So We Preach, So Ye Believed

Q: What does the Bible say about the gospel of grace?

The Bible describes the gospel of grace as the good news of Jesus Christ's redemptive work and its significance for salvation. The gospel of grace, as declared in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, is the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures. This gospel is not just a collection of ideas but a definite article; it's singular in its purpose and essence. The Apostle Paul emphatically states that it is the only gospel by which individuals are saved and wherein they stand. This underscores the necessity of recognizing the power of God's grace, which does not merely make salvation possible but actively saves those whom He has chosen, transforming them and assuring their eternal life.

Q: How do we know God's grace truly saves us?

God's grace saves us by its very nature, which is sovereign and unmerited, acting without human cooperation. The certainty of God's grace saving people lies in its sovereignty and unconditional nature. As articulated in the sermon, grace does not simply try to save; it effectively saves. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes that salvation is a gift from God, not of works, providing reassurance that God's grace is sufficient. Additionally, the transformation that occurs in a believer's life serves as evidence of grace's effectiveness. Acts 13:29 highlights that all actions and events surrounding Christ's crucifixion were predestined by God, illustrating that His purpose prevails in the work of salvation. Thus, the application of grace is both active and authoritative, and those who are graced by God will persevere in their faith.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

Understanding our identity in Christ affirms our salvation and assures us of our inheritance as children of God. The importance of grasping one's identity in Christ cannot be overstated. As expounded in Ephesians 1, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings when we are 'in Christ.' This union with Christ secures our status as redeemed individuals and joint heirs with Him. By recognizing that we are chosen, loved, and accepted in Him, believers can live out their faith with confidence, knowing that their righteousness comes from Christ alone. Furthermore, understanding our identity aids in combating the doubts and fears that often arise from sin and the struggles of life. It grants believers a firm foundation that promotes spiritual growth and perseverance in the Christian walk.

Q: How does faith relate to salvation in a sovereign grace theology?

In sovereign grace theology, faith is a means through which God's saving grace is applied to believers. Faith plays an essential role in the relationship between salvation and God's sovereignty. While salvation is entirely the work of God, faith is the channel through which individuals receive His grace. Ephesians 1:13 illustrates that after hearing the gospel, we trust in Christ, indicating that belief follows the revelation of the Gospel. Hence, while faith itself is a gift from God, it is an active response from believers that honors Christ's work. It is crucial to understand that no one can be saved without believing in Christ, as Romans 10:9 indicates the importance of confessing and believing in the heart. Therefore, in sovereign grace theology, faith is an indispensable aspect that demonstrates our acceptance of God's work of salvation in Jesus.

Brother Cecil Roach and I were
talking just a few minutes ago back in my study about a very famous preacher who died a few years ago, famous
all over the world. and who was noted for believing
what we call the gospel of God's sovereign redeeming grace. I met him, heard him preach one
time, came away disappointed. Written books and books had been
written about him. I gave Brother Cecil a tape he
preached, a message on tape. and faithful as time, then he
gets the best he can get out of any message he listens to.
He doesn't listen with a critical ear, and I wouldn't have you
ever do that. But his comment was something
to the effect, why? Why? Would a man of his stature and
knowledge and world fame not sound a clear note? Why not? I don't understand that. I don't understand, Alan, like
your situation, you were talking about the posture that tries
to get along with those who believe in grace and those who believe
in free will, tries to keep them happy under the same roof, in
the same church membership. I don't understand that. I can't
put that together. never have been able to. If it
says something in the Word of God preaching, we have no alternative. And here the Apostle Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 15, moreover brethren, I declare unto you
the gospel, definite article, the gospel. Not a gospel, not
some gospel or any, the, just one. It's the gospel of God,
it's the gospel of His grace, it's the gospel concerning His
Son, the gospel, which I preach to you, which also you have received. And it's that gospel wherein
you stand. It's that gospel by which also
you're saved. I'm not ashamed of the gospel,
it's the power of God and the salvation It's that gospel by
which you're saved. If you keep in memory what I
preached to you, this man is so certain of his message, he
says my gospel will save you if you believe it and if you
keep it in memory and you continue in that gospel. It'll save you.
It'll save your soul. It'll take you to glory. It'll
make you like Christ. My gospel will. I don't have
any doubt about it. It'll save you. unless you believed in vain.
That's the only thing that stands in your way if you've believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you, this is the gospel I preached
unto you, first of all, that which I also received. It didn't
originate with me. I got this gospel, I didn't get
it from the Apostle Peter, I got it from Christ, he said. When
God called me on the road to Damascus immediately, I conferred
not with flesh and blood. I didn't even go to those who
were apostles before me. But God revealed the gospel to
me. It pleased God to reveal His
Son in me. This is the gospel I received.
Listen. How that Christ died for our
sins. That's my gospel, how that Christ
died for our sins. Now watch this. Comma. According
to the Scripture. always according to the Scripture.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, according to
the Old Testament Scripture. Everything Christ came to do
and everything He did, everything the Father sent Him to accomplish
was prophesied and pictured and typified and declared and promised
in that Old Testament. It's according to the Scripture.
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures. Everything's according to the
Scriptures. This is so vital. It's according to the Old Testament
Scriptures. And after he arose, he was seen
of Cephas, then of the Twelve. After that, he was seen of above
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain
under this present. But some are already fallen asleep.
Some are dead. But most of them remain who saw
him. after he arose, witnesses of his resurrection. After that,
he was seen of James. And then of all the apostles,
and last of all, he was seen of me. I met him, I saw him on
the road to the mount. As one born, as a one born out
of due time. For I'm the least of the apostles. I'm the least of the apostles.
I'm not neat, I'm not worthy to be called an apostle because
I persecuted the Church of God. But I'll tell you this, by the
grace of God, I am what I am. And His grace, which was bestowed
upon me, was not in vain. I told you, grace doesn't try
to save, it saves. Grace doesn't make us savable,
grace saves. Grace doesn't require human help,
grace saves. That grace is not in vain, it
never is in vain. But I labored more abundantly
than they all, yet not I." Don't you give me any of the credit,
any of the praise, any of the glory. It wasn't I, but the grace
of God which was with me, His grace. Therefore, whether it
were I or they, from whom did you hear the gospel? It really
doesn't matter who preached it, because all of God's servants
preached the same gospel. Doesn't matter who you hear,
whether it was I you heard and you came to love that gospel,
or Peter, or James, or John, or Nathaniel, or whomever. It doesn't matter. Therefore,
whether it were I or they, so we preach. We all preach the
same thing. We all sound the same note. We
all magnify the same Redeemer. Here's the title of my message
tonight. So we preach, and so you believe. So we preach, and
so you believe. I rejoice, and I want to preach
this message in the right attitude. I have to condition my own heart
and frame of mind. I want to preach this graciously
and lovingly and kindly because I'm the least of the preachers. I know that. Not worthy to be
called a preacher. But I am what I am by the grace
of God. But I rejoice to stand in this pulpit every Lord's Day
and declare without compromises, salvations of the Lord. That's
my first point. And I don't do it to argue. I'm
not arguing with anybody. I'm not debating. I'm not looking
for a debate. I'm not looking for an argument.
I'm right and I know it. That's what Paul said. He said,
if anybody preaches any other gospel than the gospel I preach,
let him be accursed. You know what he said? He said,
I'll repeat it. I'll say it again. If it's an angel from heaven,
let him be cursed. I'm not debating, I'm not arguing.
I just know that all things are of God. I got a letter from a
young preacher this week. I've heard from him before. But
he said, I rejoice that God's raising up young men in your
church to fight Arminianism. I beg your pardon, that is not
why God's raising these young men up. We're not raised up to
fight anybody. We're not fighting anybody. We're
preaching the gospel of the grace of God. Ours is not a negative
sound. It's a positive sound. Isn't
that right? You know, you're not in business fighting anybody,
are you? Go forth to fight, you know. Put the gloves on. We're
not fighting. We're not arguing or debating.
It's just, listen, all things are of God. Let me show you some
scripture. Turn first to Romans 11. Romans
11. Listen to Romans 11, 12, and
you just take a big ballpoint pen and put a line under this.
Mark this. Romans chapter 11, verse 12. That's the wrong verse. It's
Romans, let's see, I got the wrong one. Anyway, let's turn
to 1 Corinthians 8. 1 Corinthians 8. And one of you
fellas find that when I want it. All things are of God. 1
Corinthians 8, 6. But to us there is but one God,
the Father. One God, the Father, of whom
are all things. And we in Him, and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him. All things are
of God. Now know where it is, Romans
11, verse 33. Turn over there. Romans 11, verse
33. Now listen, all things are of
God. All things in creation, all things
in providence, all things in salvation are of God. Romans
11, 33. Oh, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are
his judgments, his ways past finding out. For who hath known
the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?
Or who hath first given to him that it shall be recompensed
unto him again? For of him through him and to
him are all things to whom be glory forever." All things of God. All things
in creation, in providence, in salvation, and in the eternal
kingdom of God, all things are according to the will and the
purpose of our God. They said to David, they said,
where's your God? Where's your God? And we know where our God
is. We've built these little shrines
and temples and groves for our God. Where's your God? David
said, our God's in the heaven. And he hath done whatsoever he
pleased. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did he in heaven and earth and the seas and all deep places.
That's our God. Turn with me to Isaiah 46. You young people, turn to these
scriptures and look at them. And let this be burned into your
minds, burned into your minds, and someday God will burn it
in your heart. In Isaiah 46 verse 9, listen,
this is not an impotent God, this is not a frustrated God,
this is not a defeated God, this is the almighty, eternal, omnipotent
God of heaven and earth. Isaiah 46 9, remember the former
things of old, I'm God, there's none There's none else. I'm God. There's none like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning. From ancient times of things
that are not even yet done. Saying my counsel shall stand
and I'll do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country,
yea, I've spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. I purposed
it, I'll do it. I rejoiced to preach that God. Back in my early ministry, and in 1950, when I heard the gospel,
learned the gospel of God's grace, the sovereignty of God, the power
of God, the majesty of God, the will of God, the purpose of God.
Way back then, I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. The title of it was Salvation
is of the Lord. I thought it was one of the greatest
messages I've ever read in my life. I preached it. I read it,
I preached it. Well, if it's true back there
42 years ago, it's true now. If it gripped my heart then,
it ought to grip my heart now. It doesn't change. Don't take
the edge off of it. You take the offense out of the
gospel, you lose your gospel. He gave five points. He said,
Salvation is of the Lord. He used Jonah. Jonah was down
in the belly of the fish, closed in. He said the seaweed about
his head and the iron bars closed forever in the darkness of the
fish's belly with no way of escape, no power to free himself, and
no way for anyone else to help him. And he said, I'll turn once
again toward your holy temple. And he cried, Salvation is of
the Lord. It is of the Lord. And Jonah is no more helpless
where he was than you and I are of where we are by birth and
nature, in sin, in darkness and death. And Spurgeon said salvation
is of the Lord in its planning. God planned it. No human counsel or wisdom entered
into the planning of salvation. Salvation was planned and purposed
before God made the world. His is an everlasting covenant. Christ is the surety of the everlasting
covenant. He's the Lamb slain before the
foundation of the world. God chose us in Christ before
the world began, from the beginning. God planned it. The end from
the beginning. Secondly, salvation of the Lord
in its execution. What do you mean in its execution?
Turn with me to Acts 13, 29. I'll show you what I mean. Acts
13, 29. Here's exactly what I mean by
it. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. I know men nailed Christ to the cross, but they did what
God determined before to be done. Everything they did to him, they
did because God ordained it. Now listen to this. Acts 13,
29. And when they, the Jews, the
Pharisees, the Romans, had fulfilled Everything that was written of
him. When they'd done everything the scripture said they'd do.
And said everything the scripture said they'd say. And thought
everything he said they'd think. Carried out every evil deed that
he said they would. They took him down from that
tree. But not till they'd done everything God said they'd do.
You see that Tom? God said they'd do it. God said to do it. That's what
I mean. It pleased God to nail him to that cross. Salvation
is of the Lord in His planning, in His execution. It's of the
Lord in its application. Now, I'll just take Paul for
my illustration here, and you put yourself in his place. Paul
was in religion. Maybe you are or you aren't.
It doesn't matter whether you're in it or out of it. Paul was
in religion. He didn't know the gospel. He
didn't know God. He didn't know Christ. He was
a lost sinner in religion. He was zealous. He was carrying
out what he thought he ought to be doing. He was on his road
to Damascus to put people out of business that disagreed with
him in religion. And God met him. God struck him
down. And God revealed Christ to him,
and God sent him down to Damascus to a street called Strait, sent
him a preacher, and that preacher preached the gospel to him, and
God opened his eyes. Paul said, God who separated
me from my mother's womb, called me by His grace, was pleased
to reveal His Son in me. And that's how God saves every
sheep He saves. That's how He saves every sinner
He saves. Whether they're on a Damascus road, or an Ashland
road, a Barbersville road or a Pikeville road or wherever
they are, whether they're in religion or out of it, whether
they're young or whether they're old, whether they're zealous
or indifferent, but they're out there wandering around and Almighty
God will cross that path of that sheep somewhere. Some way. He might bring you all the way
from Australia to hear the gospel sitting right there. Might do
it. But it's of the Lord in its application. He'll reveal Christ
to the heart when he pleases. And he'll send somebody to preach
that gospel. That's just so. And it's of the Lord in its sustaining
power. We're kept by the power of God.
We don't even keep ourselves. Keep on keeping on. That's what
people say. Hold on holding on or something.
There's a sense in which we do cling to Christ, but I tell you
we do because he clings to us. We won't forsake Him because
He won't forsake us. We love Him because He loves
us. We're kept by the power of God through faith and salvation
of the Lord in its completion. Not only in its sustaining power,
but in its completion. Turn to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians 3, listen to this.
Philippians 3, 20. Our conversation, our citizenship, Philippians 3.20, Our citizenship
is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work in
whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself. God's going to make this creature
and you, these creatures out here, like Christ. Well, that's
some salvation, isn't it? That's some transformation. That's
some translation. That's some conversion. What
part are you going to play in it? I tell you, this carcass is getting
old and wrinkled and dying and you're going to put it in the
ground and it's going to rot. And now who's going to change this
thing? The one who planned to change
it. The one who paid the price to change it, the one who called
me and brought me to want it changed, and the one who kept
me in his grace, he's going to perfect it. He's going to finish
what he started. It's all of the Lord from Alpha
to Omega. How can you think otherwise and
retain God in his true glory? All things are of God. Salvation
is of the Lord. How can you think otherwise and
give God the glory, view man in his true nature, and have
any understanding of the magnitude of salvation. Now you think about
those three things. God in his glory, man in his
helpless, dead state, like that fellow I read about a while ago
whose bones could be seen, headed for the grave, destroyers waiting
on him. And salvation, what it means
to be lifted from the dunghill to the throne. Now when you think
of God's glory and man's helplessness and the magnitude of this awesome
work, you've got to stand back and say, well salvation's of
the Lord. Only God can lift the beggar
from the dunghill. Only God. And that's the whole
of my message. That's my Calvinism. You see,
your predestination, yeah, that's the whole thing. The whole work,
the whole of the work, whereby a helpless, lost, corrupt, diseased,
dead sinner is lifted from the filthy cesspool and corruption
of iniquity and washed and made whole and regenerated given a
new heart and a new life, and made just like Jesus Christ,
and seated at the right hand of God in Him, that's of the
Lord and of Him only. That's my message. And anything
less than that is not salvation. Anything that takes you... I
don't know, you folks from Huntington, have you ever seen that bridge
that used to be halfway across the Gondar River? It carried
some kind of pipes, I was holding a meeting up there years ago
and I rode down Gowan Avenue or somewhere. I looked over there
at that river and there was a bridge halfway across. And he stopped.
And I thought, that's an Armenian bridge, sure as the world. Sure as the world, some pretty
well preacher built that thing. Halfway. Halfway. I don't want anything to do with
that. It's all the way with Christ. or perish. My second point, this
message has got three points. My second point is this, I rejoice
to stand here every Lord's day, as many days as God may give
me, and these precious elders do the same thing, and declare
unto you that that salvation that God planned and executed
and applied and sustains and will complete is in Jesus Christ
and in Christ alone. If you want to sum up salvation,
it's two words, Christ Jesus. You turn to Ephesians 1, let
me show you that. Ephesians 1, I'm saying in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. I'm saying
that he's the vine and we're the branches and severed from
him we have no life. Without him we can do nothing.
I'm saying by virtue of our union with Christ, we are accepted,
we are loved, we are redeemed, and we'll be glorified solely,
completely because we're in Him, and only because we're in Him.
Not because I made a decision, and not because I joined the
church, it's not because I was baptized, not because I preached
or gave to support the missionaries, it's because I'm in Christ. That's
why I'm saying. Ephesians 1 verse 3. Now watch
this. In Christ. Let's start with verse 1. And
you just put a circle around in and from and of. Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ. By the will of God to the saints
which are at Ephesus to the faithful in Jesus Christ. 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 hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. That's where they
are, they're in Christ. According as he chose us, he
hath chosen 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. to himself according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace
wherein he made us accepted in Jesus Christ. In, verse 7, in
whom we have redemption in Jesus Christ. Through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. My
friends, he's the Son of God. You know what God calls me? Beloved
now are we sons of God because of Him. He's the heir of all
things. You know what God calls us? Joint
heirs. He's the King-Priest. That's
right. The only one who ever lived,
the King-Priest. You know what He calls us? Kings
and priests. He hath made us kings and priests
in Him. He's the Lord our righteousness.
Isn't that what He's called? That's His name, the Lord our
righteousness. If you read the book of Jeremiah,
you'll find out that's my name. That's right. Israel shall be
called the Lord our righteousness. He died and rose again. You know
the prospects for us? We're going to die and rise again
in Him. He's right now seated at the
right hand of God. You know where we are? You got
Ephesians open there? Look across the page at Ephesians
2, verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
you are saved, and he hath raised us up past tense, and made us
sit together, where? In the heavenlies, in Christ
Jesus. We're already there. We're already there. He's our
Savior. He's our life. He's our hope. He's the resurrection
and the life. He's our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. All right, the third point. I rejoice to declare the salvations
of the Lord. That message, by God's grace,
will never change. In fact, I believe it more strongly
now than I did then, or I did yesterday. Secondly, everything
that we need, that God requires, that the law demands, that justice
demands, is in Christ Jesus. It's met, it's fulfilled, it's
so fulfilled that we are already seated with Him in the heaven.
Now thirdly, I rejoice to declare from this pulpit every Lord's
day that that salvation, which is of the Lord, which is in Christ
Jesus, is only ours by faith. By faith. I'll tell you, I'm
not, I'm as fearful of fatalism as I am Arminianism. I'm as fearful, I don't think,
it's like that servant whose lord went away and he gave a
man ten talents and one five and one one. And he said, now
use it, and I'll be back. He came back, and the ten had
gotten ten others, and the five had gotten five. The one with
the one said, now, Lord, I knew that you was a strong and determined
man, reaping where you didn't sow. You know what he said? Reaping where you didn't sow.
In other words, you're so powerful and so strong, you can do this
without me. So I hit it in the ground and
here's the one you gave me. He said, you unfaithful servant,
take what he's got and give it to the other guy and cast him
out. And somebody says, well, I believe God's sovereign and
he'll save without any preaching the gospel or any believing.
No, that's not true. That's just not true. Not true. Look at Ephesians 1 again where
we were a while ago. It talked about that blessed
doctrine of election, sovereigns, and predestination. And then
verse 13 says this, "...in whom you also trusted." Christ. You talk about everything in
Christ, but in Him you trusted after you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation. in whom also after you believe,
when after you believe, you will see you with that Holy Spirit
upon us. If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth Jesus to be Lord and believe in thine heart, God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. But without faith it's
impossible to please God. He that heareth my word and believeth
on him that sent me hath everlasting life. One old writer years ago
suggested this. The medicine will heal, but no
wound was ever healed by medicine unapplied. No wound was ever healed by medicine
unapplied. No thirst was ever quenched by
water not drunk. There it is any time. It has
all the properties and power to quench the thirst. I can stand
right beside it and die. Isn't that right, Alan? Just die of thirst. But I'll
tell you, not this way. Ah, He satisfies. He said, I'm
the water of life. Come and drink. The table is
spread, come and dine. It doesn't honor Christ. to stand
back and say, you don't have to hear the gospel, you don't
have to believe the gospel. That doesn't honor Christ, He
is the gospel. It honors Christ when I see the
water and I drink it. No body, no hunger was ever satisfied
by food uneaten. And no body was ever warmed by
a coat unworn. And no sinner was ever saved
by a Savior unreceived and unbelieved. And don't ask God to explain
anything to you. It pleased God to make you His
people. It pleased God to bruise Him. It pleased God to reveal His
Son in you. And it pleased that same God
by the foolishness of preaching. Watch it now. them that believe. Right? Oh, I tell you. What is it to
confess Christ? What is it to confess Christ?
Let me give you this. You heard me preach this in a
message not long ago, but I'm going to give it to you over.
Now listen, you say, someone may say this, not now, maybe
some young person, or anybody, whomever, some vestor
somebody's been coming for. I said, Brother Lynn, I believe
what you preach tonight. I believe God's on the throne.
I wouldn't have him anywhere else. David said, My times are
in thy hands. The songwriter said, My God,
I want him there. Salvation's of the Lord. Salvation's
in Christ. Do you believe that? But to as
many as received him, believed on Him, to them gave He the privilege
to become sons of God. Alright, what is it to receive
Christ? What is it to believe Christ?
What is it to confess Christ? Could I give you four things?
Number one is to confess Him in your own heart. Lord, and
you don't have to, maybe some young person is sitting there
and says, Brother, you're 65, 66 years old. I'm just 12, 13,
14, 15. I don't know all you know. You
don't have to know all anybody knows. Somebody said, you believe an
Armenian is saved? Somebody said, you believe a
child can be saved? I believe a person who believes can be
saved. Isn't that right? You can't put an age limit on
believing. A person may believe at ten years
of age, he may not believe at a hundred. But age got nothing
to do with it. It's heart. With the heart man
believes. And so here's the first thing.
Confess Christ in your heart. Lord, I believe. I do believe.
Help my unbelief. I believe that Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the Living God. And I'm sure that You're the
Son of God. Alright? Go to number two then. That's got to be settled first
in your heart. I believe that. Secondly, confess Him publicly. Confess Him publicly. The people
over in the book of Acts were baptized. Well, man, will you
baptize me? I certainly will. How much do
I have to know Christ? How much do I have to believe
the gospel? You'll learn a whole lot more. You believe and then
you learn. You don't learn and then believe.
You believe and then you learn. Take God at His word. Walk in
the light He gives you and He'll give you more light. Confess
Christ in baptism. Come with us to the Lord's table.
Next time we have the Lord's table, come sit with us and confess
Christ. I'm not going to hold that bread
or wine back from you. Who decides when a person can
take the bread and the wine? You do. Don't y'all decide as
elders, I don't want that business. I'd give it to the wrong one
every time. Because I can't see in here. Would you pass it to
a child in a minute? In the blinking of an eye. I'll
pass it to anybody who'll reach out and take it. Reach out and
touch the Lord. Stretch out your hand. But I can't, it's withered. He tells it to you, you can't.
You can. You can. Confessing. Quit putting it off. Why would
you put it off? What else can I tell you? I've
been talking to you all these years. What else can I tell you?
It's in Christ. You know that. You know that. You know as well as I know it.
You know it better than I know it. Confessing. Well, I might be
making a mistake. Well, make it. I've made plenty
of them. You'll be making some more too. But I'll tell you this,
you never make a mistake confessing Christ. Nobody ever made a mistake
confessing Christ. Thirdly, identify with his church. That's right. Identify. Ruth
said, where you go, I go. Your God's my God. Where you
lodge, I lodge. Your people are my people. Where
you die, I die. That's where I'll be buried.
Identify with this bunch of folks right here. This is your family. Let everybody know it. This is
my family. They're not perfect. Who said they were? If they were
perfect, they wouldn't let me in. Wouldn't let you in either,
would they? In fact, there'd be a whole lot
less of us here tonight. But they're not. But they're
perfect in Christ. And I'm glad I'm one of them.
Can't wait to get back here next week. And then, confess Him and
you walk. Confess Him and you walk. I'm
not talking about putting any signs on or walking around hollering
praise the Lord now and acting a fool. I'm not talking about
that. I'm talking about just going along day by day in godliness
and holiness and honesty and truth and integrity and glorifying
God and you walk. Work hard. Do your job where
you are. Be what you ought to be, set
a good example, and you'll confess Christ. That's right. If anybody
asks you what you believe, tell them. But I don't mean you have
to go around, you know, blowing a horn. That's the opposite. If you're
here, somebody will find it out before it's over sooner or later. That's confessing Christ. That's
confessing Christ. Well, so we preach. I'll tell
you that same thing next Sunday. You won't come back and hear
it again. But that's our message. So we pray salvation of the Lord.
It's in Christ. It's by faith. Lord, increase
our faith. To Him be the glory. Alright,
Mike, come lead us in a closing hymn.

So We Preach, So Ye Believed

What does the Bible say about the gospel of grace?

How do we know God's grace truly saves us?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

How does faith relate to salvation in a sovereign grace theology?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

So We Preach, So Ye Believed

What does the Bible say about the gospel of grace?

How do we know God's grace truly saves us?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

How does faith relate to salvation in a sovereign grace theology?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book