I read a book, a friend sent
me a book this week, written years ago, I suppose when altar
calls were in their earliest stages, and a person who was
not a Christian but was well-read. Back then, many people who were
not believers were well-read in religious matters, theology. Like many years ago, there were
usually just two books in a home. One was the Bible, and the other
was Pilgrim's Progress. And people read these books written
by preachers and people who knew God. Well, anyway, this man attended
a service, and at the close of the service, the preacher gave
an altar call. And this is what he said, I offer
salvation. to anyone here who will come
down to the front and accept Jesus as your Savior. I offer
salvation." And after the service was over, this man was amazed
at that and he came to the preacher and he said, Sir, he said, I
heard you say that you offered salvation to anyone who would
do what you told them. Sir, can you give a man salvation,
an eternal life? Well, he said, no. He said, well,
can I or anyone here by what we do procure salvation, eternal
life? Can we do that? Can we procure
it by what we do? He said, no. He said, well, can
I by changing my place from back in the congregation down to the
front? Can I gain some advantage in procuring eternal life? He
said, no. He said, why did you offer it? If you can't give it, and I can't
earn it, and by changing my position from back there down here, I
cannot attain it, why did you offer it? Why didn't you just preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ, who is able to give salvation? who is
able to give life eternal, who is able to make men new creatures
and leave it to him to do the work. Well, there's no answer
to that except that's what I'll do next time. But I responded,
you did, made a profession of faith and held to that for years
and years and years, and tried to keep and be zealous of the
traditions of my denomination and my father's, and going about
to establish a righteousness and try to find acceptance with
God. Until one time about 50 years
ago, like Paul said here in Ephesians, but God, but God, who is rich
in mercy. For his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sin. Being religious doesn't keep
you from being dead in trespasses and sin. Having a profession
of faith doesn't change that dead state. Being good in trespasses and
sin, he quickened us to gather with Christ. He quickened us.
He regenerated us. He awakened us. By grace, you
say. Not by works, not by profession. By grace, you say. And he has
raised us up and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come, he
might show exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you say. by grace,
unmerited, unearned, undeserved, unsought. By grace are you saved
through faith, not by faith, through faith, through faith. It's Christ that saved, not faith.
It's Christ that died for us, not faith. It's Christ that performed
a perfect obedience and righteousness, not our faith, not us. By grace
you're saved. The grace of God in Christ saved
you through faith. And that's not of yourselves.
Faith's not of yourself. It's a gift of God. Repentance
is a gift of God. The goodness of God led me to
repentance. The goodness of God gave me faith. Not of works, lest any man should
boast with his workmanship. but not the workmanship of the
evangelist, or the pastor, or the preacher who is visiting,
or the soul winner, with his workmanship. Created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that
ye should walk in them. I heard the same thing Paul said. Here, look at it again, Philippians
3. Verse 5, I circumcise every day. of the stock of Israel, I was
a tribe of Benjamin, I was a Hebrew of Hebrews, I was touching the
law, I was a Pharisee, I was a preacher too, I was a Pharisee,
a member of the Sanhedrin, I was a preacher, pastor of the church,
went to preacher school, just like he did. And Zeal, oh my
goodness, Zeal had more energy then I've got now. in religious
things, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless, so moral, so self-righteous, so
holier than thou, blameless. But when Christ came in, with
the revelation of Christ to our hearts, you know, you can identify
with this, when Christ was revealed to my heart. And when Christ
was revealed to the heart of this man writing this passage
here, those things that were gained, that profession, those
traditions, that morality, that heritage, that ancestry, that
denominational name, those rules and standards and creeds and
catechisms and all these things I memorized and studied and fought
for, I counted Just wipe the slate clean, forget
it, burn them. And yea, doubtless, I count all
things, all things, but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things. And then he sets forth here four
desires, a fourfold, one desire, fourfold. One desire, but four
parts. Listen. Number one, that I may
win Christ. That I may win Christ and be
found in Him. Not found in a church, on a church
road book, or in a church denomination, or a religious tradition. That
I might be found in Him. Not having my own morality and
righteousness, which is of the law. That's the basis of ours.
But that which is through the faith of Christ, through the
faithfulness of Christ, through the obedience of Christ, through
the person and work of Christ, it's the righteousness which
is of God. That's holiness. That's pure
holiness. That's true holiness. That's
God holiness. That's what we didn't have. That's
what we now have. That's what we couldn't do. That's
what Christ did do. That's what we were seeking by
works, that's what we have now by faith. The election did not
attain what Israel couldn't attain. They sought it by works, the
election by faith. Oh, that desire to win Christ
and be found in him. Here's the second part. He said
that I may know him. We know him. I know whom I have
believed. I do now. I didn't then, I do
now. I know him, you know him, but
I want to know him better. I want to grow in grace in the
knowledge of Christ. Don't you? That's a daily desire. That's a daily desire, that I
may know him, and listen, in the power of his resurrected
life, the fellowship of his sufferings, to be conformable unto his death. That's my desire. Part of that desire is this,
if by any means I might attain this fellow right here, this
person that I am, that I might attain to the resurrection of
the dead. What is that talking about, the
resurrection of the dead? I think it's twofold. There's
two resurrections. That first resurrection is fifty
years ago. When this old dead preacher,
dead assistant pastor, dead religious moralist, dead theologian, when
this dead sinner was raised spiritually by the power of God, I want to
attain to that resurrection, don't you? And the second is
the resurrection when he comes and our bodies are raised. I
want to attain to the resurrection of the dead. I don't want to
be found dead in my religion and dead in my sins when Christ
comes. I want to be one of his own,
come back to claim his own. And the only way I can be one
of those is to be raised from the dead now, and raised from
the dead then. That's right. Now look at that
next verse. He says here, here's the fourth
part of that desire. Not as though I had already attained
it, either already perfect, I'm not, don't claim to be. But I'll
tell you this, I follow after, if that I may apprehend, that
word apprehend is to lay hold. Lay hold of something. You know,
two or three times in the scriptures, lay hold of eternal life. Don't
miss eternal life. Don't perish depending a profession. But I know when I say, it's better
to know who saved you than when he saved you. Better to know
him. Don't perish defending a profession. Don't perish defending a moral
life. Don't perish defending an experience. I haven't arrived, I'm not perfect,
Paul said, but I'll tell you what I follow that I may lay
hold on that for which I've been laid hold of by Christ. Now I
showed you this morning that purpose for which he's laid hold
of all his sheep. God has one purpose in the salvation
of his sheep. Let's read it again to make it
fresh on your mind. One purpose, one purpose, one
purpose. It says in Romans 8, 28, And
we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, and to them who are called according
to his purpose. What is his purpose? Here it
comes, the next verse. Whom he did foreknow, like he
said to Jeremiah, before I formed you in the belly, I knew you.
Before you came out of your womb, I sanctified you. But whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate, purpose, that they should be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. God's going to have a family
of sons, and they're all going to look like Christ. That's right,
they're all going to be like Christ. That's his purpose. He's
going to populate sons and daughters. He's going to populate heaven.
He's going to populate the new earth with a people. And every
blessed one of them are going to be conformed to the image
of his son. That's God's purpose. And that's what Paul is talking
about over here in verse 12. He said, I haven't arrived, I'm
not already perfect, but I'll tell you what I'm following after,
that I may lay hold of that purpose for which God laid hold of me. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. who chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, just
like Christ. That's why he chose us. That's
what he's going to make of us. He's going to make us. Everybody
in heaven is going to be like Christ. They're going to love
what Christ loves, like what Christ likes, do what he does,
rejoice in who he is. They're going to be just like
him, have his mind. That's right. And then verse 13, he says, Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended, I haven't arrived, but I tell
you one thing I do, and this is good advice, and I strive
to do it, I want to do it, I'm determined to do it. It's one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. What's
that? Well, it's everything that's
behind. I'll tell you what some of it is. I've brought up this
thing of my beginnings in religion. But that's gone. Forget it. Forget my struggles. Forget my
attempts at false religion. Forget my experiences. Forget
my professions. Come on now, forget them. Forget
my raising. Forget my struggles. Forget my
self-righteousness. Forget my morality. Just that's
behind, forgetting those things which are behind. In his case,
his ancestry, his Jewish blood, his identification with David,
the tribe of Benjamin, forget it. Not worth an empty peanut
shell. Forget your experiences. I've
got a picture for him, just can't forget his experience back down
to 45 years ago. Forget your revelations in your
early days of spiritual infancy. Forget your works and labors
since you were saved. I taught Sunday school, and I
preached, and I sang in the choir, and I did all this, and I did
that. Forget it? That's the problem with those
folks at the judgment who kept telling the Lord what they'd
done. They couldn't forget it. And there's just one way to forget
those things, and that's to be wrapped up and taken up with
Christ. The last night we were walking
in the park and the moon was so bright I couldn't see the
stars. And when Christ's light of glory and beauty shines in
your life, you can't see what you do. You just can't see it. My works and labor since conversion,
my spiritual growth, And I've had some, you have too. I'm not
what I ought to be, not what I want to be, not who I'm going
to be, but I ain't what I used to be. Anybody can say that.
Forget it. My recent blessings, I just finished
a study in the book of Hebrews that was a blessing. I worked
hard, I thought it was a blessing to you, but forget it. I try. Forget it. That's what Paul said, forgetting
the things which are behind, forgetting them. Don't reach
back there and get something to brag about, something to hold
up before God, forget it. And do what? And reach forth. I forget those things which are
behind and I reach forth. I reach forth for future blessings
and future revelations of himself and manifestations of grace.
I'll tell you what this illustration is taken from. Paul was an athlete,
or he admired athletes, because he's always talking about a race,
running a race, talking about shadow boxing. I don't fight
as one that beateth the air. I have a real target. They all
run in a race, but only one's the winner, crowned the winner.
And here he's talking about a race. The illustration is taken from
runners in a race who do not stop. and look behind them to
see how far they've come. They don't stop and look behind
them to see how well they've done. They don't stop and look
behind them to see how far in front of everybody else they
are. They're concerned with one thing.
The goal. The goal. The incorruptible crown. He talks about in verse 14, I
press toward the mark for that prize of the high calling of
God in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's my goal. Anything else
not worth having. Anything else pales in insignificance. I'm going to lie down one of
these days and leave here. And what matters then? One thing. That's to know him. Enter his
glory. So he gives a little advice here. He says, Let us, therefore, as
many as be perfect. Now, I've told you again and
again, that word is not without sin, that's not perfection. In
this flesh, that's unattainable and impossible. As many of us
as are taught of God, as many of us who are somewhat mature,
not nearly as mature as we ought to be, but we have some maturity,
some experience, some understanding, some discernment. On the back
of your bulletin is one of the best articles I've ever seen
on discernment, real spiritual discernment. And that's what
he's talking to here, you folks and this preacher who've been
taught of God and have some discernment, some spiritual understanding.
I want you to be thus minded as I am, he said. I want you
to be thus minded. I want you to be of the same
mind. What is that? Here it is. Listen. To count
all heritage, ceremony, traditions, works, morality, experiences
to be rubbish. I want you to be thus minded.
That you may win Christ and be found in him. I want you to be willing," he
said, be best minded, to suffer the loss. Yea, he said, I count
these things but dumb. Yea, I count all things but loss. What's all things? The loss of
friends, loss of family. And you'll lose them. Christ
said, I didn't come to send peace, but a sword. I came to set a
man at barracks against his father. and a son-in-law against his
father-in-law, and a mother against a daughter, and a brother against
a brother. Over what? The gospel. And you'd be willing. Now, sometimes
the heritage and ceremony and traditions are a little easier
to suffer the loss of than friends and family and position in religion. I've heard people say, I don't
believe what they preach down at my church, but I'm going to
stay there because I've got an office. It's not worth holding on to
that and missing Christ. I want you to be thus-minded,
to be willing to suffer the loss of all things, and to disclaim
any goodness in ourselves. We've got to be thus-minded.
This is what the scripture says. to disclaim any perfection, any
goodness in ourselves, but to have one goal and one desire,
and that's to be like Christ, to win Christ, to know him, in
perseverance to obtain that incorruptible crown. Now look at verse 16,
nevertheless, nevertheless. Let me read that and then give
you a couple of men who wrote about it. Nevertheless, whereto
we have already attained, and we've been talking about it,
we haven't arrived, we haven't apprehended, we're not perfect,
anything that's about us that's good is of God. But we have attained,
we have whereto to the place we have already attained. Let
us walk by that rule. Let us mind Now here's what the
Amplified says. Nevertheless, only let us hold
true to what we have already attained, and walk and order
our lives by that. Here's John Gill. Nevertheless,
whatever degree of the knowledge of Christ that God has revealed
to me, he's revealed much to us. We're blessed people. Whatever
truth of the gospel he has taught us, and he has taught us. Whatever
light God's given us, walk in it. Don't even hesitate. Don't even
hesitate. Nevertheless, whereto we have
already attained what we have been taught, the light we have
received, walk in it. Walk in it. and he'll give you
more life. Why should he give us any more
life when we won't walk in the light we have? Walk in it. All our lives, that same rules, mind the same
things. He'll give more life? I want to read you a passage
over in 1 Samuel 7. Would you turn over there with
me? 1 Samuel 7. 1 Samuel 7. Nevertheless, whereunto
we have already attained. Here in 1 Samuel 7, verse 7. 1 Samuel 7. When the Philistines
heard that the children of Israel would gather together in Mishpeth,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when
the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto
the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand
of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb
and offered it for a burnt offering, holy unto the Lord. And Samuel
cried unto the Lord for Israel. And the Lord heard him. And as
Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew
near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a
great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited
them, and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel
went out of Mishpeth and pursued the Philistines and smote them,
until they came unto Bethke. Then Samuel took a stone. and set it between Mishpeth and
Sheehan, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto
hath the Lord helped us. Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither
by thy help I am come. I hope by thy good pleasure safely
to arrive at home. Our spiritual growth may be slow. Our spiritual growth even sometimes
discouraging. And sometimes I feel that I'm
standing still, don't you? But nevertheless, God has delivered
us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear son,
and he has taught us. We've been taught by God and
taught by the Holy Spirit and we've learned some things. And
we intend by his grace to walk therein. Hitherto hath he helped
us. This far. What have you learned,
Preacher? All right. Let me give you this
and I'll let you go. Here's some things I didn't know
back in the days of religion. and professions of faith and
self-righteousness and free willism and going about to establish
a righteousness, I didn't understand these things. But God's given
some understanding. Here's the first one. When God
revealed Christ in me, he enabled me to know and worship the true
and living God, the almighty, sovereign God. The God of whom
Isaiah said in Isaiah 46, listen to this, God who is sovereign
in creation and sovereign in providence and sovereign in salvation.
Remember the former things of old. I'm God. There's none else. I'm God. None like me. I declare to Ian from the beginning
and from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying
my counsel shall stand. And I'll do all my pleasure,
calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes
my counsel from a far country. I've spoken it. I bring it to
pass. I've purposed it. Nebuchadnezzar said the Lord
reigns in the armies of heaven among the inhabitants of earth
and gives it to whosoever will. I met that God, the living God. He came and gave us an understanding
that we might know thee, the true and living God. Secondly,
the gospel of God's grace in Christ enabled me to believe
and understand the Old Testament scripture. We were raised in
church where they talked about Noah's ark. They talked about
Daniel purposing in his heart. They talked about Moses leading
the children of Israel. They talked about all these things.
But they never applied it to Christ. I never saw Christ in
the Old Testament. Christ, the seed of woman. Christ,
the priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Christ,
the ark. Christ, the Passover. Christ,
the mercy seat. Christ, the high place. Christ,
the brazen serpent. He opened the scriptures, and
I saw Christ prophesied and promised and pictured. I saw the God Abraham
saw. And honestly, I just about soon
preached from the Old Testament and I have the New Testament. Half a dozen, one sixth of a
dozen, same book, same message. It's Christ. And thirdly, the
gospel of grace enabled me to understand how God can be God,
just and holy and righteous, and justify folks like me and
me. Old Job and his friends wrestled
with that. How can God be just and justify
sinners? How can he be clean as the barn
of a woman? Behold the moon, it shines not.
The stars are not pure in God's sight. How much more abominable
and filthiest man that drinks iniquity like the water? I couldn't
answer that question. How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? I saw it in the gospel of God's
grace. How did he set him forth to be
a perpetuation for sins that are passed according to the longsuffering
of God? Send him forth as a mercy seed,
as a perpetuation, declaring the righteousness of God, that
God might be just, holy, truth, and yet love, mercy, and forgiveness. Christ took our place. Substitution,
satisfaction. Spurgeon used to say two words,
sum up the gospel. Substitution, Christ in our place,
satisfaction. He met all that God required
and demanded. We're perfect. Fourthly, the
gospel of grace enabled me to understand that the chief of
sinners, the worst sinner on earth, can find mercy in Christ
and hope for forgiveness. Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ didn't die for good people. He died for sinners. He was eating
one day with a group of sinners. And publicans and sinners, and
the Pharisees saw him and the rest of his disciples said, Why
does your master eat with sinners, publicans and sinners? And our
Lord heard them and he said, They that are well do not need
a doctor, but they that are sick. Go learn what I mean, what that
means. I am called, I am come, not to
call the righteous. with sinners to repentance. I
will have mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, and not sacrifice. Oh,
how clear that is. Christ died for sinners, of whom
I'm chief. The chief of sinners. Fifthly, the gospel of grace
enables me to actually, without any reservation, give God all
the glory for salvation. What I preached this morning,
I love it. Don't you? I just love elective
grace. I love sovereignty. I love God's
purpose. I love the glory of God. If you
turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, you'll see what I'm talking about.
This gospel of grace enables me to give God all the glory
for saving us It says here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse
26, you sing your calling doesn't it? I did then, I do now. Back
then I saw my profession, now I see my calling. Back then I
saw what I did, now I see what he did. Back then I saw what
my mama and daddy did to raise me right and so forth as they
say. Now I see what my heavenly father did to lift this old beggar
from the dunghill. Listen, you see your calling,
brethren? How that not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world. I fit right there, don't you?
Foolish. Fool. You don't call yourself
a fool. Try it. God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Do you fit in there? I do. Base
things, the things that are despised. Even God ought to despise us.
Has God chosen you? And things that are not, just
nothing, old nothing from nowhere, to bring to naught the things
that are. Why? That no flesh should glow
in his presence. But of him, his choice, his love,
his grace, his purpose, are you in Christ Jesus. Who of God is
made under you. wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth
hath glory in the Lord." I didn't know beans about that back then.
I didn't know a thing about it. I couldn't anymore preach from
that passage of Scripture. Doris and I was reading through
the Bible, and I passed her down there in Chattanooga, and reading
through the Bible, and came to the book of Romans, and I had
little devotions at home, and I said, let's just skip that
book. I don't know a thing about it. That's the thing for you
to do when you don't want to do something, you skip it. It's
still there, though. It's still there. You and me.
It's still there. In the sixth place, the gospel
of grace enabled me to have a sure hope of eternal life. Sure. I had a dozen people walk out
that door this morning. I brought a message on election.
And when they walked out that door, they came by and said,
boy, that's sweet as shots. That's sweet assurance. It is. When you talk about what God
did for us, that's sweet assurance. In Romans 4, let's look at this.
And that's really, my friend, that's your only sure hope, is
what he did for you, not what you did for him. That's the only
sure hope. Look at Romans 4, verse 13. The promise that Abraham should
be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or his seed through
the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those which
are of the law be heirs, faith is void. The promise has gone
down the drain. Because the law can't give life,
it works wrath. There are no lawyers, there is
no transgression. Therefore, salvation is of faith. that it might be by grace to
this end, that the promise might be sure to all to see, sure to
all to see, not to that only which is of the law, that is
the Jew, but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham Gentiles,
who is the father of us all. It must be by grace through faith
to be sure. If all I had right now was that
profession, that tradition, and those preaching days, I wouldn't have any confidence.
Would you? But I'll tell you, when I have
this, whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be conformed to the image
of Christ. Whom he predestinated, he called. Whom he called, he
justified. Whom he justified, he glorified.
God be frightened of who could dare against me. Number seven, the gospel of God's
sovereign grace enables me to believe God, rejoice in his mercy,
and be at peace in the greatest trial. That's right. Old Joseph was
talking to his brothers. Boy, they put him through a terrible,
terrible experience wound up in prison embarrassed humiliated and he
said to them when all it was over he said now don't be angry
with yourselves you meant all this for evil I know you did
you did it out of spite because you meant it for evil but God
meant it for good and God's in control and I'll tell you this
whatever comes our way, some of the most heart-rending experiences. But when you know he's on the
throne, makes it all right. That makes it all right. And it's going to work together
for your good and his glory. And you can't have that kind
of peace in Arminianism. Now you just forget it. You'd
be running around here saying, well, what if? What if I had
done this? What if I hadn't done that? What
if I would have moved here and hadn't moved there? There's no what if about it.
It's all God. It's all God. He orders our steps. The steps
of a righteous man are ordered by God. Not just his destination,
his steps. That's right. Everyone. You don't put one foot in front
of the other if you're one of his sheep. without the shepherd
knowing where you're going and leading you. Number eight, the gospel of grace
enables me to preach the gospel with confidence in its success.
I told you about that this morning. Paul was in Corinth and he wanted
to leave. And God appeared to him that
night in a vision and said, Paul, don't leave this town. I've got
much people here. I've got much people here. Paul
stayed there 18 months and preached. And brethren, he said, my word
will not return unto me void. It shall accomplish that where
unto I've sent it. And I'm preaching tonight. I
believe what I'm preaching. I love what I'm preaching. I
know what I'm preaching is true. But everybody that hears it won't
believe it. But I tell you who will. As many as were ordained eternal,
I believe. Acts 13, verse 48. As many as
are ordained to be like Christ, believe. We're looking for the sheep.
We're God's bloodhounds. We're looking for the sheep.
And the gospel of God's grace enables me to die in peace and
hope. Some of us here, we're playing
in overtime. We've already passed three score
and ten. And God's removed four fears. The fear of lacking something
required for eternal life. I don't lack anything. If God
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him freely give us all things? The fear of sins
committed and some charge still on the books. Who shall anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. The
fear of final judgment, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ
that died, yea, rather is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who makes intercession for us. The fear of falling away
from Christ's love, who can separate me from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus? Forget it! You lie down on that pillar and
close your eyes and wake up in glory. And the only man who can do that
is the man who's resting in the arms of the Savior. That's right. There's no bed so soft. There's
no pillar so soft. There's no comfort so sweet.
There's no destination so sure. And then last of all, the gospel
of his grace. produces the fruit of the spirit
which is real and genuine. Preachers are trying to get people
to give. They whip them to death with
tithing, stewardship, signing pledges. You can quit that when
people get saved. To whom much is given, you give. You give as God has given to
him. full measure, pressed down, running
over. He delights to give because everything
he's got God gave him. He's not selfish. Humility, what
do you have you didn't receive? Forgiveness, forgive one another
as God in Christ forgave you. Love, love each other as I've
loved you. I tell you, the fruit of the
Spirit is produced by the grace of God. And that's real. And
you don't need to whip anybody in line. I watch sometimes these
fellas preaching on Channel 61. I see them just brow-beating
folks, and what they ought to do, and what they ought to be,
and what they ought to give, and where they ought to go. And
I just think, well, why are you beating them to death? God's
sheep are led easily. by their shepherd, the chief
shepherd, the good shepherd. They love the shepherd. Another
shepherd they won't follow.