Now, many people are not aware
of it. Most people are not aware of
it. But these are very crucial times
for us, for our families, for our children. Crucial times. Terrible times. And it may not
seem so, because food is plentiful. We've never eaten so well in
all our lives. We've never had such a choice
of food to eat. People live longer. My wife sent me a birthday card telling me all the things on
that card, they printed it, that happened the year I was born. Columbus discovered America,
and a few other facts like that. But one of the facts was the average age of men, 56
years, in 1926. Now it's 70 some odd. People live longer. Many diseases
have been dealt with successfully. We brought it out just about
blotted out smallpox, diphtheria, polio, various things
like that that plagued children when I was a little. People have more materially than they've ever
had before. There's more religion today than
ever before, religion everywhere. But the great problem, we might
apply Revelation chapter 3, when our Lord said, you say you're
rich, increased with goods, have need of nothing, but in
reality, he said, You're miserable, poor, blind, and naked. And the great problem, and it's
a monumental problem, and we're going to find eventually that
it's the major problem that people face, and that is most preachers in churches today
and religious people do not know the gospel. They do not know the gospel of
God. Most preachers and religious
people and churches do not know the God of the Bible. And they do not preach the word
of God, the gospel of God's grace, the great majority. That's true. You know, our Lord said to the
people of Israel, they were quite religious. Very religious. And he said to them, you neither
know me nor my father. That offended them, but it was
the truth. You neither know me nor my father. He said if you had known me,
you should have known my father also. He said to his disciples,
let me just read it to you. In John 16, he said, These things have I spoken unto
you, that ye should not be offended. These were his disciples. The religious people will put
you out of the synagogues. The time cometh when that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service. These things
will they do, because they do not know the Father. And they
do not know me. And in Galatians chapter 1, you
can turn there with me if you will, in Galatians chapter 1,
Paul said regarding that church in Galatia, and this was just a few years after our Lord arose
from the grave and ascended to glory. A few years. And Paul said in verse 6 of Galatians
1, I marvel, I'm amazed, I'm shocked that you're so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel. I'm not talking about 1900 years
after Christ arose as we, the year in which we're living now.
This was just 30, 20, 30 years after Christ. They'd left the
gospel. and departed to another gospel.
And he said, it's not another, but there be some that trouble
you and would twist, pervert, abuse the gospel of Christ. But
though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached, which we received from him, let
him be accursed. As I said before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel under you, then
that gospel, the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ, the gospel
of grace, the gospel of mercy, the gospel of substitution, let
him be accursed. And then back here in 2 Corinthians
11, now here's where I want you to turn for a moment In 2 Corinthians
11, verse 2, Paul said, I'm jealous over you. I love you. I don't want you to be mistreated.
I'm jealous over you with a godly jealousy. I've espoused you to
one husband, the living God, the Lord God, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin, a believing, a believer. a true believer,
with a single heart, with a dedicated heart, not with double mind,
double-minded, but married to Christ, devoted to Christ, Christ
alone. For I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety and craftiness,
so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity, the singleness
that's in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, he preaches a Jesus, but it's another Jesus. That's
what I'm saying, it's another Jesus. Goes by that name, but
the character's different. The attributes are different.
The person, the victory, the accomplishments, the work, it's
another Jesus. If he preaches another Jesus
whom we've not preached, or if you receive another spirit which
you've not received, or another gospel, another gospel which
you have not accepted, you might well bear, not with him, but
with me. Come on back and listen to me,"
he said. Now, I realize this is a serious charge, the most
serious charge that you can bring against, level against any person,
to say they do not know God. They do not know Christ, Christ
to the Bible. They do not preach the gospel. That's a serious... I'd rather,
really, I'd rather be accused Actually be guilty. I'd rather
be guilty of murder than guilty of pushing another gospel. You hold on to your seat a minute,
but I'm going to tell you something that really, honestly, this is
the truth of my heart. I'd rather one of my sons be
a bartender than to be a false preacher. I'd rather one of my
sons be a bartender than be a false damn men's soul. As a bartender, he might mess
up some homes, but as a false preacher, he'll mess up a soul
forever. Another gospel, another Jesus,
that's right. You see, Paul said, woe is unto
me if I don't preach the gospel. I must preach the gospel. Whatever
I do, I must preach the truth. If any man preach any other gospel,
let him be what? Anathema, accursed, damned, when
the Lord comes. That's serious. And I have several
reasons why I charge my generation, preachers and churches of my
generation, with preaching another Jesus, another spirit, and another
gospel. And I'm going to give them to
you. As I said, this is a serious charge. But I know whereof I
speak. For when I first began to preach,
I preached another Jesus, and another gospel, and another spirit.
And many of you sitting here tonight know that you worshipped
another Jesus and another spirit and trusted another gospel. And
here are my reasons. Number one, you can write them
down if you want to. I've thought them through very
carefully. Number one, today's preaching is based on what people
think, not on what God says in Most preachers in churches do
not even use a Bible. What they have done is they have
subjected God's Word to what they think. They'll read the
Word and say, now that means this. It means what I think it
means. It means what I want it to mean.
It means what I think it ought to mean. One of our men was working
up in eastern Kentucky. And he was staying in a boarding
house. And the lady was fixing dinner, and she's real religious.
And the subject of religion came up, and she said, well, you know
what the Bible says, and she quoted something. And this man
from our church said, the Bible doesn't say that. She said, well,
if it don't, it ought to. Now, that's the general opinion.
That's what it ought to say. What we ought to do is submit
our thoughts to what he says. You see, the Bible, now listen
to me, the Bible is the only source of the knowledge of God. The Bible is the only source
of the knowledge of God. You can stand out, the heavens
declare the glory of God, the firmament shows His handiwork,
but the heart of God And the will of God, and the purpose
of God, and the attributes of God, and the glory of God is
only learned in the Word. That's the reason we go verse
by verse, even. And the foundation of faith is
the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. David said it first, and Paul
repeated it. Therefore have I spoken." Abraham's faith, his foundation
of faith, was very simple. He believed the Word of God.
He believed that God was able to do all that he promised. And
I'll tell you today, and don't let them deceive you. Don't let
them sweep you away. Men have replaced the Master's
word, thus saith the Lord, with sentiment." You see, that's what
Chuck read a moment ago. He said, these people, these
preachers, have a form of godliness, deny the power of God. And they
lead captive silly women. silly women who are ever learning
and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Their followers are women, mostly, that are led by emotion and sentiment
and feeling instead of doctrine and truth. Tell you the truth. and sentiment, emotion, human
wisdom and tradition will take you away from the way. We must
return to, thus said the Lord. That's what's happened. All right,
secondly, today's preaching ignores the fall of man. What happened in the garden?
What happened in the garden determined what happened on the cross. What
happened in the garden makes necessary what happened on the
cross. What happened in the garden is what made it needful for Christ
to go to the cross and for God to do a work of grace in a sinner's
heart. If man is dead, he needs and only God can give
him life. If man is guilty, he needs grace,
and God is the God of all grace. If man is helpless, he needs
mercy, and God's mercy is sovereign mercy. If man is depraved, As
the Bible says, from the sole of his feet to the top of his
head, he needs holiness, righteousness, and only God can give it. If
a man is damned by the law, by justice, he needs to be redeemed,
and only God can redeem him. If a man is lost and can't find
his way back, he needs to be found, and only God can find
him. You see that? If man is without
help, without hope, without Christ and without God in this world,
you say, is he? Well, that's what the Bible says. Then he needs God to come where
he is and do something for him, which he can't do for himself.
So if you ignore the fall, what happened in the garden, If you
don't start right, start with man as he is, then you wipe out what happened
on the cross and what needs to happen in me and for me, which
I can't do for myself. Thirdly, and that leads to this,
today's preaching emphasizes what we ought to do for God.
and not what God must do for us. Somebody asked Spurgeon, what
is your gospel? What is your gospel? He said,
I'll tell you what my gospel is. The whole of the work, the whole
of the work, whereby helpless, hopeless, doomed, damned, depraved
sinner is lifted from the grave of sin, from the cesspool of
iniquity, from the dunghill, and washed, and given life, and
made whole, and justified, and translated from that darkness
to the kingdom of God, dear son, and made like the Son of God.
The whole of the work is of God. and of him only. That's my gospel. Salvation's of the Lord. It's
not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth. It's of God
that showeth mercy. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. Did Jacob find God or did God
find Jacob? Jacob never found God. He wasn't
looking for God. Oh, Jacob was in trouble. He's
running from a mad brother. He's running from an upset father.
He was running from a terrible mistake. But he wasn't looking
for God. God found him. And let's read
about it over in Deuteronomy. And what he says about Jacob,
he says about the sons of Jacob. Deuteronomy 32, this is beautiful. I heard a message on this by
Professor Andrews over in Welland, England recently. God found Jacob. Jacob didn't find God. Deuteronomy
32, verse 9, the Lord's portion is His people. His delight is
His people. is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him. Who found whom? God found Jacob. Where did he find him? In a desert
land, dry, parched, barren, without water. He found him in a waste,
howling wilderness. That's where he found you. You
weren't looking for God. You didn't even know where you
were. I didn't either. We were in a desert land, dry,
a wilderness, a howling wilderness, full of evil, corruption. And he found us, and he compassed
us about, hedged us about, and instructed him, and kept him
as the apple, the pupil of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest,
fluttereth over her young, Spreadeth them on her wings, taketh them
and bareth them on her wings. So the Lord did lead him. No strange God with him. What's
my testimony? What I did for God or what God
did for me? I accepted Jesus. No, I didn't. He accepted me. I loved the Lord only because
He loved me. I sought the Lord only because
he was seeking me. Today's religion keeps telling
people what they ought to do, instead of telling people what
God has done for a sinner in Christ. It's got us messed up,
too. Fourthly, today's preaching,
now listen to me, minimizes makes useless, makes ineffectual,
makes without value the three most precious things to me, the will of God, the love of
God, and the blood of God. Almost exclusively, men preach
today. that Almighty God wills the salvation
of all men. That there are people in hell
that God wanted to save, that he willed to save. He wasn't
willing that they should perish. He willed that they went to heaven,
but they didn't go to heaven. So the will of God couldn't help
them. It helped me. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. The people who wrote the Bible
said he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of this earth. The scripture says
it's not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, it's
of God that showeth mercy. The scripture says who can resist
his will. That's what the word says. Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. Why didn't he begat them if it was his will? Is anything too hard for God? They tell me this is what they
preach. God loves everybody. God loves everybody the same
without exception. God loves people who are in hell
today. People who are on their way there.
People in heaven. God loves everyone. But I tell you, people in this
congregation I love. I love you. I really love you.
I wouldn't send you to hell. Wouldn't do it. I'd go there
myself almost before I'd send you. That's a strange love. The Scripture says God loved
Jacob and hated Esau. That's what the Word says. If
the love of God can't save me, what can? And they tell me that Christ
Jesus' blood was shed on the cross for everybody. Some people
it saved and some it didn't. How can that be? That's a perversion of truth.
The love of God is in Christ Jesus. The blood of Christ was
shed for all who believe, all who receive Him, all who trust
Him. All whom the Father has given
me shall come to me. His blood is effectual. He said,
I love my sheep and I lay down my life for my sheep and none
of them shall perish. and nobody's going to take them
out of my hand. My father gave them to me, and
my father's greater than all, and nobody's going to take them
out of his hand. This, I believe, the will of God shall be done. The love of God shall be manifested in the salvation
of every person for whom Christ died. There was no love outside the
ark. Love of God was in the ark. And even so, the love of God's
in Christ. The love of God, how rich, how
pure, how measureless, how strong. I can't define the love of God.
It's unexplainable. It's unspeakable. It's infinite.
It's immutable. It's unchangeable. It's forever.
It's eternal. It's in Christ. And that's what
makes it unchangeable. and infinite, and eternal, and
successful, and victorious. It's in Christ, and Christ can't
fail. So come to Christ. If you stay outside the ark,
you'll perish. If you stay in Sodom, you'll
perish. Come on, Lot, let's get out of here. And you're going to perish outside
of... Anybody's going to perish outside of Christ. Fifthly, today's
preaching, today's gospel comes as an offer, an offer. Eternal life is not an offer,
it's a gift. Isn't that true? Eternal life,
the life of God, is not an offer, it's a gift. Turn to Romans 5. Let's read this, Romans chapter
5. Well, the message is totally
different out yonder. And you know, I hear people say,
well, do you mind if your folks go
to other churches? I don't. Go listen to what they're
saying. It'll be an education. Somebody
invites you to go, go. But I guarantee you this, you
won't hear this, And it will enlighten you a little
bit. Maybe it will make us appreciate
what we are hearing. Listen to Romans 5 verse 15. The gift. Romans 5 verse 15. But not as the offense, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offense of
one many be dead, through the fall of Adam, much more the grace
of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded to many. And not to be compared as it
was by one that sinned, so is the gift, the gift of Christ,
even to be compared to the fall of Adam. For the judgment was
by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses
under justification. For if by Adam's offense death
reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus
Christ. Therefore as by the offense of
one judgment came upon all men the condemnation, even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift, free gift came upon all men the justification
of life." It's a gift. The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God's eternity, not an offer, it's a gift. 1 John 5, 10 says this, this is
the record, God hath given us eternal life. Ephesians 2, 8
and 9 says this, thanks be unto God, no, for by grace are you
saved through faith and not out of yourself, the gift of God.
And Corinthians says thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. Salvation is a gift. The wages
of sin is death, the gift of God. Not an offer, it's a gift. And then in the sixth place,
listen, today's preaching. Is this not true? Today's preaching
calls on men to stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up and be counted. I do believe that the scripture
command is, bow down and worship. Isn't that true? Bow down and
worship. Confess Christ as your Lord,
your King. Come, let us worship the Lord.
Be still and know that I am God. Bow down and worship Romans 10. Turn over there. Romans 10. Is salvation accepting Jesus
as your personal Savior or is salvation bowing to Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior? Lord and King. Now listen. Verse
9 of Romans 10, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, Jesus to be Lord. and believe in thine heart that
God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Receive Christ how? Lord, King,
Sovereign, Master. Philippians 2 says this, every
knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess he's Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Let me ask you, Therefore, interesting question. In what character, when the angels
came down on the Judean hillsides and appeared to the shepherds
over there in Bethlehem, in what character did they present the
Messiah? They said, glory to God in the
highest and on earth peace, goodwill unto men. We bring you glad tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people. Unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the
King, the Lord." Your Savior is the Lord. Secondly,
in what character was he sought by the wise men? When they came
to Herod, what was their question? Where is he that's born? King. Where is the new King, born King
of the Jews? In what character did Zechariah
prophesy his coming? Let me read to you. Zechariah
9, verse 9, prophesying the coming of the Messiah. Rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy king
cometh unto thee. He's just, he has salvation,
he's lowly, he's riding upon an ice, and upon a coat, the
fold of an ice, but the king cometh. The king. In what character did the Jews
reject him? when they brought him before
Pilate. Let me just read it to you. I won't take the time to
ask you to turn. I'll turn to it. And the whole
multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate. Here he is. And
they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting
the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and he
said, He is Christ the King. That's why they brought him to
Pilate. And Pilate said, Are you a king? They said, He said he's a king.
Are you a king? Our Lord replied, Thou say'st. He's a king. King of kings and
Lord of lords. And that man Pilate, what little
authority he had, he got it from this king. What breath he had,
he got it from this king. What ability he had to speak,
he got it from this. This is the king. And what character
did the soldiers mock him? They put a crown of thorns on
his head. And they found an old purple
robe, rag or something, and shook it out. Said, a king ought to
have a crown and a king ought to have a robe. And he tied it
around his back, which they had beaten and bruised. And one of them, there he sat
there with that crown of thorns and that old dirty robe, purple
robe. And one of them said, a king
ought to have a scepter. And he went out and got a hollow
reed and smote him with it and then stuck it in his hand. And
they laughed. And they said, behold, the king
of the Jews, king of Israel. That's all right. That's what
he is. He's the king. He's the king. In what character did they crucify
him? What did they write above his
cross? What was the charge leveled against
this crucified man? Pilate wrote, this is Jesus of
Nazareth. He's the king of the Jews. That's who's hanging them. In
what character did Peter preach him at Pentecost in the first
sermon? that's preached after he died. Listen to Peter. He said, Therefore, being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which you now see
and hear. For David is not ascended into
the heavens, But he saith himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God
hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, Lord, Lord, King
and Christ." What character is he coming back? Listen to it. And I saw the heavens open, and
behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon it was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.
And he hath a name written that no man knew but himself. And he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And I tell you, that's the character
in which he's to be preached and believed and received and
bowed to. And Barnard used to say years
and years and years ago, I know who everybody's Savior is. I'd
like to know who's your Lord. You see, today's preaching gives
a person a title to heaven without a reverence for Christ, and that's
not possible. That's not possible. Not possible
to have a title for heaven without a reverence and fear and love
and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. And today's preaching, let me
give you these and I'll let you go. Today's preaching identifies
a Christian by what he does not do. He's a Christian. He doesn't
drink. He doesn't gamble. He doesn't steal. He doesn't
do this. So he's a Christian. That's not
what makes a man a Christian, what he doesn't do. A Christian
is known by what he is. He's a new creature in Christ.
A Christian is known by whom he knows. Eternal life's to know
God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. A Christian is known
not by what he doesn't do, does do. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, who
walk after the spirit. Is this not true? Isn't a Christian
today described by what he does not do, where he does not go?
A Christian is known by what he is. He is a child of God. By whose child he is, by whom,
I know whom I have believed. And by what he does. And then, in the next place,
number eight, today's preaching is more concerned with our will
than God's will. That's just that, that's so.
Would you accept Jesus? Will you make Jesus your Lord?
Will you let go and let God have His way? Will you do this? Will
you do that? The leper came to the Lord and
said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. Our Lord said,
I come to do the will of Him that sent me. The Lord Jesus prayed, not my
will, thy will be done. God don't leave me to my will. Adam's will got him in trouble.
Satan's will caused him to fall from heaven. I want God's will to be done.
By the witch will, we're sanctified through the offering of Jesus
Christ once for all. God, if you will, if you will,
you can do something for us. if you will. You can make this
word effectual, if you will. I can't. I don't have the power.
I have the power to read this and teach this and preach this,
but I don't have the power to make you and other people believe
this. God does. That's the hearing
ear and the seeing eye is of the Lord. So what we pray, we don't pray
to the sinner, will you? We pray to the Father, will you? That's true. In closing, let me just give
you this in closing. Number nine. Today's preaching
does present a form of substitution. But here's what they've done.
They've substituted human wisdom for divine revelation. They've
substituted a decision for regeneration. They've substituted church membership
for a divine union. I belong to the church. No, I
belong to the Lord. I'm His. They've substituted
a profession of faith for perseverance. And they've substituted a plan
of salvation for a person. Salvation, believe me, salvation
is not a plan. Salvation is a person. Who he
is, what he did, why he did it, and where he is now. Another Jesus, another gospel,
another spirit. God deliver us from this perverse
generation. Keep this message going from
this place and make it real in this house.