Well, a fellow makes a profession of faith,
joins the church, reads his Bible, goes to Sunday
school, faithful for a while to the gospel
and to the testimony of God and the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ, Then he sort of gets indifferent, drops by the wayside,
finds some other hobby or interest, but he's still saved, you know.
He still comes to church once in a while, keeps his foot in
the door and hand in the pot. How long does a man have to stay
true to the gospel to be considered saved? How many church services
does he have to go to? How many sermons does he have
to preach? How many Sunday school lessons
does he have to teach? How many chapters in the Bible
does a fellow have to read to be saved? Let's look into that tonight,
the proof of discipleship. When can a man or woman consider
themselves to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ? But in the book of 2 Timothy,
chapter 4, Paul said this, as he came to the end of his
life here on this earth, he said he was ready to be offered,
ready to be poured out as a sacrifice for the glory of his Lord. In
verse 6 of the 4th chapter of 2 Timothy, he said, I'm now ready
to be offered. Time of my departure. I'm leaving
this world. It's at hand. I have fought a
good fight. I have finished my course. I've kept the faith. I've kept
it. And then over in the book of
Colossians, Colossians chapter one, The Apostle writing about
this great redemption that we have in Christ Jesus says in
chapter 1, verse 19, he said, It pleased the Father
that in Christ, in Jesus Christ, should all fullness dwell, all
fullness of grace and love and mercy and the fullness of the
Godhead All mercy and all truth dwells
in Christ. And having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself. By him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. And you, you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death,
to present you," present you where? Before his presence, to
the Father, holy, righteous, sanctified, unblameable, unchargeable,
unreprovable in God's sight. But that's not the end of the
sentence. If you continue in the faith, grounded, settled, unwavering, unmoving, be not
moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard,
and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven,
whereof I called and made a ministry. And then over in the book of
Hebrews, If Paul is the writer of Hebrews, chapter 3, he had
this to say, Hebrews, the third chapter, verse 6, he said, But Christ, Hebrews 3, 6, as
a son over his own house, his household, his family, kingdom,
whose temple we are, whose house we are, if You're going to see in a few
moments there's an if hovering over all professors of faith
like a great cloud. If. If what? If you hold fast the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Whose
end? Your end. The end of your life. Well, he said in verse 12, take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief in departing, in departing from the living God. But encourage
one another, exhort one another, teach one another daily while
it's called today, lest any of you be hardened. Hardened. We'll talk about that in a few
minutes. through the deceitfulness, the subtlety of sin. Father, why should we be so concerned
about becoming indifferent and hardened? We made our profession.
We said we believed on Jesus. Isn't that enough? No. No, it's not enough. We made
partakers of Christ. It's one thing to claim to believe
on Christ. It's another thing to be a partaker
of Christ. We're made partakers, everybody believes there's a
one called Jesus, but we're made partakers of Christ if, there's
that if again. Found it in Colossians, if you
continue in the faith. Found it in verse six, if you
hold fast your confidence. Found it in verse 14, if we hold
the beginning of our confidence steadfast to whose end? Your
end. And then over in 1 John, the
Apostle John says this in verse 19, chapter 2 of 1 John, listen
to this. He said, in 1 John 2, 19, they
went out from us, like Demas left Paul, like Judas left the
Lord Jesus, like Alexander, the Diocese homogenies
left powerful. They went out promised that they
weren't of us. For if, if they had been of us,
they would, no doubt, have continued with us. But they went out. That they might be made manifest,
they were not all of us. Everybody that said, Lord, Lord,
he said, now go into the kingdom of they that do the will of my
Father which is in heaven." What is the will of God? What shall
we do that we might worship the works of God? This is the works
of God, that you believe on Him whom God has sent. That's the
will of God, that you keep on believing on Him. In John chapter
8, I want you to turn over there, and let's look for a few moments
into the words of our Lord in regard to this business of the
proof of discipleship. The proof of discipleship. Now in chapter 8 of John, verse
23, our Lord is speaking here. He's speaking to a generation
much like ours, a generation very religious, very religious,
legalistic, a generation of people who believed
in God, who had temples and synagogues and shrines and monuments and
cathedrals everywhere. They had the form of religion,
but denied the power thereof. And he's speaking to these religious
people, had a zeal for God, enthusiasm for God, an interest in God,
the mechanics of religion, had taught religion, prayed on the
streets and read their Bibles and gave their tithes and all
their alms and all this sort of thing. Had their special holy
days and holidays and sacred days all their feasts and these
things. He said to them in verse 23,
you're from beneath. You're from beneath. I'm from
above. You're of this world. I'm not
of this world. He's saying here that you're
born in sin. You're son of Adam. You're son
of the earth, Adam, red earth, man. You're son of Adam. I'm
son of God. You're of this world. I'm not
of this world. You're from beneath. I'm from
above. Let it be established. Let it
be established who you are and who I am. Beneath and above. That's the distance that separates
us. Beneath and above. Unattainable. That's the distance
between what we are by birth and nature, choice and practice,
and who He is by nature and essence, God. I'm full of thought. And verse 24, and
here's the bottom line. Being from beneath, I said therefore
unto you that you'll die in your sins. You're born in sin, you're
conceived in sin, You were shaped in sin, you were brought forth
in sin, you are sin, and you're going to die in your sins, unless something miraculous takes
place, unless something supernatural, unless you believe that I am
He. Unless you believe that I am He, you're going to die in your
sins. You have no power to rise above
your nature. You have no power to rise above
your condition. Unless, unless one day it all
hinges on one day, unless you believe to that degree that I am He, to that degree,
and in that particular way, that it affects and influences your
very being, your heart, your affection. It can't be just a simple, easy-believe-ism. You believe that, I am he. I
am that prophet of whom Moses wrote. Hear him. God's going
to speak through him. I am that great priest of whom
Melchizedek is the perfect type. I am that King of kings and Lord
of lords. I am the Christ, unless you believe. In some unusual sense, unless
you are so affected by a belief that I am He that brings you
into a living, divine union with Me, you're going to die in your
sins. You're going to die beneath and stay beneath. You're from
beneath. That's your origination. And that's your destination.
And I'm from a barrel. But if you can, by the power
of God and by some supernatural operation, be brought to believe
that I am He, then you won't die in your sin. And they said in verse 25, well,
who are you? Who are you? I don't know whether they ask
that in fear or frustration or desperation or what, but who
in the world are you? Who is this I am you're talking
about? Well, if you'd like to look at it, let's turn to Exodus
3, and there's no question about this. This is the force of it,
this is the power of it, this is the definition of it. I'm
from above, so infinitely above that you can't even understand
who I am. You're from beneath, and you've
got to be brought to a living heart faith that I'm He. I am, I am. Well, who are you? I'll tell you. Moses asked that.
Exodus 3, verse 13. Moses said to God, up there on
that awful mountain, looking at the bush that was not consumed,
standing there barefooted in the dampness of that morning
cloud, Who are you? Moses asked God. Behold, when
I come to the children of Israel and I say unto them that God
of your fathers has sent me unto you, And they said, what's his
name? What shall I say to them? And
God said, the same voice speaking in John 8 to these Pharisees. For in the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And all
things were made by him. Without him was not anything
made that was made. And God said to them, I am, I
am he. I am that I am." And he said,
"'Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, I am sent
you.'" Who are you? And Jesus said,
verse 25 of John 8, even the same that I said to you from
the beginning. It's the same message I've always
preached to you, whether you're talking about from the beginning
of this He said, I and my father were.
Or whether you're talking about from the beginning of my ministry,
or whether you're talking about from the beginning of this earth.
I said the same thing. I am he. You see, Immanuel is God with
us. When that baby was born in Bethlehem,
the angel said, call his name Immanuel. God with us. Then he said in verse 26, I've
got many things to say and to judge of you. He said that to
his disciples. He gathered those disciples about him, and he said,
I've got a lot of things to say to you, but you're not able to
bear them yet. Howbeit when the Spirit comes,
Holy Spirit, he'll call your remembrance these things I've
said to you, teach you things to come. said to these religious
folks, I've got a whole lot of things to say to you too. I've got a whole... God's not
through with this religious world. All that Christ has to say has
not been said yet. They haven't heard that awful
voice say, depart from me, I never knew you. They haven't heard
that yet. They haven't heard that voice
saying, as much as you did it not to the least of these, you
did it not to me. They haven't heard that voice,
how come you hither without a wedding garment? They haven't heard that voice
bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness, there'll
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He said, I've got many things
to say yet, and to judge of you. I've got many things to say that
will judge and condemn you, and these things which I speak, I
speak not of myself. I speak those things which I've
heard from the Father." What I'm talking about, the Lord
Jesus said, didn't originate in a synagogue. It originated
in the counsels of God. He said, these awful matters
that I'm dealing with didn't come from a man. came from heaven. I know most pulpits are ringing
with current events, civil rights and civil wrongs, but the pulpit
of the Lord Jesus Christ is ringing with the words of God. These things I speak unto you, I speak them of him who sent
me. And verse 27 said they understood
not. They never do. They never do. This reveals the total depravity
and lack of any capacity in the human
heart to understand and receive the things of God. They understood
not. Somehow they understand the words
of men, but not the words of God. Our Lord said, I come to
you in my Father's name and you won't receive me, but another
fellow comes in his own name. Whoop-de-doo. We like you. Isn't that right? They understand Him. The words
of men, they can understand. But they understood not what
the Lord Jesus said. They didn't understand. Our Lord
said they have eyes, but they don't see. Well, they see what
they want to see. They have ears, but they don't
hear. They hear what they want to hear. They heap to themselves. Teachers have itching ears, too. And they have hearts, but, He
said, they don't understand. They just don't understand. But He said, I'll tell you this,
in verse 28, He said, when you've lifted up the Son of Man. It'll
be too late then, but you're going to see some things then
you don't see now. When you've lifted up the Son of Man, when
you've crucified the Lord of Glory, when His death is surrounded
by all the manifestations of the greatness and power of the
Father, when you've put Him in a tomb and He's been raised by
the power of God from the dead, And when he's ascended back to
glory, then, then shall you know that I'm he. Then you're going to know. But like the wise man Solomon
said in Proverbs, then shall you call on me, but I won't hear
you. Then shall you seek me, but you
won't find me. Then you shall know that I'm
he. Someday everybody's going to
know that I am He. All blessed and happy and holy
are those who have discovered it in this life. I am He. Then you're going to know that
the things I do, I do nothing of myself. As my father had taught
me, this is a fulfillment of God's covenant of grace, all
that the Lord Jesus is and has done and accomplished and is
doing, is that which the Father decreed, is that which the Father
predestinated, is that which the Father willed in His sovereign
purpose. You're going to know. There are
no accidents with God. God does nothing by chance. God
does nothing in response to what you do. God declares the end from the
beginning. You're going to know that then. You've been talking about the
dignity of man and the weakness of God. It's going to be the
other way around someday. You've been talking about what
God wants to do and can't do. Then it's going to be what you
want to do and can't do. Instead of calling for mercy,
go call for the rocks and mountains to fall on you and hide you from
the face of him who sits on the throne. Men who love his power
and glory don't want to be hid from the one on the throne. It's only rebels that want to
be hid from the one on the throne. Men who know the living God love
and adore God on the throne. Not God in the manger, God on
the throne. Not God on a crucifix, God on
the throne. Hide us from the face of him
who sits on the throne. We don't do business with him. We don't mind doing business
with that little weak, frustrated reformer, but we don't do business
with the sovereign. I do. I do. Yes, he said in verse 29, and
he that sent me is with me. My father and I are one. He's
with me. He that sent me is with me. I'm never alone. The Father hath not left me alone.
I'm not alone in what I'm doing. For I do always those things
that please Him. It pleased the Father to bruise
Him. It pleased the Father that in
him should all fullness dwell. Pleased the Father. And as he
spoke these words, many believed on him. Many believed
on him. They heard his message and they
believed on him. They believed on him. I heard a message one time and
believed on it. I expect everybody here to say
that tonight. I believed on him. I expect everybody
sitting at home tonight would say that. I believed on him.
I heard a sermon and believed on him. I heard a preacher, oh,
I was nine or ten years old, the first time I believed on
him. And I believed on him another
time, made another profession. When did you believe on him? Well, way back on the preacher
when I was Just a boy, had a revival in an old country church, and
had an evangelist there, and he preached, and I believed on
him. Gotta have the population of
the United States believe on him, don't they? That's what
I'm told. Every time they have one of these
big revival meetings at a football stadium, about 3,000 people believe
on him. Preacher went down to Haiti recently,
I think he had 2,000 believe on him, what they said, what
he said. That's what it says here, when
he said these words, many believed on him. But you know, I've run
into these words often in the Bible, people believing on him.
Turn with me and let's look at some of them. Over here in John,
chapter 2. Well, a preacher said, Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I shall be saved. That's what
it says. I wouldn't argue with you for
a minute. I read that before. John, chapter 2, twenty-three,
says, Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover and the feast
day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which
he did. These folks over here heard a sermon and believed on
it, and these folks saw some miracles and believed on it.
Yeah. But, oh, But Jesus did not commit
himself to them. He knew all men. He didn't need
that anybody should testify of man. He knew what was in man. Look at John 7, 31. I run upon
this again. John 7, verse 31. He did another miracle, performed
another miracle here, and it says in John 7, 31, and many,
many of the people believes on him. Where were all these people
when he was crucified? Where were all these people when
he was down there in Pilate's hall being jeered and mocked
and lied about? Where were all these people when
he was down at the soldier's hall being spit on? I wonder
where they were? That's strange, isn't it? Every
time I turn it, many believed on Him. Here it says in verse
31, many of the people believed on Him and said, when Christ
comes, will He do more miracles than what this man has done?
Let's try John 10. See if we don't find that again
in John 10, verse 42. Listen to this, John 10, 42.
It says in verse 41, And many resorted
to it, crowded around him. They said, John the Baptist did
no miracle. That all things that John spake
of this man were true. Here we go again. And many believed
on him right there, right there on the spot. Make my decision
for Jesus, Gary, right now. Yeah. Yeah, they believed on
him. Let's try John 11, see if we
can find some more of these folks. They're out there somewhere.
In John 11, verse 45. Oh, oh, verse 44. In 43, he said,
"...last with come forth." And verse 44, "...he that was dead
came forth." bound hand and foot with great
clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. And Jesus
said, Loose him, and let him go. And then many of the Jews
which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, bled
on him." Well, we've got us a crowd now.
We've got us a whole lot of believers. We've got many believers in about
five different revival meetings here. Many believers, about as
many as we've got nationally. Many believers. Let's go back to John 8 and see
what he said to these many believers over here. Verse 30. In John 8, 30, and he spake these
words, many believed on him. And Jesus said to those Jews
which believed on him, he's going to have something to say to these
converts, if. These modern preachers don't
start identifying their converts with if, they start with now
that you're a Christian. Now that you've accepted Jesus,
write for my book. Now that your name's in the book
of life." The Lord didn't start that way. He said, "...if." Great big if. Great big if hovers over that big bunch of believers. And He
says, "...if you continue." in my word. In my name, in my fellowship,
in my way, in my ordinances, in my faith, if you, whether
you walk alone or with others, if you continue in my word, then,
then are you my disciples. Not now, then, indeed, truly. The proof of discipleship. God is more than one. Our Lord
said, By this shall all men know you, my disciples, if you love
one another. Not too many of us would score
well on that test, would we? that the proof of discipleship
here is persevering in faith. If you believe, he said, you
will continue to believe. If you love me, you will keep
on loving me. If you love my word, you'll continue
my word and dive deeper into my word, into it and abide with
it. You see, my friends, false faith
can do a whole lot of things. False faith is not impotent. False faith is a condition. It's a deceptive condition, but
it is a condition. False faith is a position. False faith can be very aggressive. Paul's faith can rise to high
offices with Judas. He's a pretty big wheel. Pretty big wheel. Treasurer of
the apostle spirit. Paul's faith can speak well of
Christ, like Nicodemus. Oh, we know you come from God. You ain't said nothing, have
you? Sure he came from God. We didn't
mean to hear you say that. False faith can fear the preachers,
like old Harry. He's scared of John. Yeah, he went out to hear John.
False faith admires preachers. Sure. Oh, that's no That's no
special talent. Doesn't care a whole lot about
profits, but loves preachers. False faith can excite the emotions. And I said, we sure had us a
time. They did it in Jerusalem when they were going to make
him king, too. Took off their clothes and scattered them in
front of him at palm branches. I see these people waving palm
branches in these PTL club meetings Takes me back to Jerusalem when
that bunch was waving those palm branches. And then they nailed him to a
cross. Don't wave any palm branches
around here, I don't want to see them. All false faith can be baptized
with salmon maggots, and then make a cash and carry profit
on it. I read about a little girl going
to be in our town that turned down a lot of offers to sing
country music. You make more than religious
music now you can country music. Anybody with a good sense knows
that. Dale Evans used to get $2,000 a night for giving her
testimony for Jesus. That was 15 years ago. Up front
money. Oh, that sweet thing's going
to testify for Jesus. That sweet thing got a check
for $2,000 before she came down there. That's fact. Oh, I tell you, false faith can
be baptized with Simon Magnus and then take in some cash. That's
what he wanted to do, wasn't it? False faith can give huge
contributions with Ananias and Sapphira. False faith can power
with preachers like Demas. False faith can even defend itself
in the judgment with those in Matthew 7. Wait a minute now.
Hold the phone. We preached in your name. Cast
out devils in your name. We're getting a raw deal. I demand
a recount. I appealed a higher court, but
they found out there wasn't a higher court, that Jesus Christ is the
court. And I tell you this, only true
faith, true faith, only true faith acknowledges the Lord Jesus
Christ to be both Lord and Christ, sovereign Lord and Christ. Only
true faith with a broken heart, genuine repentance toward God,
vows in submission to Jesus Christ. Only true faith continues, continues
in that faith and love for that divine person. It's not, it's not when I believe
or what I believe, it's whom. That's what you said, wasn't
it, Gene? False faith and cling to doctrine clings to the Lord. Continuing in the faith is not
a condition of salvation, but clear proof of it and a manifestation
of it. He says in this verse, if, if
you continue in my word, my word, my way, my fellowship, then, Oh, when is then? If you continue in my word, then
are you my true, genuine disciple, thoroughbreds. Everybody knows
a thoroughbred horse when they see it, don't you? Thoroughbreds. But when is then? Buckle your seatbelt. Then is when. that faith has been tried, and tested, and troubled, and
strained by turn, and trials, and trouble, and temptation,
and misunderstandings, and falls, and failures, For if a man says
he believes in Jesus Christ by the hand of God, his faith will
be proved. I guarantee it. It will be proved. James said that. Look at James
chapter 1. James said that. He said in James
chapter 1, verse 2 and 3, My brethren, count it joy. Count
it all joy when you fall into different temptations, knowing
this, that the trying of your faith. I don't want my faith tried.
I don't want trouble. I want a bed of roses. I want
a flower-strewn pathway from here to glory. I don't want trouble.
Count it joy when God sends trouble, because that trouble is the trying
of your faith to do something good for you, to work patience
and humility and strengthen your faith and give you more faith.
Peter said that, 1 Peter chapter 1. He says here in verse 6, 1
Peter 1, 6, wherein you greatly rejoice, greatly rejoice in Christ, though
now for a little while, for a season. It's not long, it's not long. Time takes care of these things.
If need be, you're in happiness through many temptations, many
trials. That, the trial of your faith,
Being much more precious than of gold, it perisheth though
it be tried with fire. You see, the faith of a believer
is precious. It's precious metal. It's got
to have the fire. But being precious metal, it'll
survive. You see, trials do not produce
faith. Oh, no. Oh, no. Trials reveal faith. Strengthen faith and expose a
false faith. That's right. And trials of faith
come from God. Don't, let's don't be shooting
at the devil all the time about the devil did this, the devil
did that. The devil can't do anything without
God's permission. He couldn't touch Job without
God's permission. couldn't touch Peter without
God's permission. In fact, our Lord said, Peter,
Satan hath desired you, but he can't touch you without my permission. I'm going to let him have you
for a little while. Trials of faith come from God,
and they expose false faith. And here's something, let me
tell you something. You know, trials are nothing
People, sometimes they, the person, will not even realize he's been
tried. He won't even realize he's been
tried. He's been tried and failed, fallen
flat on his face, turned from the gospel, and doesn't know
it. He's justifying himself. He thinks
God's on his side. He thinks he did right. See, trials are not always the
death of a wife or a husband or a child. We handle those better
than we do the little things. Even unbelievers handle those
things pretty good. The trials of God to try faith
and expose false faith usually are strange, mysterious, sometimes
totally unrecognized until the work's done. Until the old false
faith has been exposed. I used to have a woman sit right
there on the front row, listen to me preach. Abbey promoter. of what I preached the gospel,"
she said. This was back in the days before
Ronnie Thompson and Ronnie Trabant put me in big time with tapes. But she recorded everything for
her personal use, everything I said, even the announcements. Thought I was the greatest thing
since cornflakes. Stopped right there on the front
road, Gary, every Saturday. Well, she had a daughter, 14
years old, a little smarty like, you know. We'd have the song service, and
I'd get up here to preach, and that daughter'd get up and walk
back there to get her drink of water. And then come right back
and sit down. But that, you know, you know
me. One time's enough for that. So I was nice. That's nice, Martha
put in the bulletin, a little article next Sunday, please do
not move when the preacher is preaching. That's nice, wasn't
it? And I not only had it in the
bulletin, I read it from up here. I got up to preach that morning,
got back to the back. But I got through the message
somehow. And I met mama back in the back, and I said, now
don't let that happen again. I told you in the bulletin, I
told you in the pulpit, don't let that happen again. When my
daughter's got a problem, I said, well, let her sit in the back.
I'd be all right, but not down here. She never came back. Quit God. Got mad at me. Had another lady one time, member
of this congregation, attended every service. Every service. Well, you know, this is the thing
about putting names in bulletins and things like that. We try
to do the, you know, treat everybody right and fair and equal. And
I left her name out of the bulletin one Sunday. One of her kinfolks
died and I didn't say I saw her in the bulletin. She quit. I had another fellow, he was
one of the original members of this congregation, chartered
member, big giver, big supporter, supported me for a long time
on the radio and other places. He sat right over there down
at the service. So we had Lord's Supper one night, and I was sitting up here, and
I passed him the bread and the wine, and I noticed he didn't
take it. And after I finished preaching
that night, I came down. He walked up to me and said,
Did you know that the man who served the Lord's table had been
divorced? I said, Yes, sir. He said, I'll
never take the bearer of the wine from the hand of a divorced
man. I said, Well, you'll have to leave then. Well, he easily did. Had another gentleman who was
a member here for years, and he got an influential job. He got too big for us. These
are trials, my dear friends. Had another preacher friend.
He became wealthy, and he got too big for the gospel. Had another family here that
were with me at Pollard. This man had something to do
with my coming to Ashton in the first place. big believer in
the grace of God, big supporter of Ralph Barnard, taught grace, all these things,
put strong. Well, he didn't have but one
son. His son divorced his wife and
married another lady. And I told him that wasn't right. It wasn't, was it? But his mom
and daddy quit church because Junior got reprimanded by the
preacher. They didn't go anywhere. Sit
home and pout. I'd like to have a thousand dollars
for everybody's quick church and quick to gospel because they're
married to an unbeliever. I'd take y'all out to dinner
for the next six months. Maybe buy all of you a new car. Oh, by the way, he doesn't He
doesn't know the gospel now, but after we're married, he will.
Oh, you're playing games. Oh, she'll come with me. Yeah,
I'm going to be the head of my house. Yeah, you are. Oh, I'd love to have a thousand dollars
for all these folks who've been tried that way. I tried to tell
you young people not to marry unbelievers, and you go on and
do it. And a good apple never has to
straighten out a bad apple. It's the other way around. And then there are these little
day-to-day offenses. They occur all the time. The
pastor didn't visit me when I was in the hospital. That's a pretty
good trial, you know. That's enough to quit the gospel
over, isn't it? Someone offended me and my baby
in the nursery. That was a good one that Sunday.
Thought we might close the nursery. Another one I like real well
is when the gentleman told me that if she goes to your church,
I won't go. And I love those things, don't
you? That's a fact. But it wasn't
only he that said it one time, but she said it one time, too.
He goes, I won't go. Lost four members over this.
I saw some of your members drinking wine in a restaurant. That's a good reason to quit,
God, isn't it? These are facts, folks. You still want to pastor
a church? One man quit me because I wasn't
supporting George Wallace for president. That's a fact. I stood right out here by the
parking lot and I came out to church one Sunday night and said,
you're wrong. Wallace is the hope of this nation
and you need to fight communism or you're fighting it. I'm preaching the gospel. I'm
not fighting communism. We lose members. These are stalwart
grace people. One individual had his car bumped
in the parking lot out here and damaged, and people didn't stop,
so he quit. It doesn't matter how you quit,
or when you quit, or why you quit. The fact is you quit. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, but I was justified. No,
you weren't. No man, no woman justified. in leaving the fellowship of
believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't care how hard
you got hit. Is that right? That's what I
just read over here in John chapter 8. My Lord said, if you continue
in my word, in my way, in my gospel, The sad thing is, being a pastor
as long as I have and meeting as many people as I've met and
dealt with, I could stand here until you men go out twelve days
in the morning telling you these things that took place. I watch
people. I know where they used to sit.
I know how enthusiastic they were, like some of you. I know
how they gave. I know how they walked up and
handed me money to send to the missionary. It's some little
insignificance. Some little failure on anybody's part, some
little shortcoming, some little trial, they're gone. And the horrible part, I'm not
talking about gone from here, I'm talking about gone from any
testimony. You don't have to come here to
worship God, but you have to go where the Gospels preach.
where Christ is honored and glorified. But, these weren't trials. See, the work was done. The false
faith was exposed, and they never knew it. They don't know it now.
Oh, am I a Christian? Of course I'm a Christian. I believed on Jesus. But you
didn't continue. These people, it says here, verse
30, and many believed on him. And he said to them, El, you
continue in my word. Where? In my word, in my way,
in my truth, in my fellowship. These, oh boy, these are you,
my disciples, Not in profession, indeed. Not in name. Anybody can be a Christian in
name. This is a Christian nation. I
got a Bible handed me a while ago with a flag on the front
of it. Guess whose flag? The American flag. Well, we wouldn't
put nobody else's flag. No, we're the Christian nation. It's one thing to claim to be
a Christian, it's another matter to be one. I tell you this, if
you work with a person, or live with a person, and you have to
ask them if they're a Christian, don't bother. Is that correct? If you work
with a person, and live with a person, and you have to ask
them, are you a Christian, don't waste your time. Listen to me, faith in Christ
throbs in a man's pulse. That's right, his heart beats
with Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ looks out of
a man's eyes. Faith in Christ lights up a man's
countenance. Faith in Christ softens his touch. Sure does. Mellows his voice,
bows his head, bends his knee, opens his hands, soft-pedals his tongue, breaks
his heart, orders his steps, gives him a
here and there. Salvation ain't no profession.
Salvation's a person. And that man lives for Christ.
If necessary, he'd die for him. And he'd pretty well die for
anything associated with him. He'd die for the Word. Yeah, he would. Yeah, he'd die
for the Word. Somebody said to a young man,
I know well, you can compromise your principles a little bit.
If you're a free willer, you can, but a graced man can't. Yeah, a religionist can get along
with anything. But the gospel can't walk with
error. There's just one gospel. You can't compromise. You'd die for the Word of God.
You'd die for the people of God. And I want you to watch this.
I've preached too long. We'll just make this the whole
thing, Ronnie. Look at verse 32. You continue in my word, then
are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth.
You shall know the truth. Not a truth, the truth. Who is the truth? Christ is the
truth. You'll know me. And you know
what? That truth will set you free. It sets you free. Free from what? Free from sin's penalty? Sin's
power? Free from religious tradition?
Boy, that's slavery. That old religious tradition,
such bondage and slavery. Free from religious ritualism?
Free from legalism? It sets you free from the fear
of man. It'll set you free from that
anxious worry about tomorrow. It'll set you free from what
we're going to drink, eat, and wear. It'll set you free from
the fear of death. It'll set you free from that
striving to try to impress somebody with your piety. It'll set you free. So you care a whole lot about
what he thinks more than what they think. Well, I'd like to have that faith
preacher. Well, listen. Faith comes by hearing. But they didn't understand. Yeah,
he said, if you believe not that I am He, you'll die in your sins. They said, who are you? He said
the same that I've always told you, and they didn't understand. Oh, blessed are your eyes, they
see, and your ears, they hear. Blessed. And if you continue in the faith,
you're my disciples indeed. and you shall know the truth,
and it will set you free. Our Father, our great, eternal, heavenly
Father, and O God, may that be genuine, send forth the spirit of adoption
in these hearts of ours that we might cry, Abba, Father. Give us an understanding of your
grace and mercy as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are totally surrounded with
so much religion and profession emptiness. Lord, that we might win Christ
and be found in Him.