Will you look with me again at
the 29th verse of Acts chapter 26? This is a startling statement. Since I read this, thought about
it a little bit. Verse 29 of Acts 26 is an amazing verse of scripture. Paul said,
I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear
me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am,
except for these chains. The person to whom Paul said
that was King Agrippa. Now you think of that. Look at
this man Agrippa. Here he is sitting on his throne.
He's a king. He has on his right hand Bernice,
his sister. He has on his left Festus, the
governor. He has back of him his prime
minister, his cabinet officers, his generals, lieutenants, court
guards, and all of his supporters. He's surrounded with wealth.
He was a rich man. He had everything his flesh could
possibly want. He denied himself nothing. There wasn't anything on this
earth beyond his power to attain. He was a man of authority and
influence. He clapped his hands and men
moved. They came and went at his command. His frown struck fear in the
hearts of people. He held the lives of men in his
hands, prisoners, leaders, cabinet officers. He was the king. He was answerable only to Caesar.
He was comfortable. He slept on satin sheets. He ate the best food that could
be provided from foreign lands. He wore the very finest of clothes. He rode in the very best chariot
in the entire land. He had the red carpet treatment
wherever he went. Think about this. He was popular. Everybody in the kingdom knew
his name, Agrippa. Agrippa. The prisoner down in
the dungeon knew his name. and the king of the next territory
knew his name, and every person in the kingdom knew his name
from the highest to the lowest, and he has a place in history.
Here I am 1900 years later talking about Agrippa. Now use the same rule and look
at this man in front of him that's just said this. I wish you was
like me. Now you stop and think about
that. I wish you and the whole crowd,
except for these chains, I wish you were not just almost, but
altogether such as I am. Look at Paul. Not a king, a prisoner. A prisoner. All of his civil
rights gone. He didn't command anybody. He
had no power, he had no influence, he had no rights. He had no freedom. When he finished this confrontation,
he would be taken by guards in chains back to his little cell. There he would sit throughout
the night and the day. He was poor. He had no change
of clothing. He probably had on the same clothes
he'd had on for a year. He had no chariot, no horseman,
no driver. He had no house, no lands, no
bank account. He was oppressed. He slept on
a hard bunk in a dungeon. He ate what they gave him to
eat. He had no choice. He was mocked and ridiculed and
persecuted by everybody in the kingdom. He was hated by religionists. He was called a troublemaker.
He was called a fanatic. He was called a radical. And
he would soon die in a matter of a few weeks. Men scoffed that
he should that he should leave his prestigious place in religion
for this. And yet we have these astounding
words fall from the lips of this oppressed, suffering, soon-to-die
individual. Here he stands in chains, in
rags. in suffering and privation before
the most powerful man in that realm. And he looks him in the
face and he says, I wish you were just like I am,
except I wouldn't want you to have these You'd think that Paul, if he's
anything like us, would look at that man's position and envy
it, his power and envy it, his prestige and envy it, his freedom
and envy it, his riches and envy them. But
not Paul. Paul had eyes of faith. He had
an understanding heart. He had a God-taught mind. And
he looked at that man. And he said, when the man said,
I'm almost persuaded to be a Christian, he said, I don't only wish you
were almost, I wish you were all together just like I am,
and everybody in here. Of course, except for these chains.
Now you think of the effect that that statement had on that crowd. Now you stop and think about
it. This is what we need to do in reading the Scriptures, is
slow down. I heard a man say one time he
read the Bible through 23 times. He'd get more out of it if he'd
slow down and read it through once. Slow down. Listen. Think when Paul said that. This
clear-cut voice of this man, every eye fastened on him, and
he looks up at this king and his royal apparel, his court,
and he says, Oh, I'd give anything if you could be just like me.
And that place, I'm sure, just rocked with laughter. Don't you
imagine? They just rocked with laughter. What? Us, like you? I can just hear old Festus, you
know, he'd already said, when Paul was talking about his conversion,
he said, you're crazy. That's what's wrong with you.
You're insane. You're mad. You've studied too much. You've
read books till you've lost your mind. I can hear Festus now,
the rough and powerful old governor as he hears Paul say, I wish
you, Festus and Bernice and all of you were just like me and
Festus, oh how he laughed. He just kept laughing. How ridiculous
can a stupid fanatic become? Like him? I can hear Bernice.
She was originally married to Herod, her uncle. She was his
niece and his wife at the same time. And now, according to Josephus,
she was living with her brother in incest. But she was the powerful
woman in the kingdom. And she wore her diamonds and
furs and riches and jewels. And Paul said, here he stands
in his rags, and her sitting there in her silk and satin,
in her comfort and ease. And there he stands unshaven. in chains, and he says, I wish
you could be like me. And don't you know she lied?
And don't you know she turned to all of her friends and pointed
at this poor, demented person? And don't you imagine the palace
parasites, that's what I call politicians, their man was in
office. And they shared His glory and
His triumph and His good times. Times were good for them, and
they were enjoying the spoils of prosperity. And they were
standing around when everybody laughed, they laughed. When everybody
had something to say, they had something to say, you know. They
were the eons at this time. And they just roared with laughter.
And the religious leaders, there were plenty of them there. Every
court has a chaplain. Respectable, accepted ministers
of the cloth. They ministered to society, they
married the young and bested the sick and buried the dead
and explained away the mysteries of the supernatural in terms
that men could understand and accept, and they were accepted
men of the clergy. And I know they laughed. Like
that? Paul, a troublemaker, a prisoner. Like him? I believe everybody
in their life but two men. Paul didn't laugh. Paul was serious. And I don't believe a grip of
life. I don't believe he did. Paul
was communicating with that man. He was communicating with that
man. You get this chapter at home and read it again. And Paul
had references to Festus and references to Bernice and different
ones, but he was talking to to a man who was interested in what
he was talking about. I don't believe a grip of life.
He just said something that was most unusual for him. Paul had
talked about how he'd met Christ, how the Lord had called him to
be an apostle, a minister to the Gentiles, and reveal himself
to him. How did he come to rest in Christ,
and trust in Christ, and find peace and joy in Christ, and
how that all of the Scriptures were fulfilled in Christ, the
prophecies, the promises, and all these things. And how he
had hope of eternal life, and hope of resurrection, and hope
of eternal glory in Christ Jesus the Lord. And a gripper listened
to him and said, almost you persuade me to be a Christian. And that's
when Paul said, I would to God, that not only you, but everybody
that hears me, was not just almost, but altogether such as I am,
except for these chains. I wouldn't want you to be in
chains. And that's when they derided and mocked, I'm sure,
but Agrippa, Agrippa looked into the eyes of this man and he saw
something he didn't have. He didn't see madness, he saw
peace. He didn't see insanity, he saw
rest. He didn't see sorrow and despair,
he saw joy and expectation. That's what he saw. And I'll
tell you something else. I told you to listen and watch
two or three verses. Paul knew this man, and he knew
that Agrippa knew what happened in Jerusalem. He knew that Agrippa
knew what happened in Jerusalem concerning Jesus Christ. He said
in verse 3, look back at verse 3 of Acts 26, he said, I'm happy
to be in front of you, King Agrippa, because, especially verse 3,
especially, he said, because I know you to be an expert in
the customs and questions which are among the Jews. I know you've
been doing some reading, and you've been doing some inquiring,
and you know who Jesus of Nazareth was. Turn over to verse 26. He says, King, you know before
whom I speak. I'm persuaded that none of these
things are hidden from you. They were not done in a corner.
Christ wasn't crucified in a corner. He was crucified out publicly.
His resurrection was noised all over that country. all over that
part of the world. This wasn't done in a corner.
You know about it. And more than that, he said,
verse 27, I know that you believe the prophets. Agrippa had been
studying the Jewish prophets. And Paul said this, do you believe
the prophets? I know that you believe the prophets.
That's why this man didn't laugh. He knew of the events in Jerusalem.
He knew about the word concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He knew about
his resurrection. He knew about his ascension.
He knew about his disciples. He knew about Paul's conversion
from Phariseeism. He had some knowledge of the
Scriptures and the prophets. He knew about Moses and Isaiah. He saw in Paul a peace and joy
and confidence he did not have, and he knew something else. that
kept him from mocking. He knew the seat on which he
sat had been occupied by a whole lot of other men who were now
dead and gone. He knew this fame was fleeting. He knew that the glories of this
world would quickly pass away. He knew that this fine binary
in which he was clothed and the ring of state on his hand and
the crown on his head was a temporary thing. He knew that. And he was
troubled. He had been confronted with the
claims of Jesus Christ by the most able preacher in the whole
realm. He had looked into the eyes of
this man Paul and knew that he spoke the truth. He had looked
at the world of Paul and his own world, and he knew there
was a difference. Well, why didn't Paul talk him
into a profession of faith? Why didn't the Apostle Paul jump
on this opportunity and get him to raise his hand and say, let
me pray for you? Won't you decide for Jesus? I
know you believe. Do you believe? Yes, I believe.
he knew and Paul knew, there's a whole lot more to being a Christian
than believing some facts, even about Christ. There's a
whole lot more to being a Christian than just giving up Bernice.
There's a whole lot more to being a Christian than just adopting
some rules of moral conduct, a whole lot more. This thing
of being a Christian, is a new way of life. It's a new creation. It's bowing
to a new Lord. He couldn't bow to Caesar and
bow to Christ. He knew that. There was no way
that he could be a Christian and continue in his present pattern
of life. No way. And Agrippa knew that. He knew that because Paul had
just reminded him of the 180 degree turn which he took. Paul said, I was a Pharisee.
I was raised in religion. I was born a Hebrew of Hebrews. I had a Hebrew mama and a Hebrew
daddy. I was born of the tribe of Benjamin.
I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of
the tribe of Benjamin. I exceeded many of my equals
in religion, in religious zeal, in religious knowledge, in religious
morality. But when I came to know Christ,
these things were all laid aside, these idols of tradition and
idols of custom and idols of tradition were laid aside. And
I counted them all but lost for the excellency and the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord." Paul had told of his religious background,
his opposition to Christ and his acclaim among the Jews, and
he told how that when he met the Savior and was conquered
by His grace, that these things had to be laid aside. And Agrippa
knew that this would be his own experience, that if he bowed
to the claims of Christ, that he must turn away from the things
of this world. Because salvation is not just
believing in Christ, but bowing to Christ. Do you see that? The devil believes and trembles,
the scripture says, that thou believest this one God, the devil
believes. You believe the doctrine of total
depravity, the doctrine of unconditional election, the doctrine of particular
redemption, the doctrine of irresistible grace, the doctrine of perseverance,
the doctrine of atonement? You believe these doctrines? These doctrines are believed
in hell. As doctrines, as truth, I'm sure
every inhabitant of the regions of the damned know these doctrines
to be true, but they don't love them. They know Jesus Christ to be
the Son of God, but they do not love Him. They know that He died
on the cross, but they do not love Him. They know He's the
only Savior of sinners, but they do not embrace Him and enthrone
Him. and bow before Him. Salvation
is not just reaching out to Christ, it's receiving Christ. Salvation
is not just studying the words of Christ, but submitting to
the claims of Christ. Barnard used to say, I am here
to declare the claims of King Jesus and to command every subject
to bow in submission to these royal queens right now. Right now. And that's what Agrippa
knew. You say, couldn't he have been
a king and been a Christian? Couldn't he have continued in
his pattern of life and been a believer? Couldn't he have gone on serving
Caesar and serving Christ? That's what we like to think
in this day. We've got all of our little gods on the shelf.
We just take Jesus and put him up there with all the rest of
them, give him his day and his hour and his attention and his
tithe and his this and his that and his the other while we bow
to all of these other idols of the flesh and materialism and
things like that. Paul gave a definition of a Christian
over here in verse 18. A definition of a Christian.
And I think it's one of the most loosely used words of this whole
generation is the word Christian. But here's the definition in
verse 18, right in the middle of this message, Paul talked
about what it meant to be a Christian. He says, first of all, he is
one whose eyes are opened. God sent me, verse 18, to open
their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light. Over in Psalm
27, David said, the Lord is my, watch this now, the Lord is my
light and my salvation. First light and then salvation.
First revelation and then redemption. The Lord is my light and my salvation. The reason Paul in his poverty
could look at a man with unlimited riches and not envy him, and
even wish that that man could be like him, was because he had
some light that that man didn't have. He had some understanding
that that man didn't have. He saw something that man had
not seen. Abraham, the reason he could
leave his father's house and wander in a wilderness, having
no land of his own and having no dwelling place and no habitation,
because he saw something nobody else saw. He understood some
things nobody else understood. And that's the way it is with
the believer. He has light. Turn to Romans 10, verse 13. Look at this. Romans 10, verse
13. It says in verse 13, Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But watch
this now. How shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? A man cannot call upon an unrevealed Christ. Christ
has to be revealed. The light of the glory of God
in the face of Christ Jesus has got to be revealed to a person's
heart before he'll call on Christ. And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they've not heard? We've got to have our ears touched,
anointed, opened by the Spirit of God to hear not the voices
of this world, but His voice speaking through His Word. How
shall they hear without a preacher? There's got to be light before
salvation. There's got to be light before
redemption. There's got to be light before
submission. What kind of light? The light
of the law? Paul said, the law came and I died. In my darkness I was alive, but
when God's light came, I died. In my darkness I thought I was
good. When God's light of his law came,
I saw I was evil. In my darkness, the darkness
of my human wisdom and understanding, I lived. When God's light of
truth and law came, I was slain. The light of the law, the light
of the gospel, the light of Old Testament scriptures. To Him
give the prophets witness, the light of God's attributes. How
can God be just and justify? The light of the cross and the
resurrection and the ascension, the light of eternal glory, the
light of the Holy Spirit's work. Turn to 2 Corinthians 4. The
first thing about a Christian is this, God has opened his eyes. God has opened his eyes. He's
no longer blind. He can look into the Old Testament
and see Christ. He can see that rock in the wilderness
was Christ. He can see that serpent of brass
lifted up is Christ. He can see that ark floating
on the waters is Christ. He can see that tabernacle sitting
in the wilderness where God met man and where man met God is
Christ. He can see that Old Testament priest go under the veil to take
the blood, to put on the mercy seat covering the broken law,
and he sees Christ. He can look yonder to the perfect
Savior tempted, tried, tested in all points as a human being,
as a man in the flesh and obeying that law and see God's wisdom
and righteousness. He can look at the cross and
see that man hanging between heaven and earth and see the
wisdom and the power of God. It's not a myth. It's not a story.
It's not a martyr's death. It's not an example. It's a substitute
making atonement. His eyes have been opened. And he sees the footprints of
his Lord leading into the tomb, but he sees those same footprints
coming out. And he sees Him seated on God's
right hand as the mediator, making intercession for Him. He sees
Him coming again as King. He sees the judgment, the great
white throne, when all shall be gathered before God to be
judged, but he sees Christ pleading His wounds in our place instead. He sees those things. His eyes
have been opened, 2 Corinthians 4 verse 3, if our gospel be hid,
it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world
hath blinded their minds. in them that believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. We don't preach ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness when
he created this world, hath shined in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ to the Christian
is not a fire skate. He's a Lord. He's not a means to an end. He
is the means and the end. He is not an insurance policy
to rely on when we die. He is the prophet, priest, and
king of our lives. He is our life. Our eyes have
been opened To see what other men cannot see. Our ears have
been opened to hear what other men do not hear. Our hearts have
been illuminated to understand what other men do not understand.
It's a new world. It's a new life. It's a new understanding. It's a new family. It's a new
creation. That's salvation. That's a Christian. And Paul could stand before all
this splendor and wealth and power and influence and prestige
and not covet one carat of it. but rather stand there and say,
I wish all you folks were like me. Somebody has to do something
for somebody for them to say that. They have to see something
old Bernice couldn't say. They have to have heard somebody
speak that Festus hadn't heard. Notice, it's not a heaven-hell
proposition that Paul pleads with here. You don't want to
go to hell, do you, Festus? He didn't make you. Would you
like to go to hell? Let me tell you about heaven.
I've been there. I want to tell you about it, Festus." No. He
talked about Christ, because he knows, Paul knew there's no
heaven without submission to Christ. And then the second thing he
says about these Christians in Acts 26, he said they had their
eyes open, And he said they turned from darkness to light, from
the power of Satan to God. And my friends, listen to me
just a minute. I hope we're growing a little bit in our understanding.
Everybody is somebody's servant. You may not like to think that,
but that's true. You turn to Romans 6, and let
me show you that. Everybody is somebody's servant
right now. Everybody is somebody's servant.
In Romans chapter 6, verse 16. Know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves, servants to obey, his servants you are, to whom
you obey, whether of sin unto death, or righteousness, or obedience
unto righteousness. Now, I've heard people say this,
and you listen to me just a moment. I've heard people say, well,
maybe this person is demon possessed. Maybe they're in the clutches
of Satan. Well, in a sense they may be. Here's a person who is
giving himself and his time and his life and everything to the
things of this world. They're important. They're too
important. The materialism the vanity, the
luxury, the comfort, the flesh, the entertainment, all of these
things, that's his energy and zeal in life. And the things
of the Spirit, the things of God, back in his mind like a
gripper here, he's aware of these things and he's been exposed
to these things and he's been maybe troubled by these things,
but he has a Insatiable drive for folks to know His name, and
to brag on Him, and win their approval, and get a bigger place,
and a bigger this, and a bigger that, and a finer this, and a
finer that, and a better this, and a better that. And somebody
says, well, it looks like He's just demon-possessed. No, He's
self-possessed. Let's don't blame on Satan what
self-responsibility. I'm sure he's in the background
somewhere. But this whole thing is a motivation. The man's values
haven't been straightened out. The man who is a Christian has
had his values straightened out. He's had his eyes open, his ears
open, his heart illuminated, and he's turned from the power
of self, and the power of Satan, and the power of the world. Paul
said, I'm crucified with Christ, and the world is crucified unto
me, and I to the world. Brethren, I know this is not
a very good definition, but it will suffice until one comes
along. There's a way to have things
without things having you. There's a way to use things without
things using you. There's a way to use this world
without this world using you. Our Lord said, I don't pray that
you should take them out of the world. It's not the purpose and
will of God that His people put on sackcloth and ashes and move
to the mountains. Our Lord said, you're a light
of the world. And men don't light a candle
and put it under a bushel. They put it right out here in
the middle of the whole passage of the human race. Salt. Salt, you put it on meat. You
don't put it in a cupboard. You put it on the meat. We're
the salt of the world, the light of the world. Our Lord means
for you to work in the factory. He means for you to work in the
store. He means for you to have a business. He means for you
to care for your neighbor. He means for you to be actively
engaged in these things. You in these things, not these
things in you. And these are means. That's right. But Christ is King. And you know
what I'm talking about. You're not first graders. You
know what I'm talking about. I don't need to explain that.
And Ola Griffin knew good and well that to become a Christian
meant something was going to have to take place with his companions,
with his attitude, with his society, with his practices, with his everything. And he knew they'd put the slides
under him, the skids under him. He knew that. It meant giving
up these things. That's exactly what it meant.
It meant a submission and a subjection to a person whose, that's what
it says there, whom you obey, his servants you are. That's
right. to turn them from the power of
Satan to the living God or the power of self. The third thing
about these Christians, they have their eyes open, they turn
from the power of Satan unto God. Thirdly, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins. Brethren, faith has led us to
the cross. Faith has led us to the fountain
of blood. Faith has led us to rest in God's
promise of mercy through Christ Jesus. I'd rather have Jesus
than silver or gold. I'd rather be His and have riches
untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses
and land. I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced
hand than to be the king of a vast domain and be held by sin's dread
sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today. Hadn't you? I mean that. I'm not saying that because I
don't have it. I'm saying that because I don't want Him. If
I can't have Him. If I can't have Him. We have
the forgiveness of sins. Faith has taken us to the cross.
There we see that God's mercy rests upon four pillars. God's
promise is on four pillars. Now this is important. I have
a reason for the hope in me. I have a hope of forgiveness
of sin. All my sins are blotted out.
Do you really believe that, preacher? I really believe that. I say
that before God, every Christian, every believer has a perfect
record. That he near, so near to God, nearer he cannot be,
for in the person of his son he is as near as he. With His
spotless garments on, we're as holy as God's Son, based on four
facts, four pillars. Number one, God's justice and
holiness have been satisfied in the person of His Son. God's
justice. God must punish sin. They've
been punished. God must do right. He did right
at Calvary. God must deal with wicked. He
dealt with them at Calvary. God must. His justice must exact
from every transgression a just recompense of reward. He did
at Calvary. All my sins were paid for. Secondly,
God's grace and goodness purposed all this. It didn't originate
with me. It didn't originate with man.
It didn't originate in the religion of man. It originated in the
councils of eternal heaven. Before the foundation of the
world, God purposed in His own wisdom and in His own sovereignty
to show grace to sinners. Christ was the Lamb slain before
the foundation of the world. That's where it was born. That's
where it came from. That's where it originated. Thirdly,
God's truth will not suffer Him to change. If God decreed to
save, God will save. If God purposed to save, God
will save. If God sent Christ to save, God
will save. Because He said, I am the Lord,
I change not. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. He cannot change. He's not like us. You thought
I was altogether such a one as yourself. Well, I'm not, God
says. I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The gifts and calling of God are without change. If Christ
died for me, I'm as good as in heaven. Because God can't change. If he spared not his own son,
how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Fourthly,
God's power enables God to do what he will, when he will, with
whom he will, according to his will. Abraham said he's able
to do all that he promised. There's no sinner beyond his
power. Hath the Lord spoken? And shall he not do it? Yes,
he'll do it. He certainly will do it. That's
the reason Paul wrote, Whom he foreknew he predestinated to
be conformed to the image of his Son, and whom he predestinated
he called, and whom he called he justified, and whom he justified
he glorified. Nobody's going to change it.
Nobody. Hath the Lord spoken, shall he
not do it? No, he'll do it. You can rest
on that. You can smile your way through
the heaviest rain, through the most severe storm, through the
darkest cloud, through the blackest valley of death, because God
said it and God will do it. Now Grippa didn't have that.
Grippa had the word of a man in Rome whose word changed, whose
purposes changed, whose programs changed. Grippa had the so-called
affection of people who changed. Agrippa sat on a throne that
was an unstable throne, but I'm seated in Christ on an eternal
throne that cannot change. In fact, the whole universe came
from that throne. That throne is not in the universe,
the universe is in that throne. Heaven and earth shall pass away,
God said, but not my word. This old world shall crumble,
it shall melt with a perfect heat, and the sky shall be moved
away as an H-bomb blast, but God's throne is secure. And that's
where we are, seated on that throne. Happy? My soul. Grip, I sure wish you'd
like me. I sure wish you'd like me. I'm
glad I'm not like you, except for these chains. That's the
reason Paul could say that. That's Christian. He hasn't satiated
down some owl and shook some high-pressure Hollywood-type
evangelist's hand and said he's saved. He met the Lord! And they've
been united as one. And as long as the head's in
heaven, the feet will never drown. As long as the head's in heaven,
the body will never be destroyed. As long as the head's in heaven!
The body will never be shaken. And I'm in that body. The head's
already got the crown on it. That's the reason we're already
glorified. That's right. And then last of all, these folks
are sanctified by faith. Sanctified by faith. From this
grace of faith spring all grace. How can preacher, how can you
be so sure? I believe. I believe God. Now
you got somebody better to believe? I believe God. Abraham believed
God. And he believed in God, he believed on God, he believed
God. There's a difference. I believe God. Now if you've
got a better source of faith, if you've got a better object
of faith, if you've got a better end of faith, I'd be happy to
listen to you, but I don't think you have. The just shall live
by faith. They start life by faith, they
continue life by faith, and these all died in faith. They didn't
graduate any step beyond faith. I got everything Moses had. He
believed God. That's all he had and that's
all I got. That's enough. I've got everything Abraham had.
You said I wish I was Abraham. You've got everything he's got.
The Word of God. He believed the Word of God and
it counted to him for righteousness. The true believer is one whose
faith is in his heart. It is felt by him in his heart
and seen by others in his life. He feels his sinfulness and he
repents. He is humbled by his shortcomings
and he yearns for perfection. He sees Christ Jesus to be the
only Savior and commits himself to Him. He never ceases to wrestle,
to put off the old man and put on the new man. He loves Jesus
Christ, leans on Jesus Christ, draws his strength from Jesus
Christ. He loves God's Word, he loves God's people. Ask him
in what he trusts for the forgiveness of sin, he'll tell you the death
of Christ. Ask him in what he depends for acceptance with God,
he'll tell you the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Ask him In what
merit he hopes to stand innocent at the great judgment? And he'll
tell you through the intercession and wounds of Jesus Christ. Ask
him by what pattern and rule he wishes to live his life. He'll
tell you by the pattern and rule of Jesus Christ. Lord, possess
me more than you ever have possessed me. Possess my mind, my thoughts,
my affections, my attitude, my will, my walk. I want to be yours. That's a Christian. That's a
Christian. Almost thou persuadest me to
be a Christian. I wouldn't want to persuade you
on false terms or false Implications. I want you to know what it means
to be a Christian. Only God can make a Christian. Evangelists
can't make them. God makes them. And what God
does, he'd do it forever. Folks don't understand that person
unless they are like him and they understand him. He's empty,
but he's full. He's poor, but he's rich. He's
naked, but he's clothed. He's dead, but he's alive. He's
sorrowful, but he's happy. Our Father, we thank Thee for
the promise of the Word. which is manifested in the person
of the Word. You've not left us in darkness.
You've not left us to grope according to our own wisdom, natural wisdom. But we know who He is. We see
Him. We've been persuaded of His glory
and we've been led to bow at His feet and crown Him King of
kings and Lord of lords. Make it real to every