mission where Jesus says in verse 19 go ye therefore and teach all nations
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and lo I
am with you always even unto the end of the world now if you want to turn in
your Bible to Acts chapter 5 just a few books toward the writing of your
Bible Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and you find the book of Acts look at Acts chapter 5 now the key
word that I want to emphasize in the passage that we read in Matthew 28 is the
first word that came out of Jesus mouth in the form of a command he said go go
ye therefore teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost
here the Bible says in Acts chapter 5 verse 42 and daily in the temple and
watch this next phrase in every house they cease not to teach and preach
Jesus Christ look at Acts 20 20 you're in Acts 5 22 just go to chapter 20 few pages back in your
Bible the Bible reads in Acts 20 20 and now I kept back nothing that was
profitable unto you but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from
house to house and then of course you don't have to turn there but in
Mark 16 15 and he said unto them go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature in Matthew chapter 10 he said the disciples when
he sent them out two by two into all the cities all the towns all the villages of
all Judea he said as you go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand
you see at this church we believe in soul winning at this church we believe in
house to house soul winning you say where'd you get that idea did you get it from the
Jehovah's Witnesses no did you get it from the Mormons no did you get it from the cults no we
got it from the Bible the Bible says daily in the temple and in every every
house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ the Bible says Paul
taught them from house to house the Bible says in Matthew 28 where we read
go and preach the gospel to him he didn't say invite or bring them or
let's get him to come here he said you gotta go where they are and
preach to them you gotta go find them seek and save that which was lost
like Jesus did and so we're going out looking for people to get saved and the
best place to go look for them is in houses because everybody lives in a
house virtually I mean if you knock every door in this town you
virtually have spoken to every person not everybody goes to church do they
some people are not even able to go to church physically some people have
physical ailments and handicaps that would make it impossible for them to
get to church some people have other problems and issues that would keep them
from Analytic Church hey could it's not many people from going to heaven
as long as people weren't back this church is around because we're
gonna go out and preach the gospel of lost we're gonna go out and win
double and we knocked over there are a lot of people in this church who go
out solely there are a lot of men who go out so any and there are a
lot of ladies who bla so any and the ladies go out and not go thick
flick me Roshan let me tell you something
now you look women in this church who goes so Cox know where the Three
church, you go to someone, go out and just invite people to church, and if I, and I know
that's true, and if I found out that they were going out just inviting people to church,
you know what I'd do?
I'd take them aside and I'd say, man, it's so great that you're showing up for
someone.
It's great that you're willing to work for God and that you want to do something
for God.
Let me pair you up with somebody who knows how to win souls to Christ.
You can be a silent partner and listen to them until you know how to win people
to Christ, because we're not the a-bomb lady, we're not a door knocker, we're not a
messenger service, we're out preaching the Gospel boldly, filled with the Holy Spirit
of God.
Hey, that's what faithful Word Baptist Church is, and that's where it's always going
to be, as long as I'm around, anyway, and so that's what we believe here.
But you see, here's the problem, and this is what I want to preach on this morning.
I want to preach on the danger of not going soloing, or the necessity of why we
must go door-to-door soloing, and what's going to happen if we don't go soloing.
I mean, what happens to a church when they cease to go out and win souls to Christ?
What happens to a church when they no longer care about the loss, they no longer go out
to the poor and the lame and the blind and the halt and the maim, and preach
glad tidings to the meek?
Hey, what happens to that church?
But not only a church, what happens to the person who personally decides, I will
not be a soloer, I will not win people to Christ, I will not preach the Gospel,
I will not obey the Great Commission?
What's going to happen?
You see, it's very dangerous ground to not be a soloer, and I want to start out
talking about maybe what happens to a church and then get into a little bit of what
happens to you personally when you're not a soloer.
But first of all, let me tell you, the biggest thing that happens when a church
ceases to be a soloing church, and I'm not talking about churches that say they're
a soloing church because they have EBS, because they invite people to church,
because they go out on the street corner and scream at people and call them names.
That's not what we're talking about.
We're talking about legitimate soloing where you go out and bow your head to
somebody and win people to Christ.
What happens to a church that gets away from God's method of door-to-door soloing?
What happens to a church that gets away from personal soloing done by members of the church?
Well, I'll tell you the first thing that happens, the church goes into false
doctrine.
You see, not being a soloer will lead you into false doctrine.
I'm telling you, it's the truth.
I've seen it a million times, and I'm going to give you a few examples this
morning of the false doctrine that people go into when they quit soloing,
and the false doctrine that churches go into when they quit soloing.
You see, I'm not going to go into false doctrine regarding salvation.
This church is not going to go into false doctrine.
You know why?
Because we have our finger on the pulse of salvation because we're out doing the
word, not just hearing the word, we're doing it.
And so when you go out soloing, when you're on the front lines of the battle,
when you're out there in the trenches with your sleeves rolled up,
and you're getting your hands dirty, hey, winning people to Christ,
you're not confused about what the God's right is.
You're not confused about what salvation is because you're preaching the word of God
and power on a weekly basis.
What happens when a church ceases to be a soloing church?
They go into false doctrine.
Let me give you a few examples of the kind of false doctrine that the non-soloing
Baptist church will go into.
Number one, Calvinism.
Calvinism.
I mean, when you're out knocking doors and when you're looking in the eye
of somebody that you're preaching the gospel to, when you've got the Bible
in your hand and the Holy Spirit upon you and the word of God in your mouth
and you're giving the gospel to an unseen person, hey,
you don't have any doubt in your mind that that person is hanging and
bouncing between heaven and hell at that moment.
Hey, I know that's true.
I preach the gospel.
I've seen God's power winning people to Christ.
But when you get out of the trenches, when you get in some office somewhere,
when you get in some ivory tower somewhere, when you get all off in some
library somewhere with your head and a bunch of books written by a man
instead of holding the book that's written by God and speaking it with your mouth
out in the highways and head just compelling them to come in.
Hey, your doctrine gets messed up.
It's the truth.
You go and lock yourself in one of these cloisters, one of these monasteries.
And to me, that's a lot of what these colleges and Bible seminaries are.
They're like a Catholic monastery.
You've got a bunch of guys living in a building together in bunk beds,
and they're studying the word of God all day.
You know, I'm telling you something, I believe in studying the word of God.
Amen.
I'm not saying we shouldn't study and know the word of God.
But there's a big difference between studying the word of God
and studying about the word of God.
Two totally different things.
There's learning the Bible, and then there's learning about the Bible.
Okay, I'm a strong believer in learning the Bible.
And you know, the best way to learn the Bible is to memorize it.
That's what the Bible says.
I mean, meditate on it day and night.
Hide these words in your heart that thou mayest do them.
You see, I don't want to just be a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word.
Because what happens is when you're a hearer of the word and not a doer,
the Bible says you're a forgetful hearer.
He says if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he's like a new man holding his natural face in the glass
where he beholds himself and goes his way,
and straightway forgives what man or man was,
but who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein.
He may not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work.
This man shall be blessed as he.
You've got to be a doer.
And the hearer only, he doesn't know.
He forgives what he learned.
And so he's too busy with his head in some book written by a man.
I'd rather have the book written by God in my hand.
And now, speaking with my mouth,
that's where you're going to learn the truth, right?
Now, these doctrines by the so-called theologians
and the so-called intellectuals,
which I don't believe they're intellectuals at all.
I think they're lazy.
I think they're not soul winning.
I think they have no love and compassion.
They're at a loss.
That's what I call them.
But here's what they teach.
It's this doctrine called Calvinism.
And Baptist churches, independent fundamental Baptist churches,
when they quit soul winning, they'll start leaning Calvinists.
And their belief.
They'll start saying things like, well,
God really wants people to get saved.
He'll find a way to get them saved.
They'll start making those kind of statements.
Or they'll make statements like this.
Well, we can all be replaced.
We're all expendable.
And if you don't do it, God will use somebody else to do it.
Bologna.
False doctrine.
Let's get the truth about it.
Look at 1 Timothy chapter 2.
Turn to 1 Timothy in your Bible.
This is toward the end of your New Testament.
Little pastoral epistles there.
First and Second Timothy.
Titus by Leman writes a book of Hebrews.
OK.
1 Timothy chapter number 2.
And you see, many Baptists, they don't call themselves Calvinists.
Because they don't want to associate themselves
with the murderer, John Calvin.
And so the man who persecuted Baptists, by the way.
So they say, well, I'm not a Calvinist.
But I do believe in the sovereign grace of God.
Who's ever heard that before?
Sovereign grace.
You know.
Well, I just believe in the sovereign grace of God.
I'm not a Calvinist.
But I believe in the sovereign grace of God.
Or you'll hear it in the South,
if you're from the southern part of the United States.
I'm sorry.
I hear that.
No, I'm just kidding.
But if you're from the South, then you'll
know them as a primitive Baptist.
Or a hard-shell Baptist, is what they call them.
And they're Calvinists.
And a Calvinist is someone who believes
that God just chooses one person to go to heaven
and one person to go to hell, based on nothing
that they've ever said, done, believed, thought, willed.
He just chooses.
It would be kind of like if I were to go to the hospital,
and they have all the babies lined up in the nursery,
and I just said, kill this one, kill this one,
keep this one alive, kill this one.
Based on nothing.
Wouldn't that be terrible?
But that's the God of Calvinism.
He damns one to hell without him giving him a chance,
without loving him, without dying for him.
He just creates him and damns him.
And then the other ones, he saves.
Why?
Because he feels like it.
OK.
Now, Calvinism is a false doctrine.
And if you believe that God chooses who goes to heaven
and who goes to hell, you're a Calvinist.
And you're a heretic.
And so the churches that go into this,
there are not so many churches.
They get mixed up in this.
Look down at the Bible, and let's see
if Calvinism is true.
Look at 1 Timothy 2, verse 3.
The Bible says, for this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Savior, who will,
will means evil.
That's what he wants.
That's his will.
Who will have all men to be saved and to come
into the knowledge of the truth.
So does God want anybody to go to hell?
Is it God's will that anyone go to hell?
I mean, is God foreordained and said,
I choose, it's my will that you will go to hell?
No.
God is not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance, the Bible says.
And it says here that God will have all men to be saved
and to come into the knowledge of the truth.
Look at 1 Timothy 4, just one page over,
probably in your Bible, chapter 4.
Look at verse 10.
This is Paul speaking again.
For therefore, we both labor and suffer reproach
because we trust in the living God,
who is the Savior of all men.
Watch the next phrase, specially of those that believe.
Now look, he's the Savior of all men.
But it's not going to do me any good
unless you get saved.
And by that, how do you do that?
By believing on him.
So he says, look, he's the Savior of all men.
I mean, the Bible says, for the same Lord overall
is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
He says, if you believe on Jesus Christ
and call on him for salvation, no matter who you are,
he will save you.
Because he's the Savior of all men.
That's what the Bible says, specially of those who believe.
Now, it doesn't do you any good unless you believe.
You say, well, I don't understand that.
Well, flip over to Hebrews 4.
Hebrews 4, just a few books toward the writing of the Bible.
You're in 1 Timothy.
Look at Hebrews 4.
You see, Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men.
Say, oh, well, you know, and sometimes they'll talk
to people of other nationalities, and they'll say,
oh, that's kind of the white man is God.
You know, the Muslims will say, well, you know,
this is our God, and this is kind of your God.
Or sometimes they'll speak to Native Americans,
and they'll say, well, you know, he's your God,
but we have the great spirit and whatever.
And here's the thing.
No, he's the Savior of all men.
Red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in his act.
There's not the one God of the white man,
one God of the red man, one God of the black man.
Hey, the same Lord over all is rich unto all they call upon.
He said, my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all nations.
There's one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus.
Now, look down at Hebrews 4, and look what the Bible reads
in verse number, where am I here?
Good night, I lost my face.
I'm going to have to turn there.
Hebrews chapter 4, look at verse number 2.
For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them.
He's talking about people who went to hell.
Unbelievers from the Old Testament
in the wilderness who did not believe God
died and went to hell.
He said unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them,
but the word preached did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
You see that?
Didn't do them any good
because they didn't have the faith
to believe the gospel when they heard it,
but they still heard it,
and he was still their savior.
He was still saying to them,
whosoever will, let him come
and take the water of life freely.
He was still saying to them,
come unto me all ye that are heavy laden,
great labored or heavy laden,
I'll give you rest.
But they would not.
They didn't have faith.
They didn't have the faith to be saved.
They didn't believe on it.
Whose fault was it?
Who made the choice?
Was it God that chose that they would go to hell?
No.
God preached the gospel to them.
God loved them.
God died for them,
and they did not have the faith,
and they went to hell of their own volition.
Now, this is what Calvinism teaches,
the Tulip.
Isn't that sweet?
The Tulip.
And Calvinist doctrine is described by the Tulip.
Now, Tulip is an acronym they use
where each letter stands for another part of Calvinism.
T-U-L-I-P.
This is what the different letters in Calvinism tell you.
T stands for total depravity.
That means that every human being is so depraved.
Does anybody know what the word depraved means?
Depraved is like a sick, just psycho killer or something.
I mean, he has no conscience.
What the Bible describes in Ephesians 4
as being past feeling.
And there are people who are depraved in this world.
They're past feeling.
They have no conscience anymore.
I mean, have you ever looked at a newspaper in Phoenix?
There are people who have no conscience.
I mean, they go out and do all manner of wicked and vile things.
They have no kind of past feeling.
But Calvinism teaches that everybody is depraved.
Everybody is so depraved
that they don't even have the ability
to believe on Jesus or do anything right.
Now, that's not true.
It's false.
There's nowhere to show me that in the Bible.
Now, I believe that everybody's a sinner.
The Bible says there's not a just man upon the earth
to do with good and sin and not.
The Bible says for all of sin to come short of the glory of God.
The Bible says if we say that we've not sinned,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not as.
Or I'm sorry, if we say that we've not sinned,
we make him a liar and his word is not as.
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not as.
I believe I'm a sinner,
but I don't believe I've ever been depraved.
I don't think anybody in this room is depraved.
I hope not.
Okay.
And so I don't believe that.
What about the U?
The U in this new book stands for unconditional election.
Now, what's an election?
That's when you vote for the president, right?
You vote and you choose somebody.
So election meets choice.
So God just unconditionally chooses who goes to heaven.
There's no condition on it.
Now, of course, the Bible says there is a condition.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved.
There's your condition.
If you believe on Jesus Christ, then you will be saved.
They believe in unconditional election.
The Bible says especially those that believe.
Okay.
The third thing they believe, the T-U-L-I-P, limited atonement.
Now turn to 1 John chapter 2.
You're in Hebrews.
Go a few more pages to the right and you'll find Hebrews,
James, 1 Peter, and then 1 John.
They believe limited atonement.
And this is where they believe that Jesus did not die for everybody.
That he only died for the elect.
He only died for some and did not die for others.
Now, let's see if that holds water with the Bible.
Let's see if the sovereign grace crowd is right.
Let's see if sovereign grace Baptist church has it right.
Let's see if the primitive and hard shell Baptist and the non-soul winning Baptist
and the first church of the deep freeze
and the first church of the dead theologian from a seminary or cemetery somewhere.
Let's see if they're right.
Look at 1 John chapter 2.
The Bible says my little children these things right on you that you sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins.
And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of our sins only.
Just us, right?
Because we're the elect.
Yeah, we're saved.
We're christened.
No, the sins of the whole world.
Not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Now, what is there not to understand about that verse?
Pretty clear, isn't it?
You say, well, where do they count us get this crazy doctrine?
Where do they come up with this stuff that God chooses?
Well, let me show you where they get it from.
Look at Ephesians chapter 1.
You say, good night.
I mean, the Bible is so clear.
I mean, the Bible says that he's a savior of all men.
He died for all men.
He's the propitiation for all men.
I mean, he wants to save the whole world, everybody, all men, whosoever.
Whosoever will make up.
Where do they get this stuff?
Well, first of all, they made it up.
But then they got to find something in the Bible
that they can twist around and say that that's what it is.
Look at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4.
The Bible says, as courting as he hath chosen us.
See, God chose us.
He chose who to go to heaven and who to go to hell.
Let's see if that's what it really says, though, OK?
According as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we would be the people that are saved and the other people go to hell.
No.
It says he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy.
And without blame before him in love.
OK?
Look at the next verse.
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace,
where he hath made us accepted and beloved,
in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Now, what's he saying there?
He's saying, look, God chose that those of us who are saved would be holy.
God chose that they would be blameless.
God chose.
What did he choose?
Look at Romans 8, and we'll see further the choice.
God is not choosing one to go to hell and one to go to heaven.
That's not what that verse says.
He just says he chose, before the world began,
that my people will be holy.
My people will be blameless.
My people will be the sons of God.
Look at it.
It's further illustrating Romans 8.
But they say, well, predestination, you know,
God destined some for heaven and destined some for hell.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Well, look, if the Calvinists are right,
and there's nothing we can do about it,
I ain't going soul-willing this afternoon.
What's the point?
You say, oh, well, we have to,
we still have to go soul-willing and just go pay God.
He said to go preach the gospel to every priest,
so we're just going to do it anyway.
Well, I already went on Wednesday.
Why would I go again?
See what I'm saying?
I mean, I just went on Wednesday.
Why don't I just go next Wednesday?
No, I want to go Wednesday and today.
You know why?
Because people are going to hell,
and I want to give them the gospel and give them the safe.
That's why.
But the Calvinists, he doesn't.
He doesn't care.
He doesn't believe that.
I mean, it's all before name.
Well, look down at your Bible in Romans 8 and 28.
The Bible says in Romans 8 and 28,
and we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.
Look at verse 29.
For whom he did for no.
OK, so what does that mean?
God, before the world was ever created, could look for it.
And he knew me.
He knew you.
He knew everything about us.
And let me shock you with something.
God knew before the world began who would get saved
and who would not get saved.
But does that mean that he decided who would get saved
and who would not?
No, he knew that.
So he didn't predestinate one to be saved
and one to go to hell.
He looked forward at first before who and said,
OK, I know Stephen Anderson that he's going to believe.
Well, I'm going to give Stephen Anderson a destiny
as a believer.
I'm going to predestinate him to be conformed
to the image of my son.
That's what it says.
And that's exactly what it said in Ephesians chapter 1.
You remember?
He said he chose us to be holy.
He chose us.
He called us out from the world
to be a separate and peculiar people,
a holy and righteous nation, the Bible calls it.
He said he chose us to be blameless and righteous and holy.
He predestined us to be conformed
to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
and who was that?
Whom he foreknew.
OK, it says in verse 30,
Moreover whom he did predestinate,
then he also called.
And whom he called, then he also justified.
And whom he justified, then he also glorified.
What shall we say to these things of God before us
who can be against us?
Now where in that verse did it say
God damns one by his own choice
and saves the other?
Nowhere, OK?
But the verses that I see are very clear.
The Savior of all men,
whosoever believeth,
and God is not willing to any should perish,
he would have all men to be saved
when it come to the knowledge of the truth.
You say, well, all doesn't really mean all.
Come on.
Don't you mean some doesn't mean some most of the time?
Because if all doesn't really mean all,
then the statement all doesn't really mean all
doesn't even make sense.
Because if you say all doesn't really mean all,
do you really mean all by that when you say that?
Don't you mean some doesn't always really mean all?
Or do you mean that all some of the time doesn't mean all?
Or do you mean that some doesn't most of the time mean sometimes?
Isn't that dumb?
No, all means all.
It's kind of like when people say,
I don't believe in absolutes.
Well, are you absolutely sure that there are no absolutes?
Is that an absolute statement?
It doesn't make any sense, does it?
Or it's like when people say,
I think you're judgmental.
Are you judging me?
Well, I just think you're judgmental.
You guys are going to have such and such.
Would you stop judging us, please?
See what I mean?
See how silly people are?
People are feeling crazy, huh?
But these are some of the verses that they twist.
Look at John 15.
Oh, man, I can't believe we're looking at all his Bibles.
Wasn't that what the Bible said?
Preach the word?
He is and sees that.
Didn't he say, till I come, give attendance to reading,
to exhortation, to doctrine?
And so in this church, we know a lot of the Bible.
We want to hear what God has to say.
Look at John 15.
Here's the other verse that the Calvinists
will try to use to say that God chooses
one to be saved over another.
And it's funny how these verses never
mention being saved or anything.
I mean, they just mention things about holiness
and righteousness and bringing forth fruit.
Look at John 15, 16.
It says, he have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you.
See?
We don't choose Jesus.
He chooses us.
No, let's keep reading.
He said, you have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you and ordained you
that ye should go and bring forth fruit.
That's what he chose.
And he says, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father
and my name can they give it to you.
Who's he talking to in that verse?
The 12 disciples.
He's kind of talking to his 12 disciples.
They're the only ones that are there.
And he says, hey, you didn't choose me.
I chose you.
Remember when he walked up and said, follow me?
Now, look back at John 6,
and I'll prove it to you that that's what he's talking about.
Look at John chapter 6, verse number 63.
John 6, 63.
And John 6 is a great chapter in the Bible,
but John chapter 6, verse 63, it says,
is the spirit that quickened it.
The flesh profiteth nothing.
The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life.
But there are some of you that believe not.
So not everybody he was speaking to was a believer.
Not everybody was saved.
He says, for Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not,
and who should betray him.
One of them was Jesus' carrier, the betrayer.
And he says, therefore said I unto you
that no man can come unto me
except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time, many of his disciples went back
and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus under the 12, will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go?
Who's he talking to?
The 12, right?
Just the 12 disciples.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life,
and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,
the Son, and the living God.
Jesus answered them,
have not I chosen you 12,
and one of you is a devil?
So he's the choosing, talking about salvation.
Now, because he chose those 12,
one of them believed not.
One of them was the devil.
One of them is burning in hell right now,
Jesus' carrier.
See what I'm saying?
So he says,
have not I chosen you 12,
and one of you is a devil?
Hey, he chose them
that they would go and bring forth fruit
and that their fruit were made.
He ordained them as apostles.
He didn't choose one to go to heaven,
one to go to hell.
You say, well, I chose Jacob,
and damned each other.
No.
He chose Jacob to be the progenitor of Jesus Christ.
He didn't choose him for salvation.
He chose him to be the one who inherited
the birthright and the blessing.
He's not going to have gotten saved.
He's not going to have believed on Jesus Christ.
But he made the choice to reject God.
He despised his birthright.
He despised the things of God.
He lived for the flesh and gratified the flesh.
The Bible says he was a fornicator
and a profane person.
He was a dirty person.
He was a wicked man,
and he never believed on Jesus Christ.
He never believed the gospel.
He never had faith in God.
He went to hell because he had no faith,
because he was a non-believer.
That's the only reason why people go to hell
is because they don't believe on Lord Jesus Christ
that they might be saved from their sins.
So we see that that kind of falls apart,
but let's hurry here.
I want to get to my other points,
but not only the total depravity,
unconditional election, limited total.
They believe in what's called irresistible grace.
God's grace is just kind of pulling on certain people.
Only a certain few.
Only the chosen few.
And, you know, it's just kind of,
you know, they just can't,
you know, it's like, whoa!
You know, they can't resist.
I mean, God is just pulling at them.
They have no choice but to just get saved.
They don't have the choice.
They don't have the free will.
God's just, God's just,
by pulling them.
It's irresistible grace.
Now that's not true.
And look at Romans chapter three.
Look at Romans chapter three verse 22,
great passage in the Bible.
It's not unconditional,
and it's not irresistible.
There is a condition,
and many, didn't us even say this?
Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.
He said, as did your father, so do ye.
Where did they get this irresistible stuff?
All throughout the Bible I see resisting,
people resisting the Holy Ghost,
and Stephen gave examples all through the whole Testament.
That's what his whole sermon was about.
How the children of Israel continually resisted
and grieved the Spirit of God.
It's not irresistible.
But look at Romans chapter three verse 22,
let's see in the truth of God it says,
Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe,
for there is no difference.
For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God has set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that have passed
through the forbearance of God,
to declare, I say at this time,
his, that's like my Jesus, righteousness,
that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where is boasting that is excluded by what law works?
Is salvation by works?
Nay, but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.
Pretty clear that believe and faith
is what determines who's going to heaven.
If you believe on Jesus Christ,
thou shalt be saved.
Whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
The Bible says,
but I'm not shaving the gospel of Christ,
but it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that we believe in,
to the Jew first and also the Greek.
And you see,
many times the Calvinist
and the sovereign grace Baptist
will say, it's all grace,
grace, grace, salvation by grace,
grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace.
Well, listen buddy,
it's faith, faith, faith, faith, faith, faith.
Because you see,
there's two parts to salvation,
grace and faith.
Grace is what God gives us.
Faith is our part.
We have the faith,
God gives us the grace.
That's it.
We have to have our...
You say, no, no, no,
man has no part in salvation at all.
And this is what Baptist would be.
And listen, this is the first step.
I'm going to show you right now
where this doctrine begins to creep in.
I'm going to show you right now.
I've been an independent
fundamental Baptist Church my whole life.
And I've heard this taught more times
than I need a shaky stick at.
I mean, this has been taught
so many times,
and this is where it creeps in.
Look at Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2, 89.
This is where,
and if you want to know
what church is slipping into this
sovereign grace and Calvinism garbage,
number one,
check the soul winning.
It's gone downhill.
It's going down the tubes,
I promise you.
Because the only people
who go into this kind of doctrine
are people who are,
who are weak on soul winning.
Because if you go out there
and you're out there with me
this afternoon out winning souls with me,
you won't even fall for this kind of stuff.
You won't go into this kind of doctrine.
But the people who don't go soul winning,
they're not doers of the word,
and they slip into this stuff.
And I'm going to show you
step number one
on the downward decline.
And if you,
when you hear this,
I'm not saying that,
you know, all I'm saying
is just be aware of this,
because this is the first teaching
that on the slippery slope
to non-soul winning.
And it's in Ephesians 2, 89.
The Bible says,
very common verse,
by grace are you safe through faith,
and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God,
not of works,
lest any man should boast.
Now the teaching that people will say,
because look,
what's, everybody think about it.
What's our part in salvation?
Faith.
What's the condition upon us?
Faith.
Whosoever believeth.
And believe and faith
are the exact same word.
Faith is a noun.
Believe is a verb.
Same word.
Same exact meaning.
The word belief is also a noun,
very rarely used in the Bible.
God used the word faith
as the noun to correspond with belief.
So our part is to believe and have faith.
Now salvation is freely offered to all, isn't it?
For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth,
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
Now I showed that verse to a small child,
and asked them,
is salvation available to everyone?
They'd say, yes.
If I said, is it universal?
I mean, is it for every nation?
Is it for every kingdom?
Is it for every human being on this earth?
If they will believe on Jesus.
Yes, whosoever believeth,
He loved the world,
He died for the world,
and whoever believes will be saved.
Okay, clear.
Very simple.
But here's the first step on the slippery slope.
The Calvinist says,
well yes, it's true that you have to have faith to be saved,
but God gives you that faith
in only the certain people that He picks.
He picks certain people and says like,
well, I'm going to give Brother Bosco the faith to be saved.
I'm going to give that to him.
It's not his choice.
It's not going to be his faith.
I'm going to give him that faith,
so that he'll suddenly become one of the whosoever.
Now, first of all,
that'd be very deceptive of God
to sit there and say,
hey, I love the world.
I gave myself to the world,
that whosoever believeth,
and for him to be begging.
I mean, what sense would it be making
for Jesus to be begging the Pharisees,
saying, if you don't believe me,
he said, for my words,
he said, believe me for the very work's sake.
I mean, he's pleading with them to believe on me.
Wouldn't that be kind of silly
if I already knew
that I didn't even give you the ability to be saved?
I didn't even give you the faith,
then I'm going to yell at you and say,
believe on me for crying out loud.
Would you believe on me?
Well, sorry God,
you didn't give me the faith.
And this is their text verse.
Look down at the verse.
We're going to prove it wrong right now.
They say, well, look at this,
for by grace are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God.
They say, it is referring to faith.
Wrong.
They'll say, well, look,
the noun that's the closest to the it is faith,
so it must be referring to faith.
That's what they'll say.
They'll say like,
but that not of yourself,
the faith is not even of yourself.
You didn't even have the faith.
God gave you the faith.
Who's ever heard that thought before?
Thank God, man.
I've heard it a million times.
But they say, well,
God's the one who gives the faith.
Well, but see, here's the hypocrisy of that statement.
Look at the next words.
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Now, if it is the gift of God is referring to faith,
that would mean that not of works,
lest any man should boast,
would also be referring to faith.
Would that make any sense to say
that faith is not of works,
lest any man should boast?
No.
And, you know,
I don't want to get too deep on grammar here,
but sometimes phrases can act as nouns.
And I'm going to prove that to you right now.
Who knows what a phrase is?
A phrase is a group of words
that does not make a complete sentence.
Okay.
Now, you can take a verb phrase
and it can act as a noun.
You learn a lot when you come to this church,
I'm telling you.
Okay.
Like, if I said this,
tell me this.
Okay, kids, who's good at school?
Put a prayer.
You good at school, Grant?
Okay.
You're going to be my big time.
You're my volunteer.
Okay, Grant, listen.
Running.
Okay.
Is it a verb or is it a noun?
It's a verb.
Very good.
Running is a verb because it expresses
what you do.
Action.
Something that you're doing.
Okay.
But here's the thing.
If I said, I am running.
Okay.
That's a verb.
Very good.
It's, it's a, it's a part,
it's a, it's a present participle.
That's what it's called.
Okay.
But let's say I said this.
Running to the store is strenuous.
Okay.
Running is no longer a verb noun.
Because running,
running is not the subject of the sentence.
Strenuous is a credited adjective.
What do adjectives modify, Grant?
Uh, noun.
Noun.
Exactly.
Noun or pronoun.
Okay.
And what is strenuous?
Running is strenuous.
Okay.
But actually that whole phrase,
running to the store is what's strenuous.
That is called a gerund phrase.
It's a verb phrase that's acting as a noun.
Okay.
Now here we have a phrase.
We have a whole phrase.
By grace are ye saved.
Or you can even just break it down this way.
Ye are saved.
Okay.
The it is referring to the fact that you are saved.
You are saved is the gift of God.
You understand what I'm saying?
The fact is you're saved.
So you just provide grace are ye saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God.
Not of works does he mention it.
What's not of works according to Romans 3?
Salvation?
What's not of works according to the whole rest of the New Testament?
According to the whole book of Galatians.
According to the whole book of Romans.
Salvation is not of works lest any man should boast.
Faith is not of works lest any man should boast.
Doesn't make any sense.
And not only that,
whenever you're interpreting the Bible,
you have to use the rest of the context of the Bible.
What else is known as the gift of God throughout the Bible?
Is there anywhere that God says that the gift of God is faith?
No.
What the Bible says is the gift of God is eternal life.
You listening?
The gift of God is eternal life.
In Romans chapter 5 the Bible says the gift of God is Jesus' righteousness.
Being imputed unto us is called the free gift.
Justification, which is another word for salvation,
is the gift of God according to Romans chapter 5.
And so God doesn't give you the faith to certain people and say
I'm giving you the ability to believe on Jesus Christ.
The Bible says God has given to every man the measure of faith.
Everybody has faith.
I have faith.
You have faith.
Did you know that unsaved people have faith?
They do.
There are people who have faith in Charles Darwin.
Right?
There are people who have faith in Islam.
There are people who have faith in Hinduism.
Faith in Buddhism.
Faith in all manner of things.
I mean, if I said to somebody,
Hey, get in the car.
I'm going to give you a ride to the store.
If they get in my car, they have faith in me.
Then I'm going to get in there safely.
Right?
I mean, they have the faith to hop into my car and ride with me.
That's faith.
Everybody has faith.
The question is, where is your faith placed?
Okay.
If I have my faith in Islam, I'm not believing on Jesus Christ.
If I have my faith in a man-made religion like Catholicism,
my faith is not in Jesus.
If I have faith in Buddha, it's not in Jesus.
It's not that I don't have the faith.
That's not the problem.
The problem is that I'm putting my faith in the wrong things
and the wrong people.
And what you have to do to be saved is take all your faith
and put it on Jesus to get you to heaven.
You already have the faith.
And unbelievers have the faith.
And people go to hell have faith.
It's not that God is giving them the faith so they can be saved.
We all have the faith.
We got to give our faith to him so that we can be saved.
But by receiving the gift of his grace, by placing our faith in him.
And lastly of the two of them is the P.
Perseverance of the saints.
He said, well, good night.
I'm sure you believe in perseverance of the saints.
I don't believe in perseverance of the saints.
You see, turn to Matthew 24.
Perseverance of the saints is a teaching.
And many people wrongly believe that Calvinists
believe in eternal security.
And they say, well, Arminians believe you can lose your salvation.
And Calvinists believe that it's eternally secure.
It's a lie.
They both believe you can lose your salvation.
I'm going to prove that to you right now.
They both believe in losing your salvation.
One of them is just a little bit trickier.
Calvinists is a little trickier and crackier
about the way he hides it.
OK.
But look at Matthew 24.
The Calvinists believe what's called perseverance of the saints.
There are Baptist churches in this town
that have in their statement of faith
that all true believers are those
who endure to the end only.
They say, if you don't endure to the end, you're not saved.
Now, that's not assurance of your salvation, right?
Because then, according to that logic,
I won't really know whether I'm saved
until I endure to the end, whatever that means.
Right?
I mean, how could I know today if I'm saved
if I have to endure to the end to be saved?
I mean, I couldn't even know that anybody in this room
is saved until we have your funeral.
We'll be like, he endured to the end.
He made it.
He's saved.
Now, let me define for you.
Let me read you.
This is where they're getting that false doctrine again,
Matthew 24.
Look at Matthew 24, verse number 13.
Matthew 24, 13.
But he that shall endure unto the end,
the saved shall be saved.
See right there, they say.
You must endure to the end to be saved.
You've got to make it all the way to the finish line
in order to be saved.
Well, let's get to context.
See, what I'm trying to show you
is you can't just take verse out of context.
You've got to read the whole passage.
You've got to see what the Bible is saying.
Look at verse seven.
This is not about the tribulation.
It says, for nation shall rise against nation
and kingdom against kingdom.
And there shall be famines.
That's when people are starving.
Pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places.
California, for example.
I'm just kidding.
But anyway, did you hear about the earthquake?
No.
They said the big one's still coming, the 8.0.
That's what I heard.
But anyway, it says, these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up, who believe as Christians,
to be afflicted and shall kill you.
And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many be offended
and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.
Now you say, what is Jesus talking about?
Is he talking about today?
Is he talking about what's going on today?
No.
Because if you get the context of the chapter
at the beginning of the chapter in verse number three,
his disciples ask him, look at the latter part of verse three.
Tell us, when shall these things be?
And what shall be the sign of thy coming
and of the end of the world?
Is what Jesus is talking about.
His second coming, the end of the world.
And he says here, because iniquity shall abound,
the love of may shall act whole.
He said, people are going to be trying to kill you.
They're going to afflict you.
They're going to persecute you.
They're going to betray you.
They're going to deliver you up.
And he says, but ye then do it to the end,
the same shall be said.
But let's keep reading.
Look at verse 22.
And except those days should be shortened.
Are you in verse 22?
There should no flesh be saved.
But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.
So are we talking about somebody's soul being saved
and them going to heaven?
We're talking about somebody's flesh being saved.
That's what it says.
I mean, look, if somebody's trying to kill you
and afflict you and persecute you,
if you can make it through that horrible period
of the tribulation, he says,
if you endure it, you're going to be saved,
because you're going to look up in the clouds
and Jesus Christ is going to rapture you out.
And your flesh will not perish, even.
You'll be saved.
The gruesome death that could await you.
And so, do you see the context?
He flat out says, their flesh will not be saved.
It's like what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5
about the man who was taken to go through his mother-in-law.
He said, we're going to pray for his destruction of the flesh,
that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Two different things.
Spiritual salvation and your physical salvation.
I mean, if somebody receives a gunshot wound
and you say, the doctor just couldn't save him,
do we think that he's going to go to hell now?
Because the doctor was not able to provide salvation.
Do you see what I'm saying?
He said, my physical's that way.
He couldn't save him.
There's nothing more they could do.
And so, let me be fine for you.
And I'm not even like one third of the way in my story.
It doesn't matter, because this stuff needs to be preached.
And don't worry, we're not going to be here three times
as long as we've been here so far.
That's not what I meant.
See, when you cut off, I write my sermons.
I can cut off either end, and it works out just fine.
I can just be like, oh, I'm not going to preach this.
I'm not going to preach this.
Whatever we get to is fine.
But look, let me define eternal security for you.
Do you believe in eternal security?
Do you believe in the eternal security?
Do you believe in everlasting life?
Do you believe when Jesus said,
I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish?
And no man is able to pluck them out of my hand.
Do you believe it when Jesus said,
Verily I say to you,
E'ereth my word, and believeth on him
that saith he hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation,
but his past and death and life.
Do you believe when Jesus said,
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee?
Do you believe it or not?
Well, look, if it's eternal security,
let me define it for you.
You say, well, the cowboys believe that.
No, they don't.
They don't believe.
And let me tell you why they don't believe.
This is what they believe.
Let's say somebody in our church, for example,
believes on Jesus Christ, been baptized,
comes to church, and let's say they get out of church,
quit church, and go into the world, and sin, and stuff.
This is what they'll say.
If we were in a Nazarene church,
or in semesters of God, in a concert,
this is what they'll say.
That person lost their salvation.
That's what they say.
But you know what they'd say in one of these Baptist churches
that is falling into Calvinistic teachings,
to some degree?
This is what they'll say.
They must have never really been saved, right?
That's what they'll teach.
And it's a lot.
They'll say, well, it's not that they lost their salvation.
And look, don't look at me like I'm crazy,
like I'm preaching against Presbyterians or something
for being Calvinists.
I'm talking about Baptists that are Calvinists.
They're all over.
And independent fundamental Baptists,
because they've lost their first love.
They've lost their love for the ghetto.
They've lost their love for the souls of mankind.
They've lost their love for the poor,
and the maim, and the blind, and the whole.
Hey, they've lost their first love,
and they're going into false doctrine.
And this is what they'll say.
Somebody gets out of church, somebody gets out of God's will,
they're saved.
Well, they just never were really saved.
That's it.
They didn't lose their salvation.
They just never really were saved.
I mean, if they become a drunk, they never were saved.
Are you talking about Noah?
Noah became a drunk, and he was still saved.
He'd say, well, come on, if they go into fornication.
I mean, if they're living together,
and they're not married and fornicating,
they've lost it, or they never were saved.
Whatever you want to call it, it's the same garbage.
You're talking about Samson?
Samson was a fornicator.
You better know he wasn't.
He's in heaven right now.
Why?
Because he believed on Jesus' praise,
and says to forgive him.
He's saying, well, adultery, you know,
they must have never really been saved.
No, that's David.
And David committed adultery.
He's saying, oh, come on, murder?
Talking about Moses?
Moses committed murder?
He murdered the Egyptians buried him in the sand.
He's saying, well, what about somebody
did something like polygamy, you know,
married to more than one wife?
Do you care about Jacob?
I mean, look, these people went to heaven.
Was it right to commit murder?
No.
Was it right to be drunk?
No.
Was it right to drink?
No.
Was it right to commit adultery?
No.
Was it right to commit murder?
No.
Was it right to commit polygamy?
No.
But whosoever believeth in him shall not perish,
but have everlasting life.
Well, the worldliness.
They go back to the world.
I mean, if they turn to the world,
they're talking about Lot.
Lot was the most worldly man in the Bible.
He did like you do.
He watched Sodom and Gomorrah on television.
He pitched his tit toward Sodom
and turned on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
and Queer as Folk and Will and Grace
and pretty much any show on TV.
He said, why not watch those shows
that have the queer characters?
I know, you just watch the shows
with the queer actors pretending to be straight.
That's what you watch.
Because they're all a bunch of queers in Hollywood.
You ever been there?
I was there last week.
I walked down the street.
It was one queer actor, another.
Right.
I mean, I didn't lie to you.
I'm telling you the truth.
And you know what?
I'm telling you that if you're watching these TV shows
where, oh, they're all straight as an arrow on TV.
Yeah, they're just quantitating
with the opposite gender on primetime television.
But in real life, they're just as queer
as the other show.
And so you say, but come on, Pastor Aniston.
Suicide must have never really been saved
is what the Calvinist non-eternal security believer
will say.
Or, well, they lost their salvation
if they committed suicide.
No.
You're talking about Samson again.
You're talking about King Saul.
Hey, God made King Saul another man,
gave him another heart.
You remember that part?
Remember when he got saved?
Pretty clear in the Bible, isn't it?
And both of those men, guess what?
Saul and Samson, they are tied.
It was said about them both,
more than any other man in the Bible.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon them.
Samson and Saul, they're both in heaven,
according to the Bible.
Samson was in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11
as a man who, through faith,
entered the kingdom of God.
And then also, King Saul was told by Samuel,
tomorrow shalt thou be with me.
Samuel wasn't in hell when he said that.
He was speaking from heaven.
And so we know that Saul went to heaven.
But not only that, and I got to hurry here,
but not only that is Calvinism,
but I'm still on point one.
This is, we're not going to get this done.
This story's going to just be all about point one.
This is B under point one.
Hang on tight, all right?
I'm not going to keep you long, though.
Number two, or number B, letter B,
numeral B, or whatever.
Number one, A was what?
Calvinism creeping in.
Look, you can say it's not creeping in, but it is.
Because people say they never really were saved.
People will say, God gives you the faith.
You can't get saved unless you get the faith from God.
These are things that are being taught in independent
fundamental Baptist churches, and they're dying.
But number two, ouch, here it is.
B became two.
Don't be confused.
Number two, this doctrine.
You must repent of your sins in order to be saved.
Okay, now this is a doctrine by people who have lost
their love and they're sealed with soul money.
Because when you're out of soul money,
you know that that's false.
You know that that's wrong.
You know that going around and telling people to reform
their lifestyle or being willing to turn over an elite
is not salvation.
You know that if you're a soul winner.
If you're not a soul winner, you might have your
head spun by some theologian somewhere in some room
somewhere, but it's not true.
Now, let me give you an example.
The church that I came from, the church that sent
me here to start this church.
Okay, the pastor quit soul winning.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm telling you the truth.
He quit soul winning.
And for years he wasn't going.
So it was obvious that everybody in the church knew it.
Everybody else was going soul winning.
We're all out going soul winning.
And it was obvious to everybody in the church
this guy's not going soul winning.
He'd keep using the same illustration from when
he'd been soul winning like years ago.
And you're like, why is it the same story every time?
Because he wasn't soul winning.
He's never at the soul winning times.
He never had, you know, when I get soul winning
illustrations, it's like, hey, on Wednesday afternoon
when I was soul winning, this happened.
Yesterday, this happened.
Hey, tonight's sermon, I'll have some illustrations
from this afternoon.
And everybody knew it that he wasn't going soul winning.
For years, the guy clearly went soul winning.
And so what happened?
His doctrine began to change.
And here's what he did.
They changed the plan of salvation.
And they got into the thing that I talked about
was the last Sunday morning about where you go through
all 10 commandments with everybody
and tell them how wicked they are.
And they have to be willing to turn from all their sins
and all this stuff as a method of soul winning.
Well, this is what he said to me.
He said, Steve, he said, you're right, I've changed.
He said, you know, he said, I was wrong before
when I was my soul winning.
And he said, in fact, he said, I will never,
this is what he said to me, he forbade him.
I will never lead anyone in the sinner's prayer again.
Never again.
He said, that's about scriptural.
It's not in the Bible.
You'll never find anybody in the Bible
leading somebody to Christ by praying with them
and leading them in prayer to ask Jesus to save them.
And I'm like, what?
You're never going to pray to somebody?
Let me take, let me get you some scriptures here.
And I got to hurry, but June 23 says this,
others saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire,
hating even the garbage spot by the way.
Now this one, now turn to 1 Corinthians 9 22.
This one, you're going to have a tough time
facing this verse, but you just need to face it this morning.
1 Corinthians 9 22 might rub you the wrong way.
It doesn't bother me at all
because I know that it's true.
And I, I mean, it's, it's clear to me.
1 Corinthians 9 22, don't let this rub you the wrong way.
It says to the weak became I as weak,
that I might gain the weak.
And look at what he says.
I have made all things to all men, watch it,
that I might by all means save some.
You know?
And we'll say, Hey, we go slowly.
Hey, we win people to Christ.
And they say, you don't win anybody to Christ.
God does it.
You don't do anything.
It's all God.
Okay.
Well then you know what?
I think I'm just going to take a nap this afternoon.
I'm just letting God, I'm just going to let God do his thing.
Right?
Let's all just sit back and just, all right, God.
Ready, set, go.
Everybody's going to get the gospel, right?
No.
Paul said, I become all things to all men
that I might save some.
Now look, if I, if I say to somebody,
Hey, look, this is the gospel.
This is Jesus Christ.
This is the savior.
Believe on Jesus Christ.
You say, well, Jesus saved him.
Yes, so did I though.
Cause I'm the one that told them.
That's what the Bible said.
Now you may not like that, but I didn't write the Bible.
God, God said, we're to pull people out of the Bible.
You say, well, I'm still not convinced.
Okay.
Well, how about this verse?
How about you don't have to turn there.
Acts 26, 28.
When Agrippa said unto Paul,
almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Paul was persuading him.
Paul was trying to urge him to be saved.
He said, Agrippa, believeth thou the prophets
are no without believers.
And he said, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Paul was trying to pull him out of the fire.
Paul was trying to get him saved.
But he wouldn't, he was just right there
and he just wouldn't do it.
Well, I just don't believe in praying
the same prayer with people.
That's cause you don't have a soul anymore.
I already knew that years ago.
But look, let me tell you a story.
When I was in that same church,
I went out of town with a buddy of mine.
It was, it was a coworker, not as much a buddy,
but this guy, his name was Ed.
And we worked for a company called
Advanced Sound and Electronics in Sacramento.
And we did alarm systems and electronics.
And we were staying in the Motel 6 or something.
You know, they put us up in some, you know, motel.
Cause we were working all week long down in the Bay Area.
And so, you know, we share a room obviously
cause we're working together.
And we shared the room and we'd gone out to dinner
after work and we'd been talking.
And I'd been giving him the job school,
giving him the job school,
giving him the job school, right?
Trying to get this guy Ed saved.
And I was giving it to him to give it.
And he was young, he wasn't really young.
He was kind of understanding it.
He was learning more.
I was telling him more, telling him more.
And it was kind of like you have a lot of questions,
you know, so I ended up kind of talking to him
a lot about it for a long time.
Well, we, you know, he didn't get saved.
And we get down with the day and we go to bed,
you know, I'm in my bed and he's in his bed.
The lights are out.
We're just laying in bed in the Motel 6 room here.
And he just, you know, laying there
and all of a sudden he starts talking to me
from the other bed.
He starts bringing up some of the stuff
that we're talking about, about salvation, you know?
And he's saying, now, is this what you're saying?
You know what I mean?
That, you know, if I just believe on Jesus Christ,
if I just believe on him and this and that,
then I'll be sent for eternal and everything.
And he's going through this.
And I said, yeah, that's what I'm saying.
And he just looked at me and he's just like,
well, can you just, can you help me do this?
You know, he's like, what do I do?
I mean, you know, he's like, I want to be saved.
I mean, can you help me do this?
I mean, can you help me?
And I said, sure, let me help you.
I said, you know, you just pray and ask me to save you.
I said, I'll help you, you know,
so that if you want to know what you should pray.
And so I just say, you know, and we looked on the light.
It was literally like 1230 to one in the morning.
Okay, we got on our knees by the bedside
and I just said, you know, just repeat the same for me.
Dear Jesus, he said, dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner.
I know I'm a sinner.
I know I deserve to go to hell.
I believe that you died on the cross for me.
Rose again, rose again.
Please save me right now.
Give me eternal life, eternal life.
I'm only trusting you, Jesus, I'm only trusting you, Jesus.
Amen, Amen.
Never gonna do that again.
Never gonna do that, unscriptural garbage again.
You better know I'm gonna do that again.
I hope my early days over.
You better know I'm gonna help people get saved.
You better know I'm gonna pull people out of the park.
And what in the world could be wrong with telling somebody how to be saved?
Give them the truth! Give them the Gospel!
And they say, let me help you do this right now!
Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Now the difference is if I love the person or don't love them.
Now if I don't love them, I don't care.
It's just like, well, I gave you the truth. I gave you the Gospel.
I told you what a worthless piece of trash you are.
And you're wicked in the eyes of God.
And if you don't get saved, you're going to hell.
Now I believe it up to you.
I don't want to leave it up to them.
I'm going to beg them to get saved.
I'm going to get on my knees and plead with them to get saved.
I'm going to compel them to get saved.
I'm going to persuade them to get saved.
Hey, what? Because I want them saved!
Because I love them, that's why.
But you see, you get into this doctrine that says, well,
in order to be saved, they've got to be convicted,
and hate all their sin, and hate themselves.
It's like, you have to hate yourself to be saved.
You know, they've got to loathe themselves,
and hate their sin, and be disgusted by their sin.
And then nobody's going to have to help them.
Because they'll just fall on their knees,
and beat upon their chest.
Oh, God, please save me!
I said, well, I got saved.
When I got saved, somebody helped me.
And you know what?
I didn't turn for my sins when I was six years old.
Oh, God, I'm stolen a cookie out of the cookie jar.
God, all those fruit roll-up packages have been run into bed.
Mom didn't say I could help those.
Remember, we moved.
We had these fruit snacks.
Remember those fruit snacks by Farley?
And then the little bags, they're like grapes, strawberry,
and cherry?
We were only allowed one per day.
But she was buying a giant one, because it was cheap,
you know, to get the big giant box.
She was like, one per day.
We would constantly be smuggling those back to our room,
in our clothes.
And we'd be in our bed, just eating them, eating them,
eating them.
And then we'd shove the wrapper between the mattresses.
And when we moved, my mom picked up that mattress,
and there were hundreds of packages.
Like, what is this?
And I fell on my knees and said, I'm lost.
I'm so disgusting and wicked.
I'm so sorry.
And when I got saved, I never even had an appetite
for Farley ever again.
You know, it's no more silly than they do with,
oh, I got saved and I never craved another cigarette again,
you liar.
Everybody who's saved, I've ever talked to.
I talked to a preacher friend of mine, and he said,
I was talking about people quitting smoking,
and he said this.
He said, you know what?
He said, the first three days after I quit smoking
were just torture.
And he said, after that, it wasn't so bad.
But he said, the craving never totally goes away.
He said, in fact, it sounds pretty good right now.
He said, actually, a cigarette sounds pretty good right now.
You know, he had smoked in nine years.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, I never even, I've never said a bad word.
And I've never told a lie.
I'm Abraham Lincoln reincarnated.
And I've never craved anything that's wrong.
It's false doctrine.
It's a lie.
It's weird.
But people who don't live in reality of going out so many
think it is garbage.
And I have all these verses and pages
about proving why repent of your sins
is not what the gospel is.
You know, the Bible says that repentance
is repentance from dead works and faith for God.
The Bible says that repentance is repent and believe the gospel.
The Bible says that repentance is
and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil
in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves
if God, per vitro, will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth.
That's repentance, according to the Bible.
In 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 9, he says,
for they themselves show of us
what manner of entering into heaven with you,
how that he turned to God from idols.
He turned from Catholicism to Jesus.
He turned from Buddha to Jesus.
He turned from Islam to Jesus.
He didn't turn from beer to Jesus.
Jesus is not an alcohol alternative.
Well, there's beer and then there's Jesus.
Well, there's fornication and then there's Jesus.
No, there's the devil and there's Jesus.
There's Buddha and there's Jesus.
There's Allah and there's Jesus.
Hey, Jesus Christ is a savior of sinners.
And if you have to repent of your sins to be saved,
then I'm not saved and nobody's saved.
Because nobody in this world
has totally repented of all their sins.
Show me.
It'd be the perfect person.
Well, you just have to be willing to be willing.
Well, what if you're just willing to be willing
to be willing?
I mean, is that enough?
And I got all these verses and I'm like,
it's really killing me that I can't go through these
but I'm hungry.
It's lunch time.
You know, the Bible says that God saw their works
that they turn from their evil way.
And God repented the evil that He said
that He would do unto them He did it not.
It's when you turn from your evil way, it's called works.
I mean, if you quit smoking, it's works.
You quit drinking, it's works.
You quit fornicating, it's works.
It's the works of the law.
You're fulfilling the law.
Salvation is not of works, but of faith.
Now, I'm gonna ditch the whole rest of my sermon
this morning, but get this.
You know, you're not a soul winner.
What happens?
You start getting into false doctrine.
You say, oh, it'll never happen to me.
Look, you go bury your head in some theologian's
bookcase somewhere, it'll happen to you.
You say, what, are you against reading?
Are you against education?
Hey, I'm all for reading and education.
But you know what the Bible says?
That God's word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path.
Not all these theologians and encyclopedias.
You go to my house.
You wanna see my pastoral library sometime?
Oh man, my pastoral.
You're gonna need one of those,
you're gonna need one of those ladders
that's on wheels, right?
And you're gonna climb up the ladders.
You're like, zzzz, go all around.
It's bigger than the Tempe Public Library.
If you saw my pastoral library,
you'd laugh at it.
It's a joke.
It is a joke.
It has like five books.
But it has really the only book
that even matters, voices of life.
And so those are, I don't even know what
those are the four are even doing, okay?
I'm thinking about cleaning it out this afternoon, okay?
And so look, get out, I'm telling you,
you get off soul winning with a tear in the eye,
the Bible in your hand and the Holy Spirit upon you,
you'll know what salvation is.
You get the Bible and throw away all your commentaries,
you'll read what salvation is
because you'll read 90 times in the book of John alone,
believe, just in one book, 90 times.
You'll say believe, believe, believe, believe.
And that's the book that ends up by saying
these are written that you might believe
on the name of the Son of God
and that you might have life through his name.
The only book in the Bible that claims
to be a book about how to get saved is the book of John.
It is.
It says in John 20, it says,
these are written that you might believe
and that you might have life through,
the only book that makes that claim, the word repent,
how many times has the word repent used in John?
None.
How many times has the word repent used?
90.
It says repent is part of salvation,
if you believe in Allah it is
because you better return from Allah to Jesus.
It says repent is part of salvation,
well if you think your works are gonna get you to heaven,
you gotta repent from dead works
and have faith toward God.
And repent is always part of salvation.
You know, when I got saved at six years old,
I didn't have any false God to repent from.
I didn't believe in works of salvation.
I don't believe that there was any repentance
that took place.
Oh man, I can't believe you said that.
Hey, if I don't go to hell,
if I don't go to heaven,
let me tell you something,
if I don't go to heaven, God's a liar,
because he said,
whosoever believe in the name should not perish.
Nevertheless not.
You doubted your salvation this morning?
You're not sure if you're really saved?
Ask yourself this question,
do you believe that you're a sinner?
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?
Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead?
Do you believe that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone,
not of works that any man should boast?
Do you believe that he's rich unto all the call upon him?
And have you asked Jesus Christ to save you?
If you have, and if you believe that in your heart,
you are saved.
Period.
Oh, I don't know, because I still stand.
Well, join the club.
Because we all still stand.
Let's bow our eyes and have a word of prayer.
Father, thank you so much for the truth.