But though we or an angel from
heaven preach any other gospel, any other gospel at any time
unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him
be accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again, I say it again, if any man preach any other gospel unto
you than that you have received, let him be accursed. For what is my objective? Do
I now persuade men or God? Do I seek to please men? Is that
my objective, to please men? Well, if I yet please men, I
should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. I didn't
receive it of man. I wasn't taught it by man. My
gospel is a revelation of Jesus Christ. Now time and acquired knowledge
and new inventions have changed every occupation. I tried to
think of any occupation that has not been adjusted, improved,
or changed by time and inventions and acquired knowledge, and I
couldn't think of any. because of new tools, new materials,
more education. Most occupations and vocations
don't even resemble what they were centuries ago, except one. Medicine. I was reading the life
story of Martin Luther. He died in 1540-something. And when he, his last illness,
he was a man with bad health, but his last illness I read the
doctor's treatments. One was powder from a unicorn's
horn mixed with a glass of wine, which he drank, and they said
he slept better. I'm not surprised. But one was
a potion with manure and urine from a cow. And then
they bled him, and then he died. I'm not surprised at that, are
you? But education, graded classes, computers, education is totally
changed from what it was. Government, senates, congress,
parliaments, carpentry, we don't even use the same tools they
used years ago. Steel making, mining, just try
to name one that hasn't been tremendously changed or adjusted.
Well, I can name just one. One vocation, one profession,
one calling, which if it's done right, if it's going to be any blessing
to anyone, it's the same as it was 2,000 years ago. Totally,
completely unchanged. That's the preaching of the gospel.
That's what I'm doing, my profession, my calling, my vocation. If I
don't preach just like Paul did, I'm a false prophet. That's what
he said. He said if any man preaches any
other gospel than this gospel, let him be accursed when Christ
comes. To change the gospel ministry,
its message, its methods, It's means. It's music. Let me show you something. Turn
to number 60 in this book. Number 60. Here's a hymn by Clement of Alexander
written in about 200 A.D. Shepherd of eager youth. That
the early church sang. Across the page, page 58, is
a hymn, Jesus, have I thought of thee, written, you see, by
Bernard of Cabu, around 1100 A.D. Page 36 is the one we sang
last Sunday, Martin Luther's Mighty Fortress, written 1500,
that's 500 years ago. We're using the same textbook. To change this gospel, I'm saying,
is to ruin it. I hear them talking about a church
here in town has a contemporary worship and a traditional worship. To change this gospel ministry
is to cause it to lose its effectiveness and actually to make it a curse
rather than a blessing. We use the same textbook that
The old prophets used, and the apostles used, and the reformers
used, which they called the scriptures alone. We preach the same message that
they preached unchanged, called Christ alone. And we're shut
up to the same methods and means, and that's grace alone. It's
the scriptures. It's Christ. Now, let's have Paul preach for
us tonight. Turn to Acts 17. Have him come
back to Ashland or to Huntington or to Charleston or to wherever,
and just have Paul bring the message tonight. Here was a message
that Paul brought in Acts 17. To find out where he is, verse
16, he was in Athens. Now while Paul waited for them
in Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry, worship of false gospel and false gods.
So down in verse 22 they had him speak. They took him up to
the Areopagus, that's the Mars Hill, the highest court in Athens,
to have him speak. In verse 22, then Paul stood
in the midst of Mars Hill. I believe if he were to visit
one of our towns today, he'd bring this message. He'd bring
the same message he brought here. He says in verse 22, you men
of Athens, I perceive in all things you're very religious. As I passed by and beheld your
shrines, your devotions, your monuments, your crosses, your
bumper stickers, your t-shirts, your willingness to accept anything
and everything in the name of religion, any spirit, any preacher,
any doctrine, any God. He said even to the point, listen,
I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. In other words, these folks were
saying in the event that there's a God unrecognized, we wouldn't
want to hurt his feelings, a God that's unknown to us, then we'll
erect a monument to him. That's what they did. And they
had all these different...Darcy and I drove through a little
town in Virginia. We go through there going to visit Paul and
Mindy every once in a while. We take a different route. And
there's a little town called Iron Gate, and there's six...I
doubt if there are 500 people in that town, but there's six
churches within four blocks on the same street. All of them preaching a different
message, evidently. They're divided for some reason.
Six and four blocks. And he said, you've raised this
altar to this God whom you don't know, in case you've left one
out and don't want to hurt his feelings. But here's what he's
saying. Whom, therefore, you ignorantly worship. Him, I declare
unto you, the God The God that you people know is not God. And
the God that you people do not know is God. That's what he said. The God that that city claimed
to know, Diana was one of the chief Gods, are not God. And the God you do not know,
that's the God. And we'll tell you about him.
Look at verse 24. Now he said, first of all, he's
the creator. I listen to it. God made the
world and all things therein. God is the creator. The earth,
turn with me to Psalm 24. I said this morning and I repeat
it again, a person, young people listen to it. You cannot, you
cannot, you just cannot. I don't care how they try to
phase it in or work it in. The National Geographic or all
these magazines, evolution, you cannot believe the Bible and
believe evolution. The Bible says God created the
world. Evolution said it just came to
pass. The Bible says God created man
high and he fell low. Evolution says he came into the
world low and he's going higher. The Bible says man needs a savior,
a redeemer. to give him a new nature, a new
heart and forgiveness and give him, lift him. Evolution says
leave him alone, he's making great progress all by himself
and someday he'll be like God. It's the opposite. You cannot
believe God. Listen to Psalm 24, the earth
is the Lord's. And the fullness thereof, what
does that mean? There's plenty of water, God
made it that way. No matter how much we drink,
how much we bathe in, how much we wash in, how much we use,
how much we pollute, there's plenty, God keeps it full. The
air we breathe, God fills the earth with air, with oxygen,
no matter how many little bugs and spiders and animals and dogs
and cats and hogs and people breathe this air, there's always
fresh air. The plants take in the poison and send out the oxygen.
God, no matter how much fish you take out of the waters and
the seas, and our congregation alone takes about half of it
out every year on these fishing trips, but God always keeps it
full. The trees keep bearing fruit.
This has been going on 6,000 years, draining it, spoiling
it, misusing it. God keeps it full. The heavens
are full of rain. The clouds are full of snow.
The earth's the Lord's, and the fullness are of the world's,
his, and they that dwell therein. He founded it. Oh, I'm so positive
about that. He founded it. He established
it. That's what Paul says to these
people. He's the creator. Then look at
the next line. And he's not only the creator of all things, he's
the Lord of heaven and earth. Well, he's the Lord of heaven,
but we're running things here. That's what you think. He's the
Lord of heaven and earth. He's the sovereign, almighty
God who does as he pleases, when he pleases, with whom he pleases.
He's sovereign in creation. He's sovereign in providence.
Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your father. I mean a
sparrow. There's not a little unknown,
unrecognized, unneeded, unwanted sparrow that ever falls off a
tree limb and hits the ground that the Father didn't direct
it, ordain it, and purpose it. Now you think about that. And
ever have your head numbered, and every star is named, and
every flake of snow is designed. Have you entered the treasures
of the snow? Can you say to the lightning,
gold it goes and come it comes? to the clouds move here and move
there, to the wind blow? He can. My God is almighty. You cannot glorify him too much. He is the Lord of heaven, he
is the Lord of the earth, and he is the Lord of salvation.
Turn to Daniel 4. This is what Paul would preach. If he were here today, he would
preach the same thing he preached in Athens. In Daniel 4, listen
to Daniel, who is quoting Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4, verse 34. At the end
of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes to heaven,
my understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High,
and I praised and honored him that lives forever, whose dominion,
whose control, whose sovereignty is an everlasting principality. His kingdom is from generation
to generation, and all the inhabitants of this earth are reputed as
nothing, and he lives according to his will in creation, in providence,
in salvation. He lives according to his will
in the army of heaven among the inhabitants of this earth, and
none can stay his hand, and none can ask him, what are you doing? He gives no account of any of
his matters to creatures. You can write it down, it's for
his glory and our good, whatever he does. That's God. Paul says,
I'm going to tell you about this God that you don't know. He's
the creator. He's the sovereign Lord of heaven
and earth. And the next line he says, he doesn't live in temples
made with men's hands. We're building God a house. And most folks expect him to
stay there. not interfere with their lives too much. Over there
in 1 Kings, listen to what Solomon says. 1 Kings 8, verse 26. Listen to it. Go on, Bailey. The other temple, dedication
of the temple. I love this passage. 1 Kings
8, verse 26. Now, Lord, O God of Israel, and
now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified
Confirmed by experience. Vindicated. Confirmed by experience. Which thou spakest to thy servant
David, my father. But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven
of heavens can't contain thee. How much less this house I built. It was a monumental house. We
can't touch it with anything today that even resembles the
Temple of Solomon. But will God condescend to dwell
in a house or a temple made by hands? He knows better than that,
but here's what he's asking. Yet, have thy respect under the
prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God,
to hearken unto the cry unto the prayer which thy servant
prayeth before thee today. that thine eyes may be opened
toward this house, night and day, even toward the
place which thou hast said my name shall be there, that thou
mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make
toward this place," or in this place. This is not God doesn't dwell
in this building. or the monumental buildings and
everything else, but oh God, if you'd just look this way,
that's all I ask, just 10 years, would you hear this? Solomon
was brilliant, wasn't he? God doesn't dwell in these houses. And listen to verse 25, neither
is he worshipped with men's hands. He's not worshipped or served
with men's hands. He gives. We don't give him anything. We don't add anything to God.
We don't give anything to God that can be of any service to
him. I want to show you that turn to Psalm 50. Psalm 50. And the preachers are badgering
people for money, all these different things to give to God, to help
God out, to help his program, and all this sort of thing. And if you do, God will honor
you, and God will do this, that, and the other, and you can strike
a bargain with him. But listen to Psalm 50, verse
8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, for thy burnt
offerings, to have been continually before me. I'll take no bullock
out of your house, nor he goats out of your foes. For every beast
of the forest is mine. Cattle upon a thousand hills
are mine. I know all the fowls and the
eagles and the red-tailed hawks and the birds that fly. They're
all mine. And the wild beasts of the field,
the stallions and the steeds and the horses running up and
down that mountain, Down under, they're mine. If I was hungry,
I wouldn't tell you. The world is mine, and the fullness
thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats? I'll tell you what you do. You
offer unto God thanksgiving. You pay your vows. You keep your
word. unto the Most High, and you call
upon me in the day of trouble, and I'll deliver you, and you'll
glorify me, but don't you start bribing me." Isn't that what Paul would say?
Don't start bribing me. Don't start telling me what you're
going to do in order for me to do something else. I'm God. If
I wanted anything, I wouldn't ask you. Everything's mine, the
world's mine. You're just visiting here, this
is mine. Everything's mine. He's not worshipped
with men's hands as though, verse 25 of Acts said, though he needed
anything. Does he need anything? Does he
need me? I've got an article coming out
in the bulletin soon. These were expendable. They talked
about the PT boats and the amphibious boats in World War II. They were
expendable. They were men and service materials
and so forth that were sacrificed for a cause. They expected to
lose them, expected to sacrifice them. And I'll tell you, we that
minister the gospel and do the will of the Lord, we're expendable.
We're put here to do a service for His glory. What happens to
us is not really important. It's his glory we seek. That's
right. We're expendable. I'll tell you
what you do, he said, you keep your heart out of the issues
of life. With a heart man believeth in the righteousness. Let me
show you something else Paul said to these people. God's a creator, God is sovereign,
God doesn't dwell in our little buildings we've built for him
to sit in with the crosses and all the different objects of
worship. He's not worshipped with men's
hands, he doesn't need anything we have. He gives us life and
breath and all things. And he's made of one blood all
nations of men dwell on the face of that one blood. We all can
trace our heritage and our beginning to one man, a rebel. I don't care whether you're Jew
or Gentile, and I know there's pride of race and pride of faith
and pride of place and unfortunately pride of grace. But we have no
reason to be proud of anything. Jew and Gentile, male and female,
we've all come from one fallen man with sons of Adam. He's made of one blood all nations
of men to dwell on the face of this earth. We all come from
Adam, and in Adam we die. Depravity, corruption and sin
is what we receive from our sire, our father. There's no difference. And God Almighty has set, determined
the times appointed not only of empires and of nations and
of rulers, but of men. He has determined the time on
this earth and the bounds of their habitation, determined
by God. Turn to Job, chapter 14. This is the old message in Athens,
preached by Paul, preaching it again tonight in Ashland. But
it's the same glorious, wonderful truth that men must hear. Job 14, man is born of woman,
a few days, full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower,
he's cut down. He pleath also, the shattering
continueth not. Dost thou open thine eyes upon
such a one? Bringest thou me into judgment
with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? Seeing his days are determined. What did Paul say to Athens?
God has determined the times before upon him, all nations
of all men and the bounds of their habitation. His days are
determined, the number of his months are with thee. Thou hast
appointed his bounds, he cannot pass. That's our God. That's our God. Look at the next verse, 27, that
they should seek the Lord. Men should seek the Lord. They
don't, and they won't, but they should. They should seek the
Lord. If happier, they might feel after
him and find him. It would be a happy time if men
would seek the Lord. Where would you seek the Lord?
Well, I'll tell you where I'd seek him, in his words. That's
the place where I'd go. I'd go to the Word. If I didn't
know Him tonight and wanted to know Him, I'd go to the Word.
I'd saturate myself in the Word of God. I'd sit down with this
book and say, salvation is to be found somewhere in this book
and only in this book. And I'm going to get in it and
stay in it until I find God and peace in my soul. I wouldn't
bank on the traditions handed down and the old Eddard sayings
and the old wise fables and all the other old things that have
been handed down and given birth to this generation that's as
far from God as any generation has ever been. I'd seek him in his word. I'll
tell you where else I'd seek him. I'd find some people that
I believe know him. I would. I'd find some people
that give evidence that they know this God. Not a god, some
god, I wouldn't look for a Baptist church or a Baptist church, they
all are corrupt. That's just so. I wouldn't look
for a name on a building, I'd look for a preacher in a pulpit.
Because God's got somebody preaching the gospel, he's never left himself
without a witness. There's somebody telling the
truth on God. That's right. And he has chosen by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. That's what he said.
And I'd find me an old style, old time, old gospel preacher
preaching the gospel and people that give some evidence that
they know God. And I'd hang around with them.
He says here in verse 27, he's not very far from any of us. He's not very far from any of
us. In Him we live, and in Him we move, and in Him we have our
being. You can't raise your arm without God's permission and
power. In Him we live. In Him we move. I tell you what I do, what a
preacher did one time, talking to a congregation, he says, anybody
here that doesn't believe God is in charge of all things, rise
and walk down here without God. Nobody took Him up on it. Nobody
dared to rise and walk down here without God. In Him we live,
in Him we move, in Him we have our being. He's not far. But
He's truth and He's righteousness. He's holy and He's just. He's
merciful, He's love. He's God. He's not what we think
He is, He's who He says He is. And he's revealed in Christ the
Son. And he won't answer to any other name than his name. And he won't appear in any other
character but the true character. This is where they're missing,
Cecil. They're looking for a God of their imagination, and God's
not going to appear in any character but his own. And he's not going
to answer to any name except Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Sidkenu,
Jehovah Rapha, the God who provides, who is our righteousness, who
is our banner, who is our shepherd, He's our King and our Supreme
Lord. He's not very far. In fact, look
at Romans 10 a minute and see what Paul said now. In Romans
10, this is so interesting, Romans 10, Paul writes here in Romans 10,
verse Verse 6, verse 5, but Moses describes
the righteousness which is of the law. You want to find righteousness
in the law, here it is. Do it. The man that doeth these
things shall live by them. Well, that lets us out, doesn't
it? No use looking for God there in the law. That's a waste of
time, isn't it? If you've got to do the law perfectly,
that lets every one of us out, every son of Adam. But the righteousness
which is of faith speaketh on this wise. Don't say in your
heart who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down.
He's already come. You don't have to take a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem or a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or a pilgrimage
to heaven or see a vision or experience or something like
that to bring Christ down. He's already come. Obeyed God's
law and died on the cross, bared and rose again and ascended as
our high priest. And those who shall descend into
the deep, that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead, he
has died, been buried, and rose again, victoriously ascended
to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God. But what does
it say, this righteousness of faith? The word is nigh thee. It's even in your mouth. A while
ago you were singing, to God be the glory. That's what I'm
talking about. It's in your mouth. We have come into this house.
and gathered in his name to worship him. He's our righteousness. He's all my righteousness. You
just said it. The gospel's in your mouth. In
the name of Christ, his righteousness, his precious blood. It's in your mouth. It's in your
heart. It's in your thoughts. It's the word of faith which
we preach, that if you shall confess with your mouth and mean
it and believe it, Jesus Christ is Lord. And believe in your
heart what you're reading here and what you're singing. You'll
be saved. But surely I've got to go somewhere
and go down to the front or... Now it's in your heart. It's
the Word of faith. It's Him, His name. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. Men should seek the Lord. Happily,
they might feel after him and find him. He is not far from
every one of us. But in him we live, move and
have our being. A certain of your own poets said,
We are his offspring. We were made in the image of
God. We are his creation. When he made Adam, he made Adam
in his own image and breathed into him the breath of life,
he became a living soul. We're God's offspring. We come
into this world with a mind, with a soul, with a heart. You see what I'm talking about?
With a will, with affections. We're not like the animals. We
are offspring of God. Sin has mutilated us and corrupted
us and defiled us and brought us down and slain us spiritually,
but nevertheless, we have a mind. It doesn't think straight anymore,
but it's a mind, like God. We have a soul. Christ said,
My soul is sorrowful unto death. We have a heart. God talks about
loving him with a heart. We have a will. It's bondage. But he can make us willing. He
can give us a new will. We have a spirit. We have a personality.
And that all being true, listen to verse 29, then we ought not
to think that the Godhead is like gold or silver or stone
graven by art or man's devices. Why does the world have all of
these These images and statues and crosses and crucifixes and
all of these images and what you call helps to make us
feel spiritual. We're in the image of God. But
I tell you this, verse 30 Paul said, The times of this ignorance,
God has suffered this ignorance, this ignorance of God, who he
is, what he did, where he is. God winked at, God tolerated,
God suffered it to continue. But now he commands all men everywhere
to repent, because God has appointed a day in which he's going to
judge the world. in righteousness by one man,
that man Christ Jesus, whom he sent, who came into the world,
made of a woman, made under the law to redeem us, whom he hath
ordained, and he hath given assurance unto everybody that will listen.
And what is that assurance? He raised him from the dead.
Christ was crucified and buried, and he is the first man, the
first fruits, the first begotten from the dead, to die no more.
And he's the Savior. Now that's the old gospel, the
old truth. I'll show you one more illustration.
Over to the book of Ephesians. If you'll turn there a moment,
I'm going a little long, but let me give this to you. This
is so important. The book of Ephesians. Now Paul
wrote this book, Ephesians. And he sent it down to the church
at Ephesus, and I believe he sent it by a man named Tychicus. He mentions him several times.
In Ephesians 6, verse 21, but that you also may know my affairs
and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister
in the Lord, shall make known to you all things. whom I sent
unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our fire,
and that ye might comfort your hearts." Turn to Colossians 4,
verse 7. These epistles were written by
the apostles, God gave the word to them and they wrote them.
But these epistles were sent to the Church. And here is Tychicus
again in Colossians 4.7. All my states of Tychicus declare
unto you, the Church of Colossians, who is a beloved brother and
a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord. Colossians
4.16. Now when this epistle is read
among you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans. and that you also likewise read
the epistle from Laodicea." I want these epistles read in the church.
Now then, I'm going to take the church at Ephesus and bring them
here tonight. 1950 years ago, a man named Tychicus
came to preach, came straight from Paul, and he brought Ephesians,
and he had orders to read it to the church. And if they were
here now, meeting together like you and I are meeting, this is
what would take place. And Tychicus would get up, turn
to Ephesians 1. He'd say, brethren, here's a
message from Paul. Here's a message from God that
Paul has written under inspiration. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, to the saints which are Ephesus, to the faithful
in Christ Jesus. Read it. Grace be to you and
peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
What are these spiritual blessings? Forgiveness, justification, sanctification,
redemption, life eternal, heavenly blessings. Not the kind of health
and wealth blessings men are talking about today, but heavenly
blessings. Inheritance with God. Read on. "...according as he
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself
according to the good pleasure of his will." In a lot of places
they say, well that election, that's hard shell, that's primitive
Baptist doctrine. No, there weren't any primitive
Baptists there. There were a lot of primitives,
but no primitive Baptists. And that predestination, that's
Presbyterian doctrine. No, there weren't any Presbyterians
there. This is Paul sending a letter to the church at Ephesus that
God gave him. This is what I'm supposed to
do, I'm supposed to read this just like he read it. And you're
not supposed to give it to the primitives or the presbyters
or anybody else. You're supposed to take it and say, hey, thank
God he didn't pass me by. And he did this to the praise
of the glory of his grace when he made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sin according to the riches of his grace. I challenge you. If
you're here and you don't know him, you don't know this guy,
read the rest of that book. That's what we're supposed to
be doing. My vocation hadn't changed. Old Titchikus and I
are in the same business. What he did, I'm supposed to
do. Isn't that right? What Paul did at Athens, I'm
supposed to do right here. And I'm not supposed to be concerned
about whose feelings I hurt, or whose fur I rub backwards. Tell them, people, what God said. And you know something, I love
it. One other scripture I want you to turn to. These elect people. The Church of Thessalonica, Paul
wrote to them, 1 Thessalonians, turn over there a minute, 1 Thessalonians.
Paul wrote to them and he said he knew they were God's elect.
And let me show you something, turn to 1 Thessalonians 5 first.
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 27. Now, I charge you, 1 Thessalonians
5, verse 27, I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be
read unto all the holy brethren. Now, you better read this to
the congregation. I charge you before God. Let's
see what he's saying. Chapter 1, verse 4. I know, brethren
beloved, your election of God. Paul, how do you know they're
elect? Well, he gives you four or five reasons. Number one,
our gospel came to you, not in word only, but in power, in the
Holy Ghost, in much assurance, as you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. And secondly, I know you're God's
elect because you became followers of us and the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction, or you got And folks gave you
a hard time for what you believed, but you received it with joy,
the Holy Ghost, in verse 7. And you became examples in your
conduct, in your conversation, in your lives, to everybody around
you. They saw a change had taken place
in you. And from you sounded out the
Word of the Lord, not only where you live, but in Arcaea and every
place your faith is spread about, your faith in God. I don't need
to talk about you. You're missionary-minded people.
You send the Gospel out. And then verse 9, they themselves
show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you and how you
turned to God from your idols. No more false gods. No more unknown
gods. Now we worship the living creator,
the sovereign almighty redeemer, just and justified. And verse
10, and we're waiting for him to come back. My profession hasn't
changed, and if it does, Thank you.