They Cry Peace When There Is No Peace

Q: What does the Bible say about false prophets?

The Bible warns against false prophets who mislead God's people, as seen in Jeremiah 6:13-14. The Scriptures provide clear warnings against false prophets, particularly in the book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 6:13-14, it states that these prophets are covetous and deal falsely with the people, proclaiming peace when there is no peace, and thus leading them astray. Christ also cautioned against these individuals, describing them as wolves in sheep's clothing in Matthew 7:15. The role of true ministers is to preach the Word faithfully, guiding believers in truth and righteousness, while false prophets exploit their position for personal gain and comfort.

Q: Why is preaching the Word important for Christians?

Preaching the Word is vital because it is through Scripture that God communicates, convicts, and comforts His people. The preaching of the Word is essential for Christians as it is the primary means through which God interacts with His people. As noted in Jeremiah, God deals with His people through His Word, which reveals truth, convicts sinners, and provides comfort. The Apostle Paul emphasized the significance of proclaiming the Word, stating that all Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, and correction (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Without the faithful preaching of God's Word, believers may fall prey to false teachings and lose sight of the truth that brings salvation and growth in faith.

Q: How do we know God's peace is genuine?

God's peace is genuine when it leads to true understanding of one's sin and reliance on Christ for salvation. The true peace of God originates from an understanding of one's sinfulness and the grace provided through Jesus Christ. As highlighted in the sermon, false ministers may offer a false peace, reassuring individuals without addressing their true state of being. True peace comes only after a person has mourned over their sins and recognized their need for Christ. In Romans 5:1, we learn that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace is rooted in a relationship with God that acknowledges our sins and relies fully on His redemptive work.

Q: What is the sin of unbelief?

The sin of unbelief is rejecting the truth of God's Word and His offer of salvation through Christ. Unbelief is a profound sin that separates individuals from experiencing the saving grace of Christ. It is not merely a lack of faith, but an acknowledgment of God’s truth combined with a refusal to accept or trust it. Hebrews 3:12 warns against having an evil heart of unbelief, which can lead one to fall away from the living God. All individuals must confront this sin, recognizing that they cannot merit salvation through their works or merits, but must wholly depend on Jesus' righteousness and His sacrifice for their salvation.

Let me make just a few comments
in introducing this message. First of all, the greatest blessing
that God can give to a people. What is the greatest blessing
that God can give to a people? It is to send them a faithful,
regenerated, Christ-honoring gospel preaching truthful minister
of the gospel. That's the greatest blessing
that God can possibly give to a people. It's good to have a
strong and capable and able president, governor, mayor, city commission. It's wonderful to have godly,
wonderful, dedicated school teachers. But if you ask what is the greatest
blessing that God can give to a people, you would have to say
that it is to send them one of his prophets, to send them one
of his servants, a true faithful minister of the gospel. That
has to be God's greatest gift other than Christ. And the greatest
curse, the greatest curse that can possibly fall on a church,
on a congregation, on a community, on a nation, is for God to permit
them to have to sit under a blind, unregenerate, unfaithful preacher. It has to be the greatest curse
that God can permit to fall on a people. And in every age there
have been these false preachers, these false ministers. Christ
called them wolves in sheep's clothing. These men who give
false hope and false peace to heroes. Let's look at a few verses.
First of all, now you've got your Bible open to Jeremiah 6.
Look just above the 6th chapter, chapter 5, verse 30. Chapter
5, Jeremiah, verse 30. Look at this scripture. A wonderful,
and that's not speaking in the term of blessed, but a wonderful
and unusual and horrible thing is committed in the land. The
prophets prophesy falsely. and the priests bear rule by
their means, and my people love to have it so." What the prophet
Jeremiah is saying here is that there are false prophets gone
out into the land, and they're lying on God, they're not telling
the truth, they're not preaching the Word, they're not true to
the Word of God, and the people like it. An unusual and horrible
thing is happening. Men are standing in the pulpit
who are not preaching the gospel of God's grace, who are not preaching
Christ, who are not being true to the Word of God, and the people
know they're not, and the people like it. And God said that is
unusual, and that's a horrible situation. But didn't our Lord
say that also in the New Testament? Having itching ears, they heap
to themselves teachers. Having itching ears. The people
and the preacher compliment one another. Turn to Jeremiah 23. Let's look over here a moment.
In the twenty-third chapter of Jeremiah, verse 1, Jeremiah 23,
verse 1, "...woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter
the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith
the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people,
you've scattered my flock." You've driven them away, and have not
visited them. Behold, I'll visit upon you the
evil of your doings, saith the Lord. Turn to Matthew chapter
7. In the seventh chapter of Matthew,
verse 15, our Lord said this, Matthew 7, 15, Beware of these
false preachers. They come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Turn to Romans 16. In the 16th chapter of Romans,
verse 17 and 18, the subject is dealt with again. Romans 16,
verse 17 and 18. Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the
doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they are
such, serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly,
and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Turn to 1 Timothy, the fourth
chapter, 1 Timothy 4, verse 1 through 3. Listen to this. Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly that in the latter times Some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines
of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared
with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain
from meat, which God created, hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." Now 2 Peter
chapter 2, verse 1. But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious
ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of, and through," watch this word here now, we're coming to
it, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words
make merchandise of you, their religious hucksters. You're just
so much merchandise, like a man in a hardware store dealing with
hammers and nails and tools, and like a person in a department
store dealing with bolts of cloth. That's all you are to these false
teachers and preachers. You're just so many numbers and
so much merchandise. whose judgment now of a long
time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." In every age there have been
false teachers. And Jeremiah charges them with
several crimes, three to be exact. Jeremiah 6, look at verse 13. Jeremiah says, as Peter does,
that they are given to covetousness. That's their first great crime.
They're given to covetousness. What do they covet? What do these
false prophets and false preachers who do not preach the Word of
God, what do they covet? Well, first of all, they covet
the praise of men. They covet the praise of men.
In John chapter 12, verse 42 and 43, it talks about that. They covet the praise of men.
John 12, Nevertheless, among the chief
rulers also, many believed on him, but because of the Pharisees,
they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the
synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise
of God." That's the first thing. Paul said, if I please men, I'm
not the servant of Christ. I can't please men and please
Christ. And these false preachers covet
the praise of men. And then secondly, they covet
money and possessions. They're interested in money,
they're interested in filthy lucre, they're interested in
the possessions of this world. Peter writes about true ministers
of the gospel and says in 1 Peter 5, verse 2, Feed the flock of
God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly, and not for filthy lucre. Ministers
who are in the ministry for money and for possessions and for material
gain are false prophets. And then they covet titles and
they covet honor. Look at Matthew 23, verse 6 through
10. Matthew 23, verse 6 through 10. Our Lord says they love the uppermost
rooms at the feast and the chief seats in the synagogue. They
love the greetings in the markets. They like to be called of men,
Rabbi, Rabbi, or Master. But be not ye called Rabbi, for
one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. And
call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your Father
which is in heaven. Neither be ye called Masters,
for one is your Master, even Christ. Jeremiah charges these
men with covetousness. They covet the praise of men,
they covet material possessions, they covet money, and they covet
titles, and they covet honors. And then he charges them, in
verse 13, with dealing falsely with the people. He says they
are given to covetousness, and every one of them dealeth falsely. Now, my friends, how does God
deal with His people? He deals with them through the
Word. That's how God deals with His people, through the Word.
He convicts through the Word. He reveals Christ through the
Word. He reveals His glory through the Word. He reveals His purposes,
His covenants through the Word. That's how God deals with people.
Scripture says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by
taking heed to the Word of God. Scripture says, Desire the sincere
milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. The Scripture says,
"...all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God might be mature." The Scripture
says, "...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." Paul said, "...I
have kept back nothing profitable unto you. I have not shunned
to declare unto you the word of God." Paul exhorted young
Timothy, "...preach the word." Now how do these false ministers
deal falsely with the people? They do not preach the Word. It is the Word of God that our
Lord has promised to bless. He said, My Word shall not return
unto me void. It shall accomplish that whereunto
I have sent it. You go to the average church
today, and I say this with tears and a broken heart, not being
critical. You go to the average church
today and the minister will use maybe one verse of Scripture,
at the most two or three. The ministers are not preaching
the Word of God. They're preaching civil rights
and civil wrongs. They're preaching social ills
and social evils. But they're not preaching God's
Word. And they're dealing falsely with the people. That's how they
deal falsely. They do not minister the Word.
The only thing you're going to take away from this service this
morning that will be of any eternal benefit to you is what God says. Not what I say, not what Don
says, what God says. He's promised to bless his word.
And then he charges them with a third crime. He says they're
covetous. They're covetous. They want to
please men because they want the praise of men. They want
money They want material possessions. They want material comfort, physical
comfort. They like titles. They like to
be called reverend. They like to be called father.
They like to be called bishop. They like to be called archbishop.
They like to be called priest. They like to be called doctor.
They want titles. They want the uppermost seats.
They like to be before the people. And they deal falsely with my
people. They have not dealt with them on the word. And then thirdly,
he says, They healed the hurt. They healed the hurt. Verse 14,
they have healed the hurt, crying peace. What does this mean? Let me give you an example. In 1951, when Brother Ralph Barnard
was here in Ashland, preaching under the big tent in Central
Park, I was leading the singing. Barnard was preaching. People
were coming from everywhere. God was blessing. The Holy Spirit
was convicting men of sin. Church members were being saved.
Religious people were confessing their sins and coming to Christ.
God was moving in a mighty way. The first real revival I had
ever been in. And one night after the service,
a young man came down to the front. About 18, 19, 20 years
of age. He'd been a church member since
he was a lad. And he said to Brother Barnard,
weeping, I'm lost. I'm lost. I've never been saved. And Barnard said something to
him about Christ. God saves sinners. If you're
lost, look to Christ. He came to save the lost. Well,
a young friend of his, about the same age, who had surrendered
even to preach, very religious, made a profession of faith when
he was a child, in church all his life, walked up to this young
man under conviction and put his arm across his shoulder and
he said, You're not lost. You're not lost. You're just
disturbed. You're saved. You believe on
Jesus, don't you? Yeah, well you're not lost. You're
just disturbed. And Brother Barnard, wise man
that he was, overheard this conversation and he looked into the eyes of
the young man who was doing the comforting and he said, listen,
the only person who will try to convince a lost man that he's
saved is another lost man. Now you think about that. The
only person that will try to convince a lost man that he's
saved, the only person that will try peace, peace to a human being
in trouble and under God's convicting power is a man who does not have
peace himself. He's lost. And that's what he's
saying right here. These false preachers They come
to the people, and the word of God, if the word of God ever
gets to the people, it troubles them. And these false preachers
pour oil on that troubled water. If the word of God and the Holy
Spirit and the gospel ever gets to a religious sinner, a religious
lost person, it'll trouble him. He'll lie on his bed at night
and weep and cry. His sins will trouble him. His
sins will bother him. They will grieve him. They will
cause him to mourn. And he comes to the preacher,
and the preacher says, You're not lost. You believe in Jesus,
don't you? Yes, I believe in him. Do you
believe the Bible? Yes, I believe the Bible. Do you believe in
heaven? Yes, I believe in heaven. Are you doing the best you can?
Well, I'm trying. You're attending church, aren't
you? Yes, you're a deacon down at our church. Yes, I'm a deacon.
Are you a Sunday school teacher? Yes, sir. I've been teaching
Sunday school. Are you singing in the choir?
You're not lost. Peace. Peace. They have healed
the hurt. All men desire peace, and they're
either going to receive it from God or from me, and I'm not going
to give it to them. Only the Holy Spirit can give
real peace. Christ said, My peace I give
unto you. You come to me. I'll give you
peace. The preacher can't give peace.
Sunday school teacher can't give peace. The preacher is a preacher. He's not a comforter. He's a
preacher. Paul said, I'm free from the
blood of all men. I'm pure from the blood of all
men. I have not ceased to what? Warn you. Warn you. The preacher cannot give peace. If you go to a preacher and say,
I want to tell you my experience, and you tell me whether or not
I'm saved, My friend, the only one who can
give you assurance is God Almighty, through His Holy Spirit, using
His Word. And if you find assurance, if
you find confidence, if you find peace anywhere else, it's a false
peace. Oh yes, they're covetous, they're
filled with covetousness. They're looking for a bigger
church. They're looking for a finer parsonage. They're looking for
a bigger salary. They're looking for a finer car.
They're looking for the praise of men. They're looking for the
adoration of the multitude. They're looking for titles and
credentials and education and honor and the uppermost seats.
And they've withheld the Word of God. They've dared not preach
it. And when people get disturbed under the gospel, under the Word
of God, they say, now, you're all right. You never come to
prayer meeting, but you're all right. You never read the Word
of God, but you're all right. You don't love your brother,
but you're all right. You hate nationalities and races,
but you're all right. You don't love the gospel, but
you're all right. You have no heart that pants
after holiness, but you're all right. Everybody's all right
in this day. Peace. Peace. There's no peace,
but the preachers are crying peace. I want to show you from
the Scriptures God's way of giving peace. I want to show you, I
said the preacher can't speak peace, only the Holy Spirit can,
and I'm going to show you how the Holy Spirit speaks peace
to the sinner's heart. Now I take for granted that you
know that a work of grace is a work in the heart. And secondly,
I take for granted that you know that God by no means confines
himself to one way of dealing with a sinner. There are degrees
of conviction, there are degrees of repentance, there are degrees
of faith, there are degrees of revelation. But before any man
can speak peace, peace, it is well with my soul. I am at peace
with God. My heart condemns me not. Before any man can speak peace
to his heart, he must, he must be made to feel and to see and
to acknowledge and to weep over his sins. A man that's never
been lost has never been found. Now the law of God demands perfect
obedience. In every jot and tittle, the
law of God demands that we do not some things, but all things. It says, Cursed is everyone that
continueth not in all things that are written in the law to
do them. We are not to obey in deed only, but in thought, in
attitude, in motive, in imagination, in word. And whosoever shall
keep the whole law of God and offend in one point, He's guilty
of the whole law. Have you ever, or do you now
feel that you are a guilty sinner? Have you ever seen your wicked
heart? Have you ever been made to honestly
grieve over and weep over and mourn over your sins? S-I-N-S,
sins. Have you ever been where David
was when he said, Oh God, my sins are ever before me? Have
you ever been where Job was when he cried, O God, I hate myself? Have you ever been where Isaiah
was when he cried, O woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips? Have
you ever been where Paul was when he cried, O wretched man
that I am, O wretched ungodly man that I am, who shall deliver
me from this body of death? I say that no man will ever be
able to speak peace to his heart if he's never been made to mourn
over, to weep over, to grieve over, and to acknowledge before
God that he's a sinner. And to acknowledge that if God
sent him to hell, he'd get just exactly what he deserved. Do
you believe that? If you've never seen that, I
guarantee you one thing, you better quit saying peace, because
there's no peace. There's no mercy except for guilty
people. That's what the Bible says. Our
Lord Jesus Christ said, I came to seek and to save the lost.
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Christ
died for the ungodly. I know who he died for. He died
for the ungodly. That's who he died for. I know
why he came into the world. He came into the world to save
sinners, and he demonstrated it and was here on this earth.
That bunch of religious, goody-goody, high-pious, holier-than-thou
bunch up in the church, they said, look at him, he's going
to be the guest of a man that's a sinner. What in the world is
he doing running around with that fellow? And that proud Pharisee sitting
up there in his seat of honor, The right reverend Dr. Sound
and Brash looked down where that harlot was washing his feet and
drying them with a hair of her head. He said, now that fellow
was a prophet. He'd know that woman was a sinner. He knew she
was a sinner, but he loved sinners. And he came to save sinners.
And that's the people for whom he died. And that was one of
his sheep down there washing his feet. Have you ever been
there? Secondly, quickly, before any
man can speak peace, peace to his heart, he's got to feel his
sins. And secondly, he's got to feel,
and he will feel, and God will reveal it to him, the foundation
of all sin. You know what it is? It's original
sin. A man who truly repents, repents
not only for what he's done, but for what he is. Think with
me now. If any man say he hath no sins, he has not sinned. If any man
say that he has no sin, S-I-N, he's deceived and the truth's
not in him. Look at the world about you.
The storms, the floods, what we call catastrophes, the ice
and sleet and snow, the earthquake just wiped out 7,000 people.
The dead grass out there, and the dead trees, and the thorns,
and the weeds that eat your garden up, the rocks, and the droughts,
and the wild beasts, and the insects, and the mosquitoes,
and the ants, and the disease, and the suffering, and the sorrow.
It wasn't created that way. That's not the way God made this
world. What happened? Something happened. Turn to Genesis 3, and I'll show
you what happened. Genesis chapter 3. Listen to
this. Genesis 3, 17. And if you've
never seen this, you look at it, and you get your Berkeley
translation or Amplified translation or some other translation that
makes a few verses a little clearer than the King James. And you
read this. In Genesis 3, 17, and God said to Adam, Because
you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, and you have eaten
of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not
eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you." Because of you. Cursed is the ground. What happened
to this world? Man fell. That's what happened
to this world. And when man fell, the beautiful
Garden of God was turned into a wilderness, into a desert. Look at man, look at your body.
Some of you are getting old, I'm getting old. We're weak,
we smile about it, but let's face it, Men are born emotionally,
spiritually, mentally diseased. There's a disease that's eating
away at every one of us. We're the dead and the dying.
We're the old and the infirm. Adam was perfect. But here I
am, and in a few more years, I'm going to be a dead and dying
man. What happened? Something happened back down
in the garden. that had an effect on this world. Something happened
in the garden that had an effect on my body. I'm susceptible to
colds and fever and disease and someday my body is going to die
and go back to the dust. What happened? Happened back
here in the garden. All right, look in your heart.
Take the most godly man here, the most godly woman here, the
one that wants to serve God and to know Christ. And if you'll
be honest, I ask you this morning, do you always do the things that
you would do? No, sir. Do you always do not
the things that you would not do? No, sir. What's wrong with
you? What happened to you? Why is
it that men love darkness and hate light? Wasn't that way in
the beginning? Why is it that the bitter is
sweet and the sweet's bitter? Why is it that stolen fruits
are precious? Why is it? What happened? I'll
tell you what happened. Something happened back yonder
that affected this world and that affected our bodies and
that affected our minds and our emotions and our affections and
our will that twisted us and warped us. You see babies born
into this world with club feet and with enlarged heads and with
eyes crossed and with brains damaged. What happened? Back
on the Garden of Eden, man rebelled against God, and when he did,
death and judgment and condemnation came upon all flesh. And brother, I tell you, before
a man can speak peace to his heart, he's going to go back
there in his mind and in his thoughts, and he's going to identify
himself with that catastrophe, and he'll say, I was shapen in
iniquity, I was conceived in sin, I was brought forth speaking
lies. God don't only do something for
my hands, do something for my heart, don't only do something
for my feet, do something for my will, don't only do something
for my outward flesh, but do something for my inward emotions. I got to be straightened out
on the inside. And you're not going to speak
peace to your heart until God Almighty reveals to you that
you have sinned and that you also are a sinner. And then thirdly, and you get
a good grip on that pew you're sitting on because this is going
to knock you out on the floor if you don't get a real good
grip, but it's so, I challenge any human being to question this
statement. before any man can speak peace
to his heart. I'm not talking about peace in
the eyes of this world. There's a peace the world giveth.
It's temporary. It's phony. These false preachers
here, they said peace, they healed the hurt, but it wasn't a permanent
healing. It's a temporary thing. They
poured a little balm there in the wound and it rotted on the
inside and they finally died from it. But it's just like giving
Novocain when a man has pain. You don't do a thing in the world
about the source of pain. You just make him comfortable.
And that's what you do when you give false assurance to a convicted
sinner. You make him comfortable for
a little while, but you don't do anything about his cancer.
Before a man can speak peace to his heart, he's not only got
to see his sin and his sins, but he's going to have to realize
that even his best duties and his best performances, religious
and otherwise, are evil in the sight of God. Now the Word of God deals with
our hatred, doesn't it? We know that. The Word of God
deals with our malice. The Word of God deals with our
lust. The Word of God deals with our envy and our blasphemy. The
Word of God deals with our actions. And when the Word of God shows
us these things, what do we do? But I do the same thing Adam
did. When we discover our nakedness, we run right quick and make us
an apron. And we make that apron out of
our good deeds and our good works, and our fig leaf aprons of righteousness
are carefully woven to balance the account. That's what Adam
did. When he saw he was naked, he ran and he made him a fig
leaf apron and hid behind it. A real knowledge of God's holiness
will expose my so-called holiness. A real knowledge of God's law
will reveal to me that God can justly damn me for the best prayer
I ever prayed. Isaiah 64 verse 6 says this, We all do fade as the leaf. Our
iniquities have driven us away. Our righteousness is our filthy
rags. When our Lord came to the earth,
these religious Pharisees were moral men. They were so-called
righteous men. They were religious men. They
were serving, they said, God. And our Lord said, if your righteousness
doesn't exceed theirs, you're not going to enter the kingdom
of God. Brethren, I never preach but that I sin. I never pray
without sin. I never help a beggar. I never
help a lame man unless I sin. Did you know that? Our best duties
are nothing but splendid sins. That's what this book says. For
it declares, in the flesh no man can please God. The Bible declares, whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. Now you tell me that you have
perfect faith, I tell you, you don't. And whatsoever is not
of faith, absolute faith, perfect faith, confident faith, it's
sin. Even my repentance needs to be
repented of. Even my tears need to be washed
in the blood of Jesus Christ. I must worship, but I wish I
could worship God like He deserves to be worshipped. Don't you?
Come on now. You've been here this morning. This is the hour
of worship. Have you worshipped God in a way that is fitting
for God to be worshipped? I haven't. I wish I could. Under
God I wish I could. I wish I could praise him like
the angels praise him. I wish I could praise him like
the cherubims and seraphims praise him. But I'm flesh, and this
little bit of praise I try to give him, and this little attitude
of worship I try to cultivate. If it wasn't for Christ, God
would send me to hell for the way that I've acted right here
in this building. That's right. People don't see that. I know
they don't see that. You can't make a blind man see
anything. You can't make a deaf man appreciate a concert either.
But it's so. Whether we appreciate it or whether
we believe it, it's so. Can you pray? Let me ask you
this. We had a little prayer this morning. Did you talk to God? Was it a
godly prayer? Was it that sweet third heaven
communion with the living God? Was it a prayer that was totally
empty of self? Empty of self. No self in it.
No human glory in it. No flesh in it, huh? Well, I
can't say that. Then you sinned. Then you sinned. You gave your offering this morning.
Was it given cheerfully, hilariously? Was it a sacrificial gift? Did
you take from yourself something that you needed and gave it to
someone else who needed it more? Well, I can't hardly say that.
Well, you sinned. Do you really love my children as
much as you love yours? We've come here in a fellowship
of love. This is a fellowship of love.
Love the brethren. Greet one another with a holy
kiss. Well, I can't say that. I'm wrapped up in my own. Then
you sin. Then you sin. And I say a man
can never speak peace to his heart until he's been made to
mourn over and to weep over his adultery, but also his worship. He's been made to weep over and
to mourn over his thoughts of sin, but not only that, Weep
over his prayer. God, I wish I could pray. I wish
I could worship. I wish I could be alone with
God. Don't you? Or we'd play church. One for
Christ, God would send us to hell for every song we sing,
every sermon we preach, and every prayer we pray. That's the reason
we need Him. He makes it holy. He makes it
holy. Oh, ye of little faith. You say
you believe. Christ said you could move that
mountain if you really believe. Fourthly, quickly, before any
man can speak peace to his heart, he's got to be troubled over
one particular sin. One particular sin. You know
what it is? It's the sin of unbelief. He
that believeth not on the Son shall not see life. They could
not enter in, not because they danced around that cave. They
could not enter in, not because they murmured against the light
bread. They could not enter in because
of unbelief. Take heed, brethren. Paul said,
brethren, lest there be found in you an evil heart of unbelief. Oh, there's a type of faith that
most men have. James called it the faith of
devils. Don't mistake an historical faith for true faith. It's not.
You believe there's one God? The devil believes there's one
God. John called it a faith in miracles or a faith in the supernatural. Many believed on him because
of the miracles they saw. But listen to me now. Saving
faith is a confidence and a committal and an experience and a union
with Christ wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit that brings
a man to love Christ, to live for Christ, to receive Christ
for the glory of God, and it's evidenced by his acting on that
faith. Let me ask you this. How long
have you believed in Jesus Christ? Well, preacher, I've always believed
on Jesus Christ. I've always believed in him.
That's not so. You've had all your life a historical
faith, the faith of devils. All your life you have believed
there's a person called Christ who did what mother and daddy
and the Sunday school teacher and the preacher and the Bible
said he did. But all who believe on Christ know there's a time
when they didn't believe on Christ. All who have trusted Him and
received Him and believed on Him and committed themselves
to Him, they know there was a time they didn't trust Him. They knew
He was such a person, but they didn't trust Him. They knew that
such a person existed, but they didn't receive him. See what
I'm saying? How long have you loved God? Well, I can't remember ever not
loving God. Then you never have loved God.
Everybody who loves God knows there's a time when he loved
himself and not God. When he sought his own will and
not God's. When he couldn't say, though
he slay me, I'll trust him. It was a time he didn't love
God. How long have you believed the Bible? Well, I've always believed the
Bible. That's not so. All who believe the Bible know
there was a time when they came to realize that they didn't really
believe the Bible, that the Bible spoke against them, that the
Bible condemned them, that the Bible condemned their ways and
their thoughts and their attitude, and it made them angry. That's right. Before a man can speak peace
to his heart, that man has got to be convicted of the sin of
unbelief. Unbelief. And last of all, and
I close with this, before a man can speak peace to his heart,
he's got to savingly lay hold on Jesus Christ, His righteousness
and His sacrifice, personally, intelligently, willingly, lovingly,
continually. Now listen to the scripture,
come unto me, I'll give you rest. There's rest provided, but I must come to him to receive
it. You know what it says? To as many as received him, to
them gave he the right to become the children of God. Oh, there's
some folks going to be children of God, but I've got to receive
him. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
come to the water, and out of your belly shall flow rivers
of living water, and you shall never thirst." Rivers of living
water provided. But I've got to come. I've got
to lay hold on Christ. I've got to reach out. Romans
2.22 says there's a righteousness God provided, God applied, God
accepted, a righteousness of God. I want it. Where is it? It's for all who believe on Jesus. There's a justification whereby
God can be just and justify the ungodly. It's provided. God provided. But who's it for? All who believe
on Jesus. Have you believed? Have you reached
out? Have you received Him? I like what the centurion said.
This boy was sick, cast about on the ground with epilepsy.
He thought dying. He asked the Lord to heal him.
He said, Lord, can you do anything for him? And the Lord said, Yeah. Yeah, I can. All things are possible
to them that believe. Do you believe? And that man
cried, O Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Come on now,
friend, let's quit playing church. Let's quit trying to act religious.
Let's quit trying to act like we're going to heaven in order
to appease people and influence people and impress
people. Let's quit trying to act religious
and let's get down here between me and God now and let's face
the issue. I'm not going to say peace, peace
for myself when there is no peace. I'm not going to say it for you.
And I'm not going to say it to the people to whom I preach.
I'm going to let God say it. And the only way God will say
it, and I assure you of this, and you think it over, no man
is going to speak peace to his heart who has not acknowledged
his sins. And no man is going to speak
peace to his heart who has not faced the start of sin, the origin
of sin, the beginning of sin, the source of sin, original sin,
the nature of sin. Why am I like I am? I fail. Why do I think like a thing?
Born a sinner. No man's going to speak peace
to his heart who's trying to appease God with his good deeds.
Who's running around acting religious and believing he's balancing
the account. Who's running around trying to show off his piety
to appease his heart. You better find out your prayers
are full of sin. Your confessions are full of
sin, your tears are full of sin, your religion's full of sin,
your worship falls so far short of spiritual worship that God
could send you to hell for coming into his presence with a strange
thought. That's right. And we're going
to be persuaded of unbelief. God help my unbelief. I wish
I had faith, don't you? I mean real faith. I believe
Christ died for my sin. I rest in Him, but boy, I'd like
to have the faith of, that God commended that sorrowful Phoenician
woman for, great is thy faith. And no man's gonna speak peace
to his heart till he lays hold on Christ. Sink or swim, I go
to.

They Cry Peace When There Is No Peace

What does the Bible say about false prophets?

Why is preaching the Word important for Christians?

How do we know God's peace is genuine?

What is the sin of unbelief?

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About Henry Mahan

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They Cry Peace When There Is No Peace

What does the Bible say about false prophets?

Why is preaching the Word important for Christians?

How do we know God's peace is genuine?

What is the sin of unbelief?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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