As Many as Received Him

I came over to the church building
quite early this morning because our new alarm system
has developed some problems and wants to keep going off in the
middle of the night. But there was a young man, 22
years of age, sleeping out here on the porch, I guess drunk couldn't find his
way home, maybe. But I've been thinking all morning,
suppose that young fella came in here and sat down in this
service, or in our Sunday school classes, and just for a while
on his miserable road to condemnation and a meeting with God, which
may be much sooner than for many of us, Would he have the faintest
notion what we were talking about? Oh, I'm not talking about the
effectual work of the Holy Spirit. I know God has to reveal the
gospel. I know the Holy Spirit must make
the gospel effectual, that the natural man receive it, not the
things of God. I'm not asking would he receive
what we were talking about, but would he understand what we were
talking about? Our religious jargon, our religious
terms, I wonder if he'd really, or if anybody for that matter,
knows what we're talking about. I wonder if we're preaching like
Paul said he feared to preach, with wisdom of words. Are we plagued with our importance
and we've lost sight of our goal? Are we really doing what we're
doing for the glory of Christ? If we're not, God help us, but
he won't. And God have mercy, but he won't. I wonder if we're
playing church or if we're preaching as prophets and people of God
to make Christ known. Nobody could ever accuse my dear
old friend, Brother Barnett, of ever trying to impress anybody.
That wasn't one of his virtues. But I found in his Bible a note
that went like this, back in the back of his Bible. Let others
minister in the shadow of steeple and the sound of chapel bell.
O God, let me run a rescue mission one yard this side of hell. One yard this side of hell. that
God could send the publicans, and the harlots, and the drunkards,
and the blasphemers, and folks like Mary Magdalena, and Zacchaeus,
and Lazarus, and all the rest of them to hear me preach, and
they'd know what I was talking about. So they could believe
it. A man can't believe what he hasn't heard, and he can't
believe what he can't understand, at least in his head. God's got to reveal the gospel
to the mind before it'll ever slip down to the heart. And the
purpose of the Father, and I found this out, the purpose of the
Father is to bring men to Christ. Did you know that? That's the
whole purpose of the Father, to bring men to Christ. That's
his redemptive purpose. That's his purpose in the plan
of redemption, is to bring men to Christ. Turn to John 6, 45. Let me show you that. John 6,
45. It's written in the prophets.
John 6, 45. It is written in the prophets. And they shall be all taught
of God. And every man, every man, therefore,
that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, comes to me. If he's heard from the Father,
he comes to Christ. If he's learned of the Father,
he comes to Christ. We may get him to the Church,
but the Father gets him to Christ. We may get him to the front,
but the Father brings him to Christ. That's his business,
that's his purpose, the purpose of the Holy Spirit. Turn to John
16. The purpose of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit,
is to bring men to Christ, to bring them to Jesus Christ. That's
his purpose. In John 16, verses 13 and 14.
Our Lord is talking about going away, and he's talking about
the Holy Spirit coming, and he says in verse 13 of John 16,
Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide
you into all truth. He will not speak of himself.
Paul said, We preach not ourselves. Can we say that? He shall not
speak of himself. But whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak. He will show you things to come.
He will glorify me. for he shall receive of mine
and show it to you." The purpose of the Father is to bring me
into Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring me into
Christ, and the business of every faithful minister is not to bring
me into a doctrine, is not to bring me into a religious confession,
is not to bring me into a way of life. The purpose of every
God-sent minister is to bring men to Christ. Turn to 1 Corinthians
2. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 2, and
let's read that from the writing of the Apostle Paul. He said
in verse 1 of chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians, Brethren, when I came to you,
I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything
among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." That's our
business, to bring men to Christ. Now, my friends, if there is
life in receiving Christ, in knowing Christ, in having a vital
living union with Christ, if there's life in Christ, then
there must be death if we refuse Christ. Life is not in the Church. Life is not in the Word, the
written Word. Life is not in the law. Life
is not in a religious profession. Life is in Christ. If there's
life in Christ, life in a living, vital union with Christ, if that's
where life is, then for me to refuse Christ, and for me not
to know Christ, and for me not to come to a saving faith in
Christ, is to be in death. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." If faith
is the most blessed grace, if there is no grace more blessed
than faith, then there's no sin more wicked than unbelief. If there's no grace more blessed,
our Lord said, Peter, I've prayed for you, I've prayed for you.
That's your faith, fail not. Or if your faith fails, you have
no relationship with me. He that cometh to God must believe. He that believeth not on the
Son hath not life. So if faith is the most blessed
grace, then the most wicked sin must be unbelief. If to receive
Christ and turn to our text in John 1, which We read a minute
ago, John 1, verse 12, as many as received him, as many as received
him, to them gave he the right, that's what the word power means
there, right, privilege, to become sons of God. If to receive Christ
puts me in the family of God, then to refuse Christ means that
I'm not in the family of God. That I'm not in the family of
God. I wouldn't offend you, not if I could help it, but our Lord
definitely said that there is the family of God and the family
of the devil. He said to those Pharisees, they
said, God's our Father, and that's what everybody preaches and teaches,
God's the Father of all men. Why? Well, he created all men.
Well, he created the snakes, but he's not the Father of snakes. They say he's the father of all
men. That's what these Pharisees said, God is our father. Christ
said, God is not your father. If God were your father, you'd
love me. If God were your father, you'd love your brother. You're
of your father the devil. Now, those are strong words,
but they're the words of the Master. The only way into the family
of God is by Christ. If to as many as receive Christ,
To them, to them, and to them only, gave he the right, the
privilege, to be called sons of God. You can't call yourself
a son of God if you know not Christ. Therefore, if to know
Christ is to enter the family of God, to refuse Christ is to
die in my sins. Turn to John 8.24. In John 8.24, now this is, if
words mean anything, listen to them. I said therefore unto you,
that ye shall die in your sins, if ye believe not that I am he."
The word he is in italics. If you believe not that I am.
Moses says, who shall I say has sent me? I am. I am that I am. Christ is I am. Not I was, I
will be, I am. Eternal God. If you believe not
that I am, you'll die in your sins. Oh, my friends, better
to die any death than to die in your sins. Listen to me. Better
not to be born at all than to die in your sins. If you die
in your sins, you'll rise in your sins. If you rise in your
sins, you'll stand at the judgment in your sins. And if you stand
at the judgment in your sins, you'll spend eternity in your
sins. This is the importance of coming
to Christ. As many as received him, as many
as received him to them, to those who received him, who believe
on him, to them gave he the right, the privilege, to become sons
of God. I want to point out Four things
for you. If you wish to, you can write
them down. Four divisions for this message. First of all, what is in Christ? The Word of
God, the purpose of the Fathers to bring men to Christ, the purpose
of the Holy Spirit to bring men to Christ, the purpose of the
true preachers to bring men to Christ. If that be so, what is
so important? What is in Christ that is so
important? What is in Christ? Secondly, we'll be talking about
to whom Christ is offered. And then thirdly, we'll be talking
about the danger in refusing Christ. And then fourthly, a
word or two if we have time, to those who would receive him. Now, first of all, what is it
in Christ that makes it so important for me and for you, Cecil? and for you to find. What's so
important in Christ? What makes it so important? What's
in Christ that makes it so important for me to get to Christ? Well,
John Flavel said this, seeing Christ and understanding
what is in Christ and what a relationship with Christ affords is inseparably
connected with believing on Christ. For if you knew what was in Christ,
you'd believe on him. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
2. Let's see if we can make good on that. If you knew, if the
Holy Spirit will take these words that I'm going to say in a moment
and reveal to you what's in Christ, you'd believe on him. He that
seeth the Son and believeth on him. They saw him not People saw him
with these eyes and turned their backs on him, but the Holy Spirit
there is speaking about seeing him with understanding, seeing
him with perception, really seeing who he is and what he came to
do and why he did it. 1 Corinthians 2, 7 and 8, listen,
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. even the hidden wisdom
which God ordained before the world unto our glory." Now listen
to me. Paul says it's so, it's a mystery. It's a mystery. Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh.
It is a mystery. And I say to each of you here,
if you haven't entered into the treasures of Christ, don't expect
with a natural mind to comprehend these things. You can hear them,
and you can understand what we're saying. Being a sinner, and Christ
died for sinners, and faith in Christ brings you into a relationship
with Him, to receive Him, to believe on Him, is to be saved
by Him. You understand those things in your head, and we should
preach them so that you can weigh them and consider them and understand
them. But to perceive and to discern and to understand the
wisdom and power of the cross is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Paul admits it's a mystery. It's a mystery. He said we preach,
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, verse 8, which none
of the princes of this world knew, which none of the wise
men of this world knew, which none of the kings and those in
authority knew, had they known it! They would not have crucified
the Lord of Glory. So you think if that Roman soldier
knew who he is, that he'd nail those nails in his hand, he thought
he was an imposter? You think if those people who
chanted, crucify him, crucify him, had known who he is, they
didn't know? is inseparably connected with
believing. They believed not. They believed
not on him. They thought he was a wine-vibbering,
a glutton. They thought he was a blasphemer. The Holy Spirit has got to give
us eyes to see a man, but more than a man, the God-man. A healer,
but more than a healer, the healer of souls. A king, but more than
a Jewish king, a Messiah. If you knew, that's what he said
to the woman at the well, my dear, if you knew the gift of
God, if you knew, if you just knew, and who it is that speaks
to you, if you knew, you'd ask of me and I'd give you living
water, but you don't know. That's what I'm trying to tell
you. What is in Christ? Well, first of all, God is in
Christ. Turn to Matthew chapter 1. He
had read a moment ago. He was in the world. Who was
in the world? The one that made the world was
in the world. And over here in Matthew 1, verse
21, listen to it. She shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophets,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, which being
interpreted is God with us, God in human flesh, no words of greater
importance more profound mystery and amazement have ever fallen
from human lips than those right there. God with us. 1 Timothy 3.16, without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was revealed, manifested
in human flesh. 2 Corinthians 2.19, namely, to
which that God was in Christ. That manger, Cindy, that manger
in Bethlehem, with its straw, that little baby, that's God
in human flesh. He took on himself a body. Unto
us a child is born, yeah, Mary's child was born, but God's Son
was given, he wasn't Under us a child is born, that's a child,
just a child, born from a mother. But unto us a son is given. He came down here and took up
his abode in that child's body. What's in Christ? God's in Christ. Secondly, and don't let me scare
you, I'm going to tell you the truth, the love of God's in Christ. I don't like to be offensive,
but I want you to understand exactly what I'm saying. I'm
not going to speak in these high-sounding theological terms that you don't
know what I'm saying. You're going to understand exactly
what I'm saying. You may not believe it, but believing you'll
be saved. I know, I know it's hard to preach
this without offending men, because the natural man has a wrong understanding
of two things. He has a wrong understanding
of his state and nature. He doesn't know how lost he is.
He doesn't know how corrupt he is. There's no way that you can
possibly, with a human mind, understand the corruption and
depravity of the human heart. The flesh, in the flesh dwelleth
no good thing. Man doesn't understand how wretched,
abominable. He said the heavens are not clean
in God's sight. How much more abominable is man
that drinks iniquity like the water? Man doesn't understand
the love of God. But I'm going to tell you something.
Turn to Psalm 5. Now, stay with me. Don't get
mad at God. And the only reason that you'll
get mad at God is you don't know what you are. You're asking God
to love what he, in his nature and attributes, cannot love. If God cannot lie, would you
ask God to lie? If God cannot do evil, would
you ask God to do evil? Then why do you ask God in your
natural state, in your filthiness and corruption and sin, to put
his approval on you? In Psalm 5, verse 5, the foolish
shall not stand in his sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Are you a worker of iniquity?
Turn to Psalm 7, verse 11, God judgeth the righteous, God's
angry, God's angry with the wicked every day. Are you wicked? You
see, this is the reason that men do not preach the wrath of
God, is they don't feel they deserve it. They do not preach
the anger of God, they preach only the love of God. Well, I
preach the love of God too, and we're going to talk about it
in a minute. But we must be honest, and we must tell men that what
our Lord told them in John 3. Turn over to John 3, verse 36. He that believeth on the Son,
yes, in the Son there is everlasting life. But he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God abideth on him. God is love. One of God's attributes is love.
God is love, God is grace, God is holiness, God is righteous,
God is just, God is omnipotent, God is omniscient, God is love!
But let me tell you where the love of God is, and the Bible
is very plain on this. The love of God is in Christ.
It's in Christ. Turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans
8 chapter and listen to verse 38 and 39 Romans 8 38 and 39
there God is loved and God has love for sinners and God does
love sinners God loves sinners in a consistent manner with his
righteousness with his holiness and with his character He loves
them in Christ. In Romans 8, 38, I'm persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heart,
nor dent, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me
from Christ, from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Do you see why I want to get
to Christ? The same reason Noah wanted to
go in the ark. Outside the ark, judgment, wrath. If you knew what was in Christ,
you'd say, God give me Christ or I die. You'd pant after him,
you'd hunger for him, you'd thirst for him, you'd make every effort
to go here and preach, but you don't know what's in Christ.
You think it's in you. You think it's in religion, you
think it's in the law, you think it's in your theology. But it's
not, it's in Christ. God's in Christ. And the love
of God is in Christ. And if you're not in Christ,
you're under the wrath of God. And if I'm not in Christ, I'm
under the wrath of God. That's so. The love of God is
in Christ. And you and I, if we're not in
Christ, we are as damned and we are as doomed and we are as
certain for God's judgment as those people who stood outside
that ark and laughed at that old man that went in. And that's
what God's picturing when he put that art on top of those
waves, he's picturing Christ. That's where it is. No man knoweth
the Father save the Son, and he whom the Son will reveal him.
He that honoureth me honoureth my Father that sent me. Thirdly,
the righteousness of God is in Christ. Friends, we don't have
any righteousness. Turn to Romans 3. Listen to verse
9. Romans 3 verse 9. What then? Are we better than they? He's
talking about the Jews. Are they better than the Gentiles?
In no wise we've proved before both Jews and Gentiles. No nationality
in Christ. You can forget your pride of
race now. No nationality in Christ. They're
all under sin. They're all in the same boat.
As it is written, there's none righteous, no, not one. There's
none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone out of the way.
They're all together. They are together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good,
no, not one. Don't look down your nose at
that old boy lying out there drunk last night. Wasn't for
the grace of God you'd been right beside him. Some of you good
church members sold him the liquor. We have no righteousness. Our
righteousness is filthy rags. But some people go about to establish
a righteousness. Their preacher tells them if
they don't do this and don't do that and don't do the other,
they'll be good and go to heaven when they die. Romans chapter
10, listen. Paul's talking about Israel.
He said, they have a zeal for God. They got religion. They're interested in God, but
it's not according to knowledge. Verse 3, they're ignorant of
God's righteousness, God's holiness. I'm not talking about that man-made
holiness, that man-produced holiness, that pious look you wear on Sunday,
those things you do and don't do. I'm talking about God's righteousness,
God's holiness, perfect love, perfect grace, perfect mercy,
perfect forgiveness, perfect thought, God's holiness. Where
is it? Where is God's holiness? Where
is God's righteousness? I'm going to have to have it
if I ever know God. I'm going to have to have it
if I ever stand in his presence. I'm going to have to have it
if I ever stand before him and I'm accepted by him. I'm going
to have to have this righteousness because Christ said looking at
the Pharisees and then turned to his disciples and said, if
your righteousness, your holiness doesn't exceed theirs, you're
not going to enter the kingdom of heaven." What? Why, Lord,
they fast twice a week and tithe all their possessions and read
the scriptures on the street and pray long prayers and live
in the temple, do all these things, they obey the law, they have
an outward morality. We've got to have a righteousness
better than theirs! Let me tell you something. Let
me tell you something, my sinner friend. I'm going to talk so
you can understand me. You pick out the best man or woman who
ever walked on this earth. I'm talking about not a good
one, but the best one. The best man God ever let live. The man who gave his life in
serving others and giving to others, his body to be burned,
his goods to feed the poor. who never looked with lustful
thoughts, who never said he would pick out the best man, human,
that God ever let live. And if your righteousness, your
holiness, doesn't beat his by a country mile, you won't enter
the kingdom of God. That's right. And if he trusts
in his righteousness, he'll go to hell. What are you talking
about? I'm talking about the only way
any man will ever stand before God is to be perfect as God himself. That kind of righteousness. That
kind of holiness. A preacher, where can a fellow
find that kind of holiness? All right, turn to 2 Corinthians.
It's in Christ. That's where it is. That's the
reason I say if you knew what was in Christ, you'd run to him,
you'd plead to him, you'd cry out, Oh, God, give me Christ.
I've had enough of religion, I'd sure like to know Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, He hath made him, Christ, to
be sin for us who knew no sin. Not only he did no sin, he knew
no sin. There we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. In him, I'm holy as he is. With his spotless garments on,
I am as holy as God's own Son. All right, next, the fourth thing. Salvation is in Christ. And this
is what it's all about, salvation from sin. They brought the baby
Jesus, put him in the arms of old man Simeon, and he looked
at that child. The Holy Ghost had told him that
he would not see death until he saw the Lord's Christ. And
he looked at that baby and he said, he lifted his eyes to heaven
and he said, Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace. I've seen thy salvation. I've
seen thy salvation. That's where it is, it's in Christ.
Your salvation from sin, turn to Acts 4.12. Your salvation
from sin, your salvation from the curse of the law, your salvation
from the guilt of the law, your salvation is in Christ. Acts
4.12, listen, neither is there salvation in any other. Neither is there salvation in
any other. There is none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. One writer said this, Thou art
the way, to thee alone from sin and death I flee. And he who
would the Father seek must seek him Christ by thee. Thou art
the truth, thy word alone true wisdom can impart. Thou only
canst inform my mind and purify my heart. Thou art the life. The empty tomb proclaims Thy
living name, and those who put their confidence in Thee, nor
death, nor sin, nor hell can claim. Thou art the way, the
truth, the life. God grant me to know the way,
that truth to love, that life to win, where joys eternally
flow. If you knew the gift of God and
who it is that saith unto thee, Give me the drink, you'd ask
of him. That's where it all is. God's
in Christ, righteousness is in Christ, salvation is in Christ,
eternal glory is in Christ. It's all in him. Now, to whom
is he offered quickly? Well, not to the fallen angels.
Scripture says that Christ took not on himself the nature of
angels, but the seed of Abraham. Think about it, day and year. He didn't come down here in the
form of angels, he came down here in flesh and blood, a human
being. And salvation, this gospel, is
not offered to the damned that are in hell. There are no preachers
preaching in hell this morning. No, sir. Abraham said, as the
rich man cried, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to dip his finger
in water and cool my tongue. I'm tormented in this place.
And Abraham said, between us and thee there's a great gulf
fixed. There are no preachers sent to hell. Preachers are sent
to you. To you is the word of salvation sent. You. Not to those in hell. This may
be the last time I'll preach to you, maybe the last time you'll
hear me. But you're hearing me, they're not. They're not hearing
me today. They're not hearing me. There's a weeping and wailing
and gnashing of teeth. There's no praising God down
there today. And this gospel is sent not to the fallen angels
and not to the damned in hell and really not to a lot of your
fellow creatures. There's a lot of places today
where the gospel is not preached, a lot of liberal congregations.
Some of you can attest to that fact. Our Lord said, not many
mighty are called, not many noble, not many wise after the flesh.
There are a lot of places where the gospel, what I've been preaching
to you, is not preached. Can't you feel a thrill in your
soul today that God's in place and he'll do the gospel? He may
take it away some day, because not only is the gospel sent to
you, but the gospel is sent today, and no guarantee of tomorrow.
He said, Boast not thyself of tomorrow. You don't know what
a day will bring forth. Tomorrow may bring you a liberal pastor.
Yours dead. Tomorrow may bring you utter
confusion. Tomorrow you may be turned over
to your own rebellion. and your own rejection, and your
own refusing of Christ, and God give you strong delusions. I
don't know. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted
time. Christ is preached today. Warned
to thee, Bethsaida. Warned to thee, Chorazin. If
the gospel which is preached in you had been preached in Sodom
and Gomorrah, they would have repented. And it would be a lot
easier for Tyre and Sidon in a day of judgment than for you.
You heard it. They didn't. Christ is offered to you now,
now. I do business with the Lord,
I seek the Lord. Salvation is not down here, it's in Christ.
God's not down here, he's in Christ. Righteousness is not
down here, not in the water, it's in Christ. What I do preach
is seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while
he's near, before the cup of God's wrath is filled or overflowing
and your feet slide in his due time. I'd go home. I told some folks the other night,
I preached and a couple of ladies came forward and said they were
lost and wanted me to tell them what to do. I said, I don't know.
I told you everything I know. Salvation is in Christ. I'll
tell you what I'd do. I'd go home and go in my bedroom
and open God's Word and I'd fall on my face, prostrate before
the Lord. I'd say, Lord, I'm lost. I'm a sinner. I'd be like
the old publican. I'd beat upon my breast and mourn
over my sins and cry, Lord, be merciful! Let thy blood be propitiation
for me, the chief of sinners. And I said, I kind of believe
if you ask him, God will show you mercy. I've never known anybody
yet to ask him that didn't get mercy. But I can't give it. And that's what people so often
want to do. They want to do business with me, and I can't say, They
want to do business with me, and I can't give peace. I can
give you a peace, but it won't last. I can give you some assurance,
but it won't last. But I tell you, if you do business
with Christ, and he speaks peace to your heart, it's an eternal
peace. My peace I give unto you, not
as the world give it. The world can't give it, the
religious world or otherwise. He can. If I save you, I'll have
to keep you saved. But if he saves you, he'll keep
you saved. If I save you, I have to give you assurance. But if
he saves you, he'll give you assurance. And if you do business
with me, you get mad at me, you'll quit. And that's what they do. That's what we do. I've seen
folks quit church. They get mad at the preacher.
Well, you say they quit church because they get mad at the preacher.
That's right. It's exactly right. They get mad at one of the deacons,
and they quit. They get mad at one of the elders, Don, and they
quit. And they get mad at the preacher, and they quit. And they don't
do it because that's their religion. But when they're here to worship
God, you can't make them man. Yet they're here to praise God. They didn't get their salvation
from man, they got it from Christ. They met him. He's offered to
you now. How is he offered? Freely! Come
on, he said! Come on, you thirsty! Come to
the water! Free! Buy wine and milk without
money. The gift of God's eternal life.
The preacher, isn't it something I have to do? Yeah, I believe.
But I mean, isn't it something I have to do? Yeah, I receive.
But isn't it something I have to return? Well, it won't be
a gift if you return something, will it? The wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Oh, if you love
him, you'll serve him. If you love him, you'll walk
in his path, you will. Yeah, you will. It's like one
of your mothers. Your little girl got sick, and
they put her in a bed there, and the doctor came, the fever
was 104, 105. And it was midnight. Did you get sleepy? No. Did you
get tired? Did you go to bed? Stayed all
night? All night long. All night long. Labor of love. But that nurse,
you had to pay her. And boy, she watched that watch
ten minutes till seven. Her relief came on duty. And
that baby's temperature still 105, she skied out right out
of the door. She done her duty. She done what they payin' her
to do. That mama's still sittin' there. Still sittin' there. Next
day she's still sittin' there. And she'll sit there till that
fever goes down. She loves that baby. I don't preach on tithing. I don't pass pledge cards out
and don't demand that people witness and don't demand that
people read their Bible, any more than I demand that that
mother take care of that baby. If you have to make her take
care of that baby, she doesn't love it. That's what you pay
that nurse for. You have to pay her. She won't
do it. You have to pay her. You have to scold her and you
have to tell her to do things. But that mama, no sir, she loves
that baby. And I'll tell you, if you ever come to love Christ,
nobody will ever have to beg you to come to church. Nobody
will ever have to beg you to support God's kingdom. Nobody
will ever have to beg you to read the Bible. Nobody will ever
have to beg you to do right. Nobody will ever have to beg
you to love people. No, sir. But isn't it great he's offered
to folks like me and you? And then thirdly, the danger
of refusing Christ. The danger of refusing Christ.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? How shall
we escape? To refuse the gospel is to make
God a liar. He said, if you believe not the
record that God hath given concerning his Son, you've made God a liar. 1 John 5, verse 10. To refuse
Christ is to show contempt for the attributes of God. He's made known in Christ his
righteousness. He's made known in Christ his
justice. He's made known in Christ his wisdom. He's made known in
Christ his mercy and love. Was there a display of the glory
of God in heaven or earth like there at Calvary? Oh, what an
affront to the glory of God when I don't believe it. I stand at
Calvary and I see God was in Christ and all of his justice
and righteousness and holiness and mercy and love is revealed
in that hour. And I stand and look at him,
and I turn and walk away, unmoved, unaffected, unbelieving. God
will smite me with his eternal judgment. I have despised his
grace. I have despised his beloved. I turn my back on his glory. Now, the issue between you and
God is not that you stole a watermelon. That preacher can tell you that
all he wants to. It ain't that you went to the picture show.
That's not your problem. Uh-uh. That goes deeper than
that. A whole lot deeper than that. No use trying that man
for stealing a watermelon. He murdered that baby. And when
you turn and you're unbelieving, and you look, and that preacher
preaches it to you, and you look, there he is. Everything's in
Christ. And you put your hands in your
pockets, and you're chewing gum in your mouth, and you turn indifferently
and walk away. God'll meet you down the road,
fella. You don't get away with that. Kiss the sun. Every knee shall bow, and every
tongue shall confess that he roared. That's what the believer
does. The believer looks and he says
with Thomas, My Lord and my God, I adore thee, I bless thee, I
praise thee. A word to those that would receive
Christ, and I close with this. To receive Christ, the heart
must be emptied of other things. It's not Christ and anything.
All of my self-righteousness has got to be dropped. I receive
Christ with empty hands. I don't add. Christ doesn't come
in and make up what I lack. He's everything. I lack everything. I'm death. He's life. I'm sin.
He's holiness. I'm darkness. He's light. I'm
guilt. He's righteousness. And I would
say this, please don't mistake the means for the end. The doctrine,
the sermon, the prayer and faith and baptism, all these things
bring you to Christ. They're not Christ. They're the
means. Don't stop short of Christ. Many
people do. They're Baptists or Methodists
or Presbyterians or Calvinists or Arminians or Pelagians or
something, or Liberals, Conservatives. They're premillennial or postmillennial. They're absolutist and partial
and all these different things. Don't stop short of Christ. The
doctrine, the prayers, the ordinances, all these things, they're just
means. They're not Christ. And I tell you this, salvation,
now listen to me, and listen good, salvation is a heart work.
It's not a head work, it's a heart work. But you've convinced me.
Well, I haven't done anything. The Holy Spirit must do a heart
work right in here. And you don't believe anything
until you experience it. You don't believe one thing in this
book until you experience it in your heart. That blessed woman
with the issue of blood said, If I can, if I can, but touch
the hem of his garment. And that's my prayer this morning
that you give. Just as sick as she is, but with
a soul sickness. Just as helpless as she was.
Tried all these religions and all these dedications and rededications
and consecrations and baptism, tried everything. She can just
get the hem. Everything is in him. Just get down. Firm as the earth
his gospel stands, my Lord, my hope, my trust. If I am found
in Christ, my soul can never be lost. His honor is engaged
to save the weakest of his sheep. All that the Heavenly Father
gave, his hands securely keep. Nor death nor hell can ever remove
his people from his breast. in that great bosom of his love,
I must forever rest. God give me Christ, or I die. Our Father Thank you for your
presence. Thank you for your spirit. Thank
you, Lord, for a word in this hour. You've spoken to us. You've
taken us to Calvary. You've given us a glimpse of
thy glory in the face of Christ Jesus. Oh, God, that men might
not indifferently walk away. that men might, not in carelessness,
turn their backs on thy greatest glory, bring us to our knees,
bring us to faith in Christ, to look to him, to trust him,
to believe on him.

As Many as Received Him

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As Many as Received Him

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