Lord Jesus Christ says to all
who trust Him, to all who believe Him, to all who are born of His
Spirit, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Now we will never bow and take
His yoke upon us except he graciously compel us to do so. And we will
never willingly learn of him. We will learn of him only as
he compels us to do so. But his commandment is, take
my yoke upon you and learn of me. And as surely as you do,
you shall find rest unto your soul. You will find no rest for
your soul except as you bow to the master's yoke and learn of
him. I will find no rest for my soul
in any circumstance except I bow to his yoke and learn of him. Turn with me if you will to Ephesians
chapter four. My subject tonight is in the
school of Christ. the school of Christ. If we are
God's children, if we are followers of the Son of God, we're in school,
the school of grace, the school of Christ, and there's just one
lesson in the school. The lesson is Christ himself. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 20. but ye have not so learned Christ. If so be that ye have heard him
and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. One thing that separates the
children of light from the children of darkness is that we have learned
Christ. We've heard him. We've heard
the shepherd's voice and hearing his voice, being taught of God,
we follow the good shepherd. We're in Christ's school learning
him, learning him, learning to live with him, learning to live
in him, learning to live for him, but principally learning
him. This is a distinction. that should
be made manifest in our lives day by day, we are in Christ's
school. Paul had been writing to us about
other Gentiles and how they behave, how they walk, how they conduct
themselves. And he draws a stark contrast
between other Gentiles and you and I who are Gentiles saved
by God's free grace, made to be the Israel of God by God's
election. Look at verse 17. This I say,
therefore, and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth, that
is, since God saved you by his grace, walk not as other Gentiles
walk. They all live in the vanity of
their minds. They all live, the whole world,
in the vanity of their mind. I have told you before, but it'll
bear repetition and you'll hear it again after tonight, I'm certain,
if I live another day or two. I have said to my daughter, all
of her life growing up, and I still say it to her real often when
we're sitting together in a room. Outside these four walls, let's
make it these four now, outside these four walls, the whole world
is absolutely bedbug, insane, crazy. The whole world, the whole
world, they live in the vanity of their minds, read on. having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that's in them because of the blindness
of their heart. They walk around like blind men
without a king, who being past feeling, their conscience is
seared with a hot iron. have given themselves over under
lasciviousness. They've given themselves over
to live just for pleasure. To work all uncleanness with
greediness. Now watch the contrast. But ye
have not so learned Christ. If you've been taught of God,
you've not been taught to live like that. If you've been taught
of God, you've not been taught to behave like that. If so be
that ye have heard him, have heard him and have been taught
by him as the truth is in Christ Jesus, or as the truth is in
Jesus. we're indeed the children of
God, if we are indeed in the school of Christ, there is a
manifest marked difference between us and the rest of this world. There is, always has been, and
always must be a marked distinction between the woman seed and the
serpent seed, between the righteous and the wicked, between those
who follow Christ and those who follow the flesh, between the
children of God and the children of the devil. The distinction
is a distinction that God and God alone has made. It is a distinction
that God and God alone maintains. It is God who puts the difference
between Egypt and Israel. It's God who makes you to differ
from another. It's God who has made us to differ
from other Gentiles who walk in the vanity of their minds.
And the difference was made before the world began. God chose us. That made the difference. The
reason you believe while others believe not is God has from the
beginning chosen you to salvation. Brother Mark just read back in
Acts chapter 10, the Lord's goodness, mercy to Cornelius and his household. And Peter, speaking of the Lord's
resurrection from the dead, I said to him after it was over, after
he finished reading, before we came out here, God could just
as well, The Lord Jesus could just as well have made manifest
his glory as the Christ of God when he ascended up from the
mount on that day of his ascension, when God publicly declared, this
is the Messiah, this is David's son. He could just as well have
made all Jerusalem to see it, but it just showed him to some
chosen disciples. The Lord God could just as well
calls the whole world to hear the glory and greatness of God's
darling son and redemption and grace in him, if it were his
pleasure. But you believe because God chose
you, because Christ really did. because the Spirit of God has
called you, because God's given you faith in His Son, because
you're born again by His Spirit. Oh, the marvel of God's distinguishing
free grace in Christ. This distinction, I have said,
God alone can maintain, and yet it is a distinction to be made
manifest by us as long as we live in this world. Let me see
if I can illustrate what I want to say. And it's difficult to
say what I want to say without being misunderstood or misrepresented. I'm a Southerner. I was born
a Southerner, obviously. My speech betrays me. But I like
it that way. And I am thankful for the heritage
of the South. I'm thankful for the ways of
the South. I wasn't exactly raised as a
Southern gentleman, but I was raised amongst them, and I know
what it is. And there are things that I do
because I was raised the way I was raised. When I walk into
a room, I pull my hat off. I know it's the trend now to
sit in a restaurant with a cap on. When Will was a little boy,
we'd reach over and pull the cap off. That's rude. It's just
rude by Southern standards. I'll excuse myself a little bit.
If a lady's around me, I stand up when she comes in the room.
If a woman comes up, I open the door for her. And when my daughter
was starting to date, if you didn't open the door for her,
she wasn't going with you. That's just rule of the house. I'm embarrassed
when I'm unable to do those things, or should I fail to do the, oh,
I forgot to take my hat off. That embarrasses me. Why? Because
it's just what ought to be done. It's just the way things ought
to be done. I fly a lot. I don't even like
having to sit on the plane while women walk by and stand away.
The woman's standing, I just don't sit. That's just what ought
to be done. As a believer, we ought to live. We ought to live in a manner
that shows faith in our Savior, not to men to brag on us, shows
faith in our Savior, to God our Savior. We ought to live in such
a way as to honor Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. As
a child of God, I've learned some things. I'm learning them
in the school of Christ. being taught by him as the truth
is in Jesus. And I try to do specific things
and avoid other specific things because I want to honor God my
Savior. When I fail to do so, because
of negligence or because of inability, I'm embarrassed. A few weeks
ago, before I had this pacemaker replaced, the juice had just
about run out. Doctor said I was running on
the, what do you call it, the spare, whatever the extra juice
was in the thing. And I had a tough time getting
up and down, so you ladies might come speak to me and me be sitting
there and stay sitting there. I can't tell you how embarrassing
it is. It's just not what ought to be. Just not what ought to
be. And I'm embarrassed. When I behave in a way that dishonors
my God, whether you see it or don't, whether it's a matter
of inability or willfulness, it's wrong. The great cause of
the distinction between believer and unbeliever is that which
we have learned, it is Christ himself. We have been taught
of God. We've been made disciples in
the school of Christ, but ye have not so learned Christ. Paul's talking about something
that we've learned that makes the difference between us and
others. Sitting at the master's feet,
being taught of him, we learn of him. And that distinguishes
us from other people. God the Holy Ghost is our teacher. He takes us to school day by
day. This book is our textbook. Christ is the lesson. God the
Holy Spirit, by his word, continually teaches us Jesus Christ the Lord. Now, He's teaching us and teaching
us and teaching us. And soon, when we see Him face
to face, we shall know even as we are known. Let me be as brief
as I can, but I pray as pointedly clear as I can possibly be dealing
with these two verses of Scripture. First, I hope to accomplish this
this evening. I want to show you that Christ
is the lesson we must learn. Christ is the lesson we must
learn. He is that good part, that necessary
part, that we must have. We must sit at His feet and hear
His words and learn Him. Not just learn about Him, but
learn Him. This is what our Savior says,
listen. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Eternal
life is not knowing doctrine. It is not knowing morality. It
is not knowing religion. It is not knowing a system of
a creed. Eternal life is knowing a person. Christ himself. Be careful not
to misread Paul's words in our text. He does not say, ye have
not so learned of Christ. The text reads, ye have not so
learned Christ. That's a strange expression.
It's a strange expression because it only applies to our Redeemer. You can't use that expression
with regard to anyone or anything else. You have not so learned
Christ. Paul means for us to understand
that salvation is much more than just learning the doctrine of
Christ. Many know what Christ taught
who've never learned Christ. Many read their Bibles perhaps
even memorize their Bibles, who've never learned Christ. There's
a fellow on television, I've forgotten his name, been around
for all my life as a believer, and he calls himself Mr. Bible. He can quote this book
from beginning to end and never miss a word. Never miss a word. And he doesn't have a clue who
Jesus Christ is. You understand what I'm saying?
Salvation is not knowing about Him, it's knowing Him. There
are many who can recite the Sermon on the Mount, but they don't
know Him who preached the sermon. They can speak much about our
Lord's discourses and parables, but they don't know Him. Ye have
not so learned Christ. Learning Christ is indescribably
more than learning about Him. You can know when he was born
and where, what he's doing, where he is now, what he's doing, what
he's going to do. You may even write books about
how he did those things, how he accomplished them. But that's
not salvation. That's not salvation is knowing
him. I know a great deal about many
people. I read biographies a good bit.
There are some fellas in history, I can even tell you some family
secrets about them because I've read them and I have them on
good documentation about the family secrets, but I don't know
one of them. They lived a long time ago. You
can know much about Christ and not know Christ. Beware of being
satisfied with knowing about him. Beware of being satisfied
with knowing about the Son of God. Now it's altogether right
that we learn everything we can about Him. Don't misunderstand
me, but beware of being satisfied with knowing about Him. Nothing, nothing, nothing is
more dangerous to your soul than a barren familiarity with the
things of God. Nothing more dangerous to your
soul than a barren familiarity with the things of God. But what
does Paul mean when he says we have learned Christ? We must learn him, learn to know
him. This is that thing that Paul
desired above all else, that thing for which he counted everything
else but loss and but done, that I may know him. That I may know
him. That I may know him. That's what
I want for my soul, and that's what I want for yours. Come back
to Psalm 51. Psalm 51. Hold your hands in
Ephesians, come back to Psalm 51. Bill and Michelle are here with
their children. So delighted to see them all
again. Those children heard me all their lives. Michelle heard
me all her life. And I've never attempted to squeeze
a profession of faith out of them. They'll bear me witness. Why? Why? Because there's more
to knowing Christ than repeating a prayer, or kneeling at an altar,
or going to a confessional booth, or getting baptized, or joining
the church. You only know a person when you
personally know him. You only know a person when you
personally know him. I correspond with people a lot
I don't know. I talk to folks on the phone
a lot, I don't know. Then I walk through the door
one day, shake hands with them, now I get to know you. Now I
get to know you. You have a personal relationship with a person. Knowing
Christ is a intimate, personal thing. He must be revealed in
you. He must make Himself known to
you, else you cannot know Him. I must have an intimate, personal
acquaintance with the Son of God as a real Savior. To learn
Christ, to know Christ, is to know His heart, His voice, and
His ways. Look here at Psalm 51. David
says in verse 10, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew
a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence.
Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation. Uphold me with thy free spirit. Then, then, then, will I teach
transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
I can't know your ways until I know you. I can't know your
word until I know you. I can't know your truth until
I know you. That's what I'm talking about,
knowing Christ. This is the very essence of true
religion. It is a personal living with a personal savior. It is
personally trusting a personal redeemer, personally crying out
to a personal intercessor, personally receiving answers from one who
loves us, reveals himself to us as he does not to the world
and makes himself known to us. Spurgeon was exactly right when
he said this, to many people, Christ is only a name to bow
at, not a person to embrace. Faith involves bowing at the
name of Christ. But it's more than that, it's
embracing the Son of God. It is a personal union of faith. We must know Christ's nature.
We must know who he is. Yes, we know that Jesus Christ
is God, but that's not with us just a matter of doctrinal orthodoxy. That's not just a theological
opinion. We who know the Lord Jesus, Know that Jesus of Nazareth
is God because we have experienced his eternal power and his Godhead
in the experience of his grace. Who but God could take the load of guilt
from my heart and give me peace with God? Who but God could speak
peace to your troubled soul? Who but God could give you confident
acceptance with God? Who but God could pour out his
spirit into you, causing you to have the spirit of adoption,
lifting your heart to heaven with confidence, calling God
your father. Like Thomas, we've experienced
our Lord's grace. He said, Thomas, give me a hand.
Stick it right here by my side. And when he did, he said, my
Lord and my God. And the Lord Jesus graciously
takes our hand and puts it in his side in the experience of
his grace so that we know him as our God. I never have cared
much about reading arguments to prove various points of doctrine,
especially arguments to prove the deity and Godhead of our
Savior. It'd make as much sense to me
to try to prove the reality that Shelby Fortner is my wife, as
it would try to prove that Jesus Christ is God. How do you know
she's your wife? Hang around for a little bit,
you'll find out. Just hang around for a little bit. Proving it,
that's absurd. That's insane. This is my wife
sitting here. Doesn't matter whether anybody
else understands it or not. Proving Christ's Godhead is absurd to
one who knows his Godhead. We know our Lord's real humanity. Who but a man could feel for
us as a brother born for adversity? Who but a man could watch over
us in all our griefs, like the man of sorrows. Who but a man
could speak cheer to our hearts, like a tender companion. Who but a man, a man who is God,
could succor us, help our infirmities as our Savior does. Again, this
is not a matter of doctrine alone. Doctrine, yes, but not that alone.
It doesn't need to be proved. We've seen him for ourselves.
John says, I'm talking to you about what my eyes have seen
and my hands have handled. I'm talking to you about what
I know, not what I've learned by a book, not what I've learned
by the teaching of a man, what I've learned in learning Christ. Another part of the lesson which
we must learn is to know Christ in all his offices, his person,
his work, and his offices. He is our prophet, priest, and
king. Every Sunday school child in
a decent church knows that, but we come to know him as our prophet.
when it takes away our ignorance and shows us the things of God,
causing the light of the glory of God to shine in His face in
our hearts. We know him as our priest when
we recognize him and trust him as our only acceptance with God. He who alone is the sacrifice
God will accept. He who alone stands in our stead
before God. He who alone gives us acceptance
with God, washing away the pollutions of our souls. We know him as
our king. when he graciously forces us
to bow to him. And that's what he does in the
initial experience of grace. He takes the rebel and makes
him bow. He makes him bow. No man will
by nature. He makes him bow. Brother Bobby
and I were talking before anybody's got here. I forgot what it was,
we were talking about some kind of rebellion kids do stuff you're
not supposed to do. It's just part of the beast called
man. Just tell him that he ain't supposed to do it, he'll give
it a shot. It's called rebellion, rebellion. It's the nature of
the beast of humanity. But the rebellion against mama
and daddy, and the rebellion against law, and rebellion against
Sunday school teachers or teachers at the public school. Rebellion
against the ruler here or the ruler there. Rebellion against
the babysitter your mama puts over you. Rebellion is rebellion
against God. That's all, that's all, that's
all. There's no rebellion except rebellion
against God. It's rebellion against authority
God has appointed. But when God comes in saving
grace, He makes you happy for Him to be Lord. He makes you happy for Him to
take control. And He graciously forces us to
that same submission in our day-by-day experience so that He forces
us to take His yoke upon us. We don't like to do it, and we
won't do it, but you won't do it. I know it's right, but I
won't do it. You know it's right, but you
won't do it. No matter what the trouble, no matter what the difficulty,
you'll fight it, you'll kick, you'll fuss, you'll paste the
floor, you'll work things out, you'll wring your hands until
you can't do anything else, and then you bow and slip under the
yoke, and when you do, you find rest for your soul. He's our prophet, our priest,
our king. He's our Lord. He's the God-man,
our savior. Do you understand what I'm saying?
There are many a master in Israel, like Nicodemus, who does not
know these things. It's one thing to fluently talk
about him, another to know him. There's much more, but I've got
to move on. We must know Him in the sweet
influences of His person and grace, personally. One of the
beauties of the Song of Solomon is its intimacy. Its intimacy. I had a lady one
time, was very upset, she started listening to sermons, preaching
on the song of Solomon, she was getting tapes, and she said,
I can't read that book without being embarrassed. I said, do
what? She said, I can't read that book
without being embarrassed. I said, you're telling me you're holier
than God who wrote the book? And she was She wasn't embarrassed
by that, she was angry by that. It's intimate. It's the language
that a man would only use in speaking to his wife in the privacy
of their bedchamber. The language a woman would use
only speaking to her husband in the intimacy of their bedchamber. Let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth. He brought me into his banqueting
house and his banner over me was love. His left arm was under
my head and his right arm embraced me. Let me tell you about my
beloved. Oh, his mouth, his eyes, his
locks, his legs, his hands. Let me tell you about him. He's
altogether lovely. The Song of Solomon was written
by a man who had learned Christ. Have you learned him? Have you
learned him? To know him is life eternal. Oh, God help us to know him. Everyone therefore that hath
heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me. Now briefly,
Paul, tells us that you have not so learned Christ. How is it that we have not learned
Christ? There are some folks who vainly
imagine they've learned Christ who remain the same as they were
before. Their lives are motivated by the same principles. Their
hearts are fixed upon the same objects of this world. They live
just as selfishly as they did before. They still trust in themselves
that they're righteous. That just can't be. If you've
learned Christ, you're a new creature in Him. Some even profess
to have so learned Christ as to make an excuse for their ungodliness. Since He forgives my sins, since
He won't charge me with sin, that means I'm not responsible
for anything. God forbid, God forbid. Shall we sin that grace may abound? The believer, the one who's learned
Christ, never so hated sin as he does since he learned Christ. Some say they've learned Christ
and yet refuse to obey him, refuse to bow to his word. You've
not so learned Christ. The Spirit of God tells us how
we have learned Him. Look here at Ephesians 4 again.
I'll wrap this up. If so be that ye have heard Him
and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus. We've learned Christ because
we have heard Him. Our faith finds its foundation
in His Word which speaks of Him. It is the word of Christ. He
says, my sheep hear my voice. His sheep hear his voice in his
word. I still get letters from folks
or questions from folks in person. Ask me about dreams and visions
and experiences. What do you make of that? Well,
I suggest you get some help sleeping. No, God doesn't speak by dreams
and visions and revelations. He did that before we had the
Word. Since the Word is complete, this
is God's Word. Peter says this is a more sure
word of prophecy than even seeing the transfigured Lord on the
day of transfiguration. He says we've got a more sure
word of prophecy. This book written by holy men of old who spoke
as they were moved by the Spirit of God. God's word, the shepherd's
voice comes to us through the word. It's not enough to hear
this pastor, you gotta hear him. Not enough to be emotionally
stirred, you must hear him. Not enough to join the church,
you must hear him. Not enough to pray, you must
hear him. Christ speaks to us personally
by his word. How will I know when the Lord
speaks to me? Listen, you'll know. Samuel, go back to bed,
next time he speaks, say, speak, Lord, thy servant here at thee.
You'll know, you'll know. Search the scriptures, for in
them you think you have eternal life. And this book of Holy Scripture,
these are the words that speak of Him who is God our Savior.
And God the Spirit takes the word. sinks it into our hearts
and shows us Christ our Redeemer. I want to know more of Christ,
but the only way to learn Christ more is by living in fellowship
with him. Our text might be read this way,
and ye have been taught in him, in him. You, You get to know him as you live
in him, in sweet union with him. We learn Christ by Christ himself
for the truth is in him and he is the truth. Study Christ, his
person and his work and you will know all truth. Study everything
in connection with him. Don't study anything on its own. I like to study doctrine, I read
theology. I've been reading theology books
every day since I was 17 years old, and I like to read them,
I like to read them. But doctrine without Christ is
just an empty tomb. Commandments, religious rules
without Christ are just impossible precepts. Experience, religious
experience without Christ is nothing but fanaticism. Christ
is our lesson, learn him. Look here at Ephesians 4. I'll
show you what it is we're to learn. He's a lesson, if you want to
learn it, you can, for the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not
err therein. This is the lesson our Lord Jesus
teaches us and the lesson we are to prize. Beginning at verse
20, just read what he says. Just read what he says. You have
not so learned Christ. If so be that you have heard
him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. And
the sentence continues. that you put off concerning the
former conversation, the old man. Quit living like you used
to. Quit acting like you used to.
Quit behaving like you used to, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lust. And be renewed in the spirit
of your mind, and that you put on the new man. Constantly look
away to Christ. Trust the Lord Jesus. Follow
after him, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness. Wherefore, that is, this is what I mean. This
is what I'm talking about. Put away lying. Speak every man the
truth with his neighbor, for your member is one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your
wrath. Be gentle, kind, patient, forbearing. Neither give place
to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing which
is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which
is good to the use of edified, that it may minister grace to
the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby you sealed into the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking
be put away from you with all malice. And be you kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for
Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. I thought seriously about you
something concerning Thanksgiving today in anticipation of that
blessed holiday we're about to celebrate. But as I wrapped this
message up, I thought to myself, Don, there's no better way on this
earth for you to give thanks to God than to live for Him. Children of God, the best way
on this earth for us to give thanks to God is to live for
Christ. How is that? Be ye followers
of God. Do you know what the word is? Imitators. When you were born, did you ever
ape anybody? We don't use that term much anymore. You see somebody,
especially if they had some peculiarities, you know. Everybody else has
got peculiarities. I don't have any. And you can
spot them and you can mock the way they walk. Or you can mock
the way they talk. Or you can mock the way they
comb their hair. Or you can mock the way they dress. It's called
aping a fella. You just imitate him. You just
imitate him. That's the word that's used here.
Be imitators of God. Oh, God, teach me to imitate
you. Teach me to imitate you. How is that? Be imitators of
God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved
us and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savor. I remember when I was a boy,
like all boys, I used to admire my daddy, and I tried to be like
him. Much to his dismay, I turned
out a lot like him. But I tried to imitate him. I remember walking
through the mountains in North Carolina in deep snow, and my
dad was six feet one. When I was a little boy, I'd
try to walk in his steps. You ever try to walk in the steps
of somebody that's a lot bigger than you? pick up my boots, step
as far as I could, and I'd kind of walk in his steps, and I'd
look back, and there wasn't nothing but a mess. I had covered up his tracks all
together, it looked like somebody had been through there on two
wheels and made a mess, because my legs weren't long enough.
and my feet weren't big enough, and I wasn't strong enough, I
just couldn't do it. Well, be imitators of God, and be good and embarrassed with
yourself, because you just can't do it. But soon, oh, soon, We
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Then, Mark, we're sure enough
going to learn Christ. Amen.