I have said to you countless
times, and to men and women around the world, I have said this countless
times. Nothing in this world, nothing
in this world is more needful, more important to you, to your
everlasting soul, than the worship of God and the hearing of the
gospel of God's free grace. Nothing so important. Brother
Gabe Staudaker, you all know. Pastor down in Kingsport, Tennessee
now. Marvin's son. I've known him since he was just
a little boy. Many years ago, we were down in Cherokee, North
Carolina, and he had been out to open for one of the well-known
country music singers at the Iowa State Fair. And Gabe's talented. He is. I mean, he's good. He's
good. And he had made a demo recording,
wanted me to hear it. And he was excited about the
prospects. And I listened to it, and we sat in his truck for
a little bit and talked. And I said, Gabe, I hope you'll
understand this. I said, I hope you can enjoy
your music and enjoy playing the music and maybe profit by
a little bit. But I hope that God in his providence
and grace will never allow you to make yourself or turn into
a country music star and traveling around and have success with
it. And he looked at me like I had
hit him square in the nose. And I said, you can't spend your
life traveling with a country music band, singing this place
and that, and worship God. It can't be done. It can't be
done. Some years earlier, Brother Eric
Richards, who's now out in San Diego, I've known him all of
his life. playing football in high school,
pretty good. He pretty good and was excited about the prospect
of scholarship and maybe playing pro ball. And we were chatting
one evening and I said to him, Eric, I hope you can enjoy football
and I hope you can maybe get a scholarship, get a little help
going to college, but I pray that God will never allow you
to play professional ball. And he looked at me like I just
hit him square in the nose. And I said the same thing to
him. Both of those men told me later, you can't imagine how
mad I was when you said that, or how glad I am you said that. I said to these young children
right here, not so young anymore, when they first started in sports,
Real good in soccer and real good in basketball and golf.
And I've said to him, I hope you can enjoy it. Help
you with your college. I hope, I pray God will never
allow you to be a professional at it. How come? Because that's
nothing. That's nothing. and it will certainly
rob you of the worship of God. It can't be done. Nothing so
important to your soul as the worship of God, the hearing of
the gospel of God's grace in the house of God with his people. Listen to these two statements
in Romans chapter 10, verse 17. Romans chapter 10, verse 17. So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. Faith cometh by hearing. That is the universal testimony
of Holy Scripture. Sinners are saved. Faith is given. and faith is stirred, and faith
grows only by the hearing of the Word of God. God saves sinners
by his almighty, free, sovereign grace through the merits and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and that alone. God saves sinners
by the mighty operation of God the Holy Spirit and that alone
without works of any kind and He does this in the application
of his grace that hyssop you were talking about a little bit
ago Always use with reference to application throughout the
scriptures. By the application of His grace
through the instrumentality of gospel preaching. No other way. Faith comes by hearing. It doesn't come any other way. But we believe in God's sovereignty.
I don't take a backseat to anybody in that. declaring the gospel
of God's free and sovereign grace in Jesus Christ the Lord. But
God's purpose of grace includes everything involved in the giving
of grace. Specifically, it includes the
preaching of the gospel. Our doctrine rests upon the plain
statements of Holy Scripture. We believe what the book says.
It doesn't matter how consistent or inconsistent it is with any
system of theology. Faith comes by hearing. The preaching
of the gospel is the power of God to salvation. It is the explosive
dynamite of God by which he gives sinners life and faith in Jesus
Christ. The word of God is quick and
powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. James
says, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. And Peter says, we're born again,
not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth forever. And this, this is the
word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Now, there are four
facts plainly revealed in the book of God in this regard. Number
one, understand this, there's just one gospel. There's just
one gospel. Everything opposed to or contrary
to the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Jesus Christ
is a false gospel. It matters not what name it wears. It is a religious lie. It matters
not who believes it or how popularly it is believed and embraced.
The gospel of the grace of God is defined by the Holy Spirit
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 as how Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures. The gospel of the grace of God,
I know the point at which everybody wants to compromise the gospel,
the hardest point that stands out that seems to be just at
odds with everybody in the world is limited atonement. Say it
loud, say it plain, pronounce every syllable like a good southerner,
limited atonement. Limited atonement. Not limited
in power, sufficiency, or efficacy, but limited in purpose, design,
and accomplishment. Limited atonement. Jesus Christ
died for and accomplished the redemption of God's elect. All
for whom Christ died shall be saved by God's grace. Any denial
of that is heresy. It's damning. It's a lie. It's
a false gospel. That's the hinge point. How that
Christ died for our sins as our substitute, accomplishing redemption
in our stead, satisfying the justice of God in the behalf
of his people. Bringing about the forgiveness
of sin by the shedding of his blood, not by us believing it,
but by the shedding of his blood. Bringing about everlasting righteousness
by his obedience unto death, not by something we do. Limited
atonement. That's the very crucial aspect
of the gospel of God's free grace. There is but one gospel. Understand
that and believe it, embrace it, and reject everything contrary
to it. Here's something else that's
plainly revealed in scripture. No one will ever be saved who
does not hear the gospel. No one, no one. It pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Well,
preacher, I believe you can just read the Bible and God will save
you if you just read the Bible. I know folks who can quote the
Bible from cover to cover. I actually know one fella who
can quote the Bible from cover to cover and doesn't believe
a word God speaks in it. Not a word of it. You can read
the Bible every morning, every night, every midday until you
die and never understand what this book teaches. God saves
sinners by the preaching of the gospel. He uses men and women
like you and me to bear testimony to others like ourselves, fallen,
depraved sinners. of the goodness and grace of
God in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, in the accomplishment of redemption. Number three, no one will ever
be saved. No one who does not personally,
deliberately repent of his sin. Our Savior said, except you repent,
you shall all likewise perish. What is repentance? What is it?
What is it? It is not a deep feeling of guilt
and remorse and fear, though it may include that. What is
repentance? It is a turning to God. It is a willful, deliberate,
purposeful turning to God. And yet you can't do it. You
can't do it. You must be turned or you won't
turn. You must be brought or you won't
come. But if God turns you, you'll
gladly turn to him. If God brings you to the Lord
Jesus, you will gladly come to him. No man can come to me, our
Savior said, except the Father draw him. except God give him
life and faith. But if God draws, if God calls,
you will come to the Savior willfully and deliberately. What is this
repentance? It is a change of mind, a change
of masters, a change of motives. It's turning to God in the reconciliation
of faith. God was in Christ reconciling
the world to himself. And now we beseech you, be ye
reconciled to God. God Almighty has taken down the
wall of partition that separated us, the broken law of commandments.
Now you must come to God and turn to Him, being reconciled
to God. What is that? Being at peace
with God. Being at peace with God, trusting
the Lord Jesus Christ, you quit fighting God. You quit fighting
God, you turn to him, you believe him, you bow to him, and you're
thankful he's God. Thankful he's God in all the
character and work by which he makes himself known. I wouldn't
change God in anything for all the world. I wouldn't change
anything about him. Yes, like you, my heart is still
depraved and my natural carnal heart just as much at enmity
against God as it ever was. Yes, like you, I murmur and complain
and grumble at God's providence because of that carnal enmity
of this carnal heart. But there's a new man in me. I hope a new man in you reconciled
to God. And that man reconciled to God
says, it is the Lord. Let him be what he is. It is
the Lord. Let him do what he will. I'll
bow to him and worship him. Job said to his wife, said, you speak as one of the foolish
women. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and not receive
evil? And after all his trials, the
scripture tells us, Job bowed his head and worshiped. That's what it is to be reconciled
to God. It is to turn to him in surrender,
to bow to Christ as Lord, to give up your life to the Son
of God. This is what we confess in believers
baptism. Fifty years ago now. Fifty years ago, I took my place
with the Son of God in a watery grave. And I said to God and
the world, I'm crucified with Christ. And I rose up out of
that watery grave and lifted my hand to God and said, I'm
yours. lock, stock and barrel, your
key. If God's given you faith in Christ,
arise and be baptized, confess him, identify yourself with him
and confess to God and to the world that you're his. No one
will ever be saved who doesn't repent in reconciliation to God
through Christ our Lord. And no one will ever be saved
who doesn't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Now let me tamp on that just
a little bit, just a little bit. Faith in Christ is not saying
I believe in Jesus. Faith in Christ is not defending
the Bible, the book, and the blessed hope. Faith in Christ
is not believing that Jesus Christ is the third person of the sacred
trinity, the eternal word of God. Or faith in Christ is not
believing in the incarnation of Christ. Faith in Christ is
not believing that Jesus Christ actually died on the cross for
sinners, and that he rose again the third day, and that he's
seated in heaven, and that he's coming again and gonna make all
things new. Well, brother Donald, if that's
not what faith in Christ is, what is it? He that believeth
that Jesus is the Christ. This book, from Genesis to Malachi,
in all the Old Testament, said one thing. There's a man coming
who is God in the flesh. And that man who comes, God in
the flesh. When he comes, he will make an
end of sin. He will bring in everlasting
righteousness. He will conquer Satan, crush
the serpent's head. He will save his people from
their sins. He will be triumphant king, Lord
over all, seated on the throne of David, king of kings and Lord
of lords, having fulfilled all that the prophets said concerning
him. And when the Lord Jesus came
and the disciples believed him, this is what he said. Peter said,
I believe thou art the Christ. You're the man God was talking
about. Thou art the Christ. You and you alone are he by whom
redemption, salvation, grace, and life comes to sinful men
through your merits, through your blood, through your righteousness. He that believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, he is born of God. He that believeth not that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, that is, does not believe that
Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ of God, he's anti-Christ,
he doesn't believe God. A preacher, I don't know hardly
anybody outside the church here and others like it that believe
what you're talking about. Me either. That's the reason
I don't have anything to do with them. Me either. Don't have anything to do with
it. Why? Because they don't believe that Jesus is the Christ. They
don't believe that Jesus is the Christ. He that believeth on
the Son of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the
Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him. Hear me now. Faith in Christ
is indispensable to salvation. Do you believe on the Son of
God? But Brother Don, I don't feel.
You don't know what I've been. You don't know how bad I am.
Yes, I do. Sometimes I feel like maybe I
do, and sometimes I don't. Me too. But this I confess. In the teeth of all my sin, In
the teeth of all my depravity, in the teeth of all my corruption,
in the teeth of all my unbelief, in the teeth of everything, I
believe that Jesus is the Christ. I rest my soul on him alone. I bring nothing to God but the
doing and dying of his dear son. I trust Christ alone. God says, he that believeth on
the Son of God hath everlasting life. Now there's not much I'm
dead sure of, but this I'm dead sure of. I believe on the Son
of God. I believe it. I have no confidence
in my flesh. Not in anything I know, not in
anything I've done, not in anything I feel, not in anything I've
experienced. I believe on the Son of God. God says, Larry Brown, I have
everlasting life. That's what God says. I believe
God. Believe on the Son of God and
God says to you, you have everlasting life. Faith cometh by hearing. Now here's the second statement.
and hearing by the Word of God. Hearing by the Word of God. The scriptures give us much instruction
about hearing the Word of God. Turn over to the book of James.
James chapter one. James chapter one. Verse 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh
not the righteousness of God. Whenever you come into the house
of God, it should be with an intense desire to hear God's
word. to hear God speak to you by his
word. Thomas Macton, the Puritan, rightly
made this observation. If we were as swift to hear as
we are ready to speak, there will be less wrath and more profit
in our meetings. Now, I've been doing this for
a little while, preaching. Usually, I find that when people
don't profit from the preaching of the word, It's because they
practice exactly the opposite of what James here commands.
They're slow to hear, swift to speak, and swift to anger. There seem to be a good many
people who attend church for no reason except to find some
point of disagreement. They're just disagreeable and
they like to disagree. I know a pastor who had a lady
and her daughter came to church for 23 years and never walked
through the doors without griping about something. Never walked
through the doors without griping about something. Every time,
every time. And when it finally erupted and
left, he couldn't have been more happy. They just tickled to death,
they'd go. The grumbling was gone. Who doesn't
want to get rid of grumbling, griping, sniping? And it's that
way with many in hearing the word of God. They listen for
something they can disagree with. Did you hear what he said about
Job? What do you think about that? Did you hear what he said
about Christ? What do you think about that? Oh, the glory of redemption!
Yeah, but what about Job? I'd rather talk about the good
stuff, wouldn't you? Why find something to snipe about? Folks,
some folks can hardly wait for the preacher to get done talking
so they can, so they can point out his errors. When we meet
together, It's conference. I have never presumed to tell
anybody what to preach or what they can preach or can't preach.
I don't make that kind of presumption. I just don't do it. I've never
done that. I have called men to come and
preach to you, and I've tried the 38 years we've had these
conferences and all the time in between. I've tried to see
to it that you hear the very best faithful gospel preaching
I can possibly have you to hear from this pulpit. But as those
men come, should somebody say something that just doesn't sound
exactly, precisely the same way your pastor thinks about angels
or the same way Lindsay has taught about the Paschal Lamb, don't
sit around and pick at the sermons. Come begging God to speak to
you, and he just might. Begging God to speak to your
heart, and he just might. But most folks don't come to
worship, and they do everything they can to keep others from
worshiping. Let us guard against that tendency of proud, self-willed
flesh. May God make us swift to hear.
Listen to the wise man's words in Ecclesiastes. Keep thy foot
when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to
hear than to give sacrifice to fools, for they consider not
that they do evil. They don't even think about the
possibility that they're doing evil. Be not rash with thy mouth. Let not thine heart be hasty
to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and thou
upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. In the parable
we read in Luke chapter eight, the parable of the sower. The
Lord Jesus gave us a word of instruction. He said, take heed
how you hear. Knowing that multitudes, wherever
they're gathered together to hear the word, Most in the crowd,
most people, are you listening to me now? Most people who hear
the word of God, who hear the gospel of God's grace, never
believe it. They never believe it. Oh, they
have some experiences. I have some experience with that.
Sometimes the word is on stony ground or by the wayside and
it brings forth no fruit. And then sometimes it's sold
on stony ground and it springs up. But I'll tell you something
about stuff that grows on stony ground. It comes up quick and
it produces nothing. It just produces just a little
bit of dirt in the spring, but you can't go pick any peaches
off that tree. It's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen.
It bears no fruit and quickly withers. As soon as the sun comes,
storm comes, it's dead and gone. So it is with the stony ground
here. And some, some, some among thorns and tears and weeds. And the ground seems to be right,
it receives the word. and it endures for a while. But
after a while, the cares of this world, and the riches of this
world, and the pleasures of this world. Those three things. The cares of this world. The
care of raising a family and taking care of it. Legitimate
cares. That's your responsibility, Josh.
Raise a family, take care of it. But don't let that responsibility
choke out the word. The riches of this world. The wealth and the fame of the
world. Oh, get all you can and can't all you get and keep it
forever. The riches of this world. Craving
the things of this world choke out the word. Chokes out the
influence of the word. and the pleasures of this world.
We live in a pleasure crazy society. It's difficult for me to grasp
how it is that men and women will do everything they can and
spend everything they can just to go party all the time. Just have a good time. I wanna
have a good time. What happened to responsibility?
What happened to serving? What happened to doing for the
world and doing for people and doing for God? What happened? I want to have a good time. Having
a good time chokes out the word. And then
there are those who receive the word in good ground, in good
ground, ground prepared by God, the Holy Ghost, ground plowed
by the word. And the plowing of the word breaks
up the fallow ground, but the ground must be broken up and
is prepared by the word. And when it's prepared, it receives
the seed. It receives the seed. Mysterious
thing, a mysterious thing. We don't raise a garden anymore,
but I've often thought about it when we're planting seed,
and you fellows who farm, I'm sure you've got a thing about
it, you plant the seed, and it's buried out of sight. And you
can't see what's going on. It's out of sight. It's out of
sight. I have on occasion scratched
in the ground to see what was happening to that little piece
of corn. You know what happened? It died. What do you do? You just leave it alone and wait. You just leave it alone and wait.
These two children and those there will bear me witness. I
do nothing to force or coerce a profession of faith from them,
from you or anybody else, except preach the gospel. Just preach
the gospel. Well, how do you expect anybody
to be safe? I know it doesn't depend on me. And all I can do,
Lindsey, is get in the way. That's all I can do. What do
you do? You sow the seed. And if God Almighty plants it
in the heart. It brings forth fruit, some 30
fold, some 60, some 100, but it brings forth fruit, the fruit
of life, repentance, and faith, believing God. Faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God. David said, this is the
place from which God commands his blessing. This place right
here. No wonder he's saying, I was
glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord.
God just might commend his blessing today. God just might commend
his blessing. I was glad when they said to
me, let us go into the house of the Lord. God might be pleased
to visit us again. I wonder what God might do if
we just expected him to. Oh, that my people had listened
to me. Then their seed would have been
like the sand and like the gravel thereof for multitude if they
just listened to me. Just listen to me. Our God is the same yesterday
and today and forever. Jesus Christ, God, our Savior,
the same yesterday and today and forever. His power is not
limited. God Almighty, who on one day,
as Peter preached the gospel in one place, poured out his
spirit upon that congregation, and that day added to the church
3,000 souls. He can do that today. He can do that today. He had
changed, he had changed. Daily adding to his church, such
as should be saved. Let us come to the house of God,
praying for God to speak to us. I go to these meetings and I've
got my mind on preaching. And I try my best not to focus
on what I'm about to preach. But beg God, oh God, Brother
Marvin stands up to speak. Speak to my heart, God speak
to me. Make me hear your word. Speak
and reprove my sin, my unbelief, expose it, correct me. Encourage
faith. Give me faith in your son. And
pray for sinners. Pray that God might be pleased
to call out his elect. And God might be pleased to save
sinners. Pray for God's saints as they come to the house of
God. God, speak to your people today. Speak to them. Call your
people. Let them hear your voice. Give
us a fresh revelation of your dear son and your grace and salvation
in him. God, speak by your word and glorify
Christ. Speak by your word and accomplish
your purpose through the preaching of the gospel of your free grace. Take heed how you hear. Hear God speak. I want to be
like Simeon and Anna in the house of God looking for God's salvation,
waiting for the consolation of Israel. I want to come in here
three times a week, standing on my tiptoes of faith, looking
for God to come in our midst. I want you to come the same way.
I want to be like Mary, sitting at his feet, hearing his word
in his house. I want to be like Mephibosheth
coming to the house of God, sitting at the king's table, feasting
on his provision. God make us to be swift to hear. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Take heed what you hear. Be sure that what you hear is
the gospel of God's grace. Don't listen to anything else
and take heed how you hear. Listen to the gospel, anxious
to profit by it. My wife is a, she's a good cook. You ladies won't be upset if
I tell you she's the best cook in the world. And she works at
it. She works at it. I mean, she
works at it. You know what she fixed me the
other night? She fixed chuck roast with gravy and onions and
potatoes and carrots and green beans and coleslaw. And I was
sitting spilling it while she's cooking. Just, ah, that's gonna
be good. That's gonna be good. And when
I sat down at the table, I sat down anxious to give thanks for
the food and start to dig in. And I sat down, what do I want to taste first?
I want two things. I sat down at the table, I want
the best taste, the very best taste to be the first one and
the last one. That says what I want. And I
wasn't disappointed at all. And I profited by her labor. feasting at her table. Oh, God,
give you grace to come with hungry heart, anxious to feast upon
Christ, smelling the sweet savor of his sacrifice. Oh, God, give
me this manner. Give me this bread to eat and
give me grace now to feast on your son. Amen.