What is True Christianity? (Episode 3)

WELCOME TO OUR WEDNESDAYS BROADCAST OF THE GOSPEL TRUTH. ALL THIS WEEK I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY. WHAT IS BEING A TRUE CHRISTIAN? WHAT DISTINGUISHES CHRISTIANITY FROM OTHER RELIGIONS? AND I TELL YOU WE'VE ALREADY SAID SOME REALLY POWERFUL THINGS. I'VE GOT THIS LITTLE BOOKLET. THIS IS WHAT WE GIVE OUT TO PEOPLE THAT COME FORWARD IN MY MEETINGS TO ACCEPT THE LORD OR RECEIVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT'S ENTITLED THE NEW YOU AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. SO THE FIRST HALF OF THIS BOOK IS ABOUT WHAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS WEEK. ABOUT WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN. WHAT CONSTITUTES TRULY BEING BORN AGAIN. THE SECOND HALF IS ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SPECIFICALLY SPEAKING IN TONGUES. AND SO WE HAVE THIS BOOK IN ENGLISH AS WELL AS SPANISH. AND IT'S A FREE GIVE-AWAY TO YOU THIS WEEK. I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE GET THIS. I'VE ALREADY SAID A LOT OF THINGS. AND I HADN'T GOT TIME TO GO BACK AND PUT ALL OF THIS IN IT'S TOTAL CONTEXT. BUT I'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON JOHN CHAPTER 8. WHERE JESUS WAS DEFENDING HIMSELF AGAINST THE PEOPLE WHO WERE CRITICIZING HIM. AND IT SAYS IN JOHN CHAPTER 8 AND VERSE 30. AS HE SPAKE THESE WORDS MANY BELIEVED ON HIM. THIS IS TALKING ABOUT THE JEWS. AND THEN IN VERSE 31. IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD THEN ARE YOU MY DISCIPLES INDEED. AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. AND I'VE BEEN STUCK THERE FOR THE LAST TWO DAYS. JUST TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS DISCIPLESHIP VERSUS CONVERSION. AND SADLY THE CHURCH HAS CHANGED TO WHERE THEY'RE OUT TO MAKE CONVERTS. NOT TO MAKE DISCIPLES. BECAUSE OF THAT THAT'S TURNED MANY, MANY, MANY PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE LORD. WE OUGHT TO BE MAKING DISCIPLES INSTEAD OF JUST CONVERTS. BUT I NEED TO MOVE ON BEYOND THIS. WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THESE JEWS THAT BELIEVED ON HIM? REMEMBER VERSE 30 SAYS THAT THEY BELIEVED ON HIM. AND WHEN HE SAID IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD THEN ARE YOU MY DISCIPLES INDEED. AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. WHAT WAS THEIR REACTION? IN VERSE 33 IT SAYS THEY ANSWERED AND SAID WE'D BE ABRAHAM'S SEED. AND WE'RE NEVER IN BONDAGE TO ANY MAN. HOW SAYEST THOU YOU SHALL BE MADE FREE? YOU KNOW THIS IS NEARLY FUNNY TO ME. THAT THESE PEOPLE SAID WE'RE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN. WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN BONDAGE TO ANY MAN. THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS. I MEAN THE JEWISH NATION AS A WHOLE WAS TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY AND SPENT 70 YEARS IN BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. THEY HAD BEEN OPPRESSED BY SO MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS. AND AT THIS TIME THE ROMANS WERE OPPRESSING THEM. AND THEY WERE LIVING UNDER TERRIBLE BONDAGE. THEY WERE AT THE WHIMS OF ALL OF THESE ROMAN GOVERNORS AND EVEN HEROD THE JEW THAT WAS PLACED IN POWER OVER THEM. HE WAS A PUPPET OF THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE IN BONDAGE TO EVERYBODY. THEY WERE NOT A FREE NATION. AND YET THEY SAID WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN BONDAGE TO ANY MAN. THAT'S JUST LIKE PEOPLE TODAY THAT WHEN YOU SAY THAT JESUS WANTS TO SET YOU FREE. AND THEY THINK WHAT DO I NEED TO BE SET FREE FROM? WELL THEY'RE CAPTIVES OF LUST. THEY'RE CAPTIVES OF ANGER. THEY'RE CAPTIVES OF FEAR. THEY'RE CAPTIVES OF ALCOHOL AND DOPE AND ON AND ON YOU COULD GO AND THEY'RE IN BONDAGE TO ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND YET PEOPLE ARE THINKING WHAT DO I NEED TO BE SET FREE FROM? I TELL YOU THERE IS NO TRUE FREEDOM WITHOUT JESUS. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THAT AND SAY OH NO JESUS IS WHAT RESTRICTS YOU. MAN THE ONLY RESTRICTIONS HE PLACES ON YOU ARE BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE THAT CREATED US. HE KNOWS WHAT IT IS THAT TRULY MAKES US HAPPY. AND YOU'LL HEAR PEOPLE SAY BUT MAN YOU'RE JUST MARRIED TO ONE PERSON. YOU CAN'T GO AROUND AND SLEEP AROUND AND HAVE MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS. THEY THINK THAT'S FREEDOM. THAT'S BONDAGE. THAT'S A PERSON THAT CAN'T CONTROL THEMSELVES. THEY CAN'T HOLD A RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRULY LOVE ONE PERSON. THEY THINK THAT THIS FREE LOVE IS LOVE. IT'S NOT LOVE IT'S LUST. AND YOU BECOME BOUND TO IT. MATTER OF FACT JESUS SAID THE SAME THING TO THEM IN THE NEXT VERSE. JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID VERILY VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU WHOSOEVER COMMIT A SIN IS THE SERVANT OF SIN AND THE SERVANT ABIDETH NOT IN THE HOUSE FOREVER BUT THE SON ABIDETH EVER. IF THE SON THEREFORE SHALL MAKE YOU FREE YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED. IN OTHER WORDS THESE PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE'RE FREE. WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN BONDAGE TO ANYBODY. AND HE SAID YOU ARE THE SERVANT OF SIN. SIN CONTROLS YOU. YOU KNOW THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT JUST THINK WELL I'M A FREE SPIRIT AND I SAY WHATEVER I WANT TO SAY AND THEY THINK THAT THAT'S FREEDOM. I TELL YOU WHAT REAL LIBERTY AND FREEDOM IS IS THE ABILITY TO MEASURE YOUR WORDS AND TO SAY THINGS THAT HELP PEOPLE AND BENEFIT PEOPLE. NOW THERE'S A TIME FOR US TELLING THE TRUTH AND SOMETIMES THE TRUTH WILL OFFEND PEOPLE BUT THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THINK NO I'M JUST FREE TO SAY WHATEVER WHAT IT IS. YOU ARE BOUND. YOU DON'T HAVE A FILTER BETWEEN YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR MOUTH AND THAT'S NOT FREEDOM. THAT'S GOING TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE. MATTER OF FACT THE BIBLE SAYS THE SAME THING OVER IN JAMES CHAPTER 3 THAT THE TONGUE IS AN UNRULY MEMBER AND IT SETS ON FIRE THE COURSE OF NATURE AND IT IS SET ON FIRE OF HELL AND IT SAYS NO MAN CAN TAME THE TONGUE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOD'S POWER TO BE ABLE TO TAME YOUR TONGUE AND GET TO WHERE YOU USE WORDS ONLY TO BENEFIT PEOPLE AND NOT STRIKE BACK AND HURT THEM. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THINKING WELL I'M FREE AND I'M JUST FINE AND YET YOU'RE DEPRESSED AND DISCOURAGED AND YOU AREN'T ENJOYING LIFE. CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE DRUGS TO BE ABLE TO COPE WITH THINGS. YOU KNOW I'VE WATCHED SOME MOVIES LATELY AND SOMETHING TRAUMATICAL HAPPENED TO SOMEBODY SAYING I NEED A DRINK AND THEY TAKE SOME KIND OF A LIQUOR TO BE ABLE TO NUMB THEIR SENSES OR TO GIVE THEM COURAGE. MAN THAT'S BONDAGE. THAT IS BONDAGE THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE BY DOPING YOURSELF UP AND DOING SOMETHING. I KNOW I MAY BE OFFENDING SOME PEOPLE BY SAYING WHAT I'M SAYING BUT I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH AND AS JESUS SAID YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND IT'S THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. AND IF YOU SAY NO I DON'T NEED FREEDOM I'M DOING JUST FINE I'M DEALING WITH DEPRESSION DISCOURAGEMENT SICKNESS, DISEASE, POVERTY ALL OF THESE THINGS AND I'M FREE. NO YOU AREN'T FREE. YOU AREN'T FREE UNTIL YOU LET JESUS TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE. AND THESE PEOPLE TOOK OFFENSE AT WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND THEY ANSWERED AND SAID ABRAHAM IS OUR FATHER JESUS SAID UNTO THEM IF YOU WERE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN YOU WOULD DO THE WORKS OF ABRAHAM. IN OTHER WORDS THEY WERE CLAIMING THAT THEY HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR PHYSICAL LINEAGE. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT DO THE SAME THING TODAY. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING WELL I WAS RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN CHRISTIAN FOR GENERATIONS WE'RE ALL CHRISTIANS. GOD DOESN'T HAVE ANY GRANDCHILDREN EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE ABRAHAM'S DESCENDANTS DID NOT MAKE THEM A TRUE JEW. YOU KNOW LET ME TURN OVER AND READ SOMETHING THAT THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID HERE IN ROMANS CHAPTER 2 AND IN ROMANS CHAPTER 2 IT'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT A TRUE JEW IS IN VERSE 28 FOR HE IS NOT A JEW WHICH IS ONE OUTWARDLY NEITHER IS THAT CIRCUMCISION WHICH IS OUTWARD IN THE FLESH BUT HE IS A JEW WHICH IS ONE INWARDLY AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT IN THE HEART IN THE SPIRIT AND NOT IN THE LETTER WHOSE PRAISE IS NOT OF MEN BUT OF GOD AND THERE'S MANY PEOPLE THAT WILL FIND THIS OFFENSIVE JUST AS THEY DID WHEN JESUS SAID YOU AREN'T TRULY ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN TO BE A DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM WAS A SPIRITUAL THING IT WAS A MATTER OF FAITH AND THIS IS EXPOUNDED ON IN ROMANS CHAPTER 4 ALSO IN OTHER PLACES TO BE A CHRISTIAN ISN'T SOMETHING THAT YOU INHERIT YOU DON'T GET CHRISTENED AS A CHILD AND BECOME A CHRISTIAN THERE'S MANY PEOPLE THAT SAY THAT AND THEY WILL SAY THAT THEY'RE A CHRISTIAN AND THAT I WAS RAISED A CHRISTIAN BUT YOU CAN'T BE RAISED A CHRISTIAN YOU COULD BE RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME YOU COULD BE RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT YOU MAY GO THROUGH SOME OF THE SACRAMENTS BUT NONE OF THOSE THINGS MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN GOING TO CHURCH DOESN'T MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN ANYMORE THAN SITTING IN A GARAGE IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN YOU OUGHT TO GO TO CHURCH BUT GOING TO CHURCH DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN BEING BAPTIZED AS AN INFANT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN BEING BAPTIZED AS AN ADULT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN UNLESS YOU HAVE BELIEVED WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART OVER IN I THINK IT WAS THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF ACTS WHERE YOU SEE PHILIP GOING DOWN AND PREACHING TO THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH AND THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH RECEIVED IT AND HE SAYS WHAT HINDERS ME FROM BEING BAPTIZED AND PHILIP TOLD HIM IF YOU BELIEVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART YOU MAY BE BAPTIZED SO PHILIP RIGHT THERE SAID THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR BEING BAPTIZED IS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AN INFANT CAN'T BELIEVE WITH ALL OF HIS HEART AND IF YOU WERE JUST GOING THROUGH SOME RELIGIOUS CEREMONY AND YOU'RE BAPTIZED WHETHER IT'S SPRINKLED OR DUNKED OR IF YOU JUST HOLD THEM UNDER UNTIL THEY REALLY REPENT IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART IT DOES NOT PRODUCE SALVATION I KNOW THE THINGS I'M SAYING MAY REALLY BE BOTHERING SOME PEOPLE BUT I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH IS WHAT WILL MAKE YOU FREE AND THESE PEOPLE GOT MAD AND SAID WE'RE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN AND JESUS RESPONDED TO THEM AND SAID IN VERSE 42 IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER YOU WOULD LOVE ME FOR I PROCEEDED FORTH AND CAME FROM GOD NEITHER CAME I OF MYSELF BUT HE SENT ME WHY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND MY SPEECH EVEN BECAUSE YOU CANNOT HEAR MY WORD YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL REMEMBER IN VERSE 30 HE WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED ON HIM AND YET HE SAID YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL THIS SHOWS YOU THAT JUST BELIEVING ON JESUS NOW THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IF IT'S SAVING FAITH ACCORDING TO JAMES CHAPTER 2 IT WILL HAVE WORKS THAT GO ALONG WITH IT HE'LL HAVE CORRESPONDING ACTIONS YOU KNOW IT WAS JOHN CALVIN THAT SAID IT THIS WAY HE SAYS FAITH ALONE SAVES BUT SAVING FAITH IS NEVER ALONE YOU KNOW IF WE WERE IN A ROOM TOGETHER AND IF YOU WERE HERE WHERE I COULD SEE YOU AND STUFF AND IF I SAID THERE'S A FIRE AND THE BUILDING'S BURNING WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE IF WE DON'T GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU REALLY BELIEVED IT THERE WOULD BE SOME TYPE OF ACTION NOW THERE COULD BE A VARIATION OF ACTION SOME PEOPLE MIGHT PANIC AND JUST START SCREAMING OR CRYING SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FAINT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT YOU KNOW TRY AND PUT THE FIRE OUT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT WANT TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING BUT FOR YOU TO JUST SIT THERE AND SAY I BELIEVE THERE'S A FIRE AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING YOU CAN'T EVEN CONCEIVE THAT IF A PERSON REALLY BELIEVED THAT THEIR LIFE WAS IN DANGER THEY WOULD TAKE SOME TYPE OF EVASIVE ACTION THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING AND YET WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT'LL SAY OH YEAH I'M A CHRISTIAN AND YET IF THEY WERE ARRESTED FOR BEING A CHRISTIAN THERE WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT THEM THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF IT IN THEIR LIFE THEY DON'T CHANGE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY DIFFERENCE NOW I WILL ADMIT THIS THAT A CHRISTIAN CAN STILL SIN A CHRISTIAN CAN STILL MAKE MISTAKES MATTER OF FACT I'LL EVEN PHRASE IT AND SAY A CHRISTIAN DOES STILL SIN NONE OF US LIVE A PERFECTLY HOLY LIFE IF NOTHING ELSE WE MAY NOT VIOLATE ALL OF THE COMMANDS OF WHAT WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO BUT ALL OF THE COMMANDS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WE'LL WIND UP VIOLATING THOSE YOU KNOW IN ROMANS CHAPTER 14 VERSE 23 IT SAYS WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN THAT'S THE LAST PART OF THAT VERSE AND SO YOU COULD SAY THAT SIN IS NOT ONLY WHEN YOU VIOLATE A DIRECT COMMAND BUT IF YOU EVER GET TO WHERE YOU AREN'T IN FAITH IF YOU'RE IN FEAR IF YOU'RE WORRYING AND TAKING CARE ABOUT THINGS THAT'S SIN JAMES 4 17 SAYS TO HIM THAT KNOWS TO DO GOOD AND DOES IT NOT TO HIM IT IS SIN SO SIN ISN'T ONLY BREAKING A COMMAND SIN IS WHEN WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LOVING OUR WIFE AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND THE WIFE IS SUPPOSED TO BE REVERENCING HER HUSBAND AS THE CHURCH REVERENCES CHRIST AND IF WE FAIL TO DO THAT THAT'S SIN SO IF YOU USE THE BIBLE DEFINITION OF SIN EVEN CHRISTIANS STILL SIN BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS YOU DON'T WANT TO SIN YOUR HEART SMITES YOU AND CONVICTS YOU AND YOU DON'T LIKE IT A PERSON THAT CAN SAY OH YEAH I'M A CHRISTIAN AND THEN THEY GO OUT AND THEY JUST ARE DELIBERATELY AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT GOD SAYS THAT'S A LIE WE'VE GOT PEOPLE IN OUR GOVERNMENT I CAN CALL NAMES RIGHT NOW BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT CLAIM TO BE CATHOLICS AND YET THEY WILL SIT THERE AND THEY ARE FOR ABORTION PAST EVEN BIRTH THEY HAVE VOTED AND TRY AND PROMOTE THAT THERE'S UP TO A 20 SOMETHING DAY PERIOD OF TIME THAT IF THE WOMAN JUST DECIDES THAT SHE DOESN'T WANT THE CHILD THEY CAN JUST LET IT DIE THAT'S DEMONIC THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE CLAIMING TO BE CHRISTIANS AND YET THEY ARE SITTING THERE AND PROMOTING HOMOSEXUALITY AND TRANSGENDERISM AND MUTILATION OF OUR CHILDREN THROUGH THESE HORMONE BLOCKERS AND SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY THAT'S DEMONIC AND THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE CLAIMING TO BE CHRISTIANS BUT THEIR ACTIONS NOW AGAIN I BELIEVE THAT SOMEBODY COULD MAKE A MISTAKE BUT FOR SOMEBODY TO JUST STAND THERE AND ADAMANTLY REFUSE TO ADMIT THAT I'M WRONG AND TO SAY I'M SORRY AND WANT TO REPENT AND SAYING THAT WHAT GOD CALLS EVIL THEY'RE CALLING IT GOOD WHAT GOD CALLS LIGHT THEY'RE CALLING IT DARK FOR A PERSON TO JUST BE AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT GOD SAYS IT'S A LIE IT'S A DECEPTION THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE CLAIMING THE NAME OF THE LORD BUT JUST AS JESUS SAID TO THESE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED ON HIM THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT BELIEVED ON HIM BELIEVED ON HIM HOW? BELIEVED THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH THEY BELIEVED IT AND YET HE SAID YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL AND THE LUST OF YOUR FATHER YOU WILL DO HE WAS A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING AND A BOAD NOT IN THE TRUTH BECAUSE THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM WHEN HE SPEAKETH THE LIE HE SPEAKETH OF HIS OWN FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF IT THIS WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED ON HIM SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE TODAY WHO ARE SAYING OH YEAH I BELIEVE ON JESUS BELIEVE ON HIM HOW? LIKE THE DEVILS OVER IN JAMES CHAPTER 2 VERSE 19 YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONE GOD YOU DO WELL THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE AND TREMBLE YOU KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST SARCASTIC STATEMENTS IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE IT'S BASICALLY SAYING YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONE GOD YOU HADN'T DONE ANYTHING WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD SO IT'S AS SIMPLE AS JUST BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED THAT'S WHAT PAUL TOLD THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER WHEN HE SAID SIRS WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED HE SAID BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED IN MY HOUSE IT'S THAT SIMPLE ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS GOD MANIFESTING THE FLESH THAT HE TOOK GOD'S WRATH AND PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR SIN AND MY SIN INTO HIS OWN BODY AND HE SUFFERED THE PUNISHMENT THAT YOU AND I DESERVED AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO TO RECEIVE THAT IS BELIEVE BELIEVE THAT HE WAS THE CHRIST BELIEVE THAT HE PAID FOR OUR SINS AND BELIEVE THAT WE ARE NOW ACCEPTED IN THE SIGHT OF GOD THROUGH WHAT JESUS DID IT'S THAT SIMPLE BUT IT'S NOT THAT EASY IT'S NOT JUST MOUTHING THE WORDS IT'S NOT JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS IT'S NOT JUST GOING AND SIGNING A CARD AT A CHURCH IT HAS TO BE A HEARTFELT COMMITMENT IT SAYS IN ROMANS CHAPTER 10 VERSE 9 THAT IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITH THY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS THAT'S MORE THAN JUST SAYING THAT WORD THAT'S SAYING THAT YOU'RE TURNING YOUR LIFE OVER YOU ARE TRUSTING YOUR LIFE YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY BASED ON JESUS YOU ARE MAKING HIM LORD THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE SAYING YOU'LL NEVER MESS UP BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DO THAT ALL OF US FAIL TO BE THE PERSON THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SO THIS ISN'T SAYING THAT I'LL NEVER MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE I'LL NEVER DO ANYTHING WRONG BUT YOU ARE MAKING HIM YOUR LORD YOU ARE WILLINGLY SUBMITTING YOUR TRUSTING COMPLETELY UPON HIM SO IF YOU WILL CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD YOU SHALL BE SAVED BUT THEN THE NEXT VERSE SAYS FOR WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION THAT'S SAYING THAT IT HAS TO BE A COMMITMENT NOT JUST SOMETHING FROM YOUR HEAD WHERE YOU INTELLECTUALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS GOD JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT AND YOU'VE HEARD THESE THINGS AND YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS YOU MAY BELIEVE ALL OF THE ELEMENTS OF SALVATION BUT FROM YOUR HEART HAVE YOU COMMITTED YOUR LIFE TO GOD HAVE YOU TRULY TRUSTED You know, my personal experience is that when I was eight years old, I heard a sermon in our Baptist church and the pastor preached a sermon that he entitled, uh, you know, a tour of hell. And what he was doing was talking about that in hell, he was going through and showing you that not only were the murderers and the rapists and terrible people there, but he was talking about good people, famous people, people that I'd heard of, even as an eight-year-old, that they would be in hell. And he was naming names. And this shook me to my core because basically I had this concept that if you're good, like if you had a, you know, one of those scales where you have a fulcrum in the middle and you have these things on the side, if you're good over here, outweighed your bad, then basically you could make it into heaven. And I just thought that, you know, I was a relatively good person and that surely God would accept me. And for this pastor to be saying that there were good people, people that were respected, that were in hell, that shocked me and it messed up my paradigm. And I remember after church, I went home and I asked my dad, I said, what was he talking about? That these good people, people that were on magazine covers and famous and stuff like this were going to be in hell. And praise God that my dad explained to me that it's not good people that go to heaven and bad people that go to hell, but only forgiven people. Doesn't matter whether they were good or bad relative to other people, all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3, 23. And it's only people who receive salvation through Jesus that go to heaven. And it's only people that reject salvation through Jesus that go to hell. And there's going to be good people going to hell because they didn't understand that they had to have a savior. They thought they were good enough that God would save them on the basis of what they've done. And hell is going to be full of good people, relatively good compared to other people. But the scripture says that they comparing themselves among themselves and measuring themselves by themselves are not wise. You know, I've heard people all my life say, well, if those old hypocrites down there at church make it, then I'm going to make it. Well, the problem with that is that the hypocrites at church aren't going to make it. You aren't comparing yourself with other people. And anytime you get to doing that, see, it's this Pharisee syndrome where Jesus talked about the Pharisee and the publican. A publican was a thief, a traitor who turned on the Jews and was used by the Romans to collect taxes. And he was allowed to collect more than what was due and anything extra that he took, he could steal from the people. So he was hated by the Jews. And so this Pharisee and the publican, a person hated by the Jews, both went into the temple. And the Pharisee said, God, I thank you that I'm not like other men. I fast twice in the week. I pay tithes of mint and anise and cumin. Talking about even the spices in his garden, he took the seeds and separated them and gave one tenth of all of the seeds to the Lord. I mean, he was legalistic and holy to the nth degree. But the problem was he says, I thank you. I'm not like other men. I fast twice in the week. I pay tithes of mint and anise and cumin. And I do all these things. I thank you. I'm not like this publican over there. See, he was comparing himself to another person, a person who was a traitor and a thief. But then Jesus said that the publican, he wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven. He just smote his breast. And he said, Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Because the publican put trust in God's mercy and asked for mercy through Jesus. Then he was the one that was accepted. But the one who was living a relatively holy life was the one that rejected. Jesus said that the publican went down to his house justified. Whereas the Pharisee was rejected by God. There's going to be a lot of religious people that are rejected by God because their trust was in themselves and in their own goodness instead of in a savior. So it doesn't matter if you reject the savior because you don't believe that he was God. You don't believe that he existed. Or if you just don't accept him because you don't need him, you are good enough and you think you're going to get in on your own goodness. You'll split hell wide open. I want to thank you for watching our YouTube channel and the programs that we have available and I want to encourage you that you can get the materials that we've offered. Also, I'd like to encourage you to like our program and subscribe to what we're doing. We have a lot of material and I believe it'll be a real blessing to you. So thank you for being a part of it. God bless you.