Turn with me to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 4. I charge thee therefore before
God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead, those who are alive
and those who have died at His appearing and His kingdom. Preach the Word. Preach the Word. Preach the word. Preach what God has revealed
in this book. Everything else is totally irrelevant. Preach the word. The instant, in season and out
of season, Preach the word when folks love
it, applaud you for it, and thank God for it. And preach the word
when folks despise it, despise God who gave it, and despise
you for delivering, in season and out season. Preach the word
when you're in a group of folks where everybody and nods their
head and says amen, and preach the word when everybody in town
and everybody in the hall and everybody around you would choke
you to death if they could. Preach the word. Reprove. Reprove every false
way. Rebuke. Rebuke everything contrary
to this book. Exhort. Exhort men and women
who believe in God to hear and heed what He says in this book. And do it with all longsuffering. I can't tell you how many times
I hear preachers lament how long it's been since anybody and responded
to the gospel positively. How long has it been since they've
seen any moving of God's spirit in the hearts of men? Preach the word, and wait on God. Just wait on
God. Just wait on God. That's the only function of a
local church, is to preach the word. The rest of the religious
world can entertain many women and make them feel good and laugh
and have a good time on the road to hell. Our business is to preach
the word. Preach the word. And just wait. Whether men believe or do not
believe, I can't do one thing about it. And you can't either. We can make folks act like they
believe when they don't. We can con folks into a religious
profession when they don't know God. We can con folks into religious
behavior when they don't know God and speak peace when there
is no peace. We can heal the wound of men
slightly, but we can't give them life and we can't give them faith.
But we can preach the word, Bob, and we better. with all longsuffering
and doctrine. Doctrine. Doctrine. Oh, how this
religious generation loves to belittle doctrine. Let's not
talk about doctrine. Let's just preach Jesus. Doctrine
divides people. No, doctrine unites God's people. It divides unbelieving people.
Doctrine unites God's people. True doctrine. It's impossible. Now listen to me. Don't fall
for the cons of this day. Don't fall
for the religious slogans of this day. Don't fall for the
nonsense of this day. It's impossible. It is absolutely
impossible for any man to explain this book and not preach doctrine. It can't be done. To preach the
word is to preach the teaching of the word. That's what the
word doctrine means. So we don't want you folks to indoctrinate
people. That's what I'm here for, to indoctrinate you. That's
why I've come, to indoctrinate you, to brainwash you, more than
that, to heartwash you, to change the way you think about yourself,
about God, about God's salvation, and everything else. Doctrine. For the time will come. when they will not endure sound
doctrine. I ain't going to hear that. I
ain't going to hear that. You're not going to preach here
and preach like that. Folks ask me frequently, how
can a man say he believes these things we preach, the gospel
of God's grace and the doctrines of the gospel, and not preach
them? Because he knows they'll kick
him out of the pulpit if they did. Because he compromises. That's
the only reason. That means he's got it in his
head, but he don't believe anything. He don't believe anything. That
means he's a hireling, not the servant of God. That's pretty
strong. I wish I could make it so strong
everybody would perk up and pay attention. Time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust, Isn't that
amazing? After their own lust. Now he's
not talking about sensual, sexual, perverse lust of that nature.
He's talking about something a whole lot worse than that.
He's talking about the lust of self-righteous religion. After
their own lust, to make me feel good about me. After their own
lust, shall they heap to themselves. Heap to themselves. Teachers
that'll tell them what they want to hear. That's what that phrase
means, having itching ears. Now, preacher, come scratch my
ear this morning. You know what I want to hear.
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth. Not from truths. Not from doctrines,
but from the truth and from the doctrine. You see, the Word of
God, the truth of God, the doctrine of God is one. The gospel is
one. The message of God is one. Folks say, well, I'll take this
piece and I'll take that piece, but I'm going to take this piece.
You'll either take it all or you'll take none at all. You'll
either bow to it all or you're not bowing to anything. You'll
either believe it all or you haven't believed anything. They shall turn away their ears
from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things,
Timothy. Mr. Fortner, Mr. Campbell, you who preach the
gospel, you who have this charge on you, watch thou in all things. Endure afflictions, whatever
it takes. Do the work of an evangelist. Lay the foundation work. Proclaim
the gospel of God's grace. Presume, just presume, everybody
you talk to is totally ignorant of the things of God. Just presume
that they've never heard the things of God. Just presume they've
never heard the truth, the doctrine. Preach the Word! As though everybody
here is going to hell right now! Preach the Word. It matters. Make full proof. of thy ministry. I often apologize for being a
poor pastor. And in the terms of this religious
world, I'm as poor as they get. This religious world has trained
pastors to be ambulance chasers. and nose wipers and counselors
and folks who sit and hold your hand while you whine. And in
doing so, they do you no service, but rather tremendous disservice. I hope you understand what I
say concerning these things. I want so much for you to know
I am accessible to you at any time. But the proof of a ministry. It's not in how much time the
fellow spends at the hospital, or how much time he spends at
your house sipping tea with you, or how much time he's able to
spend playing and fooling around and dancing with you while you
party. The proof of a pastor is the
preaching of the Word. And it can't be done without
study and prayer and meditation. Make full proof of thy ministry. Now this prophecy which Paul
made in our text has come to pass in our day. There's not
any question about that. Around the world, particularly
in the United States of America, specifically in Danville, Kentucky,
at this hour. Religious people are gathered
in solemn assemblies. They've gathered in the name
of Christ to worship God, just exactly like Israel did in that
day when they knelt down to that golden calf and kept the feast
of the Lord. They read the Bible. They say
their prayers. They invoke God's blessings.
They give their money. They're devoted. I don't have
any question about that. They're sincere. No question
about that. But they're lost. They're lost. I wish you would learn. I wish
you would learn. never to think of and never to
refer to, and certainly don't refer to me, about people who
do not worship our God as Christians. Such a good Christian boy. He
hates God, but he's a good Christian. He won't worship at God's altar,
but oh, he's a fine Christian. They go to church every Sunday.
They worship that golden cake, but they're good Christians.
They're pagans. They're pagans. But you talk
about my son. They're pagans. But you talk
about my brother. They're pagans. But you talk
about mama and daddy. They're pagans if they worship
at another altar and worship another god. That's exactly right. Oh, I don't have any question
they're sincere. I don't doubt that. Do you think those mamas
and daddies were not sincere? who in the name of Jehovah took
their babies and laid them in the arms of Moloch? Do you reckon
they weren't sincere? I don't know anybody who makes
such sacrifices, do you? Do you reckon those pagans down
there in Mexico, where they go and offer human sacrifices, casting
them off huge precipices to satisfy their gods, you think they weren't
sincere? Sincere as all get out, but just
as lost as all hell itself. Lost. Oh, they have a hope, but
their hope's a delusion. They have faith, but their faith
is false faith. Having been led and taught by
blind, ignorant men, we live in a generation that is so duped
by Antichrist, so filled with the spirit of Antichrist, so
deluded by the delusion God has sent, that they will not endure
sound doctrine. But after their own lust, they
heap to themselves teachers who will tell them what they want
to hear. They turned away their ears from the truth and had been
turned to faith. I'm not talking about patriots
and Hindus, Buddhists and Mohammedans. I'm talking about men and women
you rub elbows with every day. I'm talking about folks you'll
meet at restaurants this afternoon. I'm talking about sons and daughters,
brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives. I'm talking about relatives and
friends. who claim to know, worship, trust,
and serve the living God by faith in His Son, who claim to live
by the power of the Holy Spirit. But they've been turned away
from the truth and have been turned to fables. And I want,
in just the next few minutes, to talk to you about these fables.
There are four of them. You know what a fable is. I've
told you this before, and I'm repeating myself. I know, but
I'm repeating myself deliberately. A fable is a brief story dreamed
up by a man to teach moral, ethical lessons. But factually, it's
a lie. Now, that's a good way to teach
morality, isn't it? It's a good way to teach ethics.
Well, here are some common religious fables dreamed up by men to teach
people moral religious principles. They are fables that are universally
proclaimed, universally embraced, universally defended by the whole
religious world. But they are, in fact, lies. And they are damning to all who
believe them. Is that clear enough, David?
They're lies. And men are not saved believing
lies. Men are saved believing truth.
Men and women don't go to heaven on a false basis, but on the
truth. Men and women don't get into
glory walking in darkness, but walking in light. Now here are
the fables, there are four of them. The first is this, God
loves everybody. That sounds so good. God loves
you and has a wonderful plan for your life. God loves you
and we do too. Jesus loves you. And the proof
text by which they would present this commonly, that which is
most commonly given is John 3.16. where we're told God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But
the fact is, the Bible plainly tells us God does not love everybody
in the world. And since the Bible plainly tells
us that God does not love everybody in the world, he says, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. That means there are two distinct
groups of people in this world, one that is the object of God's
love, the other the object of his hatred. Vessels of mercy,
aforeprepared by God's grace unto everlasting glory, and vessels
of wrath, hinted by their own sin and unbelief unto destruction. But God Almighty says, here,
I love Jacob. I hate Esau. So consequently,
it can't possibly be true that when we read in John 3.16 that
God so loved the world, then God loved everybody in the world.
That can't possibly be what it means. But rather it means God
loved the world of his elect so fully, so infinitely, that
he gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believeth in his
Son, wherever there is an elect, redeemed center found, called
by God's grace, outshone in the most deep, far-stretching, remote
corner of Africa, or there in the deep, far-stretching, remote,
dark corner of Danville, Kentucky, wherever he is, God gave his
Son for him, and believing on his Son, he'll have life everlasting. Number two. We are told that
God wills the salvation of all men without exception. Turn to
2 Peter 3. Let's look at it one more time.
The proof text by which blaspheming free willers would attempt to
prove this notion that God really does want to save everybody is
2 Peter 3.9. 2 Peter 3.9. Peter says, the Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but as longsuffering
to us would, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. Well, there, now we got you. There, now, I have proved that
God wants to save everybody. Have you not? It would help a
great deal if when we read the scriptures, we'd read them at
least as honestly as we read the comic strips in the newspaper.
Read the scriptures in their context, and interpret the scriptures
in their context, in their immediate context, and in the context of
the whole revelation of God. Now here in 2 Peter 3.9, when
he speaks of us and speaks of a people to whom God is longsuffering,
saying He is longsuffering to usward, he's talking about a
specific people. He's talking about God's elect.
He's talking about chosen sinners. The Lord God is not willing that
any of His chosen, that any of those redeemed by Christ, should
perish, but rather that they be saved by His grace, and He's
longsuffering to them. Well now, how could you know
that's what he's talking about? Because verse 15 says so. Look
at it. What is this long-suffering of
our God? What is it? A count that the long-suffering
of our God is what? Oh, He's long-suffering to give
you a chance to be saved. Is that what that says? He's
long-suffering because He wants everybody to have a chance. Salvation,
Bill Raleigh, is not by chance. It's by choice. God's choice. The longsuffering of our God
is salvation. It's salvation. All right, here's
the third thing. The Lord Jesus Christ, we are
told, shed his blood and died to redeem and save all people. And in order to prove this doctrine,
Several passages are referred to. Let's look at them in order.
First, Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 9. Of course, John 3, 16 is quoted
by religious fools to defend almost anything. I was one time
out in Stanton, Virginia preaching and there's a big debate going
on. I mean, this was a theological professor. At a liberal theological
seminary, she was a woman. Most she's are, but she got up
and she gave this statement in the paper. She said, there's
no reason why any church should not have a woman preacher, because
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting
life. I scratched my jaw and thought, what's that got to do
with preaching or women? Are you? And when folks say John 3.16
proves that God sent His Son to die for everybody, redeem
everybody, I scratch my jaw and say, what's that got to do with
the gospel of God's grace and redemption by Christ? John 3.16
is talking about the love of God. Redemption is found in John
3.14. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
Why? So that anybody who looks to
Him can have life everlasting. Well, what would cause God to
send His Son to the... He loved His people. He loved
them throughout the whole world. But here in Hebrews chapter 2,
look at this, Hebrews 2 verse 9. But we see Jesus who was made
a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste
death for every man." Wow. Boy, now, this is really confusing.
You know, Rex, scriptures are real confusing when you have
a good case of versitis and a bad case of knowing the scriptures.
Interpret, again, I say, scriptures in their context. What does he
mean, every man? Let's let it stand as it is in
the English. It's not a bad translation. I
recognize that the word man is not there, but it'd be kind of
hard to read it. He, by the grace of God, takes
death for every. What's he talking about there? He's talking about
every man named among his sons. Look at it in verse 10. That
who's talking about? Every man who is His son. Every man, verse 11, who is sanctified
by His grace. Every man who He calls brother,
in verse 12. Every man who is a child of God,
verse 13. Every man given to Him. Every
man of the seed of Abraham, verse 16. Every man numbered among
His people. So He's talking about every man
whom He came to save. The Scripture says plainly, down
in verse 16, He took not on Him the seed of angels, the nature
of angels, that he took hold of the seed of Abraham. Why did
he say that? Why did he say that? When we
sing our hymns and they talk about Christ coming to save Adam's
race, I always have you change it. Don't sing it. That's a lie.
He didn't. He passed by the angels and he passed by Adam's race.
He took hold of Abraham's seed because Abraham is that name
set forth as being the father of them that believe, a covenant
head, a representative man. He represents God's chosen. The
Lord Jesus Christ came down here to save a particular people,
and every man He came to save shall be saved by Him. Look in
2 Peter 2. I had a fellow write to me about
this last week. 2 Peter 2. He said, please help me. He said,
an Armenian friend of mine wrote to me, or confronted me with
this verse, and I didn't have anything to say to him. And I
wrote him back and said, you ought not have Armenian friends. You ought to choose better companions.
And when you're talking to them, don't argue with them about anything.
But for your help, here's what the text says. 2 Peter 2, verse
1. There were false prophets also
among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among
you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them. How can limited atonement be
true? Right there it says that Jesus bought even the false prophets
who go to hell, who bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Well, there are two things, very clear. One is the word that is
used for Lord here. If we were to give an exact,
written-out transliteration of this word, the word Lord is the
word from which we get our word desperate. Christ, the sovereign
ruler of the universe. Not the word that's commonly
used for Lord, my master, my God, my Lord, but my master,
my God, my Lord. Desperate. And the word bought. It is not the word to choose
that would commonly be used to speak of our Lord's redeeming
work. It is not the word bought out of, as you would go into
the pawn shop and redeem that which had been lost, but rather
it is the word bought, purchased, that's all. Purchase, like you'd
purchase a piece of land. You don't do anything with it
except take possession of it. You don't move it. You don't
change it. You just own it. And Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, as the God-Man, our Mediator, as the God-Man, our Mediator,
bought the right to rule over all flesh, even the false prophets
who deny Him. And He holds them in His hands.
He has power and dominion over all flesh for this purpose, that
He should give eternal life to as many as the Father gave Him.
It's not talking about our Lord buying the right to rule them
as God, no! He didn't have that, but rather
as the God-man mediator. The Father says, now ask of me,
and I will give you all these nations of the world for thy
dominion and thy possession. All right, let's move on. Here's
the fourth fable. Folks, tell us that God the Holy
Spirit is doing all he can to save all people. He strives to
save everybody. How many times have you heard
preachers say, God says, my spirit will not always strive with man.
The Lord's tried. The Lord's done all He could.
You know the Spirit's called you. But my spirit will not always
strive with man. Genesis chapter 6 verse 3 is
not talking about the call of God the Holy Spirit in saving
grace or in any other way. Not at all. Genesis chapter 6
verse 3 is a declaration of the wickedness of Noah's generation
and God's declaration that He would soon bring destruction
upon that generation. Noah! You go preach for 120 years
and tell them judgment's coming. I'm not going to put up with
you forever. Now then, let me raise four questions. Again, four things, very simple.
And four things that are really things I've repeated to you so
many times. If these things, which are so
commonly and so universally embraced, believed, and taught throughout
the religious world. Now, I'm not talking about things
that some Heretic out yonder somewhere believes, you know.
I'm not even talking about the Benny Hens and the Robert Schumers. I'm not even talking about them.
I can't imagine anybody with half a good sense paying any
attention to either one of them. I can't imagine anybody with half a good
sense paying any attention to either one of them except for
this fact. Merle, when God sends a delusion,
fellows are deluded. That's all. That's all. But the
whole religious world believes the same thing. Conservatives, fundamentalists,
and liberals, man, they fight tooth and no nail. The Southern
Baptist Convention has split and divided so many times. We're
conservatives. We're fundamentalists. We're
liberals. We're moderates. But they all believe the same
thing, every one of them. Patriots and Protestants. Papist
and Protestant. They wear different costumes.
They play different games. They have different forms of
entertainment on Sunday. But they believe exactly the
same thing. Charismatics and non-charismatics. Wild Pentecostals
and educated Pentecostals. Baptists and Methodists. They
all believe the same thing. All of them. All of them. They
believe that God loves everybody. God wills the salvation of all
men. Christ died to save everybody. The Holy Spirit is trying to
get everybody to come to Christ. Well, let's try that over. I
ask you to answer these questions. If God loves everybody, what
does the love of God have to do with anyone selfish? He loves everybody. Let me tell
you what that means. God loves folks who are saved
as well as those who are lost. God loves those who wind up in
heaven and those who wind up in hell. God loves the damned
who are forever cursed as well as He loves the saved who are
forever blessed. In other words, God's love really
doesn't amount to much. God's love really doesn't mean
anything. God's love is really insignificant. There's no power
in God's love. There's no comfort in God's love.
There's no distinction in God's love. And there's certainly no
motivation in it. If God loves me the same way
as he loves Judas, and I wind up in glory and Judas in hell,
then God ought to praise me and serve me and honor me. Because
the difference between me and Judas is not his love for me,
but my love for him. Understand what I'm saying? God's love is not meaningless.
God's love is not insignificant. He said, Jacob, don't be afraid
of anything. I've loved you. I've loved you. If God wills the salvation of
all, and some go to hell anyway, what does the will of God had
to do with anyone salvage. Well, I reckon nothing. Nothing. But that's not the case. The
Lord God says, I will do all my pleasure. Our God is in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven
and in earth. in the sea and in all deep places.
Again, if Christ died to redeem and save everybody in the world,
and some are lost anyhow, what does the death of Christ at Calvary
have to do with anyone's salvation? Why, nothing. Didn't really accomplish anything,
didn't really do anything. To preach universal atonement,
universal redemption, to preach that Christ died to save all
men is to preach an atonement that doesn't atone, a redemption
that doesn't redeem, a ransom that doesn't ransom, a propitiation
that doesn't propitiate, a deliverance that doesn't deliver. It is to
preach a meaningless, insignificant, nothing God, who is a meaningless,
insignificant, nothing Redeemer, and declare to men, that Jesus
Christ really doesn't much matter. He doesn't much matter. After
all, he ain't much of a God. He ain't much of a God. He's
a failure. That which was the preeminent chief work of his
life that which he set his mind and heart on from eternity, that
which he came here to do, that for which he sacrificed himself
at Calvary at last, turns out to be a failure. And you worship it? To suggest, as multitudes everywhere
do, that God the Holy Spirit is gracious to all alike, that
he calls all alike to life and faith in Christ, that his power
is exercised alike for the saving of souls, whether they are actually
saved or not, whether they are actually made to believe or die
in unbelief, is to declare that the power and grace and call
of God the Holy Spirit really doesn't make any difference
to anybody. And Bob, I'm not stretching anything.
This is what you heard all your life, isn't it? God loves everybody. God wants to save everybody.
Christ died for everybody. The Holy Spirit calls everybody.
Now, it's up to you. You've got to make your choice.
You've got to make your decision. God's hand. I've heard preachers
say this. God's hands are tied. God's hands are tied. God's hands are tied. Shoot, not many men tie my hands.
But God's hands tied by your omnipotent divine will. Are they now? To declare these things is to
make this assertion. Salvation is not of the Lord. Salvation is not by the will
and power and work of God. But rather, God has made his
contribution towards salvation. But when all is said and done,
salvation is your work, your deed. It is not the result of
God's will, but of your will. It is not the result of Christ's
work, but of your work. It is not the result of Christ's
worth, but of your worth. Come on, tell me that again.
Oh, I like to hear that. Oh, yeah, we'll believe that.
Scratch this in. I love it. Scratch it now. Oh,
scratch this in too. Tell me a little bit more. I
love to hear that God Almighty is under my thumb and that I
really sit on the throne and God does what I tell Him to do
and nothing else. Such a God as Scripture calls
a God of dung. Dung gods. Dung gods. And if you don't understand what
that is, you see me later and I'll make it clear. Dung gods. Get your little horse manure
and cow manure and hog manure, stack it all together, let it
dry, Put some gold on it. This is my God. Watch Him. I move Him where I want Him.
Tell Him where He can go, what He can do. This is my God. These be thy gods, O Israel. Now hear these facts and I'll
quit. The love of God is not meaningless,
but rather it is the source the origin, the foundation of our
redemption. I have loved Thee. Therefore, I have redeemed Thee. Therefore, I have made Thee honorable. Therefore, I have called Thee. Therefore, Thou art Everything hinges on God's everlasting
love. And if ever we are brought to
love Him, we gladly acknowledge and confess we love Him because
He first loved us. Oh, how I wish I had the words
and the ability somehow to preach the love of God. infinite love,
everlasting love, indestructible love, effectual saving love, love that passes understanding. I hear fellows talk about God's
love and say, oh, God loves man so much He gave him a free will,
and He wouldn't interfere with man's free will. Isn't that wonderful
love? Oh, that's such sweet love. Oh,
that's so good. Try it raising your son. Try
it. I really don't want you to get
into the cabinet there where I've got that dynamite, where
I've got to go blow some rock. Don't fool with that. Son, don't
do that. If you do, you're going to get
hurt. Then you see that little boy walk over there. Man, the boy snuck off down there
and smoked it somewhere. Oh, my soul, he's in there where
the dynamite is. I've got to go get him. Son,
come out of there, please. Please come out of there. Don't
do that, son. You're getting too close. It's
going to blow up. It will kill you, son. Why on this earth don't you go
grab him by the hair of the head and jerk him out of there? I
couldn't do that. I love him. I couldn't interfere
with his will. I love him too much. Man will
lock you up in Santa's Island somewhere and turn him over to
somebody who's got good sense. That's not love. That's barbaric
nonsense. God's love saves His objects. The Lord God Almighty wills the
salvation of His people. And this is what He says concerning
it. So then it is not of Him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." The will of God is that
by which men and women are called to live and believe. What does
God say? It was not my will that brought
me to Christ, but His will. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. He says, I will do all my pleasure. None can stay His hand or say
unto Him, What doest thou? If God Almighty loved everybody
in the world, everybody in the world would go to heaven. If
God willed the salvation of all men, all men would be saved. The blood which Christ shed at
Calvary, has effectually accomplished the putting away of our sins,
the redemption of our souls. We don't make atonement by believing
on Christ. We don't satisfy justice by believing
on Christ. We receive the atonement He made.
Faith in Him doesn't change anything insofar as our standing and acceptance
with God is concerned. Oh no, no, no! A thousand times
no! Faith in Christ changes our heart
and our attitude toward God! But it doesn't change a thing
with God. The blood of Christ put away our sins. Faith simply
receives it. The fact is, Salvation is the work of the
triune God, and it consummates in this. Salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation comes to sinners by
the call, the irresistible, almighty, omnipotent, effectual grace and
call and power of God the Holy Spirit. It is written, thy people shall
be willing in the day of thy power.