Concern for One Another

Q: What does the Bible say about receiving Christ?

The Bible teaches that receiving Christ is essential for salvation, and believers must walk in Him just as they received Him. According to the Bible, receiving Christ involves acknowledging Him as our only righteousness and salvation. Colossians 2:6 states, 'As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.' This means that the manner in which we first accepted Christ—acknowledging our unworthiness and reliance on His grace—should characterize our ongoing Christian walk. It’s a continuous relationship where we recognize Christ as the fulfillment of every covenant promise, our great High Priest, and the source of all mercy and grace. Our growth in faith is about becoming deeper rooted in Christ, remaining steadfast in our understanding and reliance upon Him.

Q: How do we know Christ is sufficient for salvation?

Christ is sufficient for salvation as He meets every requirement of God, having fulfilled the law on our behalf. The sufficiency of Christ for salvation is a central tenet of Reformed theology. Colossians 2:9-10 asserts that 'in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him.' This completeness means that there is nothing else required for our salvation. Christ's atoning work on the cross fulfilled all aspects of the law, blotting out ordinances that were against us (Colossians 2:14). His righteousness is imputed to us, providing a perfect standing before God. Thus, believers can have confidence that Christ alone is sufficient to bring them to God, not based on our works but solely on His grace.

Q: Why is it important to acknowledge Christ publicly?

Acknowledging Christ publicly is vital for confirming our faith and witness to others about the transformative power of the Gospel. Public acknowledgment of Christ is significant for several reasons. First, it reflects our faith and commitment to Him as Lord and Savior, which is essential in the life of a believer. 1 John 5:20 emphasizes knowing Him who is true, and part of knowing Him is sharing that knowledge with others. When we acknowledge Christ publicly, we not only affirm our own faith but also serve as a witness to others, encouraging them to seek Him. Furthermore, in Colossians 2:6-7, we're instructed to be rooted and built up in Christ, which fosters a community where believers support one another and rejoice in our shared faith.

Don't you turn to this. Let me
just quickly read it in 1 John 5. We don't need to go any further
till we are assured and understand this truth. We know that the
Son of God is come and has given us an understanding, that we
may know Him that is true. We're in Him that is true, even
in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. Substitution. Christ, Jesus are
substituted. Satisfaction. He enabled God
to be just and justified. You understand that? All right,
now notice the third word he uses, and to the acknowledgment
of it. And to the acknowledgment of
it. His desire for them is that they
might be fully assured, not wavering, God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself, that they might understand why this
was necessary. See, God's holy. We're sinful. In order for God to bring us
where He is, He has to do it in a way consistent with His
holiness and His justice and His righteousness, and Christ
is the only way. All right, I'm assured of that.
I understand it to some extent. Acknowledge it. Acknowledge it privately. Acknowledge
it publicly. That's His desire for them. All
right, verse 3. For in Christ, in Him, in whom,
are hid, are deposited, are vested all the treasures, not some of
them, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We do not look
for anything pertaining to God's mercy, God's grace, or God's
righteousness anywhere but in Christ. That's where it all is. It's in Christ. It's in Christ. Oh, don't leave that verse till
you understand it, till you lay hold of it. Of God are you in
Christ, who of God is laid unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. There's nothing outside of Christ.
Listen to me. God's love is in Christ. God's love is in Christ. God's
grace is in Christ. God's mercies are in Christ.
All spiritual blessings are in Christ. And why does he keep saying this?
Verse 4, I say this, this I say, lest any man should beguile you
with enticing words. I say that Christ is God and
that all that is known of God, received of God, acceptance with
God is in Christ. I keep saying it, Paul said,
lest somebody mess you up. I do want you to turn over here
to 2 Corinthians 11. The word beguile is used there. Beguile you, beguile you. And this was Paul's fear. And
I tell you, there's some smooth talkers out there in the world.
There's some smooth talkers. And here in 2 Corinthians 11,
3, Paul said, I fear, O I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtlety. The wolves don't come in wolves'
clothing, they come in sheep's clothing. Satan doesn't come
as an awful-looking individual with horns and a tail. He comes as an angel of light.
His ministers do not come as disruptive people, but as people
saying, peace, peace, even when there is no peace. Ministers
of righteousness. And he begot Eve through his
subtlety, and I fear that your mind should be corrupted from
what? The simplicity of Christ. What's
the word simplicity? The singleness of Christ. Now back to the text. Verse 3,
in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge of God,
mercy of God, life of God, heavenly blessings, and this I say to
you over and over, lest by any means, lest any man should beguile
you with enticing words." He said in verse 5, I'm not with
you now. He was writing this epistle from
prison. I'm absent in the flesh, but
I'm with you in spirit. Enjoying and beholding your honor
and beholding your steadfastness of your faith in Christ Jesus. Oh, steadfast. talking to somebody
yesterday, or today it was, at noon, about some of you. This is one of the joys of a
long pastoral, is you watch people and see their steadfastness in
faith. Steadfastness, staying in the
singleness of Christ. Loving the gospel, still loving
the gospel. Look into Christ, still look
into Christ. Resting in Christ, still resting
in Christ. Look out here, you see some white
heads. I knew them when they were black
and blonde and red. And they're still right where
they were 35, 40 years ago. Look into Christ. That's what
he's talking about here, steadfastness. Steadfastness. Immovable. Unchangeable. Steadfastness in
Christ. Look over there across the page
at Colossians 1.19. Colossians 1.19. He said this
about three times about everything being in Christ. He said it over
here in Colossians 1.19. Look at Colossians 1.19. It pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace with God, peace in our hearts through the blood
of his cross, by him to reconcile all things pertaining to his
kingdom, his people under himself. By him, I say, whether they be
things in heaven or things on the earth, whether they be people
living now or people already gone when he died, and you that
were one time alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death, to present you wholly unblameable, unreprovable in
his sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded, settled,
steadfast, and be not moved away from the hope of that gospel
which you heard, and which was preached to every creature under
heaven." He said, I watch your steadfastness,
the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Alright, here's the
second part now. One of the hymn writers wrote
this, Leave Christ, leave Christ my only Savior, Christ whose blood my pardon
bought, leave His mercy, scorn His favor, perish, such an idle
thought. Peter said, to whom shall I go?
All right, here's the second part now of this second chapter. First, Paul's desire. Now, beginning
with verse 6, his instructions. Here's his instructions. As you
have received, as you have therefore received Christ, Jesus the Lord,
So walk in Him. Well, how did I receive Christ? How did you receive Christ? He
tells us right now, 65 years old, 70 years old, 45 years old,
50 years old, as you received Christ, as you received Him,
nothing changes. Walk in Him. Alright? How did I receive Him? I thought
back. How did I receive Christ? Well, first of all, I received
Him as a poor, defiled, unworthy sinner, didn't I? Away from God. And I received Him as all my
righteousness and all my salvation. I'm still an unworthy sinner. I still in my flesh have no good
thing. He's still all my righteousness. Nothing's changed. That's how
I received Him. That's how I walk in Him. Secondly,
how did I receive Christ? I received Him as my great high
priest. I knew I had no way to God. There
was no opening in that veil. God would not speak to me, nor
could I speak to God. God could not hear me or receive
me or look my way. Defiled as I was, I needed a
priest, a high priest, with somewhat to offer, did I not? with a suitable
sacrifice and a suitable righteousness. And I received Christ Jesus as
my High Priest to open for me the way into God's presence,
that I might come boldly before His throne of grace. I tell you
this, nothing's changed. He is still my great High Priest. And God Almighty will not and
cannot accept even my best deeds apart from Christ intercession.
I'm still, that's how I received Him. That's how I walked Him.
How did I receive Christ? I received Him as the fulfillment
of every covenant promise. I received Him as the fountain
of all grace. I received him as my covenant
head, as my surety, as my testator. That's how I received him. Nothing
changed. He's still the fountain of all
grace. David lay on his deathbed. David,
the man after God's own heart. David, out of whose loins came
the Messiah. David, the greatest, one of the
greatest writers of the scripture. David, on his deathbed. summed up his entire hope. God
made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered all things in sugar,
and after 75 years, this is still all my desire and all my salvation. I had moved to faith. As I received
Him, that's how I walked. You too. Had I received Christ
as my only hope, as my salvation, as the Alpha and Omega, as the
beginning and end, as the author and finisher of my faith, nothing
changed. It's still the same. Well, you've grown, haven't you?
Yeah, I've grown in understanding of my sin. I've grown in understanding
of my need. I've grown in understanding of
His grace. I've grown in understanding of
His mercy. And except for learning a little more about Him, I haven't
moved a peg. I find He's still all my salvation. All right, read on here, verse
7. As you receive Christ, walk in Him rooted and built up in
Him. Spurgeon said this refers to
a tree. A tree grows two directions.
Goes down, grows up. We grow two directions. We grow
down rooted, rooted in Christ. Deeper in Christ. Deeper in Christ. Deeper in Christ. And then that
tree grows up and bears fruit. And that fruit is the fruit of
Christ. That's right. It's all Christ.
Our roots draw from Him. their life and nourishment, and
the fruit is born in him. Rooted, built up in him, look,
and established in the faith, established in the doctrine, the doctrine of Christ. He said,
take my yoke upon me, upon you, and learn of me, and you'll find
more rest, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. We never weary of the subject
of Christ. We never exhaust the treasures
of Christ. We will die where we began, in
Christ. All right, here's the third division
of this chapter, starting with verse 8. And another hymn writer
said this, The waves and storms will go over my head, Though
strength and health and friends will one day be gone, Though
joys will wither all and be dead, Though every comfort may be withdrawn,
On this, on this my steadfast soul relies, In Christ God's
mercy never dies. And fixed on this ground And
rocked I will remain, because Jesus Christ, yesterday, today,
forever, is the same. Rooted, built up in Him. In Him. Verse 3 says, In Him,
all the treasures. Verse 6 says, As you received
Him, so walk in Him. Verse 7 says, Rooted, built up
in Him. Established in Him. in the faith. Don't move. Don't move. Don't be beguiled by fancy voices. And that brings me to the third.
Paul's warning. What are these things that we
fear? Verse 8. Now watch it. Beware. Beware. Beware lest any man spoil you,
spoil you through philosophy, and vain deceit, after the traditions
of men, after the elements, rudiments, elements of the world, and not
after Christ, that's usually where it takes place. No man
is going to spoil you with the preaching of Christ. No man is
going to spoil you with the exaltation of Christ, excellency of Christ.
Preaching to you Christ, Christ, Christ. I read something and put it in
the bulletin recently. Somebody came to a preacher and
criticized him for preaching Christ all the time, Christ,
Christ, Christ, and his sacrifice and his blood and his righteousness. And the preacher replied, what
would you have me preach? He said, well, I'd have you preach
Christ's commandments more, practical Christianity and duties. He said,
well, the first duty is that you do no sin. Can you do that? He said, no, I can't do that.
Well, I better go back to preaching Christ then. A man will never spoil your preaching
Christ. He'll never ruin your preaching
Christ, but he'll ruin you with these other things. Now, there
are three things here, underscore these words, philosophy, tradition,
and rudiments. False religion is dealt with
under three heads, philosophy, tradition, and elements or rudiments. What's philosophy? Well, I don't
guess there's anything wrong with philosophy itself. Philosophy is the love for and
search for wisdom. Philosophy is the love for and
search for wisdom and knowledge of conduct and thought, behavior
patterns, ethics and so forth. But as far as the Word of God
is concerned, it is not subject to philosophy. Our philosophy must be subject
to the Word of God. The Word of God is the final
authority. It must never be subjected to
human reason, to what I think or you think or anybody else
thinks. Isn't that right? That's what's wrong with philosophy
introduced into religion. The philosophy of religion. I
have a book on that. Religion is not a philosophy,
it's a person. Let God be true and every man
a liar. I'm not to stand here tonight
and preach what I think. I'm to stand here and read this
word and preach what God says. And don't be spoiled, don't let
a man spoil you through philosophy. This is so beautiful, this is
so sweet, this is so wonderful. We're fine. It's beautiful if
it magnifies God, if it exalts Christ. It's wonderful if it's
His wonderment. That's right. He's wonderful. God said, your thoughts, My thoughts
are so high above your thoughts as the heavens are above the
earth. Here's the second part of false religion is tradition
of men. What is traditions of men? Well,
most religions have traditions. They're practices and ceremonies
and sacraments and rituals introduced without the authority of God's
Word. I could name you a lot of them.
Infant baptism is a tradition. It's a tradition. Many churches, when the baby's born, they bring
him before the preacher, all dressed in robes and everything,
and have him on a satin pillar. Godfather and a godmother. I
can't find either one of those in the Scriptures. And the preacher
says some words, and then he sprinkles water on that infant.
That's not in the Word of God. That's a tradition. And I don't
care whether you go back and pick up circumcision, or what
to pick up, or household salvation, or covenant theology, or what,
it's a tradition. The mass is a tradition. Purgatory is a tradition. Prayers for the dead, that's
a tradition. Religious holy days are traditions,
they're not scriptural. Confessionals, even John Wesley
fell into that era of confessing their sins one to another. He
brought that out of Catholicism. That's a tradition, so many traditions. Don't let a man spoil you. And
they say, well, we do it because we've always done it. This is
what our fathers did. What the ancients did. Because
something's old doesn't mean it's right. Don't be spoiled through philosophy
and through tradition. Then look at this, rudiments.
What are these rudiments? Elements of the world. These
are the Old Testament rituals and ceremonies, circumcision,
observance of Sabbath days, abstaining from certain meats, The Jews abstained from certain
meats, but Christ fulfilled all that. The Jews kept a Sabbath
day, but Christ is our Sabbath. He lay in the grave on the Sabbath
day. He arose the first day of the
week. The priesthood, it's reached
back into the Old Testament and brought those priests back again
with sprinkling the water. I saw one last night on the television,
the smoke. And the hat, it's reaching back,
and those elements, those rudiments, the tithe, there are a lot of
Baptist churches, Baptist churches, Presbyterian churches that operate
on the tithe. It's not taught in the New Testament.
Nowhere in the New Testament. It's an Old Testament. It's under
the law. All these things are under the
law. The Levitical law is fulfilled. It's fulfilled in Christ Jesus. The first has been done away
with. The second is established. Christ is my Sabbath. Christ is my life. Christ is
my priest. Baptism is for believers. He
that believeth and is baptized. Go make disciples and baptize
them. You don't baptize someone who's
not a believer. I don't care. Little he is or
big he is. He's got to believe. It's a confession
of faith in Christ. And this is the thing, traditions. We pick up these elements and
rudiments and make traditions out of them. And nobody, not
many, have the nerve to buck it. They don't have the nerve. They don't have the nerve to
say, show me this in the Word of God. If you can't show me
this in the Word of God, I quit. Is that right? I don't. Paul says, I warn you now, beware. They'll come along and they'll
spoil you. They'll spoil you through their thoughts, philosophy,
and deceit. They'll spoil you through traditions. And Baptists have some of it. They won't eat in a church building,
that's just tradition. They have closed communion, won't
let other believers come, and that's just tradition. Somebody
hooked that up for some reason or other, I don't know what.
Tradition. They won't accept some other
person's baptism because he wasn't baptized by Baptists, is baptized
by Baptists, is baptized by John the Baptist. That's tradition.
All these traditions take everything that's done here. Measure it
right here. And if it's not consistent with
the Word of God, don't you do it. Just fold your arms. Say, I don't want any part of
that. I don't want to be spoiled. And
the elements. Don't go back in the Old Testament
and pick up the tithe in order to support your church. Don't
threaten people with that. As a man purposes in his heart,
so let him give. That's what the New Testament
teaches. I tell you, you can trust God to meet your needs.
You can trust God. And He'll do it out of love and
not out of under love. Don't put me back under love. Don't want any part of it. But
I got to go on. Listen. Listen. For in Him, He
says it again, in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily, and you're complete in Him. You want His Word complete? That
means it is sufficient. That means that nothing needs
to be added. That means the work is finished.
That means that that person is sufficient and M-E-E-T means
to inherit the kingdom of God, just like he is right now. And
he showed us that in the thief on the cross. That's one reason
God saved that man, as an example. That a man doesn't need to wash,
doesn't need to work, doesn't need to witness, doesn't need
to wait, nothing. That that man was taken to glory
that day without any addition, no circumcision, no Sabbath keeping,
no Christmas keeping, no Easter, no tithe, no nothing. And that's just the way God saves
everybody He saves. And we do, we serve our Lord,
but we do it not to be completed, we do it because we love Him.
It's all in Him. Can I emphasize that? Can't emphasize
that too much, can I? In Christ. Everything God requires,
everything the law demands, everything heaven requires, everything I
need, I find in Christ. I'm complete. He's the Herod
of all principality and power. Now watch this. In Him, you're
circumcised. Don't tell me to be circumcised.
I'm already circumcised in Christ. That's right. But I'm circumcised
with a circumcision made without hands. No man can do one thing
for me to equip me for heaven. Don't lay your hands on me. Don't
baptize me. Don't bless me, don't shake hands
with me, don't you do anything for me and try to add to my righteousness
or equip me for heaven. That's right, that's what he's
saying here. I'm circumcised without hands in putting off
the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Now let me show you something. Circumcision was given to Israel,
the national people. They weren't spiritual people.
They weren't redeemed people. They didn't know God, most of
them. Some of them did. Abraham did. Moses did. Caleb did. Joshua did. But circumcision
was given to them, number one, as a token of God's promise,
God's covenant with them. Secondly, it was a sign by which
they were distinguished from other nations. Number three,
the child was named at circumcision. Number four, it admitted them
to the Passover. They were able to take the Passover.
And this is all a picture, back yonder, of my circumcision. Number
one, circumcision of the heart. God operates on the heart. The
Spirit of God circumcises the heart, and that is the earnest
or token or sign of God's covenant in Christ with me. Circumcision
of the heart. Remember what I said about circumcision.
Number two, that is a mark that distinguishes us from the rest
of the world. The new heart. That's the only
thing different about you from the world. You got a new heart. But that new heart influences
everything you do. That unbeliever has a natural
stony heart. which dominates and dictates
out of the heart, the mouth speaketh. As the man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. You got a new heart. Circumcised
by the Spirit of God. And that's a sign, and token,
and earnest that you belong to Him. That's what makes you different.
Thirdly, Israel was circumcised. Sign, they were different. Thirdly,
child was named at circumcision. When you're born of God, you're
son of God. You're a son of God. Got a new
name. He kept changing those fellas'
names. He said, told Jacob, said, you're Israel now. All right. Fourthly, they came to the Passover. You come to the table. You have
a right to eat that bread and drink that beer. That's only
the right of the family. All the family. Boy, I tell you. So I'm circumcised. Alright,
read the next verse. Buried with him in baptism. Wherein
also you're risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God who hath raised him from the dead. What's that say? Not
only am I circumcised in heart in Christ, but all my sins are
buried with Christ. I don't have any sins. Christ
bore them, took them to the tomb, and arose without them. And that's
what baptism's a picture of. Standing here, buried. Rising in newness of life. And
he took, Jim, he took our sins. He bore our sins in his body
on the tree. Literally, actually was made
sin for us. Isn't that right? And he died
under the judgment that he wouldn't have died if he hadn't had our
sins. That's why he died. For our sins. And when he was
buried, took him to the tomb. And when he came out, God gave
this witness that Christ was accepted because he raised him
from the dead without sin. He arose without sin under salvation. So I'm buried with him. That's
what baptism denotes. But my sins aren't washed in
this water. They're buried in the tomb. And
I'm risen with him, and he hath Verse 13, the last line, forgiven
all trespasses. And what's verse 14? And he blotted
out the handwriting of ordinances. What were the ordinances? Feast
of the tabernacle, feast of the first fruits, feast of the Passover,
Sabbath days, purification, offering of doves, lambs, bulls, goats,
heifers, the keeping of days, the keeping of holy days, Walking
so far on the Sabbath, all these ordinances, he blotted out the
handwriting of ordinances against him. When you think of handwriting,
what do you think of? Belshazzar, handwriting on the
wall. You are weighed in the balances
in bound walking. And I'll tell you, God's ordinances
and God's laws can't write but one thing on that wall pertaining
to me. You're weighed and walking. And what Christ do? Blotted it
out. I'm not Wade any more than Wade
Hill. I'm not walking any more. He met every need. Listen, he
blotted out the handwriting of laws and ordinances that was
against us, that were contrary to us. I couldn't keep it. You
couldn't keep it. And he took it out of the way,
and he nailed it to the cross. Don't you slip back there and
dig it up. Isn't that right? Don't you do it. The fellows
it was given to couldn't handle it. Why do you want to try? Why
do I want to try? They couldn't handle it. In verse
15, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he defeated Satan,
he defeated death, he defeated hell, he defeated sin, he made
a spoil of principalities and powers, and he made a show of
them openly triumphing over them in victory. Back in the Roman
days, when a Roman emperor would conquer a country, an enemy country,
He'd bring the king, captains, generals, and all the leaders,
strip them, take their armor away, their shields away, clothe
them in a loincloth, chain their hands behind them, and march
them through the streets of Rome with him behind them riding on
his white horse. All his enemies. Isn't that right,
Ronnie? Enemies right in front of him. Triumphing over them,
making a show, a public show, they're defeated. My Lord met
Satan, sin, the law, death, and hell, and conquered them. And
He made a show of them openly on that cross. Marched them out
in front. They were defeated. Not my enemies
anymore. Alright, here's the fourth part
now. Let no man therefore judge you in meat and drink, and in
respect of a holy day, a new moon, or Sabbath day. No, don't
succumb to that. Don't let any man command of
you what Christ doesn't command. Now just don't do it. Because
verse 17 said, these things are a shadow of things to come, a
pattern. The body is of Christ. These
Old Testament ceremonies and days were symbols. And they were
in effect until Christ came. And He came and fulfilled them.
He's the truth of it. He's the body of it. He's the
truth of rest. He's the body of cleansing. I don't need these ordinances
of cleansing. Christ cleansed me. That's a
picture. He's the fulfillment. That's
a picture. He's the body of it. That's a
picture. He's the substance of it. That's
what it says here. These things are a shadow of
things to come, but the body is Christ. To continue these things is to
say Christ is not sufficient. Isn't that what it says? You
go back and pick up your philosophy and your traditions and your
elements, and what you're saying is, he's not enough. I got to
do this. He is enough. Let no man then
beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility, worshipping
of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen,
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. I'll tell you what that's
saying. Your reward Our reward, our prize,
is to win Christ and be found in Him. He is my reward. He said to Abraham, I'm your
receiving great reward. Don't let anyone turn you away
from this by insisting on a false humility, self-abasement, punishing
of the body, worshiping of angels, worshiping of dead saints, teaching
what is not in God's Word but only in their vision and imagination,
all of its faults, all of its unscriptural, all of its philosophies
are the products of the flesh and will do nothing but lead
you away from Christ. That's the thing I fear more
than anything in the world, is introduced, even preachers make
the second coming a means of taking men's minds off Christ.
That's right. All this preaching today of rewards
and Armageddon and Antichrist and beast and false prophet and
millenniums and all these things serve one purpose. To take men's
interest in mind away from Christ. That's right. I don't care how
he comes, I want him to come. I don't care when he comes, I
want him to come. Don't let these men beguile you
of that reward, to be like Him, and not holding, verse 19, the
head, that's Christ, from which all the body, by joints and bands,
having nourishment, minister, and knit together, increased
with the increase of God. Wherefore, my friends, if you
be dead with Christ, from the elements of the world, why, as
though living in the world, are you subject to those ordinances?
Touch not, taste not, handle not? Our Lord and his disciples
ate one day and didn't wash their hands. And the Pharisees said,
uh-oh, uh-oh. The Pharisees said, uh-oh, you
didn't wash your hands. Christ said, let me tell you
a fellow something. It's not what goes into the mouth
that defiles a man. It's what comes out of his heart.
And they got upset with that because they thought their righteousness
consisted in not eating certain things. So don't you fall into that chestnut,
taste nut, handle nut, which all are to perish with the using
after the commandments and doctrines of meaning. In closing, these
religious rules and ceremonies and fleshly practices give the
outward appearance of devotion. You see someone do this. Looks
religious, doesn't it? That's right. Used to know a
preacher that we'd get back in the study and we'd pray. Pray
for the serfs. We prayed by prayer. One of the
men led us in prayer. I cried to God for help tonight.
So I had a preacher for him. He comes out, and before he sits
down, he'll kneel here in front of all the people. That looks
good. It's impressive, isn't it? Be careful now. Be careful. Don't do what you
do to be seen of men. I tell you, God warns you, these
religious keep in the day, Keepin' a Sabbath, all these things. These religious rules and fleshly
practices give the outward appearance of devotion, of humility, of
consecration. Now we should be reverent. We're
before God. But do it because you're before
God, not to impress somebody. All error has something to say
in its defense. Men like to serve God their way,
their way, to impress other men. They like to appear to be pious.
All this, well, hallelujah, hallelujah, praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
whoopee, that's to impress somebody else. Now, I'm telling you, I'm
scared to death of that. They like to appear to be pious,
to appear to be humble. They promote self-imposed laws
and disciplines punishment of the body. Martin Luther fell
into this before God saved him. But these are of no value either in sanctifying the heart
or purifying the flesh or making them accepted to God. Bodily
exercise profits little. Godliness profits in all things.
These things do not honor God They indulge the flesh.

Concern for One Another

What does the Bible say about receiving Christ?

How do we know Christ is sufficient for salvation?

Why is it important to acknowledge Christ publicly?

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Concern for One Another

What does the Bible say about receiving Christ?

How do we know Christ is sufficient for salvation?

Why is it important to acknowledge Christ publicly?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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