1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,360 I want to echo Mark's comments. I also appreciate the music tonight and thank you for your ministry 2 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:10,680 to all of us. 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:18,560 This evening I want to do a second message and probably the concluding one on the theme 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:25,880 what must I do to be saved. The controversy over the issue, sometimes termed Lordship 5 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:36,020 salvation is one that is burning fiercely in various circles of the evangelical world. 6 00:00:36,020 --> 00:00:42,520 The temperature of the fire was increased by the publication last year of John MacArthur's 7 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:49,680 book, The Gospel According to Jesus. At the end of the week I got a copy of the newsletter 8 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:55,280 for today and noticed on the back of it that that book was previewed by our library staff 9 00:00:55,280 --> 00:01:00,400 and is available to you to read. I don't disagree with the comments made about it. 10 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:05,380 I would also say though that I don't fully agree with everything that John MacArthur 11 00:01:05,380 --> 00:01:13,080 says in his book. It is a fine book in many respects but I think he overstates his case 12 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:20,320 here or there and I am a friendly critic. I count him as a friend and I appreciate him 13 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:27,560 a great deal for what he has meant in my life. But I think that if he were to write his book 14 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:33,760 again he might change a few things in there that would help everyone involved. Additional 15 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:42,180 books now are being planned by various authors, some of whom he named in his book and rather 16 00:01:42,180 --> 00:01:52,680 attacked, to try to respond to what he in his book said regarding their positions. The 17 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:59,480 thing I want to hasten to say is that people on both sides of this issue are well known 18 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:09,040 to all of us. We love and respect them. They do disagree, sometimes verbally at least, 19 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:18,680 with violently regarding this particular issue. But there are good and godly men on both sides. 20 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,720 Unfortunately though I think instead of clarifying the debate for most of us, at least some of 21 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:29,960 these books are a source of even more questions and more misunderstandings. Tonight I want 22 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,120 to approach this subject from a different perspective than when I spoke a few weeks 23 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:40,080 ago. On that occasion I tried to answer two questions. The first one, what is the gospel? 24 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:48,720 And the second, what is the necessary response to the gospel for a sinner to be saved? That 25 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:56,760 night we talked about the two terms that are used in the New Testament, believe and repent. 26 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:02,960 We said that while the two terms are not synonymous, they mean different things, they nonetheless 27 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:10,520 are interchangeable in the New Testament language. And that if one genuinely believes there is 28 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:17,280 an element of repentance in that, and if one genuinely repents, faith is a part of that. 29 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,560 And I hope that the thing that got across that night above everything else I might have 30 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:29,720 said is that neither faith nor repentance can be properly viewed as a human work. That 31 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:37,880 is, as something we do to earn salvation. But I strongly believe that scripture teaches 32 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:47,320 that both faith and repentance are the gifts of God's gracious work enabling us to appropriately 33 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:55,760 respond to the gospel message. Now tonight's message is based upon a brief article that 34 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:02,480 I came across that my wife actually found and gave to me from the Discovery Digest published 35 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:10,080 by the Radio Bible Class in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this particular issue, August 1987. 36 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,400 It was written by Herbert Vanderluck who is on their staff there and has been for a number 37 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:21,920 of years and the article was entitled, What Would You Do? In this brief article, Mr. Vanderluck 38 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:28,840 outlines six principles that I think help all of us think more clearly regarding the 39 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:40,440 gospel and how to present it. I guess my feeling is that if the two sides in this controversy 40 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:48,080 could only back away from the polarization that has taken place and from the language 41 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:53,880 that they have used on each other, and if they could turn down the temperature on the 42 00:04:53,880 --> 00:05:00,000 debate a few degrees and just look at the biblical principles, the simple principles 43 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,640 that we want to talk about tonight, we would all benefit from that. Unfortunately, there's 44 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:13,140 a lot of choosing of sides based upon one's heroes, one's favorite authors or favorite 45 00:05:13,140 --> 00:05:21,040 Bible teachers, radio teachers, and that choosing of sides smacks a little bit of Corinth to 46 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:28,200 me and to the low state of spirituality that was present in the believers of that day. 47 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:36,400 It seems to me that we have gotten along together in the past. I say we, I mean in the broad 48 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:42,160 evangelical camp. We've gotten along together in the past and we should continue to do that 49 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:48,280 and that the enemy is not each other, the enemy is outside the camp. Some have forgotten 50 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:55,400 that. Now I want to talk about these six principles tonight. I hope they will help you to avoid 51 00:05:55,400 --> 00:06:03,000 becoming polarized over this issue. The first principle, and by the way, none of these are 52 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:10,480 going to appear to be brand new ideas to you. The first one is this, very simply, that salvation 53 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:20,480 is by grace through faith alone. You see a number of passages there that undergird that. 54 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:25,200 Probably the most familiar one is the first one, but the one that speaks to the issue 55 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:33,960 the most clearly is the familiar last one, Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. Salvation is by grace 56 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:40,040 through faith alone. Let's just look that text up in Ephesians to remind us all that 57 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,080 there may be some here who are not familiar with the verse and we don't want to take 58 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:51,920 that for granted. Ephesians 2, verse 8, it says, for by grace you have been saved through 59 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:59,340 faith. That is, God's unmerited favor is the source of our salvation. Grace is not something 60 00:06:59,340 --> 00:07:07,160 we earn, it's unmerited, and it comes from God. And he says, and that not of yourselves, 61 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:15,640 it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast. And so salvation 62 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:22,400 is by God's grace and it comes to us through faith and faith alone. Now there's a certain 63 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:34,040 implication that comes along with this principle. It is this, that to demand lifestyle changes 64 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:44,160 as a condition for salvation introduces the works concept. In other words, let's just 65 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:50,760 pull one out of the hat here for the moment. If I am speaking with a friend who, let's 66 00:07:50,760 --> 00:08:01,100 say smokes, and I am seeking to lead him to personal faith in Christ, the implication 67 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:08,240 of this statement is that I should not make his giving up smoking a requirement for him 68 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:14,520 receiving Jesus Christ as Savior. Because salvation is by grace through faith alone. 69 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:22,400 It has nothing to do with works that any human being might attempt to try to clean up his 70 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:29,080 act or turn over a new leaf or whatever to please God. It's by grace through faith. 71 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:35,280 The implication again to demand lifestyle changes as a condition for salvation introduces 72 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:42,640 the works concept. Be careful of that. And we come to principle number two. By the way, 73 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,840 I never took a course on how to use one of these overheads when I was in Bible school, 74 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:54,440 so I'll do the best I can. Principle number two, a person receives the new birth and the 75 00:08:54,440 --> 00:09:00,200 indwelling Holy Spirit when he believes on Jesus Christ. And again, you see a list of 76 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:05,840 verses that undergirds this. One that's not here but which is close at hand in Ephesians 77 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:14,040 is in chapter one of that book, verse 13. It says, In him in Christ, you also, after 78 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:22,680 listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you 79 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:29,920 were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance. 80 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:35,720 And so a person receives the new birth, that is, he is born again, and the Holy Spirit 81 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:42,840 comes to live in him when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now there is another implication 82 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:50,060 that goes with this principle. And that implication is, an unsaved person is dead in trespasses 83 00:09:50,060 --> 00:09:59,280 and sins, Ephesians 2, 1. Even if he desires a different lifestyle, he does not have the 84 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:07,580 power to break his destructive habits. Why? Because the Holy Spirit doesn't live in him. 85 00:10:07,580 --> 00:10:13,880 The Holy Spirit lives only in the believer, the one who has been born again. And so even 86 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:21,400 if he desires to change, he doesn't have the power in himself to break those habits 87 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:33,720 that are destroying him. Only the Holy Spirit can bring that power. There's a third principle. 88 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:44,920 Good works are the fruit, not the root, of faith. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 again is right 89 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:51,360 at hand here, but it goes ahead to verse 10. After saying the salvation is by grace through 90 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:56,680 faith, it goes on to say in verse 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ 91 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:04,160 Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And so Paul seems 92 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:12,360 to point to the fruit here, beyond the root, which is faith and grace. He points beyond 93 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:21,720 that now to the fruit of genuine salvation, which is good works. An implication goes along 94 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:30,640 with principle number three. To expect an unsaved person to change is like looking for 95 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:40,040 good fruit from a bad tree. That is not biblical, it is not reasonable, it doesn't go together. 96 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:45,280 Good fruit comes from a good tree. Bad fruit comes from a bad tree. Jesus made that clear 97 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:52,440 in his teaching. So we have to remember that good works are the fruit, and not the root, 98 00:11:52,440 --> 00:12:03,880 of faith. Now there is a fourth principle. Mere head 99 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:14,400 belief and verbal assent produces a faith which is dead and worthless. And the suggested 100 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:19,360 text for this is James 2. It is rather lengthy, but let's just go there and pick out a verse 101 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:33,160 or two. James chapter 2. Again, these are familiar verses. In verse 14, what use is 102 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:41,040 it my brethren, says James, if a man says he has faith but has no works, can that faith 103 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:48,760 save him? Now remember, James is not confusing how we get saved. He is trying to explain 104 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:57,760 what happens when we become saved. And he says that a faith or a profession of faith 105 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:03,120 that is not undergirded by works in the life, how can that faith save him? And he says in 106 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:12,480 verse 17, faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself. And he uses the demons there 107 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:21,520 as an illustration of those who believe in God, but it is not a saving belief, obviously. 108 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:30,260 And so mere head belief and verbal assent produces a faith which is dead and worthless. 109 00:13:30,260 --> 00:13:37,720 I think that's a pretty critical principle in light of some of the evangelistic methods 110 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:45,600 that some promote, at least, in our world today. It is not enough merely to give someone 111 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:51,960 the head facts of the gospel. It has to start there. They have to understand. But it must 112 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:59,400 go deeper than the intellect. It has to enter the heart so that also the will, the emotions, 113 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:07,440 the spirit is affected. And the verbal assent, I mean, it is possible for a person to pray 114 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,660 a prayer, to say the right words, and yet for all of that to be dead as far as genuine 115 00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:20,400 faith is concerned and worthless, as with reference to salvation. 116 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:28,980 Principle number five, repentance is a vital element in saving faith. It mentions here 117 00:14:28,980 --> 00:14:33,080 some of the preaching of Jesus in the texts that are referred to in Matthew and Mark and 118 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:41,280 Luke. Jesus said in Luke 13, 3, except you repent, you will all likewise perish. In Luke 119 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:47,800 15, he talks about the importance of repentance. Peter mentioned that on the day of Pentecost. 120 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:54,860 But let's turn to Acts 20 and 21, because there we see both faith and repentance mentioned 121 00:14:54,860 --> 00:15:02,040 in the same context. I think it's a key verse in this whole debate. Now, we defined both 122 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,040 faith and repentance the last time. I'm not going to go into a great deal of explanation 123 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:12,980 about that, except to remind you that repentance is a change of mind, but it's more than just 124 00:15:12,980 --> 00:15:22,000 some kind of a mental gymnastics. It also has fallout in the life. 125 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:27,720 Acts 20 and 21, Paul says in his ministry, he was solemnly testifying to both Jews and 126 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:35,840 Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter follows up 127 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:42,440 with that in his 2nd Peter 3, 9 to talk about repentance. Those two words, as we said before, 128 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:49,740 are used somewhat interchangeably. They're not synonymous, but when you say the one, 129 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:54,800 the other is included in that in a biblical sense. 130 00:15:54,800 --> 00:16:00,080 Now there is an implication that goes along with this principle. A person who undergoes 131 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:08,120 genuine repentance with respect to God and his own sinfulness will experience a degree 132 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:15,480 of sorrow for sin and a desire for deliverance from it. That's what I mean when I say there's 133 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:22,480 some fallout from repentance. It's not just mental gymnastics, but there is a certain 134 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:29,160 degree of sorrow for that sin in the life and a desire for deliverance from it. That 135 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:34,640 desire for deliverance will basically be focused on that area of conviction that the Holy Spirit 136 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:41,600 has brought to light within the sinner. But repentance is a vital element in saving faith. 137 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:48,760 And then the final principle, culturally dictated standards and practices not specifically dealt 138 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:56,160 with in the scriptures are matters of personal conviction. Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8 are 139 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:03,000 two chapters, long chapters, dealing with this principle. Culturally dictated standards, 140 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:12,680 that is where the Bible does not speak specifically regarding certain practices or issues. Those 141 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:20,320 are matters of personal conviction. And those verses undergird that. And we are to learn 142 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:27,200 to accept each other in these areas for where we are. That is not a matter of compromise 143 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:33,160 in the slightest. It is a matter of obedience to God. To accept each other, for God has 144 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:37,840 accepted us, even though we may differ regarding some of these things and feel very strongly 145 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:42,520 about what we believe, what our convictions are. And we are responsible to live in light 146 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:49,560 of those. But we have to recognize that a brother or sister may differ with us. And 147 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:55,000 we are to accept them. Well, there's an implication that goes with this too. We must not make 148 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:01,800 roadblocks to salvation out of such matters as these. Actually, the illustration that 149 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:11,480 I used earlier would be an example, I think, of this. We are not to make roadblocks to 150 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:17,240 salvation out of such matters. Now, I hope that you've jotted those down because I want 151 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:25,760 to read a couple of cases that Dr. Vanderluck in his article speaks to. And I would like 152 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:33,680 for you to think about the issue here with respect to the six principles. How would you 153 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:40,460 respond to these situations? Which of these principles do you think apply? I'm going 154 00:18:40,460 --> 00:18:46,800 to do my best just to stick to his response and not to elaborate on that for time's sake. 155 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:52,080 But listen now as he gives us a couple of case histories of point to deal with where 156 00:18:52,080 --> 00:19:00,720 we can apply these six principles. Joe is the owner of a tavern in a small town. He's 157 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:08,360 good to his family, gives generously to community causes, and respects the churches in his community. 158 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:16,540 Some time ago, he prayed the sinner's prayer when a pastor called on him in his home. He 159 00:19:16,540 --> 00:19:21,640 started going to church, but he quit when he was told that he couldn't join the new 160 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:30,280 members class until he had gotten out of the tavern business. Joe was surprised and hurt. 161 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:36,720 He views himself as an honorable businessman licensed by the state to sell alcoholic beverages. 162 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:43,460 He also wonders why the pastor didn't tell him that this would be an issue. He is confused 163 00:19:43,460 --> 00:19:49,640 and somewhat angry. In a situation like that, which of the principles that we've talked 164 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:57,520 about do you think apply? This is Mr. Vanderluck's response. It's one that I generally would 165 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:02,840 agree with, although not all of us perhaps would apply the same principles. He says this, 166 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:09,080 like the pastor, I would not have demanded that Joe agree to get out of the tavern business 167 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:16,520 as a condition for salvation. I take this position on the basis of principles one, two, 168 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:23,700 three, and six. If you jotted them down, you can see which principles those are. He goes 169 00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:30,760 on to say, I would have done my very best to present the facts of God's holiness and 170 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:36,080 human sinfulness to Joe so clearly that he would realize his guilt before the Lord and 171 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:41,040 grasp the wonder of Calvary. Then I would have pointed out that Jesus Christ is the 172 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:46,360 Son of God, that he is Lord, and that he is to be acknowledged as Master. This would have 173 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:52,440 enabled me to determine whether or not Joe had a repentant and submissive spirit. If 174 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:57,840 I saw that he had this proper attitude, I would have led him in a prayer of commitment. 175 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:03,920 However, I would have also discussed the problem with him and shown him why I as a Christian 176 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:09,040 could not in good conscience serve alcoholic beverages. I would then have trusted God to 177 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:15,500 work in Joe's life to show him that his business does not glorify the Lord and to give him 178 00:21:15,500 --> 00:21:20,480 strength to make the right decision about his business. 179 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:25,880 That is Mr. Vanderluck's response. As you would think about a guy like Joe, which principles 180 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:35,240 would you apply in your witnessing to him and your helping of him? There is another 181 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:41,800 case history that Mr. Vanderluck points out, and it's one that again I think you need 182 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:49,600 to look at in light of the principles that we've talked about. Rachel works as an actress 183 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:56,080 for a low-budget adult movie company. She doesn't like some of the roles she has to 184 00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:00,040 play, but she tells herself that she's only acting and that the movies don't really 185 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:08,280 harm anybody. She recently went through a time of spiritual struggle. A Christian woman 186 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:13,600 in the apartment next door made an impact on her. Rachel was at the point where she 187 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:21,360 would probably have made a decision for Christ if given the opportunity. However, the neighbor 188 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:26,160 told her that receiving the Lord Jesus would require that she quit making pornographic 189 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:32,940 movies. This stopped Rachel in her tracks. She rebelled more or less like she had when 190 00:22:32,940 --> 00:22:39,440 she was a teenager growing up in a Christian home. She suddenly cooled in her attitude 191 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:48,720 toward her Christian neighbor, and now she avoids her completely. 192 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:55,640 Did the Christian neighbor apply the principles correctly, do you think? This is Mr. Vanderluck's 193 00:22:55,640 --> 00:23:00,720 response. Compare it to your own as you think through those six principles. He says, I agree 194 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:05,880 with the Christian who told Rachel that accepting Christ would be totally inconsistent with 195 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:12,540 her continuing in her profession. But I would not have told Rachel to quit her job first 196 00:23:12,540 --> 00:23:19,040 and then come back to receive Christ. To do this would be to violate principles 1, 2, 197 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:25,920 and 3. However, I would have been very frank with Rachel. Her guilt feelings showed that 198 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:31,860 deep down she knew her occupation was degrading. I would expect her to express a willingness 199 00:23:31,860 --> 00:23:39,120 to give it up. I would view her refusal as an indication that she had not really repented 200 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:46,840 principle number 5. She had not changed her mind about God, sin, or her lost condition. 201 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,320 To lead her through the motions of accepting Christ while letting her think in terms of 202 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:57,900 continuing her immoral job would do her great injustice. She would have the idea that merely 203 00:23:57,900 --> 00:24:02,680 giving mental assent to the gospel is all that is necessary. She would have the kind 204 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:09,040 of faith James said that demons possess, the kind of faith which he refers to as dead and 205 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:16,300 worthless, principle number 4. Once again, I would agree with Mr. Vanderluck and the 206 00:24:16,300 --> 00:24:21,040 application of those principles. Now, I point them out to you tonight because I want to 207 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:26,160 say again, I believe that if both sides of the controversy could come together and put 208 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:32,920 aside their rhetoric, put aside the name calling of each other, put aside the polarization 209 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:40,680 that has taken place, put aside the choosing up of sides around their favorite teachers 210 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:45,920 and preachers, if they could come and look at the biblical principles involved that we 211 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:52,720 could declare peace in most of the camp. I wish that could happen. At this point, I'm 212 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:59,720 a little pessimistic that that's going to happen very soon. I hope it will eventually. 213 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:03,720 But I also point out these principles because every one of you are dealing with people like 214 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:11,040 Joe and Rachel. There are lots of issues involved who are witnessing to people. I guess one of 215 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:20,280 the concerns I have when we talk about the controversy of lordship salvation versus easy 216 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:26,040 believism is that some of us can get so wrapped up worrying about whether we're going to 217 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:31,280 say the right thing or the wrong thing or what is the right thing or the wrong thing 218 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:36,680 that we back away from witnessing altogether. That is exactly what the devil wants us to 219 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:46,800 do with this controversy. The fact is that you and I probably too often make small mistakes 220 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:53,120 in witnessing to people. We may say things that would be better left unsaid. We may make 221 00:25:53,120 --> 00:26:00,160 certain implications that might not have wisely been made. We might have used a scripture 222 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:05,760 out of context a little bit. But the fact is that God is gracious with all of us. He 223 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:13,860 knows that we are imperfect. He uses our witness, imperfect as it too frequently is, to speak 224 00:26:13,860 --> 00:26:18,180 to people and to bring them under conviction and to the point of repentance and faith and 225 00:26:18,180 --> 00:26:25,040 believe in Jesus Christ. So my plea with you tonight is to look at these six principles. 226 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:32,960 As you witness to people, seek to apply them. But don't become so bound up with fear over 227 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:41,700 the right terminology or the exact right way to say it that you never do say it. Accept 228 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:49,400 the fact that you are an imperfect vessel as all of us are. Seek to say it as best as 229 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:55,720 God gives you the wisdom to say it, to share your faith that way. Seek to apply these principles 230 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:04,360 as God would lead you in applying them. But please, literally for heaven's sake, don't 231 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:10,320 be afraid to share your faith because of the controversy that rages. There are people out 232 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:16,160 there who desperately need the message that you and I have. And I believe that if we give 233 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:24,320 that message, being filled with the Holy Spirit and seeking to apply these principles, if 234 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:30,040 we seek to give that message as clearly as God enables us to give it, that God will use 235 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:37,040 us and that God will make us a blessing to people. That's where we started tonight. 236 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:43,640 Make me a blessing. I'd like for us to, I think that was an amen from the angels as 237 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:51,020 they danced over the ceiling. I hope that's what it was. I would like for you to open 238 00:27:51,020 --> 00:27:56,960 your hymn book and let's sing together in closing a hymn I think that speaks to the 239 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:04,480 very same issue as where we started tonight. It's number 92. It's Channels Only. And I 240 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:15,480 repeat, all of us are imperfect channels. We make mistakes, but don't let that make 241 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:23,720 you afraid to witness to other people. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to 242 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:32,640 use you. And as weak and imperfect as we may be, He chooses to use us as His channels. 243 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:39,640 So let's seek to be that faithfully. Let's stand together now as we sing. 244 00:28:39,640 --> 00:29:00,640 How I praise Thee, precious Savior, that Thy love laid hold of me. Thou hast saved and 245 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:13,640 cleansed and filled me, that I might Thy channel be. Channels Only, blessed Master, but with 246 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:30,640 all Thy wondrous power flow through us. Thou canst use us every day and every hour. 247 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,640 Let's sing now the second verse without the chorus. And we'll just go right back to the 248 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:44,640 fourth verse and sing the chorus. Verse number two. Empty that Thou shouldest fill me a clean 249 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:58,640 vessel in Thy hand, with no power but as Thou givest graciously with each command. Verse 250 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:12,640 four. Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit hearts that full surrender know, that the streams 251 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:28,640 of living water from our inner man may flow. Channels Only, blessed Master, but with all 252 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:46,640 Thy wondrous power flowing through us. Thou canst use us every day and every hour. 253 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:51,640 Isn't it just great that God chooses to use people like us to be a blessing to others? 254 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:57,640 But isn't it wonderful too that He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we're empowered to 255 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,640 do that? So let's not go out to be a blessing in our own strength, but yield to the Lordship 256 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:08,640 of Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through the channel that God's created us 257 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:18,640 to be. Lord, that is the desire of most of us here tonight, I'm sure. And we pray that 258 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,640 You will use us as a channel, whether it be at the restaurant that we might go to after 259 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:27,640 this service, or the family members we'll go home to, or the people at the office tomorrow, 260 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:34,640 or neighbors in the neighborhood. Wherever we are, remind us that we're channels. However 261 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:40,640 imperfect, we're channels that You've chosen to use us, You've cleansed us, and You've 262 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:52,640 empowered us by the Holy Spirit. And so make us a blessing. In Jesus' name, amen.