Genuí Regeneració
Anem a obrir les nostres Bíblies en el llibre de Ezequiel capítol 36.
Abans de llegir el nostre text, anirem al Senyor en la pregària.
Pare, et lloem per la teva bondat, el vostre amor envers nosaltres. Les teves misericòrdies són noves cada matí. Vostè ha pres tots els nostres pecats i els va posar en la mesura de vostè com és l'Orient d'Occident. Vostè ha fet grans coses en el teu Fill que va morir i va ressuscitar d'entre els morts, a través del seu Esperit, que fa que els morts vius i ens fa cridar: «Abba, Pare", per estimar-te, per tenir una passió per les coses que són importants per a vostè. Pare, et necessitem, la teva força, la teva gràcia, el teu poder, la teva misericòrdia. A part del vostre Fill no podem fer res. Pare, jo no tinc un mànec amb vostès per coaccionar o manipular vostè, però li demano al nom del vostre Fill i per la seva glòria i honor que funcionaria entre nosaltres, que donaria instruccions a la seva gent perquè comprenguessin la seva obres i veure que ells són perfectes i en tu no hi ha culpa, que creixerien i serien tot el que els deuen. Pare, doneu-nos la saviesa perquè sigui inherent a vostè i qualsevol saviesa que tenim prové de vostè. Així que amb fe i esperança li demanem saviesa per conèixer la teva Escriptures i que la teva veritat s'aplicaria als nostres cors. Pare, ens ajudi i ens va ajudar a ser. Canviar nosaltres i nosaltres serem transformats. En el nom de Jesús. Amén.
Abans d'anar al nostre text que voleu resumir algunes de les coses que han passat pel que va de setmana. En primer lloc, vam començar a lluitar amb l'evidència de la veritable conversió. Vivim en una època on tothom en el cristianisme als Estats Units creu que es va salvar perquè una vegada a la vida van resar una oració i li va preguntar a Jesús a entrar en el seu cor.
Sabem que els homes són salvats pel penediment i la fe i el que fa que invocarà el nom del Senyor serà llevat. Però la salvació és una obra sobrenatural de Déu que sempre va a produir fruit. I els elements de prova, no la causa, però l'evidència de la salvació és un canvi de vida, un canvi de vida. Jesús va deixar això molt clar en Mateu capítol set, quan va dir: "Tu els coneixereu pels seus fruits." Vegeu Mateu 07:16
Pau va ser clar quan va dir: "Prova de vosaltres mateixos, Examínense per veure si està o no en la fe." 2 No hi ha tal cosa com un cristià carnal contínuament. No cristians pecat? Sí, absolutament. Però poden els cristians viuen en un estat de pecat sense disciplina i sense ser portat de tornada a l'obediència al seu Pare? Per descomptat que no. Les persones salvades per prendre una decisió? Sí, hem de prendre una decisió de la voluntat. Hem de penedir. Hem de creure. Però, com ho fem? Ho fem pel poder de Déu i l'obra de l'Esperit Sant, que regenera el cor i ens fa capaços de penedir i creure. Perquè fins i tot el penediment i la fe són dons de Déu. Són obres de la seva gràcia. Però tenim un problema avui en dia. Durant dècades en aquest país hem sentit evangelistes ens diuen sobre l'hora de la decisió i la necessitat de prendre una decisió. I així la majoria de la gent d'avui confien en una decisió i la sinceritat del seu cor quan ho va fer.
Per exemple, si li preguntes a algú, "Ets cristià? Es va al cel? "Molts diuen:" Sí ". Quan se'ls pregunta per què dirà alguna cosa com," vaig fer la meva decisió. Vaig resar la meva pregària. "Estan esperant en una resolució, la sinceritat d'una decisió en lloc de buscar a Crist. Com ens va salvar? No simplement de prendre una decisió o fer una oració. Som estalvis per mirar Crist. Hem passat revista a nosaltres mateixos a la llum de la Paraula de Déu i ens adonem que no podem salvar-nos a nosaltres mateixos, ni podem ajudar a que Déu ens guardi. Ens penedim i plorar perquè no hi ha res en nosaltres de la virtut i el mèrit que la causa de Déu per a nosaltres acceptar abans del seu tron. Però no es queden en la desesperació perquè el mateix Esperit Sant que ens convenç de pecat també ens revela la glòria de Déu en el rostre de Crist, la salvació de Déu en Crist. I pel que busquem a Crist i creiem. Nosaltres confiem en Crist. Com l'escriptor antic himne diu: "Res a les mans porto, simplement a la creu m'aferro." I arribem a fer aquesta declaració fundacional que sóc excepte per una raó i una sola raó, que Jesucrist vessà la seva sang per la meva ànima. Espero que no en les obres. Espero que no en l'ètica. Espero que no en els baptismes o membre de l'església. Espero que en Crist només. I ens vam anar a la nit del passat i hem parlat una mica de l'evangeli, l'evangeli de Jesucrist. Als Estats Units avui l'evangeli de Jesucrist, l'evangeli del nostre beneït Déu, com Pau va dir a Timoteu-s'ha reduït a res més que quatre lleis espirituals o cinc coses que Déu vol que vostè sàpiga.
Li demanem a una persona si és un pecador, si saben que ets pecador. Si ells diuen: "Sí," els preguntem si volen anar al cel. Si ells diuen: "Sí," els preguntem si els agradaria fer una oració. Resen l'oració. Els demanem de la seva sinceritat. No estan segurs, però els assegurem que es guarden.
Veure 2 Corintis 13:05
Però, ja veus, el fet que heu d'entendre és: Vostè pregunta a un home, "Saps que ets pecador." Si ell diu: "Sí," no vol dir absolutament res. El diable sap que ell és un pecador.
La pregunta no és: ¿Sap vostè és un pecador? La pregunta és la següent: Ja que vostè ha escoltat la predicació de l'evangeli ha treballat en Déu per al seu cor que el pecat que un cop et vaig estimar ara odi? I la pregunta no és: Vols anar al cel? Tothom vol anar al cel. Ells simplement no volen a Déu per ser-hi quan arribin allà. La pregunta és: El Déu que ha ignorat i viscut fora i estat insensible per-la-i fins i tot el llenguatge de les Escriptures és la següent: el Déu que ha odiat, faràs ara estima ell, li desitjo, desitja el busquen? Ha treballat per a Déu en el teu cor que ha estat de gran valor per a vostè? I llavors la pregunta no és: Vols fer una pregària i demanar-li a Jesucrist que entri en el teu cor?
Sap vostè no hi ha cap lloc en el Nou Testament, on aquest idioma s'utilitza? Absolutament res. I la gent diu: "Ara, espereu un minut. Què hi ha de Apocalipsi capítol tres el verset 20? "Bé, i què? Ell no està trucant a la porta del cor d'un pecador. Ell està trucant a la porta d'una església. I algú diu: "Bé, li vaig dir a un evangelista que fa molt de temps i em va dir: 'Jo sé que no és el context, però funciona." "El que passa és que no se'ls permet utilitzar les Escriptures perquè funciona. No estem cridats a ser pragmàtics. Estem cridats a ser els teòlegs. Fem alguna cosa perquè no funciona, però perquè és veritat. Els homes són salvats per penedir dels seus pecats i creure en l'evangeli. Poden els homes ... són homes salvats per invocar el nom del Senyor? És clar que sí. Però hi ha una gran diferència entre algú invocant el nom del Senyor amb el penediment i la fe i algú més que repetir l'oració d'un evangelista.
I encara que, com predicadors tenim l'autoritat per ensenyar l'evangeli i tenim l'autoritat per dir als homes el que les Escriptures diuen sobre assegurament de la Bíblia, no tenim l'autoritat per dir als homes que es guarden. Aquesta és l'obra de l'Esperit Sant. I després vam anar a parlar una mica sobre la creu. Comencem amb la gran declaració contra els homes que tots hem pecat. Per descomptat, una altra vegada, això no vol dir res en una cultura que beu la iniquitat avall com si fos aigua. I així, una de les tasques del predicador no és només per dir que la humanitat ha pecat, però explicar-los la naturalesa atroç del pecat perquè l'Esperit Sant per mitjà de la Paraula de Déu els convencerà de la naturalesa atroç del pecat. I es produeixen en ells una cosa que Joel Olstead mai voldria que algú se senti, l'odi mateix.
Part de penediment en l'Antic Testament i és nou, "Em odi a mi mateix. Ai, desgraciat que jo sóc el que em lliurarà d'aquest cos de mort? "3 És puguin enfrontar-se a la realitat de la lletjor del pecat i de la realitat que la lletjor que ens va fer al seu torn a Crist. Ja veus, de vegades com una il.lustració que es tregui un parell de claus i vaig a sonar a la trona. I demano a la gent. Això et porten alegria? I la majoria diu, bé, és clar que no "."
I jo dic: "Bé, no li porta alegria, perquè no està tancat en una presó. Si estàs tancat en una presó el so de les claus dringuen t'anava a portar almenys una espurna d'alegria i esperança. "És la mateixa manera. Una de les raons per les que Crist no és veritablement preciós per als homes és perquè els predicadors no estan dient als homes sobre la seva pecat, no dir-los que estan condemnats en ella, no els està dient que Déu és sant, Déu és just. A Amèrica Déu s'assembla més a Santa Claus que Jahvè de la Bíblia , que el Déu de l'Escriptura. Una de les grans declaracions que CS Lewis va escriure alguna vegada, es troba en les Cròniques de Nàrnia
i és aquesta. "No és un lleó domesticat. No és un Déu domesticats.
Ell és Déu i ell és gloriós i terrible. I no pots tenir un sense l'altre. "Així que tots els homes han pecat i estan destituïts de la glòria de God.4 Això no vol dir que Déu tenia un pla meravellós per a la teva vida i que va fallar. Vol dir això. Vostè va ser creat per un cap gloriós i que és el glorifiquen. Però la Bíblia diu: "Tot i que coneixien a Déu, no l'honor com Déu ni li van donar gràcies. "5 Tots han pecat, però els homes són justificats. És a dir, que hagin estat declarats legalment recte davant de Déu d'una sola manera, a través de la fe en Jesucrist. Però quan diem que Jesucrist salva els homes o que els homes es pot justificar que s'enfronten a un terrible problema. És el major problema en totes les Escriptures i és aquesta. Com pot un Déu just perdoneu als homes viciosos, i continua sent just? Vostè veu, que és el major problema en l'Escriptura. Si Déu és just que no et puc perdonar de la mateixa manera que si un dels nostres jutges a la terra i deixar que simplement perdonar assassins anar en nom de l'amor que li han llançat des de la banqueta. Diríem que era un home dolent, que no era just. Vegeu, el problema més gran de tota l'Escriptura és que si Déu és just i ens sentim molt dolents com diu l'Escriptura, llavors no ens pot perdonar a menys que, per descomptat, un sacrifici que es faci, i no només el sacrifici, sinó un sacrifici de valor infinit. Per tal de ser llevat Déu s'ha de convertir en un home. I com un home caminar sobre aquesta terra com un home perfecte. I llavors, d'acord amb el pla seu destí de Déu, ell ha d'anar a un arbre i en aquest arbre que porta el pecat del seu poble. Ell porta la maledicció d'ells. I en aquest arbre es mor i no hi ha dos aspectes importants d'aquesta mort. Mor abandonat i desemparat de Déu. Tu i jo hauria de morir abandonat de Déu, abandonat a causa del nostre pecat. La seva cara de disgust va tornar
en contra de nosaltres.
Aquesta és la forma en què havia de morir. Però per ser salvats de
que la mort i que la mort eterna del Fill de Déu va morir en el nostre lloc. Com John Gill solia dir, "va morir al nostre lloc la llei, es va posar en el nostre lloc la llei portant els nostres pecats i va morir abandonat pel seu Pare." Mai compri en la idea romàntica que el Pare es va apartar del seu Fill a la creu perquè simplement van veure el patiment Fill i no podia suportar veure-ho. Això no és el
Jesús diu. Jesús diu: "Déu meu, Déu meu, per què m'has abandonat?" Déu és sant. Els seus ulls són massa purs per mirar sobre el pecat. El seu sant Fill en aquest moment va portar els nostres pecats i el Pare li va donar l'esquena. Però això no és tot. Per la justícia de Déu que han de complir el seu parer va haver de ser vessada. La seva ira, el seu odi sant contra el mal havia de ser esgotat, extingit i no hi havia una sola manera. En aquest arbre Jesucrist, el Fill de Déu, va beure la copa de la ira de Déu. Tots els furiosos, santa, justa ira, violenta ira d'un Déu just que hauria d'haver caigut sobre el seu poble, van caure sobre el seu Fill.
En Isaïes diu: "Es complau el Senyor, va voler el Senyor va voler triturar, per aixafar el seu Fill únic." I en l'aixafament d'ell, a vessar la seva ira sobre ell la justícia de Déu s'ha complert, la ira de Déu es va apaivagar i ara Déu pot perdonar els mals i els anomenen justos perquè el seu fill ha mort per tots. Moltes vegades anem a llegir la història d'Isaac i Abraham pujar a la muntanya i Abraham és cridat a sacrificar el seu únic fill. Tots vostès coneixen la història. L'home les relacions del seu fill a un feix de vares, fa un altar. Ell posa la seva mà sobre el front del seu fill i es redueix amb tota la força del seu poder amb el ganivet de pedrenyal que li massacre. Però com l'home es va donar pas a la voluntat de Déu que la seva mà estava dormit per Déu. I et aplaudeixo. Que bonic final a la història. Però vostè no entén. No era el final de la història. Era l'intermedi. Centenars d'anys després el Fill de Déu està a l'altar i Déu pren el ganivet de la mà d'Abraham i Déu posa la seva mà en el seu unigènit Fill, i empeny el ganivet i mata a ell. Es complau el Senyor per aixafar
ell.
És per això que hi ha molt més significat que el que pensa en Joan 3:16 quan diu: "Perquè tant va estimar Déu al món ..." 9 Ves a algú havia de morir sota la ira de Déu. Era el Fill de Déu qui ho va fer. Era el Fill de Déu qui ho va fer. Havent mort que va fer possible que un Déu just per declarar els malvats justos i tot i així ser just. Ara bé, Déu fa una crida a tots els homes, mana a tots els homes, totes les persones de cada lloc de penedir i creure en l'evangeli. Jesús mateix ho va dir, "El temps és complert, el regne de
Déu és a prop. Ara es penedeixen i creuen l'evangeli. "
Però hem pres que "penedir i creure," com ja he dit, i ho hem convertit en una mera decisió intel lectual, un ritual que la gent diminuta participar polz I si hi participen els diem popishly que es guarden . I això està malament, molt malament. Cal comprendre. La comunitat evangèlica als Estats Units és molt malament. Ara diu: "Ara, el germà de Pau, com pots dir això? Em refereixo al que està en tu l'arrogància que a vostè li estan allà i dir que està malament? "
Bé, una vegada més, permetin-me fer referència a un principi de la hermenèutica, un principi de la ciència d'estudiar la Bíblia . Estem sempre a fer la nostra teologia en el context de l'Església. Això vol dir que quan s'interpreta la Bíblia que hem de prendre la nostra interpretació i caminar a través de 2000 anys d'història cristiana. Si ningú està d'acord amb nosaltres és probable que estiguem equivocats. Bé, si vostè pren el cristianisme modern americà i es compara amb 2000 anys d'història cristiana no es troba tan d'acord entre tots dos. Hem desenvolupat la nostra pròpia petita believism fàcil instantània manera americana de la cristiandat.
-Però, germà Pau, vostè ha dit que som estalvis per la fe. "Sí, som estalvis per fe i no de les obres, ningú pot presumir, 11, però el que heu d'entendre és que la persona que es salva per la fe és també la persona que ha nascut de nou. Ara aquí li agrada el problema. Nascut de nou als Estats Units ... tothom neix de nou. Ells donen les enquestes sobre "És vostè nascut de nou?" Seixanta-cinc per cent de les persones als Estats Units diuen que han nascut de nou. Però que em expliqui el que és néixer de nou? Què significa?
Et diré el que significa. S'ha reduït a això. Vaig prendre una decisió. Vaig resar una oració. Ja saps, jo vaig passar molts anys de la meva vida a Amèrica del Sud, on gairebé tot el món a Amèrica del Sud creu que són estalvis i bé amb Déu, perquè quan eren nens van ser batejats. Ells són estalvis. Poden ser un mafiós, una persona de la màfia. Poden ser un lladre. Poden ser qualsevol cosa però es salven perquè una vegada a la vida quan era un nen que van ser batejats. I pel que es guarden. El sacerdot ho diu.
Ara els evangèlics als Estats Units que burlar i riure i dir: "Això és tan dolent, que no està bé. Només perquè algú és batejat com un infant no fa els va salvar. "Però no podem veure el que fem absolutament el mateix només perquè algú va fer una oració una vegada durant cinc minuts els diem que es guarden. I fins i tot si després es viuen com el diable cada dia de la seva vida, encara els asseguro que són estalvis perquè una vegada que va fer una oració. Que no es troba en les Escriptures ni es troba en la història cristiana.
Veure Efesis 2:09
Som estalvis per la fe? Sí El Déu que ens salva també a mantenir? Sí Però, què significa ser nascut de nou? Nascut de nou també pot significar néixer de nou. I pel que fa al següent. Que la salvació és més que una simple decisió humana o un acte de la voluntat humana. La salvació és una obra sobrenatural de Déu pel qual es regenera o fa que el cor viu. Com veurem en un moment en que treu un cor fred de la pedra morta i el reemplaça amb un cor viu. "Si algú està en Crist, nova criatura és." 12 Això no és poesia. Aquesta declaració es va fer bella només perquè poguéssim escriure en alguna quincalla cristiana i penjar-lo a casa nostra. És una veritat. Si qualsevol home, no a alguns homes, però si algun home veritablement ser cristià és una criatura nova, perquè Déu ha canviat radicalment la seva naturalesa. Néixer de nou o la idea de néixer de nou és una obra sobrenatural de l'Esperit de Déu.
Vostè entén que en Gènesi capítol un, veiem que en la creació l'Esperit plana sobre. Com dirien alguns, jo no estaria d'acord en gran part, però plana sobre el caos. L'Esperit no és un instrument en la creació del món. Però l'Esperit és també l'instrument en la recreació d'un home. I jo de peu en línia amb molts, molts morts antics teòlegs en la declaració següent que vaig a fer. I és aquesta. La salvació d'un home mostra més del poder de Déu que la creació mateixa de l'univers. Ja veus, l'univers va ser creat, com els erudits en llatí que-ex nihilo dir el que vol dir del no-res. Però quan un home és llevat que es recrea d'una massa corrupta. És més fàcil per a crear del no-res del que és prendre alguna cosa corrupte i transformar-lo en alguna cosa o algú que estima a Déu.
Per tant, vostè veu, la doctrina perdut als Estats Units en el segle 21 és la següent. La doctrina de la regeneració, de néixer de nou, per obra de l'Esperit de Déu. No és veritat que si haguéssim de rebutjar aquest petit ramat aquí aquesta nit i havien d'anar a cada lloc en aquesta ciutat i parlar amb cada un en aquesta ciutat, la majoria de la gent en aquesta ciutat quan en el mateix moment en què parlem amb ells es que viuen com el diable, ens diuen que estan ben cristià. I quan vam començar a investigar la raó de l'esperança que hi ha dins d'ells, ells ens diuen que un cop a la vida en una església o una croada evangelística van resar una oració. Oh, el meu estimat amic, l'evidència que vostè és llevat per fe, no és que una vegada en la teva vida et va fer una oració, però que el que va començar la bona obra en vostè ho segueix. Vostè sap la justificació termini. Això vol dir que el moment en què una persona creu que hagin estat declarats justos davant de Déu. És un terme jurídic. Però, vostè entén la santificació termini? És una obra de Déu que ens fa cada vegada més conformes a la imatge del seu Fill. L'evidència de la justificació, que Déu ens ha declarat just amb ell, és la continuació dels treballs de la santificació que Déu segueix obrant en nosaltres cada dia de la nostra vida per conformar a la imatge de Crist.
Veure 2 Corintis 5:17
Veure Filipencs 1:06
Ara, aquesta va ser la nostra presentació. Anem al nostre text, el verset 22 del capítol 36. Per tant, digues a la casa d'Israel: Això diu Jahvè el Senyor: "No és per vosaltres, oh poble d'Israel, que estic a punt d'actuar, però per el meu sant nom, que vostès han profanat entre les nacions on es va ser. Jo santificaré meu gran nom que ha estat profanat entre les nacions, que vostès han profanat enmig d'ells. I les nacions sabran que jo sóc Jehovà, diu Jehovà el Senyor ", quan provo
Jo mateix sant enmig de tu davant dels seus ulls. Ara, en aquesta primera part del nostre text trobem una cosa molt, molt important, la raó o la motivació darrere de guardar el treball de Déu. ¿Déu salvar Israel a causa d'algun valor o mèrit que va trobar en ells? No Ell declara específicament amb tota claredat que Israel havia profanat el seu nom entre les nacions. No hi va haver causa que podia trobar a Israel per salvar-los. Però ell ho diu, "Per la meva nom jo et salvaré, pel bé del meu propi nom."
Per què Déu salvar els homes? Això és una gran pregunta. I dius: "Bé, és perquè Déu és amor." Però llavors vostè acaba de còpia de seguretat de la qüestió. Per què els homes estimen Déu? Perquè mirin vostès, els homes no són sants com Déu és sant. Els homes no són justos com Déu és just. Els homes es contradiuen a Déu en cada aspecte de la seva naturalesa. Per què Déu demostrar l'amor cap als homes? Hi ha dues raons. Un, Déu és amor. Això és el que és. Però, en segon lloc, ho fa per demostrar la seva glòria. El món va ser creat com un escenari, un teatre i Déu ha disposat que cada cosa en aquest món perquè només ell té el centre de l'escenari i tot el que es pot saber sobre ell es coneix a través de les obres que ell fa entre els homes. I en la salvació dels homes alguna cosa magnífic s'ha fet saber: la misericòrdia i la gràcia i la bondat. Els homes no són estalvis perquè ells mateixos, però tot i si mateixos. Li deu el seu salvació-si es salven-que deu el seu salvació a Déu.
Quan això apareix en el llibre de Deuteronomi , per què Déu va estimar a Israel, ell respon amb una tautologia, amb una burla. Ell diu: "Jo us he estimat, perquè jo et estimava." I el que està dient és el següent. "Israel, el meu amor per tu no té res a veure amb tu." És el mateix. Déu no posat el seu amor sobre tu a causa d'algun valor inherent que va trobar en vostè o en virtut alguna. Ell us ha volgut perquè et estimava, no per tu, però tot i vostè.
Veure Ezequiel 36:22-23
Vegi Deuteronomi 7:7-8
Entens ara per què el veritable evangeli de Jesucrist és tan ofensiu per a una cultura humanística? Som una cultura que ha tractat d'enderrocar cada altar al Déu únic i veritable home per fixar a la part superior del seu propi altar. In America today and in most of its Christianity, or so called Christianity, man is the center of all things. God does everything for man. We are humanistic. Considering ourselves to be wise we became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God and began to worship that which is corruptible, men and beasts and
reptiles.
We are humanistic and therefore we hate it when someone starts talking about man as fallen, man as corrupt, man as sinful, man as having no worth, man as needing a Savior, man… Those who are saved are saved not because of them, but in spite of them. We hate it because it tears down man. And we will have no part of it. He says, “Why have I saved you?” He saved you for his own name. I like what RC Sproul says. “God saves us from himself for himself and by himself.” You say, “What do you mean, brother Paul?” Well, just listen for a moment. When someone says, “I have been saved.” I always ask them, “From what? From what?” “Well, from sin.” No, sin is an inanimate thing. From what are you saved?
Do you know what the proper theological answer is? If you have been saved, you have been saved from God because God was the one coming after you. God was the one who had a problem with you. God was the one judging you. God was the one, according to Jesus Christ in chapter three of the book of John , God was the one who was pouring wrath down upon your head. So when we are saved we are saved from God. And why are we saved? For God. Not for 40 days of purpose, not for a purpose driven life, not for your best life now were you saved. You were saved for him. And if he wants to exalt you or tear you down, you were saved for him. If he wants to put you in a life of ease and comfort it is for him. If he wants to send you to the most vile place in the world to die there as a martyr, it is for him.
We don't like that. What about me? It is for him. He saved you for himself. And he saved you by himself. It is not 1% you and 99% God. It is 100% God and if it had been any other thing you would not be saved. You and Jesus don't have your own thing going. Now. He says that he saves this nation, but now we have got to come to grip with some things, some things that are extremely important in verse 24. What happens? What happens when someone is truly saved?
See Romans 1:22-23
Throughout Ezekiel we have something magnificent. In different parts of Ezekiel we have these wonderful illustrations of the doctrine of regeneration. What happens when the Spirit of God hovers over a bunch of dry, dead bones and lifts them to life? The doctrine of regeneration, regenerate, reanimate, give life to. And that is what we have here in Ezekiel 36. What happens when someone has truly been made alive, truly been saved, truly been born again? What is the evidence?
Well, first in verse 24: “I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands.” Now here is a something you don't hear of very often. When God saves a man or a woman or a child or a youth you will begin to see a work of separation in their life. God will begin to separate them from this world. Now when I mean this world I am talking about everything, everything in our culture, everything in our society that contradicts the nature and will of God that stands in opposition to who God is and stands in opposition to his purposes. God begins to separate his newborn child from them. He guards over that child zealously. One of the greatest honors in my life is to be a father. One of the greatest hardships in my life is having to leave my children at times. Oh, I guard over my children. I am careful to discipline them. I will protect them with my life. I will lay it down. How is it that we think such mean and simple thoughts about God? What would you think about me if I let my children, from the moment they were born until they left the house at 18, I let them run wild and do absolutely anything they wanted to do? What would you say about me? That I was a derelict father? Yes, you would. That I was wrong? Sí That I was not just? Sí That I did not love even? If you are biblical that is what you would say about me.
Yet how is it that you say that God has a whole bunch of children in the United States of America and yet he lets them run wild and live in sin and follow the devil all the days of their life until he brings them home ? The very things you demand from an earthly father you don't even believe your heavenly Father accomplishes. My dear friend, God zealously guards his children. That is why it says in Hebrews chapter 12 that if you claim to be a child of God and you are with out discipline there is no reality of God disciplining you and training you and teaching you
and leading you and guarding over you zealously, then you are an illegitimate
child. You are a false professor. You have never come to know him. He has never come to know you. You see, God will begin to separate us from the things he hates, from the things that are wrong. He will begin…he doesn't drag us, but he so works in our heart to change us that
he begins to cause a separation between us and that which is evil inwardly.
The true Christian has a changed heart so they begin to hate the things that God hates and to love the things that God loves. A work of separation. Now, but notice something very important. “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.”19 Now, a relationship with God is not simply defined by the statement, “Thou shalt not…” God does not separate us from the evil in this world in order just to separate us from the evil that is in this world. That is a pretty pitiful existence. You are caught out there in limbo with nothing. You have been separated from this world, but that is all. That is not what God does. God begins to work in our heart to separate us from sin, to separate us from that which defiles in order to gather us to him and to bring us into the land of his will. He brings us out of the world in order to bring us to him. Someone who simply separates themselves from the world is basically a legalist, taking pride in their moral purity and their separation. Let me put it this way. As I said earlier, I think, this week. When I married my wife my relationship with my wife changed. But also my relationship with every other woman on the face of the earth changed. The moment I said, “I do,” to her I said, “I don't” to every other woman on the face of the earth.
It is the same way with separation. We say, “I don't,” to the world in order to say, “I do,” to God, you see. Very important, very important. Now so when God saves a man or a woman or a child or a youth, one of the things that you are going to begin to see is that their life changes with regard to their relationship to the world. Now let me ask you a question. Is that a reality in your life? I am not talking about perfection. But since you have claimed to come to know Christ can you see God working in your life, in the attitudes of your heart, exposing sin, leading you farther and father away from the things that displease him, bringing you to himself to love him, to cherish him, to have a relationship with him? Can you see that in your life? Because, my dear friend, if you claim to know Christ and that Christ knows you and you are still a lover of the world and there is no work of separation, no growth in godliness, or, as the author of Hebrews says, no holiness without which no one will see the Lord,20 you have got a problem. Is there a reality of God working in your life?
Sometimes I will ask people this. “Do you feel sometimes like you are a prisoner, that everybody else is just running free and can do almost anything they want to do and the moment you step out of the box just God comes?” I mean it is like you are a prisoner, but you recognize it is good. That is because you are a child. You are a child of God. And he zealously watches over his children.
Let me share with you something. It says “Jacob I loved and Esau I hated.”21 Now, in Hebrew “hated” there means hated. If it meant something else they would have wrote something else in English. It does. It means, “Jacob I loved, Esau my wrath, my displeasure, my anger abided upon him.”22 That is exactly what it means. Now, if you sit under preaching that tries to take that term and make it say something other than hatred, you are sitting under a perfect example of watered down American preaching. But it says, “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.”23 But when you study both of their lives you find something absolutely amazing. God blessed Jacob. God blessed Esau. He fulfilled every promise he ever made to Esau and to Abraham about Esau. He did. As a matter of fact when Jacob came back into the Promised Land Esau was so blessed he didn't need anything that Jacob offered him. So how is it that God demonstrated his love toward Jacob and his hatred toward Esau?
Well, there is only one difference between the two men. God let Esau do absolutely anything he wanted to do and God beat the living daylights out of Jacob. Look at it. Do we see one time where God is disciplining Esau? But we see in Jacob's life that God is literally every day putting the rod upon him so that when he comes back into the land he is limping, but he is God's man. He is God's child.
Do you see God coming to you, to keep you, to discipline you, to train you? Now, when I say discipline realize this, that discipline in the believer's life is never punitive. Once a person is in Christ God never again comes to them as a judge. Even when he judges them he does not come to them as a judge, but as a father. When he disciplines them he comes to them as a father. A human illustration would be this. At the moment I am disciplining one of my boys. At that very moment I still love them so much I would die a thousand deaths for them. I do not discipline them as a judge, but as a father.
Now so he says, “What is going to be one of the evidences when a person is truly born again?” It is going to be this. God is going to do a work of separation in their life and a work of gathering them unto him. Now verse 25. He says, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be
clean.” My, my. Look at that. “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be
clean.” So much for the thing that God really wants to work in your life but he just can't do it because you won't cooperate.
See Romans 9:13
See Ezekiel 36:25
I remember when I was a little boy I lived on the farm. You can tell farm boys, just get close to them. You know exactly if they are a farm boy or not because they have got dirt in every crevice of their body. And I would have dirt in my neck, dirt on elbows, behind the knees, everywhere, dirt, dirt, be playing out all day in the dirt. Farm boy. And my mom, I would come in, I would say…she would say, “Take a bath.” One day I realized, I was about nine years old and I realized I'ma man. I don't need to take a bath. So mom said, “Take a bath.”
I said, “No, I don't think so.” This was back when it was legal to kill your children. My mom looked at me and she said this. “You will take a bath.” And that's all she had to say. That's all she had to say. Isn't it amazing? My mother has more sovereign authority over me than your god. I am so tired of hearing evangelical Americans say, “God wants to do so much, but he just can't because you won't cooperate.” Just look at the text for a minute. Just look. Verse 24. “I will take you from the
nations.” Look at that. He doesn't say, “I hope to, I want to, gee, I hope everyone cooperates.” He says, “I am going to do a work of salvation and this is how it is going to happen. “I will take you from the nations. I will bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove your heart of stone. I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you. I will cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances.”
Now what do you see there? Do you believe in the inspiration of Scripture? What do you see there? You see a God who says, “For my own glory I am going to do a work of salvation with an impossible people and the work I begin, I will finish. I will do everything I plan on doing.” And that is why they call him Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the absolute sovereign. That pagan king Nebuchadnezzar knows more than most preachers today in America because he says he does whatever he wants to do in the heavens and on the earth and he lifts up his hand and no man can hold it down. He holds
his hand on the desk and not one man can pry it up.
He will do it. And why will he do it? I'll tell you why. His reputation is riding upon it. Do you remember when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt? And he tested Moses on that fatal day when Israel committed its greatest crime against God. God tested Moses and said, “Moses, get out of the way. I am going to kill them all and I will make a people
out of you.”
See Ezekiel 36:24
See Daniel 4:35
And Moses said, “No, Lord, because your enemies will say that although you were strong enough to bring them out of the land of bondage, you were not able to bring them into
their own land.” And that is what most preachers are teaching today. God is strong enough to save you and get you to heaven, but he isn't strong enough to change you. He can't finish the job . But the name of God…he is demonstrating his power every time he saves a man. He will finish or perfect the work that he begins. That is why Paul said with such confidence, “confident of this very think that he who begins a good work in you will finish it.”
So he says here in 36. “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be
clean.”
Going back to my mother. So I get in the bathtub. You know, farm boys can swim in ponds. They can play in the rain all day, but something happens when they get in the shower. Water is dangerous for some reason. I have never understood it, but I always felt that I was afraid of that stuff coming out of the shower. And so I would get a little bit of water and dab it on me, jump out, grab a white towel and turn it into a black towel. And everything was going just fine until my mother walked in the door. My mother worked on a farm. She had hands rougher than a man. She put a washcloth between her hand and our body because her hands were so calloused and rough. When my mother got through cleaning me it looked like the shekinah glory of God was coming forth from my body.
And what did she say? “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be
clean.” God says to his children, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you
will be clean.” “I'll make sure of it.” Isn't it amazing? You have an average congregation on an average Sunday and most of them live in sin without any thought of God throughout the entire week, but a remnant of that group, it is as though God guards every moment of their life. When they watch something off colored, God convicts them of sin. When they say things they shouldn't say God convicts them of sin. When they walk in a way that they should not walk, God makes it known to them. He is before them and behind them and beside them and above them and below them. Why does he treat one group of children one way and another group of children the other? It is because the one group doesn't belong to him and the other does.
See Numbers 14:12
See Numbers 14:13-16
See Philippians 1:6
See Ezekiel 36:25
You say, “Well, I never heard of such a thing.” Then you need to change churches. And he says, “I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.”34 Now this is not a warning. This is a promise. This is a wonderful promise. And before I go into the thing about regeneration let me just say this to the Christian, some of you young guys. Sometimes we get to the point where there is a besetting sin in our life and we struggle with it and struggle with it and we come to believe, “Well, this is just the way it is going to be. This is just one area in my life I am never going to get victory over.”
That is not true. God says he is going to cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. It is not talking about perfection in the Christian life or a Christian is sinless, but what it is saying is he will work in such a way through the course of your life that you will gain greater and greater victory over the things that once beset you. Now, I want to say something here. “I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from
all your idols.” I would have to say that if I were to take one verse out of Scripture that I think most describes my 25 year pilgrimage of walking with God it would be this. One of the greatest evidences that gives me assurance that I have come to know him is I have seen this in my life. Not that I stand before you without any idols or without any filthiness, no. But over 25 years I can see God disciplining to work these things out of my life.
I always kid people. I say, “You know, there is more metal in me than a Tonka truck.” Both my hips have been replaced. My wrist is all full of metal. I hurt right now. My wrist right now is broken. The problem is my broken wrist doesn't feel any different than my one that is not broke. God has beaten my body and no, TV preacher, it wasn't the devil. It was God being very faithful to do whatever must be done to conform a stubborn sheep to the image of his Son. And I would kiss the rod that worketh to change me more than the blessings of this world that might cause my heart to betray my God. When my little boys can't sleep sometimes I will sing them a song from old Keith Green. “My sons, I am weak and I am trembling for the Lord I am always remembering, oh, what a strong shepherd holds you in his arms. He will break you and make you his own.” Years ago there was a song that was very popular. It was the song, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I, but Christ who lives within me.”36 I was preaching several years ago and I happened to mention that I sang that song many times in moments of pain and distress when I was working in Peru during the war and working in the jungles and all alone and hurting and would sing that song. And I said that that night not knowing that that the author of the song was sitting in the congregation and about ready to sing.
See Galatians 2:20
And do you know what I notice about that man? He looked like stained glass window. Something about his character and his personality…do you know how a stained glass window is made? You take all this glass and you lay it on a table and you get a hammer and you just beat it to pieces. You have got all these fragmented pieces of glass and then the master, the artist comes and begins to put them all back together and it creates the most beautiful illuminating window. But the cracks remain, the lines remain. And that is what he looked like. God had beaten him and broken him. But by doing that he made something through which the glory of God would shine. Oh, my dear friend, you can have your prosperity and your TV preachers that promote it. You can have your health, your wealth, your wisdom and every thing else. Take it. The goal of Christianity is conformity to the image of Jesus Christ, to be like him, to be like him. And God will use every manner of thing to do that.
I think it was Samuel Chadwick, I am not sure, but I think it was Samuel Chadwick, he was walking out one day down a country lane trying to think about what the Lord would want him to preach. And he comes to a blacksmith's shop and he sees this giant monster of a man with this huge mallet pounding upon an anvil, a piece of metal upon an anvil. And he sees standing right beside this monster of a man, this tiny framed man with a suit on standing there pointing at different things. So he walks over and he says, you know, to the man dressed finely, “What are you even doing here? This monster of a man is doing all the work.”
And the finally dressed man looked at Samuel Chadwick and said, “I am the blacksmith. I am the artist. This man beating with this mallet, this monster railing against this anvil knows nothing. He hits only where I tell him to hit. He hits only as hard or as soft as I tell him to hit. He thinks he is destroying a piece of metal. I am creating a work of art. Thus, you have the relationship between the devil and God in the believer's life. The devil will stand there and beat thinking he is destroying you. But in the sovereignty, absolute sovereignty of God he can only hit exactly where God says to hit and he can only hit as hard as God tells him. That's a wonderful thing. That's a wonderful thing.
So he says, “I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your
idols.” Is that a reality in your life? Can you see God doing that? Isn't it amazing? Have you ever said this? “Man, some people can just lie and cheat and commit murder. They can do anything and nothing happens to them. I tell one whit lie and the whole world falls apart on top of me.” If that is true you need to praise God. You need to praise God.
See Ezekiel 36:25
Now, how does he do this? How does he make us clean? How does he cause us to follow him? Does he wrap a leather whip around our necks and drag us? What does he do? No. He changes us. And that is what we have here. It says, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will
remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Now, the word “flesh” especially in the Greek New Testament always refers to that fallen or mostly refers to that fallen aspect of the Christian, that unredeemed part that we really can't put our finger on, but it is there. That is the flesh. But in this case that is not what he is talking about. He is talking about the difference between something inanimate and something animate.
If I have…take the largest man in Las Vegas and make a stone statue out of him I can prick him, I can prod him, I can kick him, I can punch him and he is not going to do any thing. Per què? It is inanimate. It is not alive. It is stone. But you take the largest man, strongest man in Las Vegas and put him up here on the platform and if he will let me get him under the tender part of his arm with my two fingers and pinch and twist with all my might I am surely going to evoke a response. It is the difference between animate living or an inanimate dead. Now, understand this. If you can understand this it will solve a lot of problems for you. The Bible teaches that men are born spiritually dead. You understand that. Now dead is dead, not mostly dead, dead, dead with a capital D dead.
Ara que presenta un problema. Si els homes són espirituals morts com pot algun dia s'acosten a Déu? Com poden ells venir a Crist? Com poden fins i tot sentir la seva veu si estan morts? Deixi'm donar-li un exemple. Hi ha un home mort pel qual es en aquesta plataforma i camí cap a ell i li vaig dir: "Mira. Hi ha un hospital molt a prop i si vostè acaba d'aixecar i seguir per aquí em posaran aquestes coses en tu plena d'electricitat i que arribarà al teu cor amb elles i tornar a la vida. Anem. "
Ell no es mou. El miro i dic, "Què et passa? Vols estar mort per a la resta de la teva vida? Aixeca't. "Ara podria estar allà tot el dia. Què passarà? Absolutament res. Per què? Ell és mort. Ara farem servir com a exemple de Llàtzer, un molt bon exemple. Hi ha un problema allà quan Jesús li diu a Lázaro per venir. I quin és aquest problema? Ell és mort. Vostè diu: "Sí, però Jesús pot fer amb vida."
Veure Ezequiel 36:26
No, entenc. Ell va dir: "Llàtzer, vine a fora." 39 Si Lázaro ha mort, no pot sentir-lo. Alguna vegada vas pensar en això? Si Lázaro ha mort, quan Jesús diu que sortirà està parlant amb un home mort. Els morts no senten. Per això, quan Jesús va dir: "Llàtzer, sal
un altre, "ell també, al mateix temps havia de impartir vida a Llàtzer perquè pogués escoltar i sortir. I això és el que no entenem en l'evangelització d'avui. Podem predicar tot el dia, però a menys que l'Esperit de Déu els dóna la vida no van a escoltar i no vindran endavant. És una obra sobrenatural de Déu i no es pot manipular tot i que cantes 438 estrofes de Tal com sóc. Déu ha de fer alguna cosa sobrenatural. Deixi'm donar-li un altre exemple. I sé que és tard, però, hey, que van venir a escoltar la predicació. Així que anem a continuar. I no et preocupis per mi. No estic cansat. Vull que pensis en alguna cosa aquí. La forma predicadors prediquen. Diguem que vaig tenir una cortina darrere d'ella aquí i va anar a Jesús de peu. Hi ha predicadors que diuen avui, "Tot el que necessitem fer és predicar Jesús. Digues-li a la gent sobre Jesús i si la gent veu a Jesús quan estem predicant que vindran a ell ".
Bé, això seria veritat, excepte un problema. El públic al qual estan predicant que és cec. Recuperar els homes són cecs. Això és el que la Bíblia diu, espiritualment cec. Així que podem estirar la cortina amb la nostra predicació i mostrar al públic de Jesús, però si l'audiència és cec no es veurà res, no importa el lluny que tiri cap enrere de la cortina. Veus això? I vostè diu: "Té vostè raó, el germà de Pau. Això va ser tonto de la meva part. No hauria de ser tan superficial. Perquè els homes a venir a Crist hem de predicar Jesús. Hem de revelar Jesús a ells en la nostra predicació, sinó l'Esperit de Déu ha de venir i donar-los la vista perquè la vista amb que es pot veure a Jesús i si veuen a Jesús, ells vindran a ell. "No, no es perquè hi ha un problema, un problema ontològic, el problema de la seva naturalesa. Si mostra aquest bell, just, sant, Jesús i obres els ulls dels pecadors, els dolents, quan aquests homes impius pecadors cop d'ull a la santa perfecta de Crist que el odi. Ells no vindran a ell. Ells fugir d'ell. Vostè veu, vostè ha d'entendre l'ontologia. Vostè ha d'entendre la idea de la natura. Homes malvats odien la justícia. Així que si vostè té un munt de persones han perdut sense Crist, nascut mort, nascut en el pecat, nascut a la corrupció i se'ls dóna la vista i se'ls mostra a Jesús, el Jesús que veuen que van a odiar més que mai. És per això que Pau diu en el llibre de Romans capítol set que com més es premi la llei a un home no convertit, més que pateja en contra d'ella perquè l'odia. Per això Pau
Vegeu Joan 11:43
diu en Romans que es troba a la impietat, a la injustícia que els homes suprimir la veritat que saben sobre God.41 Els homes són dolents. Déu és sant. Els homes dolents odien a Déu i com més se sap d'ell més que odi. Així que per a un home arribi realment a conèixer a Crist el que ha de succeir? Hem de predicar Crist. L'Esperit de Déu cal donar-los la vista. Però no només això, l'Esperit de Déu ha de treure el seu cor de pedra i la va posar al seu lloc un cor de carn. Ha de treure aquesta massa espiritual morts, que la natura morta, s'embruta i reemplaçar-lo per un cor nou, una nova naturalesa, recreada a imatge de Déu. Llavors, què passa quan algú neix de nou? Això és el que passa. Crist és presentat. Però que odiar a Déu, odiant a Crist, el pecat amorós cor d'ells que rebutgen el Crist per l'obra de l'Esperit de Déu que es diu així treuen i en el seu lloc es col loca un cor nou, una nova naturalesa, recreada en la imatge de Déu en veritable justícia i santedat de la veritat i amb aquest cor nou i una nova visió que es veuen en Crist, el veuen com totalment encantadora i que se senten irresistiblement atrets cap a ell. Vostè presenta un bell Crist a un cor malvat i ells ho odien. Vostè presenta un bell Crist a un cor nou, recreat a imatge de Déu a través de l'obra de l'Esperit Sant i que poden tenir res més que Crist. Han de tenir a Crist.
Ara anem a seguir endavant. "Posaré el meu Esperit dins teu." Mira això. Déu ve a habitar en un home. I, tanmateix, no ha canviat? Els mateixos cels no poden contenir, que l'Esperit planava sobre el caos i va crear un univers i no obstant això, pot habitar en el cor d'un home i les persones no es vegin afectats en el més mínim. No Això no és cert. Llavors, per què diem això? És l'única manera d'explicar amb grans esglésies plenes de gent carnal, malvada. És per això.
"Posaré el meu Esperit en vosaltres i faré que ..." Aquesta paraula pot ser "fer que vostè." "No, Déu no pot obligar a fer res. "No, Déu pot fer que no fer absolutament el que vulgui. "Bé, Déu no pot violar la meva voluntat." Déu pot fer qualsevol cosa. Déu va a violar una gran quantitat de voluntat de la gent en el dia en què els llança a l'infern. No veus? Déu viola ... i frustra la voluntat dels reis. Es deté àngels en les seves pistes. Ell és Déu. Veus el que hem fet als Estats Units? Hem creat aquest déu que està sotmesa a les voluntats dels homes impius.
Veure Romans 1:18
Veure Ezequiel 36:27
No En absolut. No, en absolut. He says, “I will put My Spirit within [them] and cause [them] to walk in My statutes.” But, again, we must be careful here because he doesn't cause them by force. He causes they to walk because he has put his Spirit within them and he has given them a new heart. Now, let me explain it to you this way. Let me use an example. It may help you. Let's say that I become the pastor of a church. I am brand new in town and someone tells me that there is this guy over there in the trailer, right over there from the church and he hasn't been in church in five years and I need to go over and talk to him.
So I go over and talk to him and we are in Alabama, ok? So…where everybody is polite to the preacher. So I go…I am in Alabama and I walk up to the trailer. He sees me coming, throws that door open and says, “Well, come on in, preacher.” So I go on in. He says, “You want some tea?” I say, “Well, I think…I would love to have some tea.” And then after we would talk a little bit we would get serious and I would say, “I am the new preacher here and they tell me you haven't been in church in five years.” “You're right, preacher. I haven't been to church in five years. I need to start going to church. I just need to do the right thing. I need to start going to church, ok?” “They tell me you have been…you are pretty much the wild man with the ladies.” “Yeah, you're right again, preacher. You're right. I am and I just need to stop it. I just need to stop it and I need to do the right thing. I just need to be faithful to my wife. I just need to do the right thing.” And then I said, “And they tell me you are pretty much the drinker.” “Oh, yeah. I drink. I drink just…I drink. There you can look in the fridge, preacher. I won't lie to you. I need to stop it. I just need to stop doing that stuff and I just need to do the right thing.” So, you think, “Wow. Brought him back to Christ. Praise God.”
No, you know what you have just seen? A lost man. That's what you have seen. Because you know what he is saying? “You're right, preacher. I need to stop doing all the wicked things I love and start doing all the righteous things I hate so that I can go to heaven.” My dear friend, when God saves a man he changes his nature. He becomes a new creature. He wants to do righteousness. He hates wickedness and when he does fall into wickedness it tears him apart because he is a new creature. A Christian is not somebody who stays away from all the wicked things he loves and clings to all the righteous things he hates so that he can go to heaven. The fear of the Christian is not going to hell. The fear of the Christian is being separated from Christ. It is a new creature. We give an example from Charles Spurgeon. Let's say that we had a pig in the back there, a hog, a swine, whatever you want to call it. It is back there in the back doors. And then I put here the finest meal that can be bought in Las Vegas and I put here over on the other side a barrel of slop and I tell you, “Loosen and let him go. Let the hog go.”
Where is the hog going? Now, most of you don't look like farm people, but you probably can figure out where the hog is going. It is going straight to the bucket of slop. Per què? Because it is a pig. That's what pigs do. He does what he is. He loves what he is by nature. He has the nature of a pig and pig natures do pig things. But let's say he runs down here as he does and what is he going to do? He is going to stick his head in that bucket. He is going to be eating slop. He is going to be wiggling his tail. He is going to be so happy. But let's say in one moment I have the power to reach forth and change that pig into a man. What is he going to do? He is going to throw his head back out of that bucket. The thing that he delighted in he is going to be disgusted with. The thing that he was gobbling down and that felt whole in his belly is now going to nauseate him and he is going to throw it up. He is going to writhe with disgust and then he is going to turn around and look at you and be ashamed. I just described your conversion. I just described you.
“You didn't describe me.” Then you are not a Christian. Men are born in sin. The Bible says men are love sin. Job said they drink down iniquity
like it was water. But when God changes a man, when he saves a man, he changes his nature from a sin loving nature to a sin hating nature, from a God hating nature to a God loving nature. That is what happens in conversion.
See Job 15:16
Now you understand why I preach in a lot of churches once. Now, but here I want you to
think of this. I am not the prophet or the son of a prophet. Everything I say I must look into Church history. Does anyone else say the same thing? Just about everyone else until you get to America in the middle of the 20th century where man all of a sudden started becoming better and God started becoming smaller and salvation not that big a deal. Never forget. I was in Peru. I was missing worship in my own language and someone sent me a cassette and I looked on it and it said, “Amazing Grace.” And I thought, “Whoa. Great.” I put it in my little cassette player, turned it on, listened to the first verse, stopped the cassette player, grabbed the tape, threw it in the trash can because this is what it says. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a man like me…” I thought to myself, “I think when it started out it was a worm like me and then it went to a wretch like me.” Or maybe I have those two reversed. No. So we have gone from a worm to a wretch to a man. We have improved.
There is only one problem. Men don't need to be saved. Wretches do. And if you are not a wretch you have no need of grace. Oh, my dear friend, it feels like an uphill battle sometimes. We live in a world where preachers smile and have nice hair and talk to you about your best life now, who don't want you to be sad and want you to be filled with self esteem. And they are lying to you.
They are not going to talk about sin because they don't want anyone to feel bad. That's what Jesus talked about. They tell you that they don't preach on hell because they just want to preach the words of Jesus. Do you know this? Any many who tells you that is either ignorant of Scripture or he is a liar. Do you want to know why? If it were not for the teachings of Jesus we would know almost nothing about hell. You find almost nothing about hell in the Old Testament, just glimpses. You find almost nothing about hell in the writings of the apostles, just glimpses. Almost everything we know about hell comes from the teachings of Jesus who taught more about hell and sin than he did heaven.
Be careful about the Christianity that you embrace because it might not be Christianity at all. There will come a time, doesn't Scripture tell us, where they will amass teachers who
will tickle their ears? What does that mean? To tickle someone's ears is to make someone feel good. And how do you make men feel good? You make them feel good about themselves, but not tell them the truth. Christianity is about life and death. It is about heaven and hell, salvation and damnation.
Choose you this day whom you will serve. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?49 You cannot be my disciple unless you hate your mother and
your father.
“Lord, don't you know they were offended when you said that? That's why they are
leaving.” “Do you want to go, too?” he said. Oh, my dear friend, I have greater respect for an Atheist—or claims to be an Atheist because there is really no such thing. All men believe in God. They are just lying about it when they tell you they don't. But I have more respect for a man who disavows and disowns Christianity entirely than someone who will take Christianity and morph it into something useful for carnal men.
If you disagree with me tonight you have that right and I won't be angry with you. But I will challenge you to come up with Scripture, with Scripture and talk to me. I'll talk to you all night. Tell me these things are not so. Tell me it is another way. Show me. You know, preaching…we are going to end right here. Preaching is dangerous. You see, it is dangerous for me. If I don't preach according to Scripture then the book of James tells me that on the Day of Judgment I will undergo greater condemnation for claiming for myself the title of teacher. So preaching is dangerous for me. But preaching can be dangerous for you. Com? If what I am teaching is not true then the preaching is not dangerous. You are not bound by it. If what I say is not conformed to Scripture then you can go out of here and you are totally free. Don't think another moment about it. But if what I say is true, then now the danger is on your side because you will be held accountable for the truth you have learned. That's preaching. That'spreaching.
Now I have been giving an invitation now for about an hour or more so we don't need to give another one. I will tell you this. If you are concerned about your heart, your life, concerned about heaven and hell and you need to talk to someone, I'll talk to you all night, all night. So that's the invitation. That's the invitation. And don't be discouraged, church. Whether we preach to 60 people or 6000 doesn't
matter. God, where two or more are gathered, he is there. Let me give you just a word of encouragement. Several years ago in Peru, many, many years ago I was pastoring [?] the Church of the Savior in the district of Lima called Baranco. And it was the World Cup. Now for Americans that doesn't mean a whole lot, but for everyone outside of America that is the biggest deal going, the World Cup. I mean life stops in Latin America when the World Cup is on.
Well, the World Cup was in full swing and I was going up the stairs of the church to the roof. We do a lot on the roof in Peru because there's…well, there's no air conditioning and the roof is a lot cooler. And as I was going up there on that roof to get something because we were closing down the church. It was time to leave. It was about nine o'clock at night, a little Indian woman about the…I mean she was no more than five feet tall named Delia…while I was coming back down actually she started coming up the stairs and she had a bottle of…a Coke bottle that was empty, a plastic one…well, it was empty of Coke, but it was full of water. She was going up the stairs and I was coming down and I said, “Delia, you know, [?] we are going to shut the church. We need to leave.” She goes, “Oh, I'm staying.”
I said, “What?” she said, “I'm staying. God's told me to pray.” She went up on that roof for seven days and she fasted and prayed. Do you know what's amazing? Literally billions of people are watching the world cup, but God was watching one tiny, uneducated Indian woman on the top of a roof crying out to him. All throughout this city right now people are praising the gods of gold and silver and fame and lust and entertainment . That is a god in this country, maybe the biggest. As Leonard Ravenhill used to say, “On the tombstone of this country it will be written, 'They entertained themselves to death.'” God doesn't care about any of that. His eyes are on a few people that belong to him gathered in his name. As he told the Church in Asia Minor, “I know where you dwell,
the very throne of Satan, but you have held on to the faith,” you see. So as Jesus would say, “Little flock, don't be frightened and don't be dismayed.” He said these things would happen.
Let's pray.
Father, help us. Strengthen us. Lead us. Father, if there is someone here that doesn't know you, that they might know you is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen .
See Revelation 2:13
- See Luke 12:32
