If anyone is going to Crossville
this weekend, the Bible conference there, 75 is closed to Jericho,
Jellicoe Mountain because there's a sinkhole there. So you need
to find an alternate route. You could go down 127. There's several ways to get there,
but you can't go 75. So you know that ahead of time,
check out MapQuest or do something. Okay. I've entitled this message. How not to think. How not to think. And this is a message that I've
had on the back burner for several years. How not to think. You may have been noticed that
I've been preaching through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday
evenings. And when I Read verse 17, think
not that I'm come to destroy the law or the prophets. I was
reminded of this message that I wanted to bring, how not to
think. Watch out for somebody who tells
you how not to think or how to think. It may be they're wrong. There may be some kind of manipulation
going on. There may be some kind of indoctrination
going on, and it may be that that person wants some kind of
control over you. So watch out for that person
who says to you, this is how you should think, or this is
how you should not think. But it's also true, we think
wrong all the time. We think wrong. We have wrong ideas. We have
wrong attitudes. We believe things that, quite
frankly, are not true. We believe wrong. Because of these sinful, selfish,
gullible minds we have, quite often, we think wrong. How many times have you thought
wrong? You just thought wrong. Now, when a man tells you how
not to think or how to think, you have reason to kind of hold
him off. But when the word of God, the
infallible word of God, tells us not to think a certain way,
we should not think that way, should we? Now, the way I have
prepared this message, I looked up in the Bible where it says,
think not. And it says that quite often,
think not, because these are ways we will think. And the Bible
says, think not. Proverbs chapter 23, verse seven
says, as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. And this is how important
our thoughts are. As he thinks in his heart, so
is he. So I want to think the right
thoughts, don't you? By the grace of God, I want him
to put the right thoughts in my mind. May God do that for
us and in us that we think right. Turn with me to Esther chapter
four. Esther is right before the book
of Job. Psalms, Job, and Esther. Now this is where Mordecai told Esther that she
needed to go in before Ahasuerus and help the Jews because there
had been a commandment that all the Jews were to be killed. And
she's waffling at this time. She doesn't know what to do.
And look in verse 13 of Esther chapter 4. Then Mordecai
commanded to answer Esther after she was not knowing what
to do. He said, think not with thyself
that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the
Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time,
if you don't say anything, then shall their enlargement and deliverance
arise to the Jews from another place, not from you, but from
somewhere else. But thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed.
And who knoweth whether thou art come to this kingdom for
such a time as this? Now, if you fail to do what you're
called upon to do, don't think because of some kind of connection
with Ahasuerus You're going to escape. Don't think you're going
to get exemption. That would be what I would call
this point. Don't think that you're going to get exemption. If you fail to do what you're
called upon to do, there was a decree that all the Jews would
be killed, you'll be one of them. Don't think that you're going
to get exemption. Don't think somehow it's going
to be different for you. If I don't have a perfect righteousness,
perfect, where God looks at me through his holy law and says
he's not guilty, if I don't have a perfect righteousness, I will
not be exempt from condemnation. If I don't bow the knee to the
Lord Jesus Christ, If I don't repent before God and change
my mind concerning Him, concerning myself, concerning His Word,
if I don't change my mind, I'm not going to be exempt from condemnation. If I personally do not believe
the Gospel, I must believe myself, I must believe, nobody can believe
for me. If I don't believe the Gospel, I will not be exempt
from condemnation. Don't think that you're a special
case. I'm not to think that I'm a special
case. If I don't do what God tells me to do in the gospel,
I will not escape judgment. There are no exemptions. Don't think you're a special
case. Turn to Matthew chapter three. Now I'm giving these in
order that I found them in the scripture. One is not more important
than the other. They're all of critical importance.
Matthew chapter three. He says in verse nine, and think
not. Think not. He knew what they
were thinking. He says, think not to say within
yourselves, we have Abraham to our father, for I say unto you
that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Don't think because of some fleshly
connection you'll be saved. We have Abraham for our father,
we're the children of God, that doesn't make you a child of God.
Don't think because of some kind of fleshly connection you have.
Aubrey is my daughter. I'm a preacher of the gospel.
That has absolutely nothing to do with whether you'll be saved
or whether you'll not be saved. Some connection with me won't
help you at all. No fleshly connections count. John chapter one, verse 12 says,
but as many as received him, to them gave he the power to
become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his
name, which were born not of blood, not because of some fleshly
connection, not because their mom and dad were believers, not
because their brothers and sisters were believers, not because they
were in some kind of special church that God had really blessed
or because they were in some service that God really blessed.
And think not They're born not of blood, not of the will of
the flesh, not because a bunch of people got together and prayed
for you, not of the will of man, not because of an act of man's
free will, but of God. Think not, because of some kind
of fleshly connection, somehow salvation has come to you, because
it won't for that reason. Matthew 5, the scripture I just
read, verse 17. Think not that I'm come to destroy
the law or the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. You see, every commandment he
obeyed, every story, every type he fulfilled. And we're not saved
apart from the full honor of God's holy law. He said, think
not that I've come to destroy the law and prophets and just
kind of negate it and find a new way to heaven. I didn't come
to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. Who's the one who does and teaches? That fits only one person, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he is the one truly who is
called great in the kingdom of heaven. In the kingdom of heaven,
oh, we see his greatness and his glory. Don't think he's come
to destroy the law of prophets. He didn't come to destroy, but
fulfill. And look what he says in verse 20. For I say unto you
that except your righteousness, your personal righteousness,
the righteousness that is yours, except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall
in no case enter the kingdom of heaven. Now, you know what that tells me? If my
personal righteousness is not literally His righteousness,
I won't be saved. If my personal righteousness,
the righteousness, my righteousness, If it's not His personal righteousness
that He fulfilled God's holy law and He kept God's holy law,
if my righteousness is not His righteousness, I will not be
saved. You see, it's not enough for
my righteousness to be based upon His righteousness. My righteousness
must be His righteousness. Their righteousness, God said,
is of Me. Now think not that he came to
destroy the law and the prophets. No, he honored God's holy law. He kept God's holy law. He fulfilled
every type. He fulfilled every picture and
he worked out a perfect righteousness and his personal righteousness
must be my personal righteousness before God or I will not be saved. Don't think anything contrary
to that. You know, isn't it a joy? And doesn't it make you rest
when you really believe that His righteousness is your righteousness
before God? What have you got to worry about? Matthew chapter 10. 34. Think not that I am come to send
peace on earth. I didn't come to send peace,
but a sword. Don't think I came to make everybody
get along. Don't think I came to make everybody
at peace with one another. I didn't come to send peace. I came to send a sword. That's what he goes on to say. Verse 35, For I am come to set
a man at variance, at odds against his father, and the daughter
against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and
a man's foes, a man's enemies, those who wish him ill, shall
be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother
more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh
not his cross. Now, what is that cross? Oh, I've got a cross to bear. Well, we all have afflictions,
no doubt about it, but that's not the cross he's speaking of.
He's talking about the cross of the confession of the Lord
Jesus Christ and His gospel. That's the cross he's speaking
of that will create problems in your life, that will create
enemies for you because of your confession of Him. It says, He
that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy
of me. He that findeth his life He's
gonna lose it. And he that loses his life for
my sake shall find it. Look back in verse 32. Whosoever
therefore shall confess. And that word confess, you know
what it means? It means to plead as guilty. I'm guilty of believing
that. I'm guilty of standing for that.
I confess, I'm guilty. It says, verse 32, whosoever
therefore shall confess me, Before men, him will I confess also
before my father, which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny
me before men, him will I also deny before my father, which
is in heaven. Think not that I'm come to send
peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. Turn to Luke 12. Luke chapter 12, verse 40. Be ye therefore ready also. For the Son of Man cometh at
an hour when you think not. I love that. I know when the
Lord's coming. He's coming when we don't think
he is. That's when he's coming. I don't care if it's talking
about a second advent. I don't care if it's talking about when he
comes for us in death to call us. He's coming in an hour when
we think not. And he says, be ready. Now, how
in the world am I to be ready for the coming of the son of
man? Is it to get my life in order? Make sure I'm reading
the Bible so often and praying so often. How can I be ready
for the coming of the son of man? Well, what made you ready
for the flood? One thing, being in the ark. Anything else? Nope. Big in the
arm. What made you ready when God
came through Egypt and destroyed the firstborn? What made you
ready? Being in the house with the blood
over the door. That's it. God said, when I see
the blood, not when you see it, When I say it, I will pass over
you. I've made you ready. What made you ready when the
avenger of blood was coming after you? Being in the city of refuge. What made you ready when you're
in Jericho? and the children of Israel were marching around.
Can you imagine how eerie that was? They marched around for
seven days and cried with a shout and the walls came down. What
made you ready to be saved from the destruction that was in Jericho? You had to be in the house with
the scarlet line from the door. What will make you ready to stand
before God? What'll make you ready when Christ
returns? It depends on who you're in. That's it. If you're in Christ,
you're ready. Good to go. Ready. Accepted. Being in the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 3, verse 5 says, He was manifest to take away our sins.
Did He do it? Did He do it? I want you to,
did He do it? Yes, He did. And in Him, there's
my readiness. In Him is no sin. If I'm in Him, I have no sin. Acts chapter 17. Paul is preaching on Mars Hill
and he says in verse 29 in part of his message, for as much then
as we are the offspring of God, we're God's creatures, we ought
not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or
stone graven by art and man's device. You can write this down.
All of the thoughts and the imaginations that we naturally have of God
are wrong. That word device is supposition,
an evil surmising. I don't want my thoughts of God
to be shaped by my opinions or man's opinions. I want my thoughts
of God to be shaped according to the word of God. Romans 12. Verse three, for I say through
the grace given unto me to every man that's among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Every error has this root, too
high an opinion of yourself. Every one of them. And those
high opinions of ourself comes from what? Low thoughts of God. Every single one of them. Here's
what comes out of high thoughts of self. Self-righteousness. Self-sufficiency. self-seeking,
self-promotion, self-will, and we're called upon to deny self. to take up our cross and to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't think of yourself more
highly than you ought to think. And every one of us do. Every
one of us do. You know, if we thought the way
we ought to think, we'd never have another proud thought. We'd
never have another self-righteous thought. We'd never have another
judgmental thought about anybody else if we were thinking rightly.
Now, don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to
think. Well, how should I think about myself? Well, I should
say the same way Paul did there in 1 Corinthians 15. I am what
I am by the grace of God. I know that I'm a sinner and
I'm not saying that Flippantly, I'm not saying that because I
know it's the thing to say. I know that I'm a sinner and
it's by the grace of God that I know that. And the Lord will
not let me look anywhere but Christ alone. Right now, right
now. I believe the gospel and I know
that's by the grace of God. I'm a believer and that's by
grace. I love God. I love Him. I love Him as He
is. I love His holiness. I love His sovereignty. I love
His justice. I love His mercy, grace. I love
His compassion. I love Him as He's revealed in
His Word. And the reason I love Him is
because of the grace of God. I know that. I am what I am by
the grace of God. There's no room for pride and
self-sufficiency. Don't think of yourself more
highly than you ought to think. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter
4. Verse 6, And these things, brethren, I
have in a figure transferred to myself and to Paulus for your
sakes, that you might learn in us not to think of men above
that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one
against another. The best of men are what? men
at best. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. And remember that about every
man. Yes, highly esteem one another, love one another, but remember
this, a man is just that, a man, a weak, sinful, fallible man. Don't think of men more highly. But notice in this verse of scripture,
it says that you might learn in us not to think of men is
an italics. It's in italics. That means it
was put there by the translators. And I can see why they put it
there because in the context he is talking about, you know,
they've been talking about, I'm a Paul, I'm a Paulist. He says, don't
think of men that way. But notice of men is in italics. Read it this way. Not to think
above that which is written. Not to think above that which
is written. How many errors have been spawned
by creating a doctrine through a logical inference? If this
is so, then this also must be so. Not necessarily. If I don't have a word from God,
that which is written, I have no reason to believe it. I'm
not to try to establish any kind of doctrine because of an inference. There have been so many errors
that have come as a result of men trying to imply or infer
something that's not written. Moses said the secret things
belong to the Lord. But the things which are revealed
in His Word belong to us and our children to do all the things
which are written in this book. And the secret things, leave
them alone. You know, there's so many things I don't understand.
For instance, it seems to me that the Bible
would imply that infants, when they die, are saved. It seems
to imply that. Remember David, he said, I won't
go to, I can't, you can't come to me, but I'll come to you.
And he was talking about in death. There are scriptures that seem
to imply that infants are saved and I'm thankful for those, but
you can't establish a doctrine on it. You can't establish a
doctrine because here's what would happen. I see the Lord's
wisdom. If the Bible said everybody that
died in infancy would go straight to heaven, what happened? What would happen? What would
be the best thing you could do for your child in reality? And you see the Lord's wisdom
in not making a statement about that. What about the way people
believe about double predestination? Well, God predestinated some
to be saved, and he predestinated others to be damned forever.
Kind of this arbitrary choice. Well, I'm going to save this
one, I'm going to damn that one. Man's damned because of his sin. Not because God predestinated
him to hell, but because of his own personal sin. Now, if a man's saved, it's all
God's fault. If a man's lost, it's all his
own fault. You think of sovereignty and
responsibility. in the scripture. The Bible teaches
that God is absolutely sovereign, the first cause behind everything. And even the way you think is
under His control. The answer of the tongue is from
the Lord. And it's equally true that you're
free and you do exactly what you want to do uninfluenced. God is absolutely sovereign and
men are responsible. And how do you bring those two
things together? I just swallow it. That's it. You know, some pills, baby aspirin
tastes good, but regular aspirin, it doesn't taste good if you
chew it up. You're better off just swallowing it, aren't you, rather than trying
to chew it. Swallow it up. And that's the way anything God's
Word teaches. If I can't bring it together,
I just swallow it up. The problem's not with God, it's
not with God's word, it's with me and I really believe that
myself and I have such a, I hope I have such a respect for God's
word that whatever God says, I believe. I hate that bumper sticker you say, God said
it, I believe it and that settles it. Oh no, God said it, that
settles it whether you and I believe it or not. God, let God be true
and every man a liar. Don't think beyond the Scripture. 1 Corinthians chapter 8. I like
this. I love them all. Verse 2, And if any man think
that he knows anything. I got that down. He knows nothing. Yet, as he ought to know. If I think that I have a sufficient
grasp and understand of something, all I prove by that is my ignorance
and my pride regarding anything. And I really mean this. I really
mean this. The more I believe and the more
I know, the more I see I don't know. The more clearly I see
something, the more clearly I see that there's so much I just can't
get hold of. And I'm fine with that. Aren't
you fine with that? If you could understand everything,
there wouldn't be much to it, if you could understand it. Isn't
that so? If you could get it all, there just wouldn't be that
much to it. But we believe what God says. And if we think we
got anything down pat, and I'm not saying that this is the right
way to do it, but I don't underline stuff in my Bible. Because I've
done that in the past, and I come up to that underline, but we
already know that. No, I don't already know it. And I need to
be taught all over again. Am I saying you shouldn't underline
your Bible? No, if it makes you find something better, that's
fine. But the point is, if a man thinks he knows anything, He
knows nothing yet, as he ought to know." You know, truly, we're continually learning, aren't
we? And the more we learn, the more we see we don't know. Now,
some people would find fault with that. Well, that's your
problem. That's just the way it is. We're learning continually,
and the more we learn, the more we see we just don't understand.
We're so small, We're just small, but our God is big, and we believe
Him, and we rest in Him. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 5. This is a blessed thing
to remember. Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency
is of God. We're not sufficient to think
anything as coming from ourselves. Now, the best commentary on this
is 1 Corinthians chapter four, verse seven, who makes you to
differ from another? And what do you have that you
didn't receive? If you have faith, God gave it
to you. You didn't come up with it. If you love Christ, God gave
you that love. If you persevere, it's because
he preserved you. Anytime you don't sin, which
is never, but what I mean is if there's a, just as long as
I do it, it's seeing, I realize that, but what I'm saying is
anytime you don't fall, it's because He blocked the way. It's
not because of any moral goodness in you. It's because He blocked
the way. He prevented it from happening,
and there's nothing that you wouldn't do if He doesn't prevent
it. We're not sufficient of ourselves
to think anything as of ourselves. Paul said, I know that in me
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. If we believe this as we ought,
we wouldn't have such issues of pride and self-righteousness,
and yet every one of us have it. Even right now, these two
ugly monsters continually raise their ugly heads. And that's
why we continually have to hear the gospel and hear this specifically. Galatians chapter six. Got three more. Galatians chapter
six, trying to get through them quick. Verse 1, Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, if a man be overcome by some sin, can't you understand that? Can't
you understand how easily that is you? If a man be overtaken
in a fault, Don Fortner said something to
me just in the last couple of weeks that I thought was a real
blessing. When people just destroy their
lives and mess up and do things that are utterly contrary to
the gospel, don't dismiss them automatically as unbelievers.
That's the easy way out. That's the easy way out. Men
are weak. And if a man be overtaken in
a fault, You which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit
of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Now,
do you know yourself enough to know that if you're tempted,
you will fall? All it takes is a temptation. That's why we pray,
leave me not into temptation. Because I know what'll happen
if I'm tempted. And that's why I do pray, Lord,
don't let me be tempted. I know what'll happen if I am.
Well, I'm gonna fight against that temptation. No, I just don't
wanna be tempted. I just don't want to be tempted. Lord, put
up a hedge around me, make it to where I'm not even tempted.
Because I know if I am tempted, I know what's gonna happen. And
you do too. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law
of Christ. For if a man think himself to
be something, when he is what? Nothing. What's he do? He deceives himself. And self-deception is the worst
of all deception. James 1. Verse 5, if any of you lack wisdom, anybody here lack wisdom? If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and that braideth
not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering, for he that wavereth It's like a wave of the sea driven
with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he
shall receive anything of the Lord. That man who wavers, a
devil-minded man, is unstable in all his ways. Now, what does
that mean to ask in faith? Let him ask in faith. Does that
mean when you ask for something, you know you're gonna get it?
And if you waver as to whether or not you're gonna get it, you're
not gonna have it. Is that what that means? Well,
let me ask you a question. Have you ever asked the Lord
for anything that you knew he was going to give you? Lord, I'm asking for this and
I believe you're going to give it to me. No. You know that He
may withhold it. And if He does, it'll be for
your good and His glory. And you realize even when you're
asking for something, and I ask for a lot of things. I'm always
asking the Lord for something. I'm petitioning for something.
But we realize when we ask Him for something that the answer
might be no. And we submit to that. If He
doesn't give it to us, we shouldn't have it. And we submit to that
because we believe that he's too wise to err. And that whatever he does is
best, just, right, and true. We really believe that. When
we ask in faith, here's what we're doing. When we ask in faith,
we're saying, Lord, hear this prayer for Christ's sake. That's
what it is to ask in faith. Lord, I know that this cannot
be heard apart from the Lord Jesus Christ presenting it before
you. And I know that whatever you
do is right. If you give it to me, I'll be thankful. And if
you withhold it from me, I'll be thankful because whatever
you do is right. Now, I want it. I'm asking, I
don't know how many, Lord, I'm like that widow. You said me
not to always pray, not to faith. I continually come, I continue
to ask. You told me to do that, but even then, we submit to his
will, whatever he does, and however he answers it is best and right.
That's what it means to ask in faith. It doesn't mean you know
you're gonna get what you're asking for. Never, I've tried
to fool myself before doing that. I'm going to get up because I
asked for it. You know, the Lord said, that's, it doesn't last
long because within, I might fool myself for a second or two,
but it doesn't take long for me to start thinking, ah, you
don't believe, you know, that's, that means you come through the
gospel. Ask in faith, ask knowing that
you're heard for Christ's sake. Now here's the last one, James
chapter four. Do you think, verse five, James
chapter four, verse five, he says, do you think that the scripture
saith in vain that the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to
envy? Never think that the scripture
speaks in vain on anything. Do you think the scripture's
speaking to no purpose when it tells you and me that we've got
an evil, wicked spirit that lusts to envy? You know, envy, I think,
is the most base of all emotions. To be envious of somebody? To
wish them ill and wish that I had what they had and they didn't
have it? Why? Is it possible for a believer
to be that way? Sure it is. Sure it is. Do you
think the scripture speaks in vain that the spirit in us lusts
to envy? You know why the Lord lets us
know that about ourselves? So we'll cry for mercy. So we'll cry for grace. That
we'll continually look to Christ and nowhere else as our only
righteousness before God. But understand this, the scripture
never speaks in vain, does it? Never. Now, thank God for the think nots
of scripture, because when it comes right down to it, you know
as well as I do, we just think wrong all the time, don't we?
That's why we need to hear the gospel continually. That's why
we need to continually hear the word, because we think wrong. But I'm so thankful for these
Think not of the scripture and may the Lord direct our thoughts
to think not to think not. And this is what I'm saying.
This is what I'm praying right now. Lord direct my thoughts. Let's pray.