap, Joe Vandal, he died in his, about 93 years
old. He was actually on the island
of Iwo Jima. And what was amazing, he was
on the island and Brother Henry was offshore on a ship, which
I thought was amazing, about the same age. But most everybody's
seen that picture of those men raising that flag. Can you imagine
what they went through to raise that flag? And can you think what it meant
when they raised it? It meant we've won, and the enemy's
defeated. That's what we rally around,
is Christ. His banner over us is love. You think, you imagine sitting
here, we're sitting here in these boats. They're going to pull
up on this island and they're going to let us out. And we might
get killed before we even get off the boat. But we're going. Read Acts 20. When Paul was leaving
the Ephesian elders, he said, I'm going to Jerusalem. And I
don't know what's going to happen to me. He said, they may kill
me. They may bind me. I don't know. But it doesn't
matter, because I don't count my life dear unto myself. It just don't matter. When them men pulled up on that
island, it just don't matter. It just don't matter. We're going
to preach the gospel. whether they like it or don't,
we're gonna preach the gospel. That's always been. He's never
been without a witness. Never. Whether it was Paul, whether
it was Whitefield, whether it was the Puritans, whether it
was Spurgeon, whether it was Henry, whether it was Rothbard,
God has always had his men. Caught that man, that man, that
man, that man, that man, that man caught. It was Christ's love for Paul
that motivated him. But he loved Christ. We don't love him like we should.
But I know this, he sheds abroad his love in your heart. And when
you used to hate him, now you love him. Can you explain that? Nope. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sin. Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because
as he is, so are we in this world. Let me tell you this, now listen
to me. God's children are not motivated
by threats and promises of reward. And I thought it was ironic You
know, I couldn't deal with all these verses. It's kind of ironic
that back in verse 10, he said, we're all going to appear before
the judgment seat of Christ. And religion would take that
verse and you could just beat everybody over the head. Now
you're going to stand before God and you've got to give an
account for every act and just scare people to death. Knowing the
terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Well, how do we persuade
men? We preach the gospel to them. That's how we do it. Not
telling them that God loves everybody. Listen, in Luke chapter 6 verse 31, let me just share this with you.
I had these thoughts on my mind and coming down the road I said,
Sandy, see what Henry's got on this passage. And just so happens,
she found a message that Henry preached back in 1971. It was
amazing. I'm telling you, it just, it
broke my heart. But what he was talking about,
you know, us being persuaded, and us, what motivates us, and
he was saying how that, you know, a man that's a hermit, he could
go out here and live out here somewhere by himself, and he
says, well, I'm gonna live by the Ten Commandments, and thou
shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, and he doesn't do
any of those things. But what has he done? He said, all those
things are negatives. Thou shalt not commit adultery,
thou shalt not steal, and he's not gonna steal from his neighbor,
he's not gonna commit adultery with his neighbor, he's not gonna
covet what his neighbor's got, because he's out here by himself.
Well, what has he done for his neighbor? I tell you, the grace
of God makes you want to do something, doesn't it? The violent take
it by force. Here's what our Lord said. Here's
the golden rule. What's the golden rule? Luke
6, 31. And as you would that men should
do to you, do you also unto them. And they may just restrain from
doing something. Paul said, I want to do something. I want to tell you about somebody. I'm on the trail of the sinner.
I want to find the sinner. Let me tell you about him that
loved me and gave himself for me. Listen, Luke 6.32, for if you
love them, which love you, what think have you? For sinners also
love them that love them. And if you do good to them which
do good to you, what think have you? For sinners also do even
the same. And if you lend to them whom
you hope to receive something back, what think have you? For
sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again. Love your enemies. The love of God constrains me.
The love of God will constrain you to love your enemy. Someone's
talked about, I think it was you, talking about the sufferings
of Christ. Somebody walks up and just clears
their throat and spits in your face. Apart from grace, you can't love
them. I'd say, I'd take your head off. He said, love your
enemies. You said, I can't do that. I
know you can't. But the love of Christ will constrain you.
Who did Christ love? He loved his enemies. When we
were yet enemies, he died for us. And do good and lend, hoping
for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and you shall
be called the children of the highest. Be kind unto the unthankful
and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as
your Father also. He was merciful. Read where Stephen,
when he preached his sermon, I think it's in Acts 7. Here's a man, they're stoning
him to death, and the Apostle Paul is standing there, or the
Saul of Tarsus is standing there. And you know what this man says? Father, forgive them. They know
not what they do. And this is just my opinion,
I think that was probably one of the pricks that's pricking
his conscience that this man's praying, he prayed, God, he prayed
for Paul and God saved him. He didn't say, Lord, kill him,
Lord, save him. After Peter had denied our Lord
three times, And he'd give up being an apostle. He'd give up
being a preacher. When he says, I'm going fishing,
he didn't just mean I'm going out here for a Saturday evening.
I'm going out here to the lake fishing. No, I'm going back to what I
used to do. I've done messed this up being a preacher. I've
done messed this up being an apostle. I'm going to go back
fishing. I don't know. Maybe James and John, they've
still got their boat. We were in partners together.
And they're going to go with me. We're going to go back what
we're doing. And the Lord walks up on the beach that day. He
said, y'all caught anything? He said, no. Just cast it on
the other side of the ship. And they did. And y'all, I thought
I'd preach on this message. And when they come to the shore,
and what our Lord said, he had something fixed for them. He
said, come and dine. And that's what God's allowed
us to do. He prepared a meal. And while they're sitting there
dining, he says, Peter, I want to ask you something. He said, Peter, do you love me? Now before, he was real, real
eager to say, yeah, Lord, I love you. Everybody else may leave
you, but I won't. He said, Lord, you know what
I'm saying. You know I love you. Can I tell you a little secret?
You may deceive yourself, but you won't deceive him. He knows. And he said, Peter, if you love
me, feed my sheep. Peter, if you love me, feed my
lambs. Let me read you these statements
from, I think it was Mr. Spurgeon. He said, God, and help
us to do something for Jesus worthy of his love. What do men
think of a love which never shows itself in action? Who will accept
a love so weak that it does not motivate you to a single deed
of self-denial, generosity, heroism, or zeal? He said, love gives wings to
the feet of service and strength to the arm of labor. We are under
the sweetest, strongest constraint to do what we do because the
Son of God loved us and gave himself for us. Let me read you
this from Revelations chapter two. Everything in this world wants
to turn you away from him. It wants to steal your love for
him. He said, unto the angel of the
church of Ephesus, write these things, saith he that beholdeth
the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst
of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy labor,
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are
evil. Thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and hast not, and are not, and hast found them
liars. That's a lot of commendable things. And hast borne, and hast
patience, and for my name's sake hast labored. labored, and not
fainted. But nevertheless, I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first life. I don't want to be constrained
by ambition. It's not my love or your love
for him, but it's his love for you. And if he ever makes that known
to you, it will break your heart. Why in the world would God love
you? Amazing love, how can it be that
thou, my God, should die for me? Listen to this, Christ died
for us that we may live. No more to self and sin, the
truth is precious to believe and makes us pure within. Oh
may the love, the dying love of Christ possess my soul by
living faith to soar above and all my powers control. If I've, listen to me, if I've
never loved him before, God enable me to love you right now. I had Sandy to write this down,
that last verse. of when I surveyed the wondrous
cross. Now listen to this. Let's wrap up the message. Were the whole realm of nature
mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so
divine, demands my soul, my life. The love of God. restrains us, compresses us.
Amen.