O greatly blessed is the man
who walketh not astray in counsel of ungodly men, nor stands in
sinners' way. nor sitteth in the scorner's
chair, but placeth his delight upon God's law, and meditates
on his law day and night. He shall be like a tree that
grows set by the water's side, which in its season yields its
fruit, and green its leaves abide. and all he does shall prosper
well the wicked are not so but are like chaff which by the wind
is driven to and fro in judgment therefore shall not stand such
as ungodly are, nor in the assembly of the just shall wicked men
appear, because the way of godly men is to Jehovah known. Whereas the way of wicked men
shall quite be overthrown. Thank you. Open your Bibles, please, to
2 John. 2 John, verse 7. If you ask me to give you one
sentence by which every false prophet in every age could be
readily identified, it would be this. Every false prophet
denies the doctrine of Christ. Every one. There are no exceptions. There are no exceptions. You
may say to yourself, Don, I don't know anyone who denies the doctrine
of Christ. I don't know anyone who denies
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, or that denies that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. If God will enable me to speak
clearly to you this evening, before I'm done, you will recognize
that many, in fact most of the preachers you know or most of
those whom you have ever heard do in fact deny the doctrine
of Jesus Christ. Now I realize the seriousness
of the charge I make. I have earnestly, seriously before
God weighed what I am about to say to you. And I say it only
because it must be said. I trust that God will give me
your hearing. This little epistle was written
to one whom John describes as the elect lady in verse one. This elect lady, some suggest,
is a local church. Perhaps that's so. Perhaps she
was simply a believer, apparently a believer of some means, who
had been converted under John's ministry. She and many of her
household had been brought to saving faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ through John's preaching. And John writes to her for the
truth's sake with great joy. He says in verse four, I rejoiced
that I found thy children walking in truth. The old pastor found
great comfort, satisfaction and delight in the fact that many
to whom he had been a spiritual father continued in the way of
truth, continued in the way of faith, continued in the doctrine
of Christ. And he was very earnestly concerned
that they continue in that way unto the end. John knew full
well that we are saved if we hold the beginning of our confidence
firm unto the end. He knew we are saved if we hold
fast the profession of our faith and we are not moved away from
the hope of the gospel. He recognized that only the last
day, Only that final day when all things are revealed shall
it be known who truly believed and who did not. And so John
gives a word of admonition, a word of strong reproof, a word of
encouragement, and a word of strong, strong denunciation with
regard to false religion. In verse seven, He said, many
deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we lose
not those things which we have wrought or those things which
we have gained, but that we receive a full reward. This is what he's
saying. There are many false prophets
who have gone into the world in the name of God, in the name
of Jesus Christ, pretending to be the servants of God, pretending
to speak for Christ. But these deceivers are anti-Christ. They're against Christ. They're
contrary to Christ. Their doctrine is contrary to
Christ. They deny the doctrine of Christ. Now, you be very careful that
you don't hear them. You be very careful that you're
not deceived by them. You be very careful that you
continue in the truth of God, lest You should lose what you
have obtained, lest I should lose those who have caused me
great joy, lest you should lose your eternal, immortal souls."
I said, Pastor, is it possible for a true believer to be lost?
Of course not. Of course not. But there are
many, oh, there are so many, who having professed faith in
the gospel, having shown some evidence of
a real interest in Christ. After a while, they have been
deceived and turned away from the truth by another gospel and
by a man who comes and preaches another Jesus, another God, and
another spirit. That's what happened to the Galatians.
They were bewitched. Some preacher came and cast a
spell over them with his pernicious doctrine. They had begun in the
way of free grace, but now they were walking in the way of free
will and works." Paul said, who bewitched you? I marvel that
you've turned away from Him whom you first received unto another
gospel, which is not another at all, but it's a gospel that's
perverted, a gospel that brings no grace, a gospel that brings
no good news. I marvel that you've forsaken
Christ for another spirit, another God, and another Savior. So John
says, you be careful that you persevere. You be careful that
you continue in the way of truth unto the end so that you may
indeed receive a full reward. Now in verse nine, whosoever
transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, if
you forsake the doctrine of Christ, If you forsake the doctrine of
Christ, you do not have God. Do you see that? Anybody that
transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath
not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. Now if you continue
in the faith, buddy, You're one of his. If you don't, you're
not. That's just what he's saying.
Now then, listen to this word of reproof, this word of strong,
strong admonition. If there come any unto you and
bring not this doctrine, the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the
doctrine of Christ and him crucified, the doctrine of accomplished
redemption. If there come any unto you and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house. Don't you do it. Don't you do
it. Don't receive him as a guest
into your private homes. Don't do it. and certainly do
not receive him as a messenger of God in the church of God. Don't do it. I made up my mind a long, long
time ago, to the best of my ability and discernment, there will never
be a man to stand in this pulpit while I live who does not preach
both here and at home. both here and wherever he goes,
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace exactly as I
believe it. It'll never come to pass. God
helping me, I intend never to give any credibility to any man
who does not bring the doctrine of Christ, not in the least. You see, if you receive such
a man into your home, and you receive him as a brother, you
embrace him as a fellow believer, you embrace him as a Christian,
then what you're doing is you're saying to those in your household,
your sons and daughters, this fella is the servant of God,
his religion's all right. That's what you're doing. You're
saying to other believers, this man, it's all right to hear him,
He's one of God's people. He's one of God's servants. He
comes in the name of Christ, but he preaches another Christ,
another Jesus. Don't you receive him into your
home. Don't you give him a cup of coffee or a place to sleep.
Don't do it. John says, don't even bid him
Godspeed. Don't even do it. Sometime back, I was preaching, not preaching,
I was talking with an Armenian preacher. I don't remember exactly the
occasion, but when we parted ways, he said, well, I'll pray
for you. I said, I don't need your prayers. He said, well,
would you pray for me? I said, not on your life, not
on your life. No, sir. No, sir. I'll call upon
God to show you mercy. I'll not ask God to bless your
ministry. I'll call upon God to reveal Christ to you. I'll
not ask God to give you any favor except the favor of his free
grace in Christ. Now, that's not too tough. That's
exactly what John says. He said, don't you wish him good
day? Don't you wish him a good life? Don't you wish him the blessings
of God or the favor of God? Don't do it. Don't send him on
his way with a warm farewell. Don't do it. That sounds awful
strange, doesn't it? It's written by the man who wrote
more than any other apostle of brotherly love and the love of
Christ. It's written by John. These aren't
Don Fortner's words. These are the words of the apostle
John. How could he reconcile such a statement with his admonitions
and his instructions concerning brotherly love? He said this
to people whom he loved. That's why. He said this to folks
who are loved of God. He said it for the truth sake
which he loved, for the Christ whom he loved, for the people
of God whom he loved, for their sake You can't do it. You can't
do it. Why? Why must we not give any
support, any recognition, any favorable reception to a man
who brings not the doctrine of Christ? Look at what he says
in verse 11. For he that biddeth him God's speed is partaker of
his evil deeds. You know, if you were a getaway man keeping a motor
running on a car while another fellow went in and robbed a bank,
you're just as guilty as he is. You're just as guilty as he is.
And if you support a man who preaches a false gospel, if you
lend credibility to a man who preaches a false gospel, If you
embrace as your brother a man who preaches a false gospel,
you're as guilty of ruining the souls of men as he is. That's what John says. That's
what he says. We support missionaries. We're
delighted. I'm delighted that you do. Oh,
I pray God will ever increase your interest in the work of
Christ around the world. But we support men in Mexico,
in Jamaica, in St. Lucia, in St. Kitts, in England. We support men, Lindsay, who
preach the doctrine of Christ. We don't support anybody else.
We don't send a dollar or a postage stamp to anybody else. We don't
do it. John says, if you support such
men, you're partaker with them in their evil deeds. Now then,
What is the doctrine of Christ? Who are these evil men who deny
the doctrine of Christ? And how do they deny it? Those
are the questions I want to answer this evening. The doctrine of
Christ is the doctrine of Holy Scripture, which identifies who
Christ is and what he has done as the sinner's substitute. To
deny the doctrine of Christ is to deny the glory of his person
and the efficacy of his work. Let me once more stress this
fact. False prophets do not come and
raise up a flag and say, look here now, I'm preaching another
Jesus. I'm preaching another God. I'm
preaching another savior. I'm preaching another gospel.
No, sir. They come to you as wolves in sheep's clothing. They come to you ever so sweet,
ever so kind, ever so gentle, ever so loving, ever so well-behaved,
ever so warm. They come to you as precious,
precious lambs. But inside, underneath, they're
devouring your souls. They're devouring your souls.
False prophet comes, and I don't doubt, but what many even think
they are doing God's service. But they so pervert the doctrine
of Christ that the gospel they preach is a complete denial of
the doctrine of Christ. To deny the doctrine of Christ
is to deny that he is the Christ, the Son of God, and to deny that
he has come in the flesh. Now, I want to be as charitable
as I possibly can. I like people. I like to have
friends. I like to be friendly. But at
the same time, if I am not plain and honest with you, I cannot
in good conscience preach to you. And I could not, for the
life of me, bear the thought of facing your immortal souls
when we stand before God, much less of facing God himself to
give an account, as I know I must. And therefore I speak plainly.
I intend for you to see that every preacher of free will every
preacher of works salvation, every preacher who denies the
gospel doctrines of divine sovereignty, effectual redemption, irresistible
grace, and the security of God's saints in Christ is a false prophet,
and he denies the doctrine of Christ in its entirety. All such
men are the enemies of God. They're enemies of your souls.
They're enemies of the cross of Christ, and they are not God's
servants. They are not our brethren, and
we dare not embrace them as such. Now, this is the first thing
I will show you. That man who denies the total sovereignty
of Jesus Christ denies the essential deity of Christ. There are certain
attributes, certain characteristics, certain identifying features
of the character of God which make him God. These things are
essential to his being as God. For example, we recognize that
God is holy. If he's not holy, he's not God. To deny that God is holy is to
deny God altogether. To deny that Jesus Christ is
holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners is to say
he's not God. Isn't that right, Lindsay? That's
to say he's not God. We recognize that God is immutable. Therefore the Apostle Paul tells
us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.
He doesn't change He doesn't change now if you deny the immutability
of Christ if you say no, he does change. He's not the same He's
one day. He's this way another day. He's
that way you have denied that Jesus Christ is God we say from
the scriptures we declare that God is just and He's righteous,
He's true in all His ways. We recognize that Jesus Christ
our Lord is just, righteous, and true. If you deny the justice
of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, the truth of Christ,
you deny that He is God. Now listen to me. Sovereignty,
sovereignty is the character of God. To deny sovereignty is
to deny God. There's no getting around it.
We would no more deny the sovereignty of God than we would deny the
holiness of God. And Jesus Christ, our God, is
the sovereign God and ruler of all the universe. Now, we recognize
that. People ask me all the time, Don,
are you saying that a person must believe in the sovereignty
of God in order to be saved? Of course I'm saying that. Of
course I'm saying that. I am not saying that you must
be a theologian. I'm not saying that you must
be well-learned and well-instructed in all fine points of theology
and Bible doctrine. I am saying, I am saying that
any man, any woman, who in their heart rebels against the sovereign
character of Jesus Christ, doesn't know Jesus Christ. Doesn't matter
who they are. You say, well you can't say that.
Would you say that a man who denies the deity of Christ doesn't
know Christ? Would you say that a man who
denies the holiness of Christ doesn't know Christ? Sovereignty
is essential to deity. And to deny that Jesus Christ
is sovereign in all his ways, in all his works, in all his
doings, is to deny that Jesus Christ is himself God. Now let me show you from the
scriptures. Turn over to the book of Psalms. Psalm 115. David says, not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and
for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? Don't let the heathen ask, where
is our God? But our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Now that's my God. That's
my God. I won't worship another. Neither
will you. Neither will you. You'll bargain
with, you'll use, you'll speak of, you'll render obeisance to
any other kind of God, but you won't worship anywhere except
at the throne of a sovereign God. Nobody ever worshiped any
other God. Our God is in the heavens and
he hath done in all places in all things among all men Whatsoever
he hath pleased turn over to Psalm 136 David says the same
thing a little more fully Psalm 136 35 I'm sorry verse 6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased whatever
gave him pleasure Whatever was according to the desire of his
heart, whatever he wanted to do, whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did he in heaven, in the earth, in the sea, and in all
deep places. Now that doesn't sound like what
I hear fellows preaching about God today. They tell us God wants
to do this, but he can't. God wants to do that, but He
can't. God doesn't want this to happen, but it does. God does
want that to happen, but it doesn't. That's not God, buddy. That's
just not God. Whatsoever the Lord Jehovah pleased,
whatever He pleased, that's what He did in heaven, in the earth,
in the seas, and in all deep places. That's the God I can
worship. Turn over to Isaiah chapter 45.
Isaiah chapter 45. The God of heaven and earth,
the God who made all things, the God who rules all things
is totally sovereign. And this God is our Savior. Here
in Isaiah 45, the prophet is speaking as the mouthpiece of
God himself. He says in verse 5, I am the
Lord, there's none else. There's no God beside me. I girded
thee, though thou hast not known me. that they may know from the
rising of the sun from the west that there is none beside me.
I'm the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create
darkness. Look at it. I make peace and
create evil. I the Lord do these things. Drop down the heavens from above
and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open. Let them
bring forth salvation. Let the righteousness spring
up together. And I, the Lord, have created
it. Woe unto him that striveth with
his maker. Let the potsherds strive with
the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioneth it, What makest thou, or thy work, he hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto
his father, What begadtest thou? Or to the woman, what hast thou
brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy
One of Israel and His Maker, ask of me things to come concerning
my sons and concerning the work of my hands. Command ye me. I
have made the earth and created man upon it. I, even my hands,
have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded.
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways.
He shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not
for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. Skip down now
to verse 20. The Lord God calls upon the nations
of the earth, the men and women of this world. He calls upon
you and me. He says, assemble yourselves
and come. Draw near together, ye that are
escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set
up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a God that cannot
save. They have no knowledge, they're
ignorant fools who pray to a God who cannot save. Tell ye, bring
them near. Yea, let them take counsel together.
Who hath declared this from the ancient time? Who hath told it
from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there
is no God else beside me. Listen, a just God and a Savior. There's none beside me. This
is Jesus Christ our Savior speaking. Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth, for I am God, there is none else.
I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness,
and it shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow,
and every tongue shall swear." Paul tells us in Philippians
2, that's Jesus Christ our Lord. Surely shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall men
come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Everybody, every rebel of Adam's sons who is incensed against
his righteous rule is going to be ashamed before him. You'll
either bow before him in shameless of face and confess your sin
right now, Are in the day of judgment you'll bow before him
in shameless of face and confess your sin, but everybody's going
to be ashamed Everybody he says in the lord shall all the seed
of israel be justified and shall glory the lord jesus christ He
says now look around you look around you. I made the heavens
and the earth And I put man upon it. I stretched out the heavens
as a curtain to dwell in. I made the light and I made the
darkness. I give peace on the earth and
I bring turmoil upon the earth. I make peace and I create the
evil. You're in my hands. You're in
my hands. Now assemble around my throne
and listen to me. Listen to me. Look unto me and
be saved. All the ends of the earth. Look
to me. As many as look, I'll save. As many as call, I'll answer. As many as seek me, shall find
me. I'm the Lord. And when everything
is done, everything is done, all the seed of Israel, all my
elect, shall be justified. Every one of them shall glory
in me. Every one of them shall have
righteousness in me. That's what he says. That's our
God. The Lord Jesus Christ sovereignly
rules all things without exception. Without exception. That man who
died for us at Calvary is himself God in human flesh. He has the
right to rule all things as a man because he earned that right
as our mediator by his obedience and his sufferings in our place.
But our Lord Jesus Christ has the divine right by virtue of
his divinity from all eternity to rule all things because he's
God. He made everything. He owns everything. Some of you fellas own property. Some of you own farms. Dave Coleman has his business
out the road here. And man, there's nothing under
the sun that gnaws at a man like somebody coming in telling him
he's got to do this with his property. You got to do that. You got to do the other thing.
Oh, it just greats at us. It just greats at us. Who's going
to tell God what he's got to do with his property? Who's going
to tell God what he's got to do? Are you going to tell him? Not me. Not on your life. Not me. He owns everything. Everything. Everybody. Everybody. Everything's in His hands. Everything's
made by His hands. Everything's made for His pleasure
and His glory. He has the right to dispose of
everything and everybody exactly as He will. Exactly as He will. Our Lord Jesus Christ not only
rules everything absolutely, But it is his sovereign will
and his sovereign choice, the choice of his eternal electing
love that determined who would be saved. He said to his disciples,
you've not chosen me, but I've chosen you. Now, let men argue
and rebel as they will. Salvation is not the prerogative
of man. It's the prerogative of God alone.
In covenant mercy, God our Savior chose who he would save before
the worlds were made. And his choice is fixed, immutable,
and unalterable. If Christ Jesus chose to save
you, he will save you. If He did not choose you, you
will never be saved by Him. Now that's just as plain as I
know how to make it. Preacher, you can't tell men
that. I just told you. I just told you. I intend to
go on telling you. Salvation is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth. It's of God that showeth mercy.
It's God's right to show mercy to whom He will. It's not your
right. You don't have any rights before
God. None whatsoever. God owes you nothing but damnation. Well, I believe man can be saved
if he wants to. I do too. I do too. I preach
it. I call upon every sinner who
wants Christ to come to Christ. You want him, he can have him.
But I'm telling you that unless God has chosen to save you, you
cannot and you will not of your own accord ever desire him. Never. Never. And in his infinite
wise and holy sovereignty, Our Lord Jesus Christ reveals the
gospel to some people and he hides it from others according
to his own will. You read the 11th chapter of
Matthew again. Our Lord declares that there are some in this world
There are some in this world who would repent and would believe
if they heard what you're hearing, Wes, but he doesn't show it to
them. He hides it from them. He hides
it from them. It's not given to them to know
and to understand. That's what he says. He bowed
his head and he said, Father, I thank thee, God of heaven and
earth, thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent. and
has to reveal them unto babes. And then he reveals the truth
to his people. One way or another, somehow or
other, God's gonna see to it that every chosen sinner hears
the gospel and believes it. Bobby Estes walked out the door
Tuesday night, some encouraging words to me,
appreciating the ministry of the word. I don't know what all's involved,
but everything ever happened to you, everything ever happened
to your mama and daddy, your granddaddy and grandma, all the
way back to Adam, Bobby, God ordained to cause you to hear
the word. That's the reason you met that
girl, so you hear the word. That's right. I don't have any
question about that. God will see to it that His people
hear His voice and understand His truth. He'll make the gospel
known to His people. That's His sovereign prerogative. Why is it? Why on this earth
is it that God causes the light to shine here and He causes there
to be darkness there? It's His purpose! That's all. That's all. It's His purpose.
As long as a man rebels against the sovereignty of Christ, he's
a lost man and an enemy to the gospel. Until you're reconciled
to God and his true character, as he is revealed in Jesus Christ
our Lord, you cannot be saved. To deny the sovereignty of Christ
is to deny the doctrine of Christ, for a denial of sovereignty is
a denial of deity. Secondly, That man who denies
the efficacy of Christ's blood atonement denies the doctrine
of Christ. The most crucial issue of gospel
truth is Christ's atonement for sin. Error with regard to the atoning
work of Christ is fatal to your soul. It's fatal. Yet there is
no doctrine that is more viciously attacked by modern fundamentalist
religion than the doctrine of the atonement. Many who pretend
to be lovers of truth are willing to compromise and hedge when
it comes to the gospel doctrine of effectual redemption. We dare
not. Either the Lord Jesus Christ
redeemed every sinner for whom he died, or he is not God. Now, I hope that's plain to you.
I keep stressing it. Either Christ redeemed and justified
and saves every sinner for whom he died or he's not God. Oscar,
does that make good sense to you? Either he saves men or he
doesn't. If he saves, he's God. If he tries to save but does
not save, he's not God. He's just not God. Those who
deny the efficacy of Christ's atonement deny both the deity
of Christ and deny the fact that Jesus the Christ has come in
the flesh. They say that Jesus Christ is
God come to save. But if he is not, if he is God
come to save, then those whom he's come to save must be saved. To say otherwise is to say that
he's a failure. To say that the God you worship
is a miserable failure. And many even make that blasphemous
absurdity frequently. It is a shame to any man to fail. Nobody likes to do it. If I goof up on something, I
make an effort at doing something and I don't succeed, I try my
best to cover it up. I don't want anybody to know
it. I don't want anybody to know it. I have, on occasion, tried
my hand at a little bit of mechanic work, thought I'd save a dollar.
It always cost me more. I quit doing it. I have, on occasion,
tried repairing things, even building things. I just can't
do it. I try my best not to let anybody
see anything I've done with these hands. They're just not made
for carpentry work, mechanic work, or plumbing. They're not
made for it. The reason for that is I hate to fail. Man, I hate
to fail. I suppose I hate failure worse
than I hate anything under the sun. I don't like to fail. I
like to succeed at what I try to do. It's a lot of pride, I
realize that, but that's the way we are. Failure is a shame,
a reproach, a hideous thing to endure. Lindsay Campbell, my
God's not a failure. He's not a failure. That's right. To say that Jesus Christ is a
failure? I'd as soon say he's a devil.
I'm telling you the truth. I would just as soon hear a man
say he's a devil. To say that the Son of God is
a failure? Why, that's absurd. Those who
preach the doctrine of universal redemption Those who tell us
that Christ died to redeem all men, even the multitudes who
perish in hell, by their proud doctrine deny every attribute
of God. They tell us that the love of
God is nothing but a fickle, helpless emotion in God. God
loves men. He tries His best to save men.
He loves them, but He doesn't save them. He loves them, but
He sends them to hell anyhow. He loves them, but He can't interfere
with them. He loves them, but He can't keep
them from perishing. What kind of monstrous love is
that? What kind of monstrous love is
that? To attribute to the God of glory, to say He loves men,
to say that He's almighty, and yet those men whom He loves,
He allows to perish. No, He sends to hell. Hmm? I love my daughter better than
that. I've got better love than that. You do too? You do too? Those who preach that Jesus Christ
died for all men, even for those who perish in their sins, declare
that God's wisdom is nothing but mere foolishness. For he
made provisions, and he made plans, and he made stipulations
for a purpose of salvation which shall never be accomplished.
The theory of universal redemption makes a mockery of the justice
of God, for it tells us that Christ has paid the penalty of
sin, and yet God requires the payment from you. The doctrine
of universal redemption denies the immutability of God. For
it says today, God loves you. God has a wonderful plan for
you. God wants everything best for you. But if you don't meet
certain stipulations and conditions, God's going to turn from love
to wrath. He's going to turn from love
to hatred. He's going to turn from wanting
to do you good to sending you to hell. God changes. Those who deny the doctrine of
effectual redemption And they preach this universal theory
of atonement, rob God of His glory. But they declare that
God Almighty, after all, is not the one who determines who's
saved and who's not. They declare, after all, that
it's not the blood of Christ, the purpose of God, or the power
of God that brings man to heaven, but man's own mighty free will. And they deny the power of God
as well. How often I hear these fellows.
They say God's done everything he can. Everything he can. But he failed. It's no laughing matter. I say the glory of God's at stake.
The glory of God's at stake. Any doctrine that perverts, denies,
or is contrary to any attribute of God is not gospel doctrine. That doctrine which robs God
of his true essential character is heresy. It is denial of the
doctrine of Christ. And we must reject the commonly
accepted notion of universal redemption as a blasphemous denial
of the doctrine of Christ because it makes the grace of God nothing
but a frustrated, helpless desire in God's heart to save men whom
he cannot save. and it makes the work of Christ
a vain, futile effort. Universal redemption denies the
power of Christ's blood, makes his sacrifice at Calvary a wasted
effort, and portrays the glorious Son of God as a miserable failure. Can that be anything, Harold
Allen, but a denial of the doctrine of Christ? No, sir. No, sir. More than that, this doctrine
is useless. as it is blasphemous, for universal
redemption denies the sufficient satisfaction and atonement of
Christ's blood. We're told that Jesus Christ
died for everybody, made atonement for everybody, paid the sin debt
for everybody, but somehow or another, that's not enough. That's
not enough. Some of those for whom he died
perish anyway. Those who preach that Christ
died for all men, even for those who perish in hell, make the
cross of Jesus Christ a miscarriage, and he shall not see the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. Those who preach the theory of
universal redemption by their doctrine declare that Jesus Christ
died in vain for a vast multitude of men. This foolish notion offers
men no grounds of hope before God. Why should anybody, why should
anybody trust Jesus Christ to save him? Now listen to me. Why
should anybody trust Jesus Christ to save him if there are multitudes
whom Christ tries to save but cannot save? Why should I, Why
should I, as a guilty sinner, trust my soul on the merits of
Christ's redeeming blood for my entire salvation if there
are multitudes for whom Christ shed his blood who are yet in
hell after all? Why trust his blood? His blood
didn't do Judas any good. His blood didn't do the sons
of Korah any good. His blood didn't do Simon Magus
any good. Well, he redeemed them. That's
what we're told. He redeemed them. And yet men
turn around and tell us to trust that same blood. What for? What for? It's a useless thing
if it doesn't redeem the people it intends to redeem. This theory of universal redemption
gives the children of God no reason at all for serving Christ
and rendering praise and thanksgiving to Him for all things. In a word,
to deny the efficacy of Christ's atonement is to declare that
that one who died is not Jesus the Christ, the son of the living
God. It is to declare that God himself
is a failure, that the Christ of God does not have the power
in and of himself to redeem his people. Thirdly, that man who denies
the efficacy of Christ's power and grace in salvation utterly
denies the doctrine of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ himself
declares that in the covenant of grace it became his responsibility
to save God's elect. He's the shepherd, and he must
call his sheep, and there must be one fold and one shepherd. He declares plainly that he came
into this world to do his father's will, and that his father's will
is the complete salvation of all his people. Now, either the
Lord Jesus Christ will save all his people, or he's not who he
claims to be. He is not the Christ of God,
but an imposter, and we who trust him are yet in our sins. We are
plainly told in the scriptures that Christ will effectually
save his people, that not one of those who are his shall perish
in the end. The scriptures prophesy concerning
Christ, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach
unto thee. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. Now those are scriptures that
speak of Christ, the Christ of God. If one of those whom Christ
came to save is lost in the end, then he's not that one of whom
the prophets spoke. The doctrine of the scripture
is just this. The Lord Jesus Christ seeks his sheep until
he finds them. When he finds them, he affectionately
lays them upon his shoulders and he carries them all the way
back home to God. The grace of God is always effectual. God never tries to save any but
those who are saved. King Jesus makes his people willing
to come to him in the day of his power. None can resist his
almighty call. And Lindsay, when he calls, nobody
wants to resist. If he calls, you'll be perfectly
willing. You'll have no will to resist
him. He came to the tomb of Lazarus. That's a picture of his call.
If ever there was one, there's a man dead. Dead and helpless. Dead and past all hope. He's
been dead for four days. Dead and bound up in the grave
clothes. Oh, what a picture of a sinner.
Dead. We've been dead for a long time.
Been dead for 4,000 years when he came. Been dead for 6,000
years when he finally caught us. bound up in the grave clothes
of sin and iniquity and the bondage and curse of the law, utterly
helpless in the tomb of fallen humanity, without any power,
without any will, without anything in ourselves of life toward God. And the Son of God says, Lazarus,
come forth. He came. He came. How did he come? I've often tried
to picture that scene. That fella must have just floated
out of the grave. He must have just floated right out of that
tomb. He was bound hand and foot with grave clothes. That's what
scripture said. After he was brought forth, the Lord said
to his disciples, loose him and let him go. Loose him and let
him go. And when the Spirit of God, by
the voice of Jesus Christ, calls dead sinners, he calls them to
life, and they are altogether passive in that call, and he
is altogether effectual in that call. He sends his messenger
with the word of the gospel, and he says, loosen and let him
go. One last thing. That man who
denies the eternal preservation, security, and ultimate glorification,
of all who believe denies the doctrine of Christ. To teach
that any of God's elect may lose their salvation and perish in
hell is to declare that Jesus Christ is not the savior he claims
to be. He said, he said, they shall
never perish. That's what he said. Now either
they shall never perish or he's a liar. You take your choice. You take your choice. I want
to encourage you who yet know not our God to trust Christ with
your immortal soul. I point you to an almighty, all-sufficient,
effectual Savior. Trust Him and you shall never
die. Let me give you these 10 pillars
for your soul to lean upon. 10 reasons why none of God's
elect can ever perish. Here are 10 facts that forbid
the possibility that any believer can ever die. I'm telling you
right now, you trust Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, you
shall never come into condemnation. Never! There's no possibility
of condemnation. Not any. Why? Because the purpose
of God cannot be overturned. Can't be. God's purposed it,
He will accomplish it. Secondly, the covenant of grace
cannot be nullified. God in his eternal covenant mercy
chose you, gave Christ to be your substitute, sent his spirit
to call you, and promised everlasting life upon Christ's obedience.
That covenant can't be nullified. Thirdly, the promise of God cannot
be broken. Our Savior said, I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Fourthly, the blood
of Christ has not been and cannot be shed in vain. Our Lord Jesus
Christ redeemed the people and those people shall be with him
in glory. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied. Fifthly, the seal of the Spirit
can never be broken. Why, if you believe, you're sealed,
sealed, sealed into the day of resurrection, sealed by the Spirit
of God. Sealed, preserved, and kept in
Christ Jesus. Sealed from all the powers of
darkness. Sealed from all the curse of
the law. Sealed from all the wrath of
God. Sealed until the day of redemption. Perfectly sealed
by the Spirit. And nobody gonna break that seal.
More than that, the grace of God cannot be frustrated. God
saves his people by his grace. altogether by his grace, and
God's grace will never be frustrated. Seventh, the advocacy of Christ
must prevail. He makes intercession for us
according to the will of God. He calls upon his Father on the
basis of his sacrifice, on the basis of his righteousness. He
says, Father, don't let that ransom sinner die. Don't let
that ransom sinner die. And Merle Hart, if he calls your
name, you can't die. That's what this book teaches.
You can't die. Those who are his cannot perish. He prays for them. He prays for
them. More than that, the gifts and
the callings of God are without repentance. When God gives life,
he never withdraws it. He gave it freely without any
cause, and there's no cause that can force him to take it away.
Again, the Son of God cannot lose the reward of His obedience
in death. He has His people in His hand
as the reward of His souls to avail. This is the joy set before
Him. God will not rob Him of His joy.
Again, the power of God cannot be defeated. We're in His hands. Oh, what a place to be. I'm in
the hands of the omnipotent God. who promised never to let me
go, to give me a heart that I would never forsake him, and to keep
my heart with him for all eternity. No power's gonna break that hold.
No power in heaven, earth, or hell. Again, let me add this
one more pillar for your soul's comfort and peace and joy. Our
great God, cannot and will not lose the object of his love or
the honor of his great name. Never. Can you imagine God in eternity hearing the cries of the damned in hell, if he loves them, that would be hell to God himself. Can you imagine such a thing?
Or can you imagine further still God Almighty, losing the honor of His name
and the glory due unto His name, if so much as one for whom Christ
died, for whom Christ has sent His Spirit, who's called and
saved by His grace, if so much as one of them should perish
at last, Where's his honor? Where's his glory? If every ransomed sinner, if
every object of grace, if every one who is loved of God made
it to heaven except Lindsay Campbell, except that one, just that one,
Jesus Christ gets no honor. He gets no glory if he did the
same thing for you he did for all the rest. For the difference
is not in him but in you and in them. Does that make sense
to you? Now this is what I'm saying to
you. If any man come unto you and bring not this doctrine,
receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. I say
to you who yet believe not, I call upon you to receive the doctrine
of Christ, not just mentally, not just accept it in your heads,
that won't do you any good. I'm calling upon you to receive
this Christ, this Christ whom we have declared the effectual,
saving, all sufficient, almighty Christ. I'm telling you, he's
a mighty savior. You can safely trust him. You
can safely trust him. And I call for you, children
of God, let us abide in the doctrine of Christ. I see men who seem to have such zeal for
the truth of God in their youth. And as they get older, it seems to matter so very little
to them. I see such men in the pulpit
and out of the pulpit. To this day, I give thanks to
God. This doctrine is more precious
to me than it's ever been. I'm not beating the air. I have
a cause. The cause is the truth of God
and the glory of God. You're immortal souls. That's
the cause. Adoption hadn't changed any. When I left Piedmont Bible College
in 1970, they called me into the office.
Once they knew I was leaving, they wouldn't have to be bothered
with me no more. They wanted to try their best
to maybe get a little money coming in now and then, I guess. Maybe
somebody would recommend another fellow to the school. The president
of the college said to me, he said, now Don, you realize that
there is a possibility that we're both right, and that the truth
lies somewhere in the middle, and we're both serving the same
God, and we're both worshiping the same Savior, and we're both
trying to get men saved by God's grace. I said to him, Mr. Drake, I don't know. I don't
know whether or not you believe what you say you believe. I don't
know. You may be lying to me. But I can guarantee you this.
I flat believe what I'm preaching and what I say I believe. And between what you're saying
and what I'm saying, there is absolutely no agreement. One of us is lying on God. One
of us is in the path of destruction and leading men in the path of
the destruction. And in the day of judgment, we'll
find out who. I am more fully convinced today
than I was, man, it's been a long time now, 17 years ago. Far more fully convinced. Either
this is the Christ or he's not. Either the God I preach is God
or he's not God. It's just that simple. But I'm
telling you, I'm telling you, that God who is a failure, that
God who has no sovereign power, that God who cannot redeem, that
God who cannot save, that God who cannot preserve his own is
not God.