A very dear, faithful pastor gathered a small group of young
preachers together, and I was honored to sit among
them. And he gave us ten things that every man called of God
needs to know if he's going to preach the gospel. Ten things,
and I won't give you those things, but I was so impressed with the
lesson that day that I wrote them in the front of my Bible.
If you'd like to have them, I'll copy them for you and send them
to you. And I don't have time tonight
to go through those things, but let me give you one of those
things he mentioned because it's relevant to my message tonight. He said, tell only what you know
by experience. Because that's all you really
know. I invite you to turn with me to
Psalm chapter 51. Psalm chapter 51 is the story
of David. It's the experience of the heart
of this man called of God to preach his gospel, whom God called
a man after his own heart. And it's David's story, and it's
my story. And it's the story of every man's
sin of God, to call out and minister to chosen sinners. And the story
doesn't begin in the pulpit crying out to men, it begins in the
heart of that man crying out to God. That's where it starts. I think our whole generation
is under the opinion that it starts in a seminary. But it starts in the heart of
a sinner crying out to God. Listen to this, Psalm 51.1. And mark how many times he uses
the word, me. Have mercy on me, O God. According to Thy loving kindness,
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blood
out my transgressions, wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. Now he's not talking here about
sins, but he's talking about S-I-N, sin. My sin. Not yours. My. My sin. The nature of it. The presence
of it. The activities of it. My sin. Our Lord said out of the heart,
proceed. Bones out. Overflow. continually comes forth. Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornication, theft, false witness, blackmail. I remember one day
over on the job I had a young worker and I was building my
boss's personal home. Very concerned about it. And
we had some excavators out there and one of them had broken a
sewer line. He was cutting ditches for electrical
power and broke a sewer line and he wanted me to run out and
check it out. And I took this young boy with me and he knew
nothing whatsoever about building or homes or anything like that. He was very curious and I was
looking around for signs of a broken line. And he saw this lid over
close to the building and he went over there and he pulled
the lid off a septic tank. And he was down on his knees
when he did it. And he pulled it off and he looked
in and with horror he just covered his mouth and nose and took off
running. He got away from it. And he said, why didn't you say
something? Because it's better that you
learn by experience. David cried. My sin. My sin. That's where this thing starts. My sin. Ever before. Never leave. Always there. Listen to the This
man wrote half the New Testament. Listen to it. Oh, wretched man
that I am. Not that I used to be. That I
am. That's what David's talking about. Oh, wretched man. That's my sin. Anybody here know what I'm talking
about? God ever pulled the lid off your heart? Let you look
in? Off he does your running horse. Lusts and desires and pride and
anger and envy and covetousness. David said, I acknowledge my
transgressions, my wrongdoings, my breaking of the law, and my
sin is ever there. And it's against thee. Against
thee, verse 4, Thee only have I sinned and done this evil in
Thy sight. My sin is not just against law
and justice, not just against the supreme law giver, not just
against the judge, but it's against manifested love, manifested grace. manifested long-suffering and
kindness against gentleness, against thee, against light and
love. Our Lord said this is condemnation.
A fellow asked me not too long
ago, he said, You got any evidence that man
under the judgment of God? Can you give me any evidence?
I said, well, I can give you what the Lord gave us. He said,
this is condemnation. Light has come into the world.
And men love darkness rather than light. Perfect love. I understand why
men despise me. My soul, what are you going to
give as an excuse for why you despise Him? Perfect love, perfect
grace. This is condemnation. Light came
into the world and men love darkness rather than light. That man of
God called to preach has first called himself out of darkness
and deadness and ignorance. God unveils His heart to him
and makes him taste smell it, and see it for himself. Let me tell you something, if
God ever allows you to see what you are, you won't have any problem
acknowledging it to God. Behold, he said, I was shapen
in iniquity, formed in a womb, a sinner, and in sin did my mother
conceive me. Anybody here pray like that? Anybody here talk to God like
that? Ruined, filthy, corrupted sinner. Sinner not only by birth,
but by choice and practice. Verse 6, Behold! Now this is the sinner talking.
Sin is beholden. His heart's been unveiled. And it's called into the presence
of God. And He said, Behold, thou desirest
truth in the inward parts. The old man looks on the outward
countenance. My eyes see the smiling faces
and the facade of pretended peace, but all things are naked and
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." There's no point in trying to
cover it up. God demands truth in the inward
parts and in the hidden parts shall make me to know wisdom. Let me tell you something, how
this sinner This sinner searched and hunted
for some basis, some merit, some potential of goodness, anything,
anything to plead to God and found nothing. Found nothing. I found myself justifying God
in my own condemnation. I was nothing. He's just. He's just. And he might be just when he
speaks and clear when he judges. That's why when the sinner cries,
he cries for mercy. He doesn't plead his righteousness,
he cries for mercy. That's how David began, have
mercy on me. He cries for mercy. And he cries
to God who alone can save his worthless soul. Verse 7, Purge
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow. Make me, see he's still talking
about me. He hasn't even got to the congregation
yet. Wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness. That's another one of those things
Henry Mahan gave me years ago. If the message don't bless your
heart, it's not going to bless theirs. Make me to hear joy and
gladness, that the bones, watch it now, which thou hast broken
may rejoice. hide thy face from my sins, and
blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from
thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore
unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. I know we've got some preachers
in here, some of them young, some of them a little older. This word right here jumped clear
out of the page of me when I read it the other night. Then, then will I teach transgressors by what? And sinners, sinners shall be converted unto thee. I title my message tonight from
one sinner to another. I'm going to give you four things
that this sinner knows about how God saved sinners. No sinner, here's the first thing,
no sinner will ever be saved until he's brought by the hand
of God to hear the truth. It's not going to happen. It's
not going to happen out on the lake. It's not going to happen
up in the mountain, in the groves. It's going to happen when God
sends you a preacher and opens your ears to hear and makes you
willing to hear. David acknowledged his transgressions,
acknowledged his sin, and justified God when God spoke. When God
spoke, justified, verse 4, when thou speakest. That's what he
said. When does God speak and reveal
His judgments to men? When does He do that? How does
He do that? Does he speak in a still, small
voice in the night? How does he speak? How does he
speak? He speaks when his preacher is
sent and his gospel is preached. That's when God speaks. You're
going to hear it from God. That's how you're going to hear
it. Moses, a clear type, the clearest type I've ever seen
in the scripture of the ambassador of God, was sent of God. to effect
the deliverance of God's elect who lay helpless in the clutches
of Pharaoh and Egypt. And they were. And from Egypt
to the border of Canaan, every man that submitted himself to
Moses and his message was blessed of God. And all who opposed him
lay dead in a wink. Mark it down. It's the way of
God to enlighten, convince, and convict chosen sinners through
the preaching of the gospel. And in Hebrews 3, verse 7, he
calls what Moses preached, the voice of God. Let that sink in. The voice of
God. And I tell you, if that don't
make you shiver behind the pulpit, you need to go back and get you
a job. The voice of God. Today, He said,
if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts as they did back
in the provocation in the wilderness. Huh? What did they hear? It was
quoted to you just a while ago, Hebrews chapter 4. The gospel
that we received, that's what they received. Who did they receive
it from? Moses. Moses, not what our Lord told
those Pharisees. He said, if you believe Moses,
how are you going to believe me? You didn't believe Moses.
If you believe Moses, you believe me. He wrote me. If you hear his voice. I just think anybody who truly
desires to know the truth can learn it for himself in the Word
of God. Two things wrong with that. First of all, there's none
that seeketh after God. You can just write that off.
And secondly, that's not how God purposed to do it. Now who
runs the show? Huh? Who's running this outfit? God said, is He the one running
this thing or you? It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Listen to this. For after that
in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not
God. It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. All of this, I thought,
I think, is nothing more than what the Scripture calls walking
in the vanity of their minds. That's all it is. You must be
brought by the sovereign hand of God to hear His gospel. And
then secondly, from one sinner to another, let me tell you this.
Every chosen sinner is going to be made to surrender to God's
reigning King. He's going to bow down. He's
going to bow down. into the hands of God's eternal
mediator. He committed absolute authority
over all things. That mediator took out of the
hands of the Father all His eternal counsels. Everything that God
purposed to do to manifest the glory of His name, He vested
in His Son. In Psalm chapter 2, the Holy
Ghost speaks of an eternal begatting. An eternal begatting. This day,
He said, have I begotten thee. An eternal day. And He that was
begotten first became the first begotten of everything that is.
He's before all things. He's the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1 verse 15 said He's
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.
And He made all things, and governs all things, and arranges all
things, and because it pleased the Father, that in Him should
all fullness dwell. That's God's King. You reckon God's going to let
you snub your nose to His King? Ain't going to happen. But what you saying? I'm saying
He runs the show. That's what I'm saying. My first lesson in the book of
Ephesians, we're going through there with our Sunday school. And I titled the lesson, Take
It Up With The Boss. That's what Paul said. I'm an
apostle of Jesus Christ. He put me here. You don't like
it? Take it up with him. God said in Psalm chapter 2,
I put my King upon my holy hill in Zion, and whatever he wants,
he gets. Whatever he desires, he's going
to have. And all that oppose him, he said,
I'll laugh at you and I'll hold you in derision. I see these
words and I think I know what they mean, but I like to look
them up sometimes. And I looked up that word, derision. Anybody here know what that means?
Derision. It means to make a public laughing
stock. You've seen people make fun of
people. That's what he's talking about.
That's what the reason is. To expose him for the phony he
is. The worldly religion is opposed
to God's King. And God makes him a public laughing
stock. I watched the Pope the other
day. He had this big gown on and couldn't hardly walk with
all this big gown on. And he had this big old shepherd's
staff and had it wrapped, looked like crepe paper or something.
And he had this big thing on his head, looked like an Easter
egg. And he was walking down. I about fell in the floor. God
held him in derision. You see what I'm saying? And
I turned the TV on and I see these guys doing this and dancing,
so-called dancing in the spirit, falling out on the floor. God
holds him in Derision. He makes a public lightning stop. Driving up to Michigan, I seen
that big statue coming up out of that lake. God struck it with
lightning. Put it over in the lake. Derision. What's this thing all about,
this submission, this surrender to Christ? Turn with me to 1
Peter chapter 2. And I want to say this first,
submission is not an act, it's an attitude. It's an attitude. The believer lives out his days
surrendering for continual work. And 1 Peter 2 describes the work
as good as anywhere I know. And I don't have time to go through
this whole chapter, but it speaks in here of submission to the
ordinance of man. Be subject to all the ordinances
of man. Civil authority, governors and
so on. All these laws and rules and
regulations. Honor all, He says. That is,
recognize all authority wherever God put it. And be subject to
these authorities even when they misuse their offices, and they
all do. And then He gives us Christ To
example, this submission, who when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. Now watch this down here in verse 23. Last part of the
verse. But committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously. That's what Paul, we read that
verse overnight a while ago. He said, I don't know what lays
ahead. I don't know what's out there. He submitted to Him who judges
righteously. It'd be alright. It'd be alright. And surrender to Christ is a
willing commitment of yourself to Him as the loving King of
Zion, who judges all things righteously. He'll work it out. Wives, submit
yourselves to your husbands if they treat you right. That's
not what we're saying. That's not what we're saying. It says, as unto the Lord. He'll do right. He'll do right. Husbands, obey your employers
if they pay you enough. No. It don't say that. It says not only to the good
and gentle, but also to the broke. Why? Because Christ rules. And
He judges righteously. Do you really believe that? I
wonder sometimes if I do. Preachers spend half their lives
trying to figure out their calling and open doors. I came in here
after many years. As near as I can remember, Brother
Ron was preaching that Sunday and he came back and introduced
himself. He didn't know who I was from Adam. He said, you look
familiar. Have I seen you around? I said, well, I've been around.
Oh, I've been around. Spend our life trying to figure
out our calling and all these open doors and all these things.
Brethren, if God ever separates you to the ministry, you couldn't
get out of it if you wanted to. Huh? Ask Moses. Two chapters in the book of Genesis,
Moses trying to get out of the calling, made up everything under
the sun. I'm not a very good speaker.
I've got a speech and God said, I made your mouth. Ask Jonas. Ask John Martin. Christ rules. God teaches every sinner drawn
to Him that He's the shepherd and bishop of his soul. And the
sinner who knows this wouldn't have it any other way. Now those
who still walk in the vanity of their mind, they're still
fighting for the right to choose. They fight you over free will. They'll fight you over predestination.
But a helpless, hopeless, fallen sinner that sees God's King on
the throne Not to take his life, but to give him life. He's glad
Christ rose. Alright, here's the third thing
I know by experience and by the Word of God is that every one
of God's elect is going to be brought to trust in Christ alone. Christ alone. I bought a message not too long
ago called, Five Things Only a Believer Can Do. One of those
things is to trust Christ alone. Nothing from God for the sinner
outside of Christ but hell. That's all. It's all in Him. The Holy Ghost laid the foundation
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the first ten chapters of
Hebrews clearly as it's laid out anywhere in the Scriptures.
And then he goes on in chapter 10 verse 26 and tells us if we
sin willfully having received that knowledge, if we leave that, if we reject
that, if we move away from that, go away from Christ, go back
to the ceremonies, go back to the priesthood, go back to the
traditions, if that's all we've got. There remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, just a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Why? Because
there is nothing outside of Christ. It's all in Him. There are no
words, there's no affection, there's no calling, there's no
promises, there's no provisions, no covenants, no hope outside
of Christ. Christ is all. How many times
did Paul say, He's all? Through this man, he says in
Acts, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin. And by him
all that believe are justified from all things, from which you
could not be justified by the law of Moses. And I hear a lot
of strange talk all the time about partially trusting. I don't know anything about that.
Trusting a lot or trusting a little. Brethren, everything God has
for the sinners in Christ, But if you trust Him, you're going
to have to trust Him for it all. Because that's where it all is. No other way to trust Him than
to trust in Him alone. Because there's nothing else
given of God to trust in. Listen to this. The stone, he
said, which you builders set it not, has become head of the
corner. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, Jesus Christ. Trust in Him alone. If you're going to trust, you're
going to trust in Him alone because there's nothing else to trust
in. And then fourthly, I know this. Every sinner saved by grace
is going to live out his days confessing the Christ he trusts. That's how you're going to live. I remember Henry said this at
a man's funeral one time and it just paralyzed me when he
said it. He said, men die like they live. That's why David's crying out.
Oh God have mercy on me. They die like they live. The
believer lives out his days confessing the Christ he trusts. He begins
with repentance and faith, followed in public baptism and church
membership, and it continues in a life of willing, loving,
voluntary submission. Nobody twists your arm. And I tell you this, you can't
confess the Lord of providence and creation and hide under your
bed every time the sky turns dark. And you can't confess Him as
the Lord of salvation and go through life doubting your own.
And you can't confess Christ as your righteousness and spend
your days in ignorance trying to work one out of your own.
And you can't confess Christ our Redeemer and live out your
days trying to pay for your crimes. Reminds me of that fella, he was hitchhiking, he
had this big backpack on like they wear out west a lot, these
great big long backpacks and sleeping bags and all this stuff
and it was beginning to rain and the fella saw him and felt
sorry for him. He picked him up and he got in
the car and he was looking for traffic. He pulled back out on
the road and he looked over there and the guy still had his pack
on. All bent over there in the seat with that big backpack on.
He said, just throw that pack in the back. Oh, he said, that's
fine. He said, you was nice enough
to pick me up. He said, I'll carry my own pack. It's ten dead lives trying to
pay for something that's already paid for. And you cannot, can not confess
Christ as your hope. and live out your days in false
religion. That man who's willing to subject
himself and his wife and his children to a false prophet so
he can enjoy some creature comforts don't know God. And he has nothing
to confess. Imagine yourselves to be born
in deepest, darkest Disconnected totally from society. No schools, no churches, no hospitals,
no restaurants. You live out there in a little
thatched hut with a dirt floor. When it rains, it leaks. When it blows, it comes through
the cracks. Insects come and go as they please,
biting flies blood-sucking mosquitoes and bees and ants and spiders
and reptiles in there. Humidity is the same on the inside
as it is on the out, and the heat is unbearable. Offers no
protection from the predators that roam in the jungle. Offers
no protection from your enemies. Every year you have to build
it again. And what little bit you eat,
you have to hunt for every day. Breakfast, lunch, and supper.
With a little makeshift bow and arrow and a sharpened stick. With all these primitive snares
and traps. Because there's no one to teach
you any better. And you're left out there in
your ignorance and tradition and you dance at night around
a fire and worship frogs and snakes and four-footed beasts
Each day you wake up to the realization that today is going to be exactly
like yesterday. And tomorrow is going to be exactly
like today. And it's never going to change.
Day in and day out, and month in and month out, and generation
after generation, no way out, no hope of anything any better.
It's the same old curse, day after day. And then one day the son of a
billionaire comes into the village. And he comes into my little hut
and he said, my father sent me here. Because he knows where you're
at. And he loves you. And he's going to have mercy
on you. And he takes you out of that
hut. And He takes you over next to a huge waterfall. And I'm telling you under that
waterfall is a paradise. Trees, fruit bearing trees, some
most beautiful vining flowers you ever laid your eyes on. And
there's a mansion all out of white marble. And it's got it's own generator
and it's got air conditioning and doors that shut and protect
you from the enemies. And a house full of servants
waiting on you hand and foot. Everything you could possibly
desire given to you. Anybody want to go back to the
hut? That's what it means to confess
Christ. When you've seen him, you'll
confess him. Until you have, you're just going
to play religion. Just going to play religion.
God help you to see him and see his glory. Amen. Oh, our God. What grace and what mercy you
had on this sinner. I know in my heart the depth
that I'd sank to, and I know now in the light of Christ that
those depths supersede anything I could ever imagine. And even
in the depth of my sin, there was restraining grace. Be pleased tonight, open the
eyes of another sinner and convert him, and show him your ways for
Christ's sake. Amen.