The Word of God is Alive and Speaks Personally to Every Listener. While on Earth, the Lord Jesus Christ Was Here to Minister. Now It Is the Holy Spirit That Ministers the Word to Everyone Individually. Collective Terms Include the New Age Gurus, the Very Religious, Sinners/Hypocrites, Solomon Syndrome, Divorced, Raised in Church/Rebuffed by Church. In Any Case and in Every Case, Turn Your Eyes, Heart, and Mind on the Lord Jesus Christ for He Is Salvation Personified, and He Will Bring You Through.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Let's have you, Bob, we'll turn to the book of Isaiah, chapter number 61 with me this morning, please.
00:09Isaiah chapter 61 and verse number 1.
00:19The book of Isaiah written about 700 BC, somewhere along in there.
00:24Which meant that when Christ read from it, when he quoted the scripture, it was 700 years old.
00:30At that time, well known, well read.
00:33The book of Isaiah was a stable foundation of the Jews 2,000 years ago.
00:38Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 1.
00:55To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God.
01:01To comfort all that mourn.
01:04To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes.
01:08The oil of joy for mourning.
01:11The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
01:14That they might be called trees of righteousness.
01:17The planting of the Lord.
01:19That he might be glorified.
01:21Father, bless your word now.
01:23In thy name I pray, amen.
01:25Now I'm going to turn to the book of Luke, chapter number 4.
01:28And verse number 16.
01:31The Lord Jesus Christ is embarking upon his earthly ministry.
01:36And of course everything that he does, he does it by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
01:40In accordance with scripture.
01:42And scripture flowed from his mouth all the time he was here.
01:48Constantly quoting the Bible.
01:51And here in the book of Luke, chapter number 4 and verse 16.
01:55The scripture says he came to Nazareth.
01:58Where he had been brought up and as his custom was.
02:01He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
02:04And stood up for to read.
02:06And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias or Isaiah.
02:10Notice carefully, they chose the book Isaiah.
02:13And when he opened the book he found the place where it is written.
02:18The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
02:20Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
02:24He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted.
02:26To preach deliverance to the captives.
02:29And recovering of sight to the blind.
02:31To set at liberty them that are bruised.
02:34To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
02:37Note carefully now.
02:39And he closed the book.
02:41Now you just read from Isaiah chapter 61.
02:44That the text contains more than what he read in Luke chapter number 4.
02:50The reason is because I gave you the full context of Isaiah 61.
02:56What the Lord Jesus Christ did for you in Luke chapter number 4.
03:00Is to rightly divide the word of God.
03:03That is what he did.
03:04He did it in your hearing.
03:06He stopped at the acceptable year of the Lord.
03:09And did not continue on to the day of vengeance of our God.
03:13This is the first and the second coming of Christ.
03:16All in one scripture.
03:18And the Lord Jesus showed you the place for the first coming.
03:21And then the place for the second coming.
03:23Here is something else that is important about the Bible.
03:26The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
03:30Quick means alive.
03:32What that means is that when you read the scripture.
03:34For example, Isaiah chapter number 61.
03:37The scripture may speak to you and say a certain thing to you.
03:41Someone else may read the same scripture at the same time.
03:44And it says something entirely different to that person.
03:48I am not talking about changing the context of the text itself now.
03:52But I am talking about a message that the Spirit of God will write in your heart.
03:56This is what is alive about the Bible.
03:59When I get up here and preach like I will here in a moment this morning.
04:02The message may speak to you and someone else and someone else and someone else.
04:07But they may get something entirely different from it than you did.
04:10The reason for that is because the scripture is alive.
04:14I preach it but it does the preaching and it can speak to the human heart.
04:19But you notice it is important here that when the Lord Jesus came.
04:22He came to minister.
04:24He came to minister.
04:26He said the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to minister.
04:29To give his life for ransom for many.
04:32And so here we have in the book of Luke chapter number 4.
04:35He is speaking to the people of Nazareth.
04:37They knew him as a child.
04:39They watched him grow up.
04:41They had a familiarity with him.
04:43And he told them later he said a prophet hath no honor in his own country.
04:48Because men judge by the outward appearance.
04:52And we still do today.
04:53That is a weakness on our part.
04:56Because who you are goes much deeper than what you appear to be in the sight of people.
05:01So here we have him in the book of Luke chapter number 4.
05:04Speaking to them in Nazareth.
05:06And then they continue on when he says this.
05:08And one says can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
05:12Because it did not have a good reputation.
05:14Well Nazareth did not produce the Messiah.
05:17The earth did not produce the Messiah.
05:20He did not come from this world.
05:22He came from above.
05:24He just happened to stop off here for a while.
05:26On his way back to glory where he came from.
05:29Amen.
05:30The Son of Man must ascend into the presence of God.
05:34So he was talking to the people of Nazareth when he opened Isaiah chapter number 61.
05:39The title of my message this morning is who am I talking to?
05:44Who am I talking to?
05:46So we are going to put you in here this morning.
05:48And we are going to talk to you for a little while.
05:51Who are you?
05:53That is being addressed this morning from the scripture.
05:56There are people right now sitting in prison cells.
05:59You ever been to prison?
06:00You ever been there on visitation day?
06:02You ever seen the weeping, the sorrow, the people torn apart when the visitation time comes.
06:07And the hour has passed and they have to go back to their cells.
06:10It is a tough place.
06:12I have been there more than one time.
06:14I have preached in the yard at Brushy Mountain.
06:16I have preached inside the walls at Brushy.
06:19Ministered to the men.
06:20And my dear friend prison is no joyful place.
06:23And yet in the midst of that place there are those who have joy.
06:27Because they know the Lord.
06:29Listen to me.
06:30There are men and women in prison right now that have a much deeper, stronger, purer faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
06:38Than people who go to the church house every single Sunday.
06:41So if you are listening and sitting in a prison and you are not one of them.
06:45You are receiving the end of a rebellious life.
06:50You have said no to God time and time and time again.
06:53And now you look about you and you say well what is the point?
06:56Why should I continue to live?
06:58Because you see it is not about the things that you have done.
07:01Really it is about what has been done for you.
07:04And that is our Lord Jesus Christ.
07:06If I fail to point you to the Son of God this morning.
07:09I have failed completely in my ministry on this earth.
07:13Get your eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
07:16If you look at the law you will be condemned.
07:18If you look at men you will be despondent.
07:20If you look around you all it can do is bring sorrow into your heart.
07:25But if in your heart's mind's eye you can see the Lord Jesus Christ.
07:30He will present himself to you in every fashion imaginable.
07:34Now when Simeon saw the Lord Jesus as a little babe.
07:37He said behold mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
07:41What is he talking about?
07:42He is saying that I have in my hands the salvation of the Lord.
07:46It is not something written down on a piece of paper.
07:49It is a person.
07:51But let's go a little deeper.
07:52When he says I hold in my hands the salvation of the Lord.
07:55He is saying that God now has personified himself as a human being.
08:03Salvation is personified.
08:05What does that mean?
08:06That means that the eyes of Christ can see like no one else.
08:10That means his ears can hear like no one else.
08:13That means his voice can speak in a manner like no one else.
08:18That means the touch of Christ can bring life into your soul.
08:22That means his feet carry him.
08:24Called blessed to work what God has called him to do.
08:27That means that his whole demeanor, who he is, is the greatest friend that any sinner ever had.
08:34If you need a friend and you are locked up in prison.
08:37You got one in the Lord Jesus Christ.
08:41Who am I talking to?
08:43I get mailed all the time.
08:45And people talk about preacher you wouldn't believe what kind of a home I was born into.
08:50My mother was a witch.
08:52My father was a wizard.
08:54All I knew from day one was occultism.
08:58I knew from a child I could feel the spirits.
09:01See the shadows move in our home.
09:03See this and that.
09:04Hear this and hear that.
09:05It was a wicked godless place.
09:08You say preacher I didn't grow up like that.
09:10That's good I'm glad you didn't.
09:11Maybe you had a mother and a father by your side.
09:14Maybe on Mother's Day you have something to rejoice about.
09:16You had a father that loved you.
09:18Went to work every day and put food on the table.
09:20If that's the way you grew up that's the way you should grow up.
09:23That's what preaching is all about.
09:25But my dear friend there are multitudes especially in this country.
09:28That know absolutely nothing about the life that you had.
09:32And you're out there right now and you're listening.
09:34Your home was pure hell on this earth.
09:37Yes it was.
09:38Put your eyes on the Lord Jesus.
09:40Set your affection on him.
09:42What about the church?
09:43Forget that crowd.
09:44Forget religion.
09:45Forget all that garbage.
09:46And put your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ.
09:50I'm not up here this morning trying to push somebody's denomination.
09:53I preach Christ and him crucified.
09:55And as long as this group that I'm with.
09:58Marches to that tune and sings that song.
10:00I'll march and sing with them.
10:02But when they ever deviate and turn away from Christ.
10:05Go your way.
10:06I'll stay with the son of God.
10:08Amen.
10:09Amen.
10:10There are those who write and say preacher I was a new age guru.
10:13Oh I know about avatars.
10:15I know about manifestations.
10:17I know about all the spirit world.
10:19And all the sweetness of Christ.
10:21And this and that.
10:22Watch anyone who begins to use words about Christ that are not scriptural.
10:27Watch them.
10:28Watch them.
10:29They may be sweet sounding.
10:30They may sound like they love our Lord Jesus Christ.
10:33But the Christ they're talking about is not the Christ of the Bible.
10:37There's something about the Holy Ghost.
10:40He honors his word.
10:42And what the scripture says of Christ is what the Holy Spirit will preach.
10:46You don't know the Lord Jesus.
10:48You know about a Jesus.
10:50But he's another one all together.
10:52Are you listening to me?
10:53Are you a new age guru?
10:55Oh boy have I ever gotten mail from them.
10:57You wouldn't believe some of them try to convert me.
10:59Say now preacher Lawson you're doing good on this and that and this and that.
11:03Well let me further explain something.
11:05No I don't want to hear it.
11:06I know the one who saved my soul.
11:09And wrote my name in the Lamb's book of life.
11:12They're those that are very religious.
11:14Very, very religious.
11:16And religion is built upon a self image.
11:18It's always about who you think you are.
11:21What you have accomplished.
11:23It's all about you.
11:24Yourself.
11:25You.
11:26Ego I me.
11:27Ego that's Greek.
11:28Ego I me.
11:29That's an emphatic saying.
11:30I am that I am.
11:32It's the ego.
11:33That's what we have today.
11:34That's straight where that word came from.
11:36The English word ego came from the Greek word ego.
11:39I am who I am.
11:41No you're not.
11:42You're nothing.
11:43The apostle Paul said without Christ we're nothing.
11:46And the sooner you get to nothingness the sooner God will bless you and make you something that really matters.
11:53Yes sir.
11:54Somebody said well the church is full of hypocrites.
11:57Church is full of sinners.
11:59There's room for one more.
12:00Amen.
12:01Slide in.
12:02We'll slide over for you.
12:03Amen.
12:04There's always room for another.
12:05We'll make room for you.
12:06Well I know you're not any different from any of the rest of us.
12:07You don't want your life played.
12:08You don't want to screen up here today and everybody look and see everything you said
12:09this past week.
12:10What you've done in the last year.
12:11You don't want that.
12:12I don't.
12:13Do you?
12:14No.
12:15Come to reality.
12:16The attitude of a sinner toward a sinner shows your maturity.
12:34And that's a message in itself.
12:37The attitude of a sinner toward a sinner.
12:39Well who's the sinner?
12:40You are.
12:41Here's what the apostle said in 1 Timothy 1 15.
12:44Here's the man who wrote half the New Testament.
12:47This is the faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation,
12:51that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
12:55of whom, now note carefully, I am chief, present tense.
13:01That's what he said.
13:01He's not glorifying sin.
13:03He's not making a, you know,
13:05making, trying to exalt sin up in the people
13:09and say that, well, this is okay, this is okay.
13:12No, my friend, the greatest thing
13:15that the church could ever do is to separate you
13:17from your sin, amen.
13:20But you've got to understand the nuances of it.
13:24It's not as simple, it's not as cut, it's not as dried,
13:27it's not as black, it's not as white
13:29as most people think it is.
13:31It's a process and there's progress in the process,
13:35but you got to deal with it.
13:36The apostle says of whom I am chief.
13:40When's the last time you heard your great pastor
13:42get up and tell you he was the chiefest of sinners?
13:45You don't hear it very often, do you?
13:47Well, I'm a sorry, low-down, junkyard dog.
13:50God called out of hell and saved my soul
13:53and wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life.
13:56And I don't know what it is, I don't know what it is,
13:59but the older I get, the more I thank him
14:00for where he brought me from.
14:02I don't know what it is.
14:04Maybe it's the devil working over my mind,
14:06but a lot of the things that I did before God saved me
14:09seem to become more real to me and clearer to me
14:12than they ever have in the past.
14:14And it must be Satan trying to destroy me,
14:17but whatever it is, I cover it by the blood.
14:20I put my eyes back on the Lord Jesus Christ.
14:23That's what's gotten me through until this point in my life.
14:27Keep your eyes on the Savior.
14:30The apostle said in 1 Corinthians 10,
14:32all these things happen for examples,
14:35and they're written for admonition
14:36upon the whom's and the end of the worlds are come.
14:39Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth
14:42take heed lest he fall.
14:44Now think of the wording here.
14:46Let him that thinketh he standeth.
14:48What's the apostle saying?
14:50Well, somebody said stand fast therefore
14:52in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free.
14:54Yes, that's a doctrinal statement of establishing yourself
14:58on a written truth in the scripture.
15:00But folks, you cannot stand in your salvation.
15:05He's able to keep.
15:07That's which I've committed to him against that day.
15:10You're saved today because he keeps you saved.
15:13And of course, salvation,
15:15I don't have time from this morning,
15:17but when you look up the word salvation in the New Testament
15:20you'll find that it is used in a thousand different ways.
15:25There's a lot of different types of salvation.
15:28Are you saying, preacher, I can be saved?
15:29No, what I'm saying is that salvation
15:32may appear to a specific incident in your life
15:35where God saved you, preserved you, and kept you from harm.
15:38It may speak of your life continuing
15:41as you live it here on this earth as a born again believer
15:44where the Holy Spirit is able by the life of Christ
15:47to save you daily in the faith in Christ.
15:50Or it may have to do with the salvation of your soul.
15:54The salvation of your soul.
15:55The Bible never says that your spirit is saved.
15:58It says your soul is saved.
16:01Now think on that.
16:02Your spirit is born again.
16:04And I only gave you three, there are more.
16:06So salvation is a multifaceted thing.
16:09And he is the savior, folks.
16:12The Lord Jesus Christ.
16:15Then you may be listening to me this morning
16:17and you've got the Solomon syndrome.
16:18Say, what in the world is that?
16:21How do you suppose Solomon got 700 wives and 300 concubines?
16:25Now think about this.
16:26Did they have examination day?
16:28Were you at a crew out looking for the next wife?
16:31Did you send groups out into the land
16:33and the accompanying country?
16:35Some of you are smiling.
16:36You don't really think through this, do you?
16:39He had a pile of women around him.
16:42Yes, sir.
16:44So maybe he was out himself looking.
16:47If he was, he didn't have any time to reign, did he?
16:51Wouldn't remember, where's the king?
16:53He's out looking for women.
16:55Yeah.
16:56Good old Solomon.
16:58Would he send the word out maybe?
17:00He advertised and said, if you want to be in my harem,
17:04show up at the castle on such and such a day
17:06at such and such a time.
17:08You say, my goodness, preacher.
17:09No, my goodness you.
17:11Amen.
17:13Think about it.
17:14Think about it.
17:15Are you out there playing in the sex field?
17:17Are you playing musical beds?
17:20What kind of life are you living, all right?
17:23Running from one to the next?
17:25You think life is just one big sex field?
17:29One big, you know, you're here to enjoy?
17:32That's called hedonism.
17:34That's the word for it, hedonism.
17:36Well, God didn't put you here for that,
17:37but I'll tell you something else.
17:38I'll warn you right now.
17:40Get ready to pay for it later on.
17:43Yes, sir.
17:44Because there's stuff lurking out there right now
17:47that wants to get a hold of your body.
17:49And when it does, you're finished.
17:51It'll eat you alive.
17:55So, maybe you're a dope dealer.
17:57You're a drug dealer.
17:59I listened to testimony of a drug dealer the other day,
18:01and it was one of the most blessed things I'd heard
18:03in a long time.
18:04Talked about, he took, he didn't make excuses.
18:09He didn't try to blame anybody.
18:10He said, I was horrible.
18:12I was godless.
18:14He said, but somebody came to me,
18:16and when they came to me,
18:17they convicted me of what I was doing.
18:20And I got saved by the grace of God.
18:22You know about the human trafficking, don't you?
18:24Do you know about all the children
18:26that come up missing every day?
18:27Children I'm talking about,
18:28they're sold on the market.
18:30These kids are out there being sold, folks.
18:32Do you realize that there are people out there right now
18:35that are buying little children?
18:37Yes, they are, for sex slaves and for everything else.
18:40Listen, when a nation turns its back on God,
18:45the only direction it can go is down.
18:49Sometimes it'll slide down,
18:54but then it comes to the edge
18:55to where it no longer sliding down,
18:58it goes into free fall.
19:00I think America has slid as far as it's ever gonna slide.
19:03I think it's in free fall now.
19:05Yes, yes, in free fall.
19:09What can stop it, preacher?
19:10There's just one that can stop it.
19:13Hallelujah to God.
19:14And I'm gonna tell you something about him.
19:16He knows how to get our attention.
19:19He can stop it, he can do it with a revival.
19:21You hear me talk about that revival again last week?
19:23You're hearing me talking about revival now all the time.
19:25You know why, because I see what may be the hand of God
19:29moving to bring real revival.
19:31I want real revival.
19:34I don't want big name revival.
19:36I don't want big singers revival.
19:38I don't want a bunch of entertainment.
19:40I want a real revival.
19:44God may use some unknown preacher you've never heard of.
19:49And raise him up from obscurity.
19:51Put him in the pulpit.
19:52Open up the word of God, anoint him.
19:55And man, he'll preach with power.
19:57Wouldn't that be something to watch that happen?
20:01Amen, amen, and amen.
20:05You're sitting here this morning,
20:06maybe watching on TV later.
20:09You may be watching on the internet right now
20:11and you're going through a divorce.
20:13Who am I talking to?
20:14Have you been through a divorce?
20:16I've been through, I don't have any divorces with people.
20:19I've been to people here in this church
20:20down through the years.
20:21You pastors, as long as I have,
20:22you've dealt with it, I've dealt with it.
20:23Dealt with both sides, been to the courthouse,
20:25been through all of it, and it's hard.
20:27It's hard.
20:29You talk about weeping.
20:30You talk about sorrow.
20:32And in some cases, I've seen suicides come out of divorce.
20:35They simply couldn't handle it.
20:36It's a terrible thing.
20:38I've had them tell me that divorce is worse
20:42than some loved one dying.
20:44That it's a continual death.
20:47If you're going through that, let me tell you something.
20:49The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners,
20:52of whom I am chief.
20:54I put my mind on him
20:56and the Holy Ghost will bring me comfort.
20:58If you'll put your mind on him
20:59and put your life on him and give him your life,
21:03he'll get you through your divorce.
21:04Maybe even intervene in your divorce
21:07and there won't be a divorce.
21:10Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
21:14In all the years I've been here,
21:16I cannot for one time remember ever telling somebody
21:19to get a divorce.
21:20And I've seen some bad stuff.
21:22I mean, I've seen men do bad things.
21:25I've seen women do bad things.
21:27I've watched women walk out the door
21:30and abandon their children and left them with a dad.
21:33I've seen that happen, folks.
21:35Walk off and the kids never hear from their mother again.
21:38You see stuff like that.
21:40How many of you in this house,
21:41you've been through this stuff?
21:42There are probably a lot of you in here
21:44that have been through a divorce
21:46or on your second marriage or maybe your third marriage.
21:47Who knows?
21:49But let me tell you something.
21:50If you could, would you counsel these teenagers,
21:54these 15, 16, 17 year olds that are growing up today,
21:57would you counsel them to be careful?
22:01Don't be so quick to sue for divorce.
22:04Let's work it out.
22:05Somewhere we can find.
22:06Let me tell you where you'll find it.
22:09You'll find it in the Lord Jesus Christ.
22:12I firmly believe that if two people
22:13can get their heart right with God,
22:17he can stop the divorce.
22:20Yes, that's how I was raised, folks.
22:22I've told you a thousand times.
22:24I don't know what a mother and father is.
22:25They were long gone.
22:27But I know what a grandfather is.
22:29Praise be unto God.
22:31I don't wanna see you go through a divorce.
22:33If I can do anything to stop it, I'll do it.
22:36But I'm not up here this morning to condemn you either.
22:39There's a lot of real victims in divorce.
22:42I know of cases, my friend, where preachers ran off
22:45everything under the sun, good night,
22:48and they had a decent wife that was going on visitation
22:51every Thursday night.
22:53She was out knocking on the doors.
22:55She was witnessing as good as they come.
22:58And he's out here fornicating all over the place.
23:02She's a victim.
23:03Good woman, good woman.
23:05And when it happened, I thought this is a horrible thing.
23:08Here he is up in the pulpit preaching to people,
23:10and he's the dirty rat doing it.
23:13You see, I know it's quiet in here,
23:16but I'm not up here to condemn you.
23:17I'm here to help you.
23:19You can't change the past.
23:20I know that.
23:21You can't change what's happened.
23:23But what you can do is get the Lord Jesus
23:25in your marriage now.
23:27Get him in there.
23:29The minute you walk out this door into this culture,
23:33you walk into an enemy culture to marriage.
23:40Any crowd that thinks two men can join together
23:43and be a husband, what are they, husband, husband?
23:46What, a wife, wife?
23:47I don't know what they are.
23:48But anybody that believes that two men
23:50can join together and form a union of a marriage,
23:53you're insane.
23:55You know, you can't even talk to people like that.
23:58You've gone off the deep end.
24:00You've lost it.
24:02So if I can do anything to help your marriage,
24:06I'll do it.
24:07But if you're going through a divorce right now,
24:08man, come to me one time.
24:10I'll never forget this.
24:11Over 40 years ago, he came to me
24:12and he said, preacher, I can't do this.
24:13I can't do it.
24:15He broke down and he wept like a baby,
24:18torn all to pieces because of what his wife was doing.
24:22And what his wife was doing was with a preacher.
24:26Now, I'm not making friends with a lot of preachers
24:28this morning, am I?
24:30So don't expect me to be invited
24:32to too many of the fellowships.
24:35But I'm gonna tell you something.
24:36Sometimes preachers are the sorriest people
24:37on the face of the earth.
24:39They get the idea that because they're preaching,
24:40that God gives them a special protection
24:42and they can have these little affairs going on.
24:45And you know, there's another big one that just fell,
24:46had an affair going on there for some time.
24:49They feel like, well, God's using me, you know,
24:51and I'm special.
24:53Yeah, I've got the Solomon syndrome.
24:56Yeah, you're special, all right.
24:57You can be sure of this.
24:58Your sin will find you out.
25:03Yes, it will.
25:04Yes.
25:06Over here on the highway,
25:09we've got a huge graveyard right behind us.
25:11And we used to drive by that graveyard.
25:13Oh, we still do for that matter.
25:14But there's a man sitting next to a tombstone, all right.
25:19His wife had passed away and he's sitting there
25:22and he sits there.
25:24And I used to see him, I've seen him a lot.
25:26And he'd come out and he'd sit there
25:28with his heart was broken.
25:29He missed his wife.
25:30She was gone.
25:31You know, it hurts.
25:34It hurts to lose a loved one.
25:36It hurts, that hurts folks.
25:38It's a special type of hurt.
25:40Are you listening to me?
25:41Well, the other day I drove by
25:43and I noticed I hadn't seen him in a while.
25:46I hadn't seen him.
25:48And I looked at the tombstone
25:50and it's got two names on it now.
25:55In a way, I kind of rejoice with that
25:58because he no longer has to sit there.
26:00He's with her.
26:02You see?
26:03Yeah, there's two names on that tombstone now.
26:05He's gone on to be with her.
26:08I remember visiting with my aunt one time
26:10down in Turtle Town, Tennessee.
26:13How many of you's ever heard of Turtle Town?
26:14Duck Town, Copper Hill, that area down in there.
26:16Some of you know where it, amen.
26:19I went in and prayed with her.
26:21She says, I want to be with my husband.
26:23She says, I want to be with my husband.
26:25She said, I'm tired of this.
26:27I want to be with my husband.
26:28Wasn't long after that, she was.
26:30She was.
26:31She left here.
26:32She went on to be with him.
26:34You don't know what it's going to be like
26:35until one of them's gone.
26:37Until that husband's not there
26:38or that wife is not there.
26:40So I'm talking to you this morning.
26:41Say, how do you make it?
26:42Put your eyes on the Lord Jesus.
26:44That's how you make it.
26:45That's how you make it.
26:46Maybe you're here this morning,
26:47got bad news from a doctor.
26:49Bad news.
26:51And we appreciate our doctors.
26:52We do, and I respect them.
26:54But their word's not the last word.
26:55You know what I'd do if the doctor tells me something?
26:57I'd get in the closet, shut the door,
26:58turn the lights out, get on my face,
27:00start talking to God.
27:02He said, I'm the Lord that healeth thee.
27:04Exodus 15, 26.
27:06Jehovah Rapha.
27:07He said, I'm the Lord that heals.
27:09So I'll always trust that and I'll always believe that.
27:12If you've been given a bad word from the doctor,
27:15he doesn't give you any hope.
27:17There's always hope if you have our Lord Jesus Christ.
27:24Sometimes he does this.
27:25He'll wait until all avenues are exhausted
27:30and there's nothing left but him.
27:33And he's the only one you can grasp.
27:36And then he'll heal you.
27:38Or may add, as Hezekiah did,
27:41how many years he had to Hezekiah's life?
27:44And what was it, 15?
27:45Seems like it's 15 years he added to his life.
27:48Hezekiah, yes.
27:50All right.
27:53How many of you were raised in church?
27:57A good 90% of you.
28:00You went to Sunday school,
28:01you went to vacation Bible school.
28:03You had good teachers.
28:04They loved the Lord and they meant well.
28:07And how many of you had an aggressive teacher
28:09that was a soul winner?
28:10And first thing you know,
28:12when you were five or six years old,
28:13they started working on you
28:15like it's time now for you to be saved.
28:18Remember when I was 12.
28:19Now I'm 12 years old at Beaumont Avenue Baptist Church.
28:22A.G. Hall's the pastor over there.
28:25Good man, he loved the Lord.
28:26But I remember one Sunday morning,
28:28I saw my grandfather talking to Brother Hall.
28:31I'll never forget that.
28:32Next Sunday morning, gave altar call
28:35and that pastor walked up and tapped me on the shoulder
28:37and said, now son, wouldn't you like to be saved?
28:40I was 12 years old.
28:42Well, what does a 12 year old boy do?
28:44I said, well, yeah, yeah, I guess I need to be saved.
28:47Got emotional, you know.
28:48I went down to the front and they all gathered around me.
28:51We all prayed.
28:52Next Sunday, he baptized me.
28:55You know, they did what they thought was right to do.
28:57Did it change me?
28:59No, no, it didn't change me.
29:03Let me say this to you.
29:05They meant well, you meant well.
29:07A lot of people mean well.
29:08I'm not up here to say that you couldn't be saved
29:11at five or six.
29:12That's awful young.
29:14But I'm not God and I'm not the judge.
29:16But I'm gonna tell you this.
29:18This ought to be the kind of church
29:20to where you should have the freedom
29:22to come down here or wherever you wanna go
29:24and say, Lord, you know, I've never really had any peace.
29:28I've never really had any assurance.
29:31I know that I prayed the sinner's prayer
29:33and all that when I was five, six, seven years old.
29:36But it never did really take.
29:39We're not gonna condemn you.
29:40We're not gonna make fun of you.
29:42I'm here to help you.
29:43I wanna help you, all my heart.
29:47This one young woman listened to a testimony the other day.
29:49She said, my pastor, my father was a pastor.
29:52He was a pastor.
29:54And she said, she said, I came to my father and said,
29:57Dad, I just don't believe I'm saved.
30:00My dad said to me, yes, you are, honey.
30:02You got saved when you were five.
30:04And we told everybody in the church and you were baptized.
30:07So he's the pastor.
30:08This is his daughter.
30:10And so his whole legacy, his whole life
30:13is about maintaining the appearance before people.
30:16See, that's what he's about.
30:18He said, I don't wanna be shamed.
30:20You know, you're not gonna get up in front of people
30:22and tell them you got saved later.
30:24No, no, no.
30:24You got saved at five, you're saved, that's it.
30:27Yet, he really didn't care about the salvation
30:31of his daughter.
30:32Come to find out he's in prison.
30:33Will be there apparently for the rest of his life.
30:36Makes you wonder what it is he was living for, doesn't it?
30:39Seems to me like he was living for self, doesn't it?
30:42Instead of his daughter.
30:43Listen, I don't care how old you are.
30:45I don't care how many times you've been down here.
30:47I don't care if you've been baptized
30:49so many times back here.
30:50You don't have a drop of water in this place.
30:52I don't care if you've been through the mill a thousand
30:55times, if you don't have assurance this morning
30:59and you're worried, you're just worried.
31:03It just eats at you.
31:04Come on down here, I'll take you by the hand.
31:06I'll put my arm around you.
31:08Listen, I love you.
31:09We'll get down here and we'll pray.
31:11We'll talk to the good Lord, amen.
31:15Amen, we'll talk to him and then we'll keep talking to him.
31:18We'll keep talking to him
31:20because I want you to know the Lord, amen.
31:23Any member of my family, care who you are,
31:26care who you are, any member of my family,
31:28if you had an issue like that,
31:30why, you think I'd run and hide?
31:31You think that'd embarrass me?
31:34I'd grab ahold of you and we'd get right down here
31:38and we'd pray and we'd talk to the Lord
31:41because that's far more important
31:43than maintaining some appearance.
31:46That's that pride that kills all of us.
31:48That church is so full of it.
31:50Well, I'll hurry up, move on.
31:52Somebody got right with God,
31:54but they were rebuffed by the church.
31:55You ever see that happen?
31:57Were you, did you get right with God?
31:59You know, folks, it amazes me at how people feel like
32:04that you can create some kind of a righteousness
32:06that God's proud of.
32:07Listen, there is no righteousness
32:09apart from the righteousness of Christ.
32:11The only righteousness that matters
32:12is the one that that perfect sinless man lived
32:152000 years ago.
32:17That he created a righteousness that did not exist.
32:20It did not exist because God man had not lived until then,
32:24but it is the righteousness of the God man
32:27that God makes you to be.
32:29He becomes my righteousness.
32:33So all the rest of this stuff
32:34is just a bunch of man-made religion, religiosity.
32:37Amen.
32:39So what do you mean?
32:40We welcome sinners, you're welcome.
32:41Care who you are, care how dirty and low down you are,
32:43I don't care what you've done.
32:44It doesn't mean we condone it.
32:46It doesn't mean we celebrate it.
32:48No, no, we're not gonna do that.
32:49No, no, but we will do this.
32:52We will accept you like Christ accepted you
32:56and say to you, you can be saved and you can be cleansed.
33:00A lot of churches around, you can't go in there
33:02because they're too clean, they're too pretty.
33:05They're too, they're like a laboratory.
33:07I mean, they smell good, they look good,
33:09they cross all their T's, they dot all their I's,
33:12everything's hunky-dory.
33:13And if you mess up in that church, out the door you go.
33:17Well, if you mess up here at Temple,
33:20just join the crowd.
33:22There's a lot of messer-uppers around you,
33:26but you don't celebrate it.
33:29You don't get up in front of people and brag about it.
33:31What do you do?
33:32You get right with God, that's what you do.
33:34And that strengthens the brethren.
33:36How many of you realize that there's people
33:38sitting in this house right now
33:39going through the same thing you're going through?
33:42They have the same fears, they have the same problems.
33:46They've been kicked when they're down.
33:48You ever been through a church split?
33:51There are people right now in Knoxville, Tennessee
33:53that'll never darken a church door again in their life
33:57because of a church split.
33:58They'll never go back, they'll never go back.
34:01But they're born again, but they'll never go back.
34:04They got hurt, they got hurt by people that they love,
34:07they got hurt by people they trust, they got hurt.
34:09You can get hurt in church, amen.
34:13Truth of the matter is, let me be plain about it,
34:17this is a Baptist church.
34:19If you go to a Baptist church long enough,
34:21you're gonna observe a split.
34:25That's how we grow.
34:33You wouldn't believe how many split Baptist churches are all,
34:36that's why there's so many Baptists out there.
34:40Split here, split there, what is that thing,
34:43the atom, the atom when it splits and it proliferates,
34:47well, this is what goes on with a lot of Baptists.
34:50You know, you got old church, new church,
34:53they both got the same name,
34:54but one's old and the other one's new.
34:57So we've gone through it, we've had it, so what do you do?
35:02Well, I don't get up here and beat over the head
35:05the people who've been here.
35:07What's that gonna do?
35:07What's that gonna accomplish?
35:09Especially since a lot of the people are your friends,
35:11maybe even your family members.
35:13No, we let the Almighty take care of business like that.
35:15That's God's place to do that, not mine.
35:18Now, what I'm up here this morning to do
35:19is to try to encourage you,
35:21if you're out of church, get back in, come back,
35:24come back to the Lord Jesus.
35:26Remember, church split is just part of the scene
35:30when it comes to Baptist.
35:32Baptists are good about a lot of things
35:34and they got some problems about other things.
35:35How many agree with that?
35:37I'm glad you all do, amen.
35:40I'll close with this.
35:42Some of you are not right with God and you know it.
35:46You could run like Jonah.
35:49Some of you have been running too a long time, haven't you?
35:53You just happened to show up here this morning,
35:55maybe a victim of circumstances or whatever.
35:58You didn't expect to hear what all you've heard,
36:01but you've been running, running.
36:03You know, you ought to know you can't run from God.
36:07You're not gonna outrun him.
36:09He knows where you're going.
36:10Don't try to outrun him.
36:11If God's called you to preach, what are you doing, young man?
36:15Where are you, what are you doing, what's in your life?
36:17You think you're gonna run?
36:20I couldn't handle it long when he called me to preach.
36:22First thing I thought to myself, it was shock.
36:24I thought, what in the world?
36:27Not me, but I couldn't get rid of it.
36:30I thought to myself, this has got to be,
36:32this has got to be some kind of an emotional thing.
36:34Yeah, I'll get over it.
36:36Didn't get over it.
36:37So I went to the pastor and talked to him about it.
36:39He said, put your fleece out.
36:42I didn't know, I didn't know enough about Gideon
36:44to know he had a fleece.
36:46I didn't know anything.
36:47I was green as the grass out here.
36:49But I tried to put a fleece out.
36:51Everything, try this, try that, try this, try that.
36:54Bottom line is, let me say this to you,
36:56the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.
36:59What's that mean?
37:00That means if he called you, he called you.
37:02And you can run as hard as you can run,
37:04but you're not gonna run away from it.
37:06That's gonna be on you for the rest of your life.
37:07Why don't you just answer it?
37:09Answer it.
37:10Do what he's called you to do.
37:12You can hide your deed like Achan did.
37:15Some of you hide, you know, you're hiding.
37:18You're hiding.
37:19Oh boy, it amazes me at how people
37:21think they can hide from God.
37:23You can lie like Ananias and Sapphira did.
37:26God's blessed me with a terrible memory.
37:29That's a wonderful thing.
37:30You know why?
37:31You gotta have a good memory to be a liar.
37:36I mean, remember, I mean, I agree with that.
37:39You gotta have a good memory.
37:40Well, forget me.
37:42I can't remember anything, so if I come up with a whopper,
37:44I'll get caught in it.
37:46I will, I'll get caught.
37:49I'll get caught sure as you live.
37:51I can't remember anything.
37:53You could appear compassionate like Judas did.
37:55You remember him?
37:57Say, why wasn't this money taken and given to the poor?
37:59I mean, look at all these poor hungry people around.
38:01Yeah, Judas, but you didn't care anything
38:03about those people.
38:04All you cared about was the bag, the money.
38:08He was a thief, you see?
38:10Watch the voices in the church
38:11that don't show compassion to people
38:13when they need compassion.
38:15Those people up there in North Carolina,
38:17those people up there in East Tennessee,
38:19Newport and that area right in there,
38:21they need compassion from us right now.
38:24This church has helped.
38:25It'll help more, quite a bit as a matter of fact,
38:29and I feel good about it.
38:31I hope you do.
38:32God has blessed.
38:33You'll see it on the board back here,
38:34what this church has done to people.
38:36When they have nothing, sitting over there,
38:37they may be listening right now.
38:40They watched their home wash away.
38:42Their jobs are gone.
38:45They're hungry.
38:47People, they say over there,
38:49they haven't even gotten to yet.
38:51They talk about all the dead bodies.
38:53What a horrible thing.
38:54Can you imagine a mother, a father, your family members?
38:57So what should we be doing right now?
38:58We should find every avenue we can
39:01to pray for these people and help these poor people
39:04and preach to these people.
39:06Want a preacher?
39:07Wait a minute, you don't need to get up and,
39:08no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
39:11See, one of the old sages said it this way.
39:14Preach the gospel.
39:16And if you have to, use words.
39:20Think about that.
39:23Amen.
39:23Fill their little bellies first
39:25and then tell them who filled their little belly.
39:29Come in there and help them with their bills.
39:31And don't sit back.
39:32There's already on there.
39:33I've seen them on YouTube.
39:35Good night.
39:35Where's God's judgment?
39:36Oh, shut up.
39:38You don't know what God's judgment is.
39:41Amen.
39:42I'll leave the judging to the Almighty.
39:44It's not my place to call stuff like that.
39:46Amen.
39:48My place is to extend a hand,
39:51is to help them and pray for them,
39:52do what we can to be merciful and gracious
39:56to help these dear people.
39:59You could make excuses like Adam.
40:01Didn't do him any good, did it?
40:04That beautiful woman God gave you there, Adam?
40:07The woman.
40:08Look at Luke chapter 23.
40:10And I'll close with this.
40:12Verse 39.
40:13One of the male factors which were hanged
40:15railed on him saying,
40:16if thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.
40:21But the other answering rebuked him saying,
40:23does not thou fear God?
40:25Seeing thou art in the same condemnation
40:28and we indeed justly,
40:30for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
40:33But this man hath done nothing of this.
40:38Now look at this.
40:40And he said unto Jesus,
40:42Lord, remember me
40:45when thou comest into thy kingdom.
40:48And Jesus said unto him,
40:51verily, verily, I say unto thee,
40:53today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
40:56You know why I use this?
40:58Because it blows up the baptismal regeneration.
41:02It blows up christening.
41:04It blows up all the rest of the so-called ways to God.
41:07What's the way to God, preacher?
41:08The Lord Jesus Christ.
41:12I urge you, if you want to get close to God,
41:14if you want to come back to the Lord,
41:16if you want to be saved today,
41:18as simple a prayer as Lord, remember me.
41:23Well, wait a minute, preacher.
41:24You got to confess your sins.
41:25All right, let's start confessing them.
41:28We'll give you an hour and a half.
41:31I'll come back in an hour and a half.
41:32You just got started.
41:34I'll come back in a day.
41:37I don't know what are you talking about, preacher.
41:38There's not a man or a woman walking the face of this earth
41:41that can remember every sin you've committed
41:44that's in your heart and confess it to God.
41:47That's garbage.
41:48I'm not saying you shouldn't confess.
41:50Sir, you will.
41:51Once you're born again,
41:51you'll start confessing and repenting
41:53like you wouldn't believe.
41:54But the bottom line is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
41:59Remember me, he said.
42:00That's not hard.
42:02That's not hard.
42:03Would you bow your head, Father, in thy name?
42:04I pray now.
42:07I pray I've said what all you put on my heart to say.
42:10I pray I've been helpful, Lord.
42:12I pray I haven't hurt.
42:13I pray I haven't confused.
42:15I pray I haven't misled.
42:18I pray that I've helped
42:20to try to be as honest and simple as I know how.
42:24For those in this house today
42:26that need to simply say, Lord, remember me.
42:31That'll do the job.
42:33It did for him and it will for them.
42:36In your name, I pray.
42:38Now, nobody's looking,
42:40but anybody'd raise your hand this morning
42:42and say, Preacher Lawson, why don't you pray for me?
42:44Because God has spoken to me
42:45like you were talking about at the beginning of this message.
42:48God spoke to me in a special way this morning from his word.
42:52God bless you, a hand there.
42:54God bless you, hands all over this place.
42:56God bless every one of you.
42:57Hallelujah to God.
42:59He's spoken to you.
43:00He's spoken to you in ways
43:02that only a living word can speak to you from a living God.
43:05Father, in thy name I pray now, Lord.
43:08The messenger has done what the messenger can do, Father.
43:11I step back now.
43:12I step out of the scene.
43:14I move to the rear.
43:15And we let the Holy Spirit of God step forth
43:18and do his work in the lives and hearts of these people.
43:21We pray in Jesus' name to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ
43:25in his holy, righteous, blessed, sweet name, I pray.
43:29Amen.
43:30Let's stand up and let's sing.