Now then, I'm coming back to
the seventh chapter of John, but let's turn to Romans 12.
I'm going to be speaking on the subject, there was a division
because of him, and we're going to read our text again in a moment,
but let me make some comments in regard to our introduction of this message.
There's no believer. No true believer, no true believer
in Christ who enjoys conflict. There's no true believer who
enjoys division and strife. He does not enjoy it. He's a
man of peace. God has called him to peace.
If you find people, churches, and I know there's some churches
who thrive on division and argument and strife. They must because
they always have them. And folks just seem to enjoy
fussing and fighting and getting off in little groups and talking
and running down this one and that one and the other. I think
they thrive on that. I think they really enjoy it.
I think unless there's some kind of hick-hack or argument going
on, they just aren't happy. But a believer, true believer,
does not enjoy that type of thing. He despises it. It destroys his
peace and his joy and his rest and his happiness. He does not
enjoy it. If you enjoy it, you miss Christ. I think I can say that, Charlie,
without any question. If a man enjoys fussing and fighting
and feuding, he just doesn't know the Prince of Peace, the
joy of Christ. And we're told here in Romans
12, now look at it, verse 18, if it be possible, As much as
life in you, live peaceably with all men in a peaceable spirit. And I'm talking about you husbands
and wives. Now you just quit this fussing and fighting. God's
not in that. And those who carry it on have
either missed Christ or they've missed the gospel. Just peace
in the home. I hear people say, well, my children
fuss and fight, but all children fuss and fight. That ain't so.
Now that's not so. You young people, don't tell
me you know Christ. If you like to quarrel and argue
and fuss and you're selfish and self-centered and have an ego
problem, want your way, you've missed Christ. If you go around
with your lips stuck out and a bad attitude and spirit, you're
unregenerated. Now that's all there is to it.
Because God's people are people of peace and joy and happiness. And joy reigns in their hearts
and a smile on their face. twinkle in their eye and happiness
in their souls because Christ lives there. That's right. Christ
lives there. It's a joy to meet them. It's
a joy to greet them. They're joy to one another. They
spread happiness where they go. It's not live peaceably. Now
let's turn to another one. Let me show you this. Romans
14 verse 19. Your doctrine's not worth two
cents if it hasn't changed your attitude. Your doctrine's not
worth two cents if it hasn't changed your spirit, if it hasn't
changed your heart, if it hasn't given you a new nature. You're
a powder and a troublemaker. God hasn't saved you yet. That's
just so. Because any man being Christ,
he's a new creature. Old things pass away. Romans
14, verse 19. Let us therefore follow after
the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may
edify another." Let's follow those things. Let's give ourselves
to those things. And if we know Christ, we will.
We will. A believer, a true believer,
just does not enjoy conflict and division and strife. God's
called us to love and unity and peace. We're commanded to turn
the other cheek. That's what God commanded us
to do. We're commanded to go the second mile. We're commanded
to love even our enemies, not seek vengeance. We're commanded
to pray for them and to forgive them. And this will we do by
God's grace. This we will do by God's grace.
We're going to show forth the glory of Jesus Christ in our
attitude, in our spirit, in our lives. However, now turn to Matthew
10. Now that's true. Let's establish
that. Let's let that be established. A believer does not enjoy division. He does not enjoy conflict, and
he does not cause it. He does not cause it. He's not
the cause of division. He's not the cause of strife.
He's not the cause of conflict, because he does not enjoy it.
People who are forever causing conflict and causing division,
they do it because they enjoy it. Source of irritation. Agitation. Trouble. But now the
scripture warns us to be prepared for this type of thing. And to
expect division. Now look at Matthew chapter 10,
verse 34. Matthew 10, 34. Think not, Christ
said, that I am come to send peace on the earth. He came to
bring peace in men's hearts. Peace in men's spirits. But not
peace on this earth. You see, this world's at war
with God. This earth's at war with God. This world, people
at war with one another. And He didn't come to bring peace
on this earth. He came not to send peace, but a sword. And
I've come to set a man at variance against his father. This is because
of the gospel, for the sake of the gospel. And a daughter against
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law are
man's enemies. Foes shall be they of his own household. But
he that loveth father and mother more than me is not worthy of
me. He that loveth son or daughter
more than me. He that, in other words, the
man who will not accept the conflict and will not accept the division
over Christ. We are to be messengers, ambassadors
of peace. But when that war is over the
gospel and over Christ, then we let it come. In other words,
it's not peace at any price. It's not peace while we compromise
our principles, it's not peace. While we compromise our convictions,
it's not peace. While we compromise our gospel,
in other words, if I get up here to preach this morning, and I
know there are people there out in the congregation, one, two,
or three, or four, or five, or whatever, who object to the doctrine
of election, or who object to the doctrine of particular redemption,
or who object to the doctrine of incarnation, But for the sake
of peace, I'm not supposed to refrain from preaching on it. If in your home there's a person
who rejects grace at the table, in other words, you're the husband
of the house and your wife rebels against saying grace at the table,
you're not to refrain from saying it to keep peace. You offer thanks
to God. If in your home there's someone
who doesn't want to be identified with the gospel of Christ, say
there's a wife who has a husband who hates the gospel. She likes
to come and hear the gospel of God's grace. She likes to come
where it's preached. And he says, well, I'll go to
church with you if you'll go to the Pentecostal church or
to some other place. But I'm not going to hear that
hated sovereign grace, but you're to come anyway. It'll come anyway,
whatever it costs. If that unbeliever walks off,
let him walk off, that's what Scripture says. You wives that
obey your husbands in the Lord, you children that obey your parents
in the Lord, there's a higher authority than your daddy, and
that's the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a higher authority than
your husband. There's a higher authority than your boss. You
obey your boss. I like this statement I saw on
the wall one time in a man's office. The boss may not always
be right, but he's always the boss. I like that. I believe
that. I believe in authority. I believe
the boss tells you to sweep the floor, and you say, I swept it
just a while ago. Well, sweep it again. He's the boss. If the boss tells you to take
the rug out and burn it, go out and burn it. It's his rug. He's the boss. But not when it
comes to that supreme authority. When it comes to the Lord Jesus
Christ, He's the King. You see what I'm saying? Live
at peace as much as is within you, if it be possible, live
at peace with everybody. But if you cross the gospel of
God's grace, we're going to have a fuss. You see what I'm saying? We're going to have us a fuss.
And we're not going to back down. We're not going to back down.
We're not going to make peace at any price. We're not going
to surrender our ideals, we're not going to surrender our principles,
our convictions, our gospel. If it destroys the whole land,
us with it, we're going to preach his gospel. Now that's so, and
there's no problem with that. Turn, if you will, to another
scripture, John 15. We can expect, we can expect conflict and division
over the gospel, over Christ. In John 15, verse 16, now listen
to this. Christ said, you didn't choose
me. I chose you. And I ordained you, John 15 verse
16, I ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit. And
your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the
Father in My name, He may give it you. These things I command
you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, now you
don't hate one another. Like I said a while ago, a believer
doesn't hate. He said, you love one another
if the world hates you, not if somebody in church hates you,
if the world hates you. Where Christ is, hate does not
reign. Love reigns. If the world hates you, you know
it hated me before it hated you. Now, if you were of the world,
if you were of them, if you were one of them, they'll love you.
They'll love you if you're one of them. If you're one of them. If they ever detect you're not
one of them, you're going to see a change in their spirit.
if they ever detect. See, you haven't led them to
think otherwise. You haven't led them to think
otherwise. You've given in. You've surrendered your principles.
You've surrendered your convictions. You've surrendered your beliefs.
And they don't understand. They think you're one of them.
That's the reason the world doesn't hate you. The world hates the
Christ of the gospel, the world hates the truth, but it don't
hate you. You say, I wonder why these people
hate the gospel, but they don't hate me. You haven't been identified
yet, my friend. They haven't seen in you what
you claim to believe. You haven't taken a stand. And
therefore, they still think it's possible that you really don't
believe what you say you believe. That's right, if you were of
the world, the world would love you, but because you're not of
the world, and they know it, you know it and they know it,
I've chosen you out of the world, therefore, therefore, as a consequence,
they hate you. I've had people say to me, well,
if I come to know Christ, if I submit to Christ, if I receive
the gospel of His redeeming grace, what am I going to do about my
associations and my companions? You don't have to do a thing.
Not one day. They'll do something about it.
That's exactly right. They will. Once you have established
where you are, what you believe, and the things for which you
stand, they'll do something about you. You won't have to do a thing.
Remember verse 20, the word that I said to you, the servant's
not greater than his Lord. He's not greater than his Lord.
If they persecuted me, they'll persecute you. I want them to,
don't you? Do you want Do you want the enemies
of Christ to be your friends? Do you want the enemies of Christ
to speak well of you? Those who despised Him and rejected
Him and spewed His name out of their mouths with hatred, do
you want them to speak yours in praise? Don't stand there.
If they kept my sayings, they'll keep yours. Now watch verse 21,
and here's the issue I'm coming to. But all of these things will
they do unto you? Because they just don't like
it. No. For my name's sake. That's why they're doing it.
That's why they're doing it. I realized this some years ago.
I'm not the issue. People say, where do you go to
church? 13th Street Baptist Church. Oh, that's where Mahan preaches.
I don't like that fellow. No, they don't even know me.
They don't have... It's not me they don't like.
I'm not the issue. I'm not the, and you're not the
issue. And don't you become the issue. Something's wrong if we
are the issue. Something's wrong if we are.
Now if men hate us for our ways, we ought to be hated. Gospel
or no gospel. If we're obnoxious and irritable
and hateful and men dislike us and reject us and don't want
to be around us, we ought to be rejected. If men buffet you
for your own faults, the Prophet said, you don't have anything
to glory in. You don't have anything to rejoice
in. You don't have anything to be glad about. You deserve their
wrath and hatred. But if men hate you for what
you believe, it's not you they hate, it's Christ they hate.
You see what I'm saying? These things will they do unto
you. Verse 21. These things will they do unto
you. He didn't say they'll do it to
me. They'll do it to you. for my sake." They can't lay
hands on him. They've already done that while
he was here. They spat in his face while he was here, but they
can't spit in his face now, so whose face they going to spit
in, John? Yours. See what I'm saying? Yeah, and
they reached out and slapped him and pulled his beard out
and mocked him and said, I thought you was a king. Well, they can't
do that to him anymore. But they still have that spirit.
They still have that attitude. So who are they going to do it
to? if you're identified with Him. With Him. They called Him an
imposter. They called Him a winebibber,
a glutton. Well, who are they going to call a glutton and a
winebibber now? Not Him, you. If you represent His message,
if you represent His gospel, if you represent His Word, if
you represent His truth, if you teach and preach what He taught,
then you're the one they're going to do that to. He said, they'll
do these things to you, to you, for my sake. There was no guile in his mouth.
He never hurt anyone. He went about doing good. He
was gracious, he was kind, he was generous, he was merciful.
The grace of God flowed from his lips. What did he get in
return? They spat in his face. They spat in his face. Turn to
Mark chapter 8, and this is something we need to understand. There
are a lot of religionists whom people hate, and they deserve
it. There are a lot of religionists
whom people despise, and I'm not troubled about why. I know
why. There are a lot of religionists whom people shun. There are a
lot of preachers. whom people shun. They shun their company,
they shun them, and they're so phony and artificial and covetous,
and people ought to shun them. But there's some who shouldn't
be. And the shunning and the hatred and that feeling is for
Christ's sake. Christ and His Word. That's what
it's all about. Because they're men whom these
people do not even know. Whom they do not even know. In
Mark chapter 8, if you will, turn to Mark 8, and let's look
at verse, let's look at verse 38. Whosoever therefore shall
be ashamed of me and of my words, that is where the issue is, Joe,
it's me and my words. In this generation, in this adulterous,
sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when
he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
You're not the issue. The issue is Christ and His words.
And brethren, I must not be ashamed of Him and His doctrine, Him
and His word in this generation. I must not. I will not if I know
Him. I can't be ashamed of Him and His word. Turn to John 8.
Let's look at this over here. The same thing. The issue is
Christ and His words. Christ and His words. If you're
ashamed of me, I'm not the issue. It's Christ and His words. He
says here in John 8, verse 37, I know that you be Abraham's
seed, but you seek to kill me. You seek to destroy me. You seek
to kill me. Why? Because my Word has no place
in you. My Word. Men do not want the
Word of the Lord. All of these things that they
do unto you, for my name's sake." The division then and the division
now is because of him and his words. Now then, I'll show you
four things quickly. Let's turn, if you will, to John
chapter 10. John chapter 10. Now, while you're
turning to John chapter 10, let me read two or three verses here
that I'm going to turn to, there was a division, therefore, among
the Jews for these sayings, for these sayings. And then over
here in Luke 4, it says, And when they heard these things,
they were filled with wrath. And then over here in Matthew
7, verse 28, it says, It came to pass when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the people were astonished. There was a division
because of these sayings. When they heard these things,
they were filled with wrath. And when they heard these sayings,
they were astonished. Now what I'm saying, my friend,
you can have a Jesus in this world and not have any hatred.
You can have a religious doctrine. You can have a Bible, wear a
cross. You can be very outwardly moral
and all these things, but the issue is, and the problem is,
and the trouble and the division is over what he says, what Christ
says. It's what he says. They didn't
despise him because he healed the sick. He could heal all the
sick he wanted to heal, nobody got upset. Build your hospital.
Build your orphanages. You're not going to run into
any problem. Heal the sick. I hear these healers out there.
Jesus has the power to heal. And nobody objects to that. I
don't know anybody that objects to praying for the sick, and
listing the sick, and healing the sick, and doing anything
else in regard to the sick. And they're not going to despise
you when you feed the hungry. They didn't despise him. He said,
I know why you're following me. You ate the loaves and were filled.
Got no problem there. That's not going to create any
dissension. what he said. Always what he said, what he
said, what he said. And I'll guarantee you the division
today is not the mode of baptism. That's not what the fuss is over.
It's not even whether to use grape juice or wine or unleavened
bread or crackers. That is an issue, but that's
not the issue. It's not whether you meet on Saturday or Sunday.
People who meet on Saturday and people who meet on Sunday can
meet together on Monday. But people who hate God's grace
on Saturday ain't gonna worship together on Sunday with those
who love it. It's what he said. It's what
he said. Let me show you that. In John chapter 10. That says
here in verse 31 of John chapter 10. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. Now these folks are mad. They
are mad. They are going to stone this
prophet. They are not going to excommunicate
him. They are not going to censor him. They are not going to refrain
from speaking to him. or not invite him to dinner,
they're going to kill him. They're going to kill him. That's how mad they are. Why?
What did he do? He didn't do anything. He said
himself, down here in verse 32, wait a minute, many good works
have I showed you for my father, for which of these works do you
stone me? They said, for none of them. We're not stoning you
for doing good work. It's what you said. It's what you said. What did he say? Verse 30, he
said, I and my Father are one. That's what he said. In other
words, the Lord Jesus Christ says, I'm God. I'm God. And men who hated the Deity of
Christ then, hate the Deity of Christ today. Religionists who
object to and despise the Deity of the Son of God then, they
hate, despise, and reject it today. Isaiah said, a virgin
shall conceive and bring forth a son. His name shall be called
Emmanuel, God with us. What am I saying? I'm teaching
this. I'm preaching this. I'm contending
for this, that Jesus Christ, if He's not God Almighty, who
before the foundation of the world decreed, determined, predestined
to redeem a people, who made all things by the word of His
power, who spake the world into being,
who created Adam, who spoke to Moses and Abraham. If Jesus Christ
is not that God, he's a lying imposter. His soul's in hell
and his body's in the grave, that's what I'm saying. And I'm
not afraid to say that, because that's what he is. He said, I
and the Father are one. That's what made those Jews mad.
And brethren, I stand for it. If he's not God, you're an idolater. You're worshiping, singing praises
to the name of a mere human being if he's not God. If he's not
God, he can't save a fleet. He died on the cross in vain.
He wasted his blood and his time if he's not God. He's God Almighty.
Now take that message to this world. He's not a messenger of
God only. He is not a son of God only.
He is not a an ambassador of God only, he's not a defeated
reformer, he's not an example, he's God in the flesh, who loved
us and gave himself for us. Take that message out there and
see what response you get. And don't you back down on it.
Because I tell you this, there's no middle ground. He's either
God or he's in hell. Because he lies. He said, you
look to Me and be saved. He said, you come to Me and be
saved. He said, you believe on Me and be saved. There is no
one who can save a man but God. He said, your sins be forgiven
you. Nobody can forgive sin but God. He said, before Abraham
was, I am. And that's what those Jews said,
hold it, you're not 50 years old. What do you mean before
Abraham was, you are? He said, Abraham saw my day and
was glad. All right, secondly, turn to
Luke 4. Luke chapter 4. Brethren, it's what he said.
It's his doctrine. It was a division because of
him. Because of him and his words.
Look at Luke 4. Briefly, verse 28. And all that were in the synagogue.
Now, we're not talking about a bunch of drunks and rabble-rousers
and gamblers and profane swearers out on the streets of Nazareth. We're talking about The elite
respected some bodies in this town. We're talking about the
religious folks. We're talking about the moral people. These
folks here were in the synagogue. These folks had met on the Sabbath
day, on Saturday morning, the Sabbath day, to worship. They
all came. They'd washed up and cleaned
up and slicked their hair down and put on their good clothes
and come to the synagogue. And everybody was there because
the noise of the board and a distant speaker, one of their own, a
fellow that was raised in their town named Jesus, was going to
be the speaker that morning. And they was all there. Everybody
who was anybody was there. All the preachers and the theologians
and the professors and the seminarians and the diviners and all these
folks, they were all there. They were the cream of the crop.
This was like when Billy Graham comes to town, getting all the
special religious people together. all of them. When they heard
these things, it wasn't they didn't like the music, it wasn't
it was too hot in the building or too cold, it wasn't they were
meeting to fire the preacher, it wasn't that they didn't agree
on building a new addition to the church. When they heard these
things, that's what happened. They were filled with wrath.
And they rose up and they took their distant speaker out of
the city and took him out on the side of a hill. It was turned
into a lynch mob wherein the city was built and they were
going to cast him off that cliff. Something stirred them up. That
fellow preached something that morning. I bet he didn't preach
on Bob Harry, Bossy Wise and Women Preachers. That wouldn't
have stirred them up that much. I bet he didn't preach on shorts
and swimming, mixed bathing, and divorce. I bet that wasn't
his topic because that wouldn't have stirred him up like that.
Tell you what he did preach. Our Lord Jesus Christ stood in
front of that bunch and he said, you claim to be religious. You
claim to be God's people. You're Jews. You're Israelites.
Your mom and daddy's were Israelites. You've been Baptist and Methodist
and Presbyterian and Catholic for many years. And it's been
in your family. It's been handed down. Your mama
gave you a Bible on your tenth birthday, to my beloved son.
Read this book. It'll make a good boy out of
you. And you've still got it. And you still read a chapter
about every week or so. And you've been to Sunday school,
been to church. You've been baptized and joined
the church. And you're all religious. And you know John 3, 16 and Psalm
100 and Psalm 23 and you're good, outstanding,
respectable men and women in the community, and you believe
there's a God, and you believe there's a heaven and a hell.
But I want to tell you something Christ said. Almighty God doesn't
owe you a thing. He doesn't owe you a thing. And
he said, I want to tell you something. There were many widows, just
like you, in the land of Israel in the day of the famine, and
God didn't feed a one of them. And God went over here and found
him a Gentile, whose mom and daddy didn't go to church, who
didn't know the law of Moses, who didn't follow the ceremonies,
who never made a profession in the junior department, who never
joined the church, and God fed her. And in the days of Elijah
the prophet, there were many lepers just like you, just like
you. And God Almighty didn't heal
one of them. He went over there and found him a leper that had
never seen the inside of a Bible. Never, didn't even know who God
was. And he healed him and saved him, revealed himself to him.
That's what made a man. That's what God's sovereign grace. Everybody likes grace, but not
sovereign grace. Everybody's fond of mercy, but
not sovereign mercy. Everybody talks about God's love,
but not God's sovereign love. He giveth it to whom he will.
He doesn't owe it to me or you because of our heritage. because
of our parentage or because of our ancestry or because of our
good deeds. He saves whom he will. And, brother,
let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. God,
before the foundation of this world, set his affection on some
folks, and he's going to call them out. He gave them to his
son. And it's not because of any merit
in them or any worthiness in them or anything. any goodness
in them or any righteousness in them. The Lord has chosen
the foolish things to confound the wise and the base things
and the things which are despised that God chosen to bring to naught
the things are that no flesh should glory in his presence.
If God shows mercy to you, it will be by his grace and for
his glory. Now you face this world with
that message Any preacher dared to do it, and I thank God for
this free pulpit, but it didn't become free overnight. It didn't
become free without a fuss. It didn't become free without
a fight. It didn't become free without some bloodshed. And it's
not going to be kept that way without a fuss. I thank God for
this free pulpit, but it's no accident. Somebody dared to preach
it the first time, and the second time, and the third time. Are
you able? Are you willing? It's going to
stay free by God's grace to give forth His Word. They hate it.
They hate it. They hate it. Oh, how they hate
it. Sovereign mercy. Let's turn to
John 6. Just a minute. John chapter 6.
And brethren, let me tell you something. It's not a tolerant hatred either. It's not a, you go your way and
I'll go mine, hatred. It's a hatred. I'll destroy you. I'll destroy you. We can't let
that live. We've got to stamp it out. We've
got to stamp it out. All right, John 6, verse 66,
verse 60. John 6, verse 60. Look at this.
Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this, said, this
is a hard saying. This is a hard, we don't like
hard sayings, we like easy sayings. We don't like hard sayings. This
is a hard saying, who can hear it? Verse 66, from that time,
many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.
What had He said? What was the saying? A combination
of sayings, but primarily, our Lord Jesus Christ taught this,
that salvation was not in our rituals and our deeds and duties,
but in a living, vital union with Christ. He said, I am the
bread. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh
my blood hath eternal life. You see, that's what he's teaching.
Today, this is the message today. It's the same as back then. You
know it so and I know it so. There's a heaven, there's a hell. You're a sinner, God's host.
Now you want to go to heaven, you don't want to go to hell.
You want God to bless you financially, materially, you want God to bless
you physically, you want God to bless you in every way. So
what you do is you make your decision for Christ. You clean
yourself up, you join the church, you buy your Bible, you give
your tithe, you support our program, you come to church on Sunday
morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, you be a nice fellow in
your community, you get this thing all straightened up, make
your decision, make your committal, make this, that, and the other,
and you're saved. And what you're doing is the
same thing the Pharisees did. They cleansed the outside of
the cup. You see, outside you appear beautiful unto men, you
appear religious, you appear your profession does. In here,
in here there's a love for the world. In here there's a hatred
of holiness. In here there's a hatred for
the living God and His sovereignty. You hate authority. I've seen
young people. who join churches, and who memorize
doctrines, and who attend every service, and they say they've
given their lives to Jesus and all that, but they hate authority. You run into this in school.
Your teachers do. They're rebels. Their eyes flash
rebellion. Their jaws are set in rebellion. Their feet walk in rebellion.
What's wrong? They're like tombstones, Bill.
They're pretty on the outside. On the inside, they're full of
the devil. They're full of dead men's bones. I preached to his
wife one time. I was sitting in the home. She's
so religious and she's so sweet, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
Sugar wouldn't melt on her fingers. She's just all this sort of thing,
you know. I stayed a week in their home.
I saw a totally different person. the fire of rebellion and hatred. The way she spoke to her husband
is a revelation to me. What Christ is saying here is
that salvation is to be conquered inwardly first, and then the
outside becomes adjusted. Salvation is a revelation. It's
Christ dwelling within. It's Christ coming within. It's
Christ conquering. Cleanse first that which is within,
that the outside. In other words, here's a man
who's sick. His body's wasting away. He's frail. You begin to
see his ribs and his wrists are getting smaller. You keep rubbing
the medicine on the outside. You keep cleaning him up and
combing his hair and washing his face and putting a little
perfume on him, and he's still dying. Get some life inside of
him. Put the penicillin in his veins. Put the good food in his belly.
You'll see a different look in his eyes. His flesh will begin
to fill out. His strength, his body will begin
to straighten up. His walk will begin to be different. And what we've tried to do in
making people religious is get their walk straightened out.
And they keep staggering. Stand up here now, we'll give
you a pledge card and that'll make you walk straighter. We'll
give you, we'll have another service. We don't have enough
services. We have one on Sunday, one on Sunday night. Well, let's
have another service. Let's keep our young people out of the show,
let's build a gym. That'll help them walk straight.
Build them a gym, teach them to run. Or have more potluck
suppers, and have more ice cream suppers, and let's give away
something. That'll get them here, you know.
You're doing it all wrong. Get Christ in their hearts. Get
the gospel in their souls. Get a love for the Redeemer.
If they ever love the Redeemer, they'll love their daddy. And
they'll obey him. If they ever love their Redeemer,
they'll respect you as their coach or their teacher. I guarantee
you. If they ever love their Redeemer,
they'll respect their boss. They'll do a good day's job or
work. I guarantee. I guarantee. Get the medicine
in the soul. That's what Christ is saying.
These Jews, they walked in their rituals and their ceremonies.
They walked in their outward show. They looked religious.
They appeared religious. They wore religious garments.
But they had unregenerate hearts. And that's what's wrong with
our pulpits full of unregenerate hearts. That fellow y'all talked
with is an unregenerated man. He's not saved. Oh brother man,
you ought not say that. He that is of God, heareth God's
Word. You know what it says? And a
man who will not hear God's Word, who says, don't give me that
stuff, don't teach me that stuff, that stuff will damn him one
of these days. My Word, Christ said, will judge you. My Word
will judge you. Unregenerate. Now, I'm tired
of hearing people call them Christians. I'm tired of hearing people call
them brothers, because they're not Christians. They're not brothers. Our Lord said vital union. Then
turn to John 8. There's another place he started
a fuss. John chapter 8, verse 59. John 8, 59. It says, Then took
they up stones to cast at him again. That's another time. Somebody's made these folks mad.
Real mad. He's made them mad. They got
them some bricks. Now what had he said? Well, verse
37, he said, My word hath no place in you. And then in verse
41, they said, look at the last line. We have one God, one Father,
even God. God's our Father. Verse 41, John
8, Jesus said, If God were your Father, you'd love me. Verse
44, Ye of your father the devil. Original sins what he's teaching
there falling at him You have your father the devil and the
lust of your father. Will you do he was a murderer
from the beginning? Verse 45 and I tell you the truth
and you won't believe me. I These people got angry because
Christ told them what they were by nature That's what it was
about He told them what they were by nature. Children of wrath. Children of lust. Children of
the devil. They didn't know God. My, my. Verse 47. He that is of God,
heareth God's word. You therefore hear them not,
because you're not of God. let me say this in closing and
and this is i think i i think that i've gotten across even
to those who if there is anyone who doesn't agree it at least
at least the the logic at least the the scriptures have spoken
if this is what say that these people didn't despise christ
because of these good works healing power being the multitude They
despised him because of his doctrine. And the issue today is not religion
per se. It's not religious duties. It's
not even religious service. It's not even religious activities. It's not even religious alms
and charity. It's the words of Christ. And
that's the reason you say, where's the offense today? It went out
when the word went out. Well, there's no offense in the
average pulpit. Most of today's Sunday morning
religionists, by the man, are going to church, and they're
going to go through their poet, and nobody's going to come out gnashing
their teeth. What happened? The gnashing of the teeth went
out when the Word went out, because no poor preacher this morning
is going to read those scriptures and comment on them. If he does,
he'll deny them. If he does read them, he'll deny
them. He'll read Ephesians 1. He'll read Romans 9, 10, 11.
He'll say, that doesn't mean that. That's exactly right. But no use getting on that, you
know. We're preaching something that everybody is, you know,
everybody's adjustable to. But let me say this in conclusion.
Martin Luther said this before I ever said it, but I took it
like Barnard said and improved on it a little. I put it in my
words. This is a conclusion no man, no man or woman, no man
or woman can call himself a soldier of Jesus Christ who is not willing
to engage the enemy, engage the enemy and stand up where the
glory of Christ is being challenged at that particular time. That's
the soldier of Christ who's willing, you see what I'm saying? The
battle's over there, and you're over here, you're not a soldier.
Unless you're willing to take up the banner of Christ where
it's being challenged. To take up the name of Christ
where it's being despised. To take up the cause of Christ
where it is being questioned. And that's the soldier. That's the friend of Christ.
That's the friend of Christ. I know that And let's talk where
we are. I believe this is one of the
reasons God's given us a hearing because we're not talking in
generalities. It's what we call a moral majority today. You going
to join it, brother man? No, sir. No, sir. No, sir. A gallant stand for
morality while it's well and good. That's not where Christ
is being challenged today. That's not it. What about good
government? What about backing the administration,
conservatism, anti-communism, fighting the reds? No, sir. That
ain't where it is. That's not where Christ is being
challenged. That's not where His glory is being questioned. That's not where it is. What
about clean-up TV? I'm for it. I'm for it. That's not my job. And that's
not where Christ's being challenged. No, sir. Saloons and gambling.
Let's put all the saloons out of business. Go right ahead.
You're welcome to it. And when you've done it, you still haven't
done anything. The faucet's still running. That's not where my
Lord's being challenged. I'll tell you where he's being
challenged. I'll tell you where this religious world is challenging and hating
and despising. It's right here where I read
to you a while ago where they're challenging this. Who is he? Who is he? What did he do? Was it effectual?
Was it sufficient? Was it particular? Did he get
the job done? Why did he do it? That God may
be just and justify. God's righteous, God's holy.
Yes, God is love, that's right, but God's going to punish sin.
God is gracious, God is merciful, but God's going to send men to
hell for their sins. Christ died that he might be
just and justify. Where is he now? He's at the
right hand of God. He's the only Mediator. He's
the sovereign Mediator. He's the sufficient Mediator.
He's the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the only Potentate.
Worthy not of respect, but of adoration. Not of consideration,
but of worship. And He's a sovereign Savior.