Put On the Lord Jesus Christ 3-3 AM 1996

3-3 AM 1996 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Look if you would at uh Romans chapter 13. Thanks, Miriam. He led us all the way. That's what we want him. We want him to lead us all the way. Romans chapter 13. Brother Charlie, if that uh air doesn't come on a minute, go back and lay hands on that thing. Amen. Romans chapter 13 and 1 John chapter 2. Look at Romans 13. Let me give you a lead-in scripture today. And let's uh meander through the Old Testament. I'm sorry, the New Testament a little bit and learn something. Romans chapter 13. I want you to focus on some scriptures here, and I want you to be with me. Look at verse 11, if you would. Verse 11 of Romans chapter 13. And verse 11 says this, and that knowing the time, that now it is high time to do what? Wake up. It's the time, and we ought to know the times of what's going on. Now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. I know this. I'm 16 years nearer to the place and point in time where my salvation is going to be realized than when I believe. Verse 12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the what? Say it. Armor of light. So we're supposed to cast away something and put something on. We're supposed to cast away an old life and put on a new life. Verse 13. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. Verse 14 is what I want you to focus on. But put ye on who? Say it. The Lord Jesus Christ. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Let me talk to you a few moments this morning about putting on the Lord Jesus Christ because as Christians, that's what we're supposed to be doing, is putting him on. Is that right? Somebody says, what's your opinion? My opinion ought to be the opinion of this Bible. Is that right? I ought to put on the opinion, if you would, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what I've been trying to do for about 16 years now. And I don't know about you and where you're at, but I'm still working on it. 1 John chapter 2. And notice what putting on the Lord Jesus Christ means. Look at 1 John chapter 2. And notice, if you would, one verse of scripture in verse 6. He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk, even as who walked? He walked. Who's the he? Jesus. The idea when we put on Christ is we're supposed to walk the way he walked, uh, walk, uh, act the way he acted, talk the way he talked. Attitudes, the attitudes he have. If we call ourselves, please look up here, brother, if we call ourselves Christians, what that means is Christ-like. Is that right? Come on, is that right? Let me ask you a question. This week, did you put on Christ? Did you work on it? Did you work on putting on Christ? Did you wake up in the morning or late at night and say, today I need to put on Christ? And by the way, we won't put on Christ unless unless we get our nose in this book. We put on Christ by let me ask you a question. When's the last time you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? That's the stories about his life. Is that right? If I want to put on Christ, I ought to know Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John pretty well. Because it's the stories, if you would, that tell us about Christ in detail. And if I'm going to put on Christ, I ought to be familiar with those books of the Bible. There ought to not be a year go by that I don't read those books. Amen? Come on, talk to me, amen. I mean, if somebody says, Yeah, I read that when I was young, then it's been too long. You ought to get back in there again so we can put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at two more scriptures. Look at Colossians chapter 2 and 1 Peter chapter 2. Stay with me. Colossians chapter 2 and 1 Peter chapter 2. Now I'm excited about putting on the Lord Jesus Christ because that'll solve a lot of our problems. Oh, it'll create some problems too. Look at Colossians chapter 2 and 1 Peter chapter 2. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, walk even as he walked. Look at Colossians chapter 2. Everybody's still with me? Everybody's still with me? Good. Good. Colossians chapter 2. That's good. When I say you're still with me and you're looking for the scriptures, you ought to not say a whole lot. Colossians chapter 2, and look if you would at verse number 6. Colossians 2, verse number 6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, and that talks about salvation. When we receive Christ Jesus as our Savior, our sins forgiven, our names are written in the Lamb's book of life. As we received Him, so do what? Walk ye in Him. That means His attitude, His thoughts, His conversation, and what He would do in His life ought to be more what we would do in our life. Look at Colossians chapter 2 and verse 7. Rooted and built up in who? In Him. Rooted in Him and built up in Him, established in the face as you've been taught. The idea is putting on Christ means that, for example, he says this let this mind be in you that was in who? Christ Jesus. The idea is Christ's mind ought to be more our mindsets and our attitudes as we grow stronger and stronger in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said he labored and travailed until be Christ was formed into the one he was writing to, and Christ being formed in us. The Bible talks about being conformed to the image of his son. Now, please look up here. The world says, be your own man. Be your own man. What's your opinion? My opinion is Christ's opinion. It ought to be more and more. Well, you're not your own man. Oh, yes, I am. In fact, I'm on my own man enough that I want to lay down my life so I can live his life in me. Does that make sense? Be your own man. I was uh out, oh, I don't know, been a month ago now, and somebody was asking me my opinion about something. And I said, Well, the Bible says. And they asked me something else. That's what the Bible says. And they asked me something else. They said, Well, the Bible says. And the person said, Well, what do you think? I said, Well, I think what the Bible thinks. I don't always practice it, but I believe what that thinks and whatever it thinks, that's what I want to think. Amen? And that person said, Why don't you be your own man? Well, you know what? It's hard to put on Christ and be your own man. Amen. Hey, ladies, you say, Well, what about me? The hidden man of the heart. 1 Peter. Now, look if you want at 1 Peter 2. Let me give you an attitude that we have to get in our hearts and mind. 1 Peter chapter 2. If we're going to put on Christ and have his attitudes and his opinions and the things that he believes, which is what we want to please him, 1 Peter chapter 2, look at this scripture, brethren. And I want you to see how we should think in one area this morning. 1 Peter chapter 2. Notice verse 21. Well, let's look at verse 20. Let's go back to Genesis 1. Just kidding. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 20. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted, uh you know what buffeting is, like if you look up here, like if you're you're you're hit or verbally hit, for your fault ye shall take it patiently. But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even thereunto were ye what? We were called to do what then? We were called to do well and suffer for it. Is that right? Have you ever witnessed to somebody and they rejected you and called you a name? Hey, witnessing to somebody about the Lord Jesus Christ is doing well. And there's a good possibility. You know what persecution is? Persecution is to be afflicted, to be vexed, to be harassed. You ever been harassed by someone when you try to just ask them about their soul? Come on, have you ever? Now wait a minute. Have you ever asked anybody about your so their soul? Has it been a while? If last week or the week before you asked somebody about your soul, there's a good possibility. They say, well, that's personal. I got my religion, you got yours. You shouldn't be asking that stuff. Well, I think Christ would do that. And we're supposed to put on who? Talk to me. Lord Jesus Christ. And there's going to be some persecution if with that. He says, for even thereunto were ye called, because Christ also did what? Say it, suffered for us. Leaving us in what? An example. So the example, if we're going to put on Christ, is that there's going to be some suffering that ye should follow his steps. Brethren, Christ had a cross to bear. And would you agree with us or agree with me? The Bible says every one of us has our own cross to bear. There are times when we have to bear a cross. It may be physical, it may be mental, it may be when we're doing well and we suffer for it. It may be in the lunchroom when everybody's laughing at you because you're a Christian. You ever been laughed at? Behind your back, snickered at? Because you took a stand for something? Hey, brethren, let's just mark it down. I'll give you this scripture. Look at Luke 12. Luke 12. And look at 2 Timothy chapter 3. We're just walking through a couple scriptures. Luke chapter 12. We're supposed to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, if you're going to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, you better be prepared to suffer a little bit. Let me show you one of the reasons why. Luke chapter 12. Now stay with me. You say, man, I don't know. It doesn't seem like I'm suffering at all. Well, I'll show you a scripture in a minute that there should be some. Luke chapter 12. Everybody getting there? I'll give you a chance. Luke chapter 12. Here's one of the reasons why, if we put on the Lord Jesus and his mind and his thoughts, and we bring thoughts into his obedience. Look what he says in verse 51. Verse 51. Suppose ye that I am come to give what? Peace on earth? I tell you what? Nay. Now that that baby, every time that baby looks at me, it's going to cry. So you got to hide its eyes from me. If it sees me, that baby's crying. Amen? All my babies cried when they first saw me. Oh yeah, you can understand why, amen. And I mean, I had my almost two years old now. She cried when she saw me last night again. Ugly is ugly, amen. So help me with that if you would. Look, if you would, again, he said this. He said, I uh am come, verse 51, to give peace on earth. I tell you what? No. Nay. Verse 51, but rather what? Say it again? Division. Division. For from henceforth there shall be five in one house. Doing what? Divided. Three against two, two against three. The father shall be divided against the son. You say, wait a minute now. I thought Jesus came to bring peace. In one scripture he talks about that, but the way he brings peace is when he comes back again and he sets up his monarchy. He said, when he came the first time, he didn't come to give peace on earth. He said, I didn't come to bring peace, nay. Rather, division. Why? Because he was going to bring truth, and the truth was contrary to what the world thought. And every time he brought his truth, the world said, Well, we don't believe that, and we don't like that, and we don't like that truth. Is that right? For example, let me give you a truth that's going to bring some division. Uh, we uh we don't believe that homosexuals should be considered legally married. Now, I'm not against uh homosexuals getting saved. You say, Well, you're a basher. I'm not a basher of anything other than sin. I bashed sin in my own life, amen. I've led homosexuals to Christ. I've counseled with them. Are you listening to me? I worked with a homosexual a few weeks ago, working with the person to try to help them get free. Are you listening to me? But we don't believe that homosexuals should be considered legally married, not according to the Bible standards, anyways. Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Amen. You know that. The idea is, though, stay with me. The idea is, even if even if the United States government someday said we acknowledge them as being legally married, I won't. Why? Because I believe the mind of Christ would say, don't acknowledge it as a scriptural marriage. Is that right? Yes or no? That's going to bring division. Oh, you say you just don't like them. Has nothing to do with what it has to do with the action. By the way, just because they legalized abortion doesn't mean we believe in it. Now stay away with me. Somebody says, but it's the law. When man's law is lower than God's moral law, we stay with God's moral law. And God's moral law doesn't say it's a piece of tissue, it says it's a baby. It's got life. Is that right? So we stay with God's moral law, and we said we're against abortion. Why? Because it's putting to death a life. Is that right? That brings division. Oh, by the way, you might suffer a little bit for that. You might be harassed a little bit for that. They might laugh at you a little bit for that. They might call you unintelligent a little bit for that. Amen? Narrow-minded. Come on now. Hey, I'll give you another, and I'm not trying to just stir things up this morning, but I want you to understand when you put on Christ, something comes with it. A little persecution, a little affliction, a little disagreement. You say, well, listen, I don't have any of that problem. I'm going to show you a scripture in a minute. You should. Hey, for example, uh, we don't believe somebody says, hey, the solution to teenage pregnancy is educate them how to use protection. They're going to do it anyway, so educate them how to use protection. You know what we're doing with our children? We're teaching them biblical abstention. Amen. Until marriage. In marriage, the bed is undefiled, the Bible says. Yes or no? We're teaching our teens and our young adults. And you mean how young are the adults? Hey, if they're unmarried, uh, 35, uh, 40, uh, 45, 50.

unknown 13:36

Come on.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Come on. Biblical abstention. I counsel with some couples, uh, and I won't tell you the time frame on it. I counsel with a couple not too long ago, and they talked to me about it, and they weren't married, and I said biblical abstention. What does that mean? Abstain until marriage. Now, now, you may be sitting in here and say, you know what, I'm a Christian, and I don't I don't know. That sounds pretty harsh. Oh, wait a minute. Do you have the mind of Christ? Because the mind of Christ would say purity. Well, they're gonna do it anyways. How do we know they're gonna do it anyways? If I haven't anything to do about it, mine's not gonna do it anyways. Don't take this wrong. Mine, mine don't even know what some of that stuff is. I don't want them to know. If they hear some of those words, I want them to say to me, What's that, Daddy? Oh, that doesn't pertain to you. You don't have to worry about that. Well, you're not gonna educate them. No, I'm gonna protect them and keep them in this church group and in the church community and make sure they're only seeing people who believe the same thing. That means mom and daddy have to be in church, doesn't it? That means mom and daddy have to bring them up through church and in the church group and in the youth group. That means mom and daddy has to make a commitment, amen? Come on now. That means mom and daddy's still responsible, not the public schools. Not the Christian school. Mom and daddy's still responsible. In our Christian school, we say we get them for eight hours to help you train them, but you're still responsible. Before God, I'm not gonna be responsible for your kids, I'm responsible for mine. Amen. So we teach them abstention. Now, you know what? That's division. That's that's not peace, that's division. Amen? Oh man. And I could give you more and more and more, and we could be shouting a little while, but I'm not trying to just get it shouting. And someone would get offended. And they walk out. I'm a Christian, I don't believe that. Oh, get in your book. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and see what he thinks. And you know what you do when we do that, brethren? Hey, you know what? No, I'm gonna tell you something. At 23 years old, I believed the opposite in many areas of what I believe now. Then I got saved. Just because I got saved didn't believe, didn't mean everything changed. Man, as I began to study, I struggled with some things. I really did. I struggled. I mean, I I used to be liberal. Man, women, hey, I'm for liberal. Yeah, that's great. Liberal. Now I'm liberal and giving. Amen. But I'm a little bit more narrow-minded than some of those things. I'm a little more old-fashioned. It seems like the more we put on Christ, the more narrow we get. Now, wait a minute, hold it. I want to show you scriptures. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. Here's where it comes. He said, I came to bring not peace, but a little bit of division. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 3. Ooh, this is something we need to look at and analyze ourselves just a little bit. Everybody there? 2 Timothy chapter 3? Look at verse number 12. Yea. And all that will live what? In Christ Jesus shall suffer what? It did not say, all that will live shall suffer persecution. Brother, look at it again. It says, if we will live how? Godly in Christ Jesus, that we're going to suffer some persecution. Please look up here. You say, Well, I don't think I'm being persecuted. Don't take this wrong. Did you witness it to anybody last week? Did you tell anybody about the Lord Jesus Christ? Did you give them the gospel? Did you ask them about their soul? You don't have to be a full-time pastor to do that. Nor do I. Amen? I'm not trying to put anybody down, but if we live godly, we'll speak boldly about the gospel, won't we? We'll give our gospel track when we get our fast food. I think that's I think that's somebody says, well, you just does that mean that you have to do that to be a good Christian? Absolutely not. But if we're going to live godly in Christ Jesus, sooner or later, don't you think that living godly is witnessing? Telling somebody about our faith? Come on. And sooner or later you're going to get rejected. And somebody's going to rip up your track or or cuss you or what you're going to feel rejected. Or if somebody says, Well, what do you believe about that? And you actually tell them what you believe the Bible says, oh man. I was in a discussion on an airplane a few weeks ago. And boy, I tell you what, uh, the guy asked me some questions as he saw me read my Bible. That's a great way. I've never been flirted with on an airplane. You say, Well, who would want to flirt with you? I don't have a problem with that. Ugliness is a blessing, amen. But I mean, I was reading my Bible. You know it's amazing when you're reading your Bible on an airplane, nobody bothers you. But this guy, he said, Well, hey, he asked me something about the Bible, and I said, Yeah. And I said, Well, the Bible says this. And he said, Well, what do you believe about this? And I said, Well, let me show you some scriptures. And I showed him the scriptures, but you know what? He was looking right past the book. He didn't want to see this, he just wanted to know my opinion, wanted to cut debate me. Wanted to cut me my opinions down. And uh after a while, he started getting irritated. And I said, Well, listen, uh, we've got to write another couple hours here. How about I give you this gospel tract to read and uh and uh you know that way we don't get any more irritated and everything? He said, and he kept pursuing, kept pursuing. And uh he started getting a little ugly. And now I say, well, we I I mean, I mean, I had my halo on. It was in place. I wasn't antagonizing, I wasn't stirred up, but I thought later, you know what? If I would have just kept my mouth shut, it wouldn't have been living godly. Living godly means you say something about what you believe. Amen. Jesus didn't come to keep his mouth shut. He came to talk to us about the Father. And now, in turn, we're supposed to talk about who? The Son. Living godly in Christ Jesus is gonna mean that we're gonna suffer a little persecution along the way. It's gonna mean we're gonna change some of the things that we used to do. Look at what it says in 1 Peter chapter 4. Stay with me. Are we doing okay this morning? Let's put on Christ a little bit more this morning. We're gonna suffer a little persecution, a little harassment, a little infliction, a little injury. Look at 1 Peter chapter 4. Look at the mindset he says we're gonna have, or we should have. 1 Peter chapter 4. Are we okay this morning? Boy, I hope I didn't offend anybody yet. 1 Peter chapter 4. Stay with me, I'm for you this morning. Look at verse 1. For as much then as Christ hath what? Say it. Come on, everybody say it. Suffer. For us in the flesh, what does he say to do? Arm yourself likewise with the same mind. What am I supposed to arm myself? I'm supposed to wake up and say, you know what, I'm probably gonna suffer today. Somebody's gonna reject something I have to say. Somebody's gonna reject my witness to them. Somebody's gonna be in disagreement. I'm supposed to arm myself likewise with the same mind, for he that hath suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. The idea when you arm yourself, you you put it in your mind, you you cock the trigger, you have it ready, and you know today that if you go out and live godly in Christ Jesus, there's a good possibility that you're gonna suffer a little bit for it. Somebody's gonna laugh at you, somebody's gonna ridicule you, somebody's gonna mock you, because, brethren, the things in this Bible are enmity with this world. Friendship with God is enmity with the world. Uh if we're friendship with the world, it's enmity with God, so friendship with God must be enmity with the world. What does that mean? The fact that you're in church today. What are you doing here? Getting brainwashed. Better than getting our mind dirty with the TV. I'd rather have my brainwashed this morning. Try and go out again. Do something for God. Brethren, our lives are supposed to count for something. He says, so arm yourself likewise with that same mind. Look at if you would have Ephesians chapter 4. Now, just about this time, you're going to say, I'm tired of turning to the scriptures. Don't get tired yet. Ephesians chapter 4. Arm yourselves with that mind. What? That we're going to put on Christ. And when we put on Christ and walk as he walked, that every once in a while we're going to suffer a little bit for it. People are going to look at us strange a little bit. You know, my family, every once in a while, we'll go out as a family, and boy, I'll tell you what, people look at us funny. I mean, uh, if we're down near the bay or something like that, and my girls have dresses on or something like that, people look at us funny. They think we're Mormons or Amish. We've been asked a number of times. We've had people come up to us and say, Are you all Mormons? That's an indictment almost. Just because we're around the water and my girls have dresses on. Oh, you're just old-fashioned. Well, just try to do something godly. I'm not trying to be a Pharisee about it. They don't have to look. We're not out praying. Look at us. We're holy. We're not out doing that. We're just down to enjoy what God made in the bay. It's no big deal. So they laugh at us and they snicker. I've had a couple of my girls ask me about it. I say, well, you take a stand in something. And if you don't take a stand, you'll fall for anything, so just take a stand. And when you're old enough and you leave our home, then you'll be able to decide what you want to do, and your daddy's not going to be a Pharisee towards you in whatever you decide to do. But while you're in our home, we want you to keep some standards. I hope it carries over to the next generation. And their generation and their generation. Look at what it says in Ephesians. Stay with me. Ephesians 4. We're doing okay this morning. We're Christians. We're supposed to arm ourselves with that mind. Look at verse 23, brethren. Verse 23. Oh, let's go to verse 22. We've got to put something off in order to put something on. That you put off concerning the former what? Conversation, that old man, the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lust, be renewed in the spirit of your mind? And that you do what? Say it. Put on. Who? Which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. We've got to leave the old works of darkness to put on that armor of light. We've got to leave that old past, and it doesn't happen all of a sudden. It takes some time. But, brethren, we ought to be leaving the old and going towards the new. Look, if you would, real quickly, with me at Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. And I hope you don't mind if you're saying, man, I don't know where these Bible books are. Stay with it. I didn't know Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John at age 24. I didn't know how to find them. And we just you just stay with it. And over a period of time you learn where they're at. Stay with me. Colossians chapter 3. In Colossians chapter 3, putting it on, look what he says in verse 9. Colossians 3, 9. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have what? Put off that old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is, say it again, renewed. There's a renewal in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Now, I heard a man say this once, and I believe this is true. When we renew in the knowledge after the image of Christ, we put on that righteousness and that holiness. I heard this man say this God moves mountains, and prayer moves God. I've never forgot that. Why? Because the effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth what? Much. So God moves mountains, and prayer is what moves God, but I know this, the effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man. It's imputed righteousness. But what I'm supposed to do on the practical side, and what you're supposed to do, put on that new man, which is created after righteousness. It's renewed after that truth, after the image of God. And if I want to see God do something, I know this. God can do anything, and I know that prayer moves the one who can do anything. But he expects me to the effectual fervent prayers of a what? Righteous man availeth much. Brother now, you know what? What we can do down here is fairly limitless if we'll just put off and put on and put on Christ Jesus. Now, in order to put something off, something has to happen. Look if you would at Colossians 3, where you are right there, and look at verse 2. We're heading towards a direction, just meandering now, but meandering with a purpose. Look at verse 2. Set your affections on what? Things above, not on things on the earth. For well, read the next four words with me, verse 3. Ready? Begin. For ye are dead. Now wait a minute. I'm still alive. You still see me talking. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Wait a minute. When did I die? Look at Romans chapter 6. I know when I was supposed to die. Romans chapter 6. Stay with me. Romans chapter 6. She said, Man, I come to hear preaching. This is more like a Bible study. I'll preach to you the last five minutes. Romans chapter 6. You're doing well this morning. I know this. You may walk out and you say, Well, I don't know if I like the message, but how can you not like the Bible? Romans 6, stay with me. So I'm supposed to put off something. I'm supposed to let my life die and let it be hid in Christ. Because I'm going to put on Christ. And when I put on Christ, there's going to be some persecution. There's going to be some suffering. Because the mind of Christ, he said when he came, he didn't come to bring peace but a division. Look at Romans chapter 6, verse 3. Know ye not that so many as of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his what? Death. Therefore we are, say it, buried with him by baptism into what? What dies? Supposedly we're supposed to say, our old man, we're going to bury him. That like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in what? Newness of life. Verse 5. Here's what baptism is all about. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his what? Death, we shall be also in the likeness of his what? Resurrection. Knowing that he this, that our old man, that's what gets buried, is what? Crucified with him, the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. You read on, here's what this is all about when you see someone get baptized up here. What they're saying symbolically is, I'm getting ready to go down and I'm going under. And by the way, when you bury somebody, you cover them. Is that right? We don't sprinkle some dirt over the top of them and walk away. We cover them, is that right? Come on. So what baptism is all about, just like Jesus did get baptized in the River Jordan, is that right? The Bible says that what baptism is all about, and it's not something mystical or magical. You don't meet the spirit under the water or any of that stuff, amen? Come on, talk to me, amen. New life. I remember when I did that. Well, I remember. I had it wrong in my mind. I thought, I really did. I thought, I fasted for three days before I was baptized, and I don't know, I had it twisted in my mind. It wasn't the preacher's fault or anything. I don't know where I got this from. I do know where I got it from. I read that, and it said verse 7, He that is dead is freed from sin. And I thought, after I get baptized, I'll never sin again. I really did. I read that, I studied it, I said, oh boy, I'm gonna get ready for this because after I get baptized and I go under the water, I'm gonna come up and I'm never gonna sin again. I really believe that. Oh, was I wrongly mistaken? I was baptized at about noon on Sunday, and by about one o'clock, my bubble was burst. I thought something I shouldn't have thought, amen. The idea, though, is baptism doesn't necessarily free us totally from sin and the idea that we're never gonna sin again, but it's a way of saying we're gonna die to the old life and we're gonna rise again to a new life and put on that new man and let the mind of Christ be formed in us and put on Christ Jesus and his thoughts and his ways, but it's a progressive progress, and when we do that, there's gonna be some persecution. But there has to be a place and point in time, look up here, that we decide to die to the old man. Look at Romans 15, please. You're doing well. Romans 15. In order to do this, this must happen. Romans 15. And I'm coming to something in just a minute. It looks like I only have a couple more scriptures. Romans 15, and would you also pick up 2 Corinthians 5? And I'm watching the time. You don't have to. Romans 15 and 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and we're almost finished, but now we're gonna come down to something here. Romans 15 and 2 Corinthians 5. I think when we ought to, when we come to church, we ought to learn something, but we also ought to be challenged to do something. Not just be hearers, but be what? Doers. So I'm gonna challenge you in just a minute and myself also. Romans 15 and 2 Corinthians chapter 5. In Romans 15, it says this in verse 3. For even who? Christ pleased, I got this underlined, highlighted, not himself. Part of that death process is that we begin to deny ourselves from things that we even want to do, that we can in our mind justify. We please not ourselves. We don't go to the places we used to go. We don't do the things we used to do. Even though it was what we would call pleasurable, we just don't do them anymore. Does that mean we don't want to do them? Well, I gotta be honest with you, when I first got saved, I didn't do some things because I knew I wasn't supposed to, but that didn't mean I still didn't want to. Now, as I've got older and older in the Lord, I don't want to. I don't want to do those things. I don't even have to worry about not doing those things. I was at a park the other day. A guy walks by and he's smoking a joint, a marijuana cigarette. I used to do that stuff. He walked by, he's just, I mean, just casually walk around, and you can see his eyes were all glossy and everything. And he walked by and I smelled that stuff. Now, when I first got saved, if he would have walked by and I would have smelled that stuff, I would have wanted to do it. When he walked by, I said, Oh man, Lord help that guy. I didn't, I didn't think of him in a negative way. I just said, Lord, help him. And I ran to him and gave him a gospel tract. I I said something like, Read this when you come down. Because I know what it was like. But I didn't want to put him down. But I went back down and sat on the bench where I was studying a little bit, and I thought, praise the Lord, the desire's gone. I don't even want to live in that mind anymore. I like the soberness of this mind. Amen. I don't have to escape anymore. The only escape I want to escape is the rapture. Amen? So Christ pleased not himself, which means we deny ourselves. We we get back up on that cross. We let that old man, we deny him. But wait a minute. Look at 2 Corinthians 5. Just because we deny ourselves doesn't mean we don't have something to live for. 2 Corinthians 5. And then I'll give every little challenge. Verse 15. And that he died for all, verse 15. Thank you for turning there. And that he died for all, that they which do what? Live should not henceforth live unto who? Themselves. You say, amen. It's almost like you're saying that old man has to be put off and put away. If we're going to put on Christ, if we're going to put on his mind, we have to put off something because the two don't live together very well. But henceforth live unto themselves. Not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him, which died for them and rose again. He said, This, I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, what? I live. Yet not I, but Christ does what? He lives within me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. The identity is I don't live into myself anymore, but if I still live for something, now we can live in him, and there's joy and there's life abundance. And brethren, I'm not missing anything this world has to offer. Now, let me give you a challenge. We ready? You all ready? You sure you're ready? Alright, here we go. Easter is five weeks away. Did you all get one of those Easter flyers? Would you pull that out real quick? Please. When you pull that out, would you look at First Timothy chapter one and Romans chapter one? I want to give you a little challenge. Not a put down in any way, shape, or form. 1 Timothy chapter 1 and Romans chapter 1. Four more scriptures. We're finished. Say, wait a minute. I thought you said we're almost done. Almost is a relative term. And in my in my notes, we're almost to the bottom of the page. Stay with me now. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Let me give you a little challenge. You got your Easter flyer out. 1 Timothy chapter 1. I want to ask you a question. If I put on Jesus Christ, his mind, be conformed to his image, stay with me, please, look up here. Think his thoughts more. Make decisions that would be based on what he would decide the best I possibly can, knowing the principles. Renewed after the spirit of his mind, conformed to his image. Easter. You know, Easter is a cultural holiday that's accepted in America. A lot of people look for a place to go to church. It's a cultural thing to do. Would you be ashamed of inviting someone to Easter services? Oh, wait a minute. Would you? If you put on Christ, you wouldn't be. What do you mean inviting? I mean going up to someone and whether you know them or not. Know their name, work beside them, relative, neighbor, and say, listen, uh, where are you going to church on Easter? What are you doing for Easter morning? Maybe a person that's unsaved? Maybe a person that's saved but backed away from God quite a bit. Or maybe a person that's saved but unchurched and doesn't have a church. And just walk up to them and say, listen, I'd like to uh I'd like to invite you out to church. Maybe not just one, maybe, maybe a few. You see, I would say this if Easter is a cultural holiday that that people think, well, you know, I go to church on Easter, and you know what a lot of people do. How many of you before you were saved Christians, you say, well, on Easter we go to church? Do you know what I'm talking about? Sure. Once a year, whether you like it or not, amen. Just to feel good about ourselves. But Easter's coming up. You know what would be great? And we're praying this way. We'd like to see this whole place filled. People up here, people back here, people back here, people over there, people out. You know who's gonna bring them? People who put on Christ. Now let me let me ask you to look at something. Look at 1 Timothy. Did I say 1 Timothy? Look at 2 Timothy. 1 Timothy's good too. But 2 Timothy is what I want, I'm sorry. 2 Timothy chapter 1. And look what he says if we're gonna have this mind of Christ. Verse 8. Be not, verse 8 of 2 Timothy 1, be not thou, therefore, what? Say it.

unknown 37:28

Ashamed.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

Ashamed. Let me ask you. If someone that you're with walks up to someone and gives them a gospel tract, does that make you ashamed? If you were sitting next to me on the airplane and the stewardess came by and I started telling her about the Lord Jesus and said, Here, I know you're busy right now, would you take this gospel tract for later? Would that make you ashamed? Would you kind of cower down and go, Oh, you're not here, this isn't the place. That ought to be done in church. The chances of me seeing that stewardess in church is slim to none. Jesus went out into the world and preached his gospel, is that right? He said, Be not there thou thou for be not therefore ashamed of what? The testimony of who? Our Lord. What was his testimony? His testimony was that he died and he was buried and he rose again from the dead and he went on to heaven. That's the testimony. Look at Romans chapter 1. Stay with me. I'm not trying to put anybody down. Look what he says in Romans chapter 1. Paul says this. Every once in a while, brethren, if we're not growing in the mind of Christ, we're not putting out the gospel like we used to. Romans chapter 1, and I'm not trying to put anybody down or make anybody feel bad. I'm trying to help you. Look at verse 16. What does Paul say here? For I am not what? Say it. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Now, brethren, look up here. I know there are times in your business in a big sales meeting that you can't stand up and say, I'm not supposed to be an ashamed, I don't want to tell everybody to be the most saved. You're going to be cast away into the fogs of darkness forever. That's not the time, maybe. Maybe not be the time, except for Howie. But you know what? We have to make the time. We have to pray for the time. We have to look for the time. And we don't wait, wait for someone coming to us. He said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. What is the power of God unto salvation? Brethren, we ought to not be ashamed of what Christ has done for us. If we have the mind of Christ and we put on Christ, we're not going to be ashamed. Let me show you two more scriptures and we'll finish. Look at Mark 8 and 1 John 2. Last two scriptures. You went this far, you might as well finish up. Mark 8 and 1 John 2. Mark 8, 1 John 2. And the roast isn't burnt. In fact, probably the roast isn't even in the oven yet. Amen. Mark 8, 1 John 2. If we put on the mind of Christ, we ought to not be ashamed of telling someone else about our Lord and Savior. Look at it if you would, Mark chapter 8. And let these words sink in deeply. Verse 38. Whosoever therefore shall be what? Say it. Ashamed of who? And who's speaking? Jesus. So Jesus says, whoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words. And this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of Man be what? Ashamed. When he cometh into the glory of his Father with his holy angels. Now wait a minute. Look at 1 John. 1 John when we're finished. And he did well. 1 John chapter 2. And notice a correlating scripture. 1 John chapter 2. Verse 28. Thank you. And now who? Little children. Those little children are the ones who are supposed to have the mind of Christ and be conformed unto him. And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have what? Confidence. And not be say it ashamed before him at his coming. I wonder if there's going to be some Christians saved. But never did anything with their salvation. Never did anything with his words. In fact, they kind of closet Christians. Nobody really knows. Nobody at your work knows. Or they know you have a nice disposition and that you're kind. But you've never attributed it to the Lord Jesus Christ publicly. I'm not saying you're ashamed, ashamed, like embarrassed, but are you ashamed enough not to tell someone else about your faith? Brother, let me say this to you, listen. Maybe you're here visiting, I don't know, or maybe you're looking for a church, I don't know, and I'm not trying to put you down. But if you don't have a church to come to, why don't you decide that maybe for the few weeks you'll come to this church for a while and you'll stay through Easter? If you come to this church and this is your church, and praise the Lord if that's what God's wanted for your life, I think this would be great. Wouldn't it be great if we all had somebody with us at church on Easter? I mean that. Someone beside us. A friend, uh a business associate, a neighbor, someone we met on the street, a dry cleaner attendant. I talked to a little lady the other day at the dry cleaners and talked to her about her soul a little bit. Somebody that you see at the grocery store or the gas station. Somebody that you you see on a regular basis or on an irregular basis. You say, now wait a minute, what are you trying to say? I'm saying it should be that if we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, then our lives should count for something and we should do something about our faith and our testimony. In fact, the testimony of the Lord, and please look up here, and we shouldn't be ashamed to tell someone. Wouldn't it be great? Oh, by the way, you got your little flyer? Look at that real quick. What we're gonna do on Easter morning. And you say, well, isn't Easter's five weeks away? Five weeks isn't very long. Five weeks isn't long to pray for someone and witness to them and ask them two or three times. One time may not be enough. If you notice what we're gonna do on Easter morning, we're starting just a little early. And we're gonna have uh the normal quick announcements and it won't take long, and then we're gonna have a musical and a little drama presentation, but there's gonna be preaching. And we're gonna try to give them a flavor of some music, uh uh, uh, a drama story, if you would. And and I'm not, you may say, well, I'm not against drama in church. Wait till you see it before you disagree with it. And then I'm gonna preach to them that morning. And we're gonna do it all very tightly. And maybe that morning that person would receive Christ as Savior, or that person who was backslid would come and say, You know, I need to get back my walk with Christ. Or that person would say, I've been saved for a while, but I've just never been in a church. Maybe they would get church that morning as far as seeing their need for the coming to church on a regular basis. Could I challenge you to do something? If you're already saved, let's put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And I ask you this question. How many Easters do you have left to do something for God? Let me say it again and ask you. How many Easters do you have left to do something for God? Well, I say I could do it next Sunday. Okay, do it next Sunday. Or the next Sunday. But how many Easters do you have left? How many Easters do we have left to do something for God? You know what? You say, why are you using Easter? Because normally people don't rip up Easter flyers and go, ah, ah. Now you might run into it a little bit, but they'll be kind about it because it's Easter. They may say, are you having an Easter egg hunt?

unknown 45:06

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

No. You got anything special going on at church? Yeah, we do. Got some music, we've got a little drama, we've got some preaching. Is there food afterwards? Well, you have to make that decision if you want to take them out or not, amen. Or invite them over to your home. But Christ left us down here for a reason. Let's put on Christ. And let's look for somebody to bring. You say, now, wait a minute, shouldn't this be the Sunday night crowd? It ought to be this crowd. You have friends, you have neighbors, you have relatives. Let's get them under the sound of the gospel. What if they don't like me after that? At least they had the chance. Preacher, what if you get up there and make a fool of yourself? Then it won't be you they won't like, it'll be me. But let's at least give them the chance. You never can tell what God will do. Now, I'm finished. You may say, well, that's not my custom. Then put on Christ. I don't go out and do that. Then put on Christ. I don't give up gospel tracts. Then put on Christ. I don't share my faith that way. I wait for somebody to come. Then put on Christ. Because Christ didn't wait for people to come to Him, He went to them. Put on Christ. And I'm not saying that to put you down. I'm saying, how long do we have to put Him on? We better redeem the time. Our time's running out. There's nothing like knowing that you had a part in giving the gospel to someone, and they either came to God, salvation, got closer to God. There's a joy unspeakable and full of glory in knowing that the God of this heaven used us. There's somebody you can reach that. I don't even know. Would you think about it? Would you do this? Just do this. Maybe at this invitation say, Lord, here am I. Send me. I was an officer in the Marine Corps. I started witnessing to some of the other officers. It didn't go well. I was a little brash. I was a little forward. But it didn't go well. The guys that used to hang around me stopped hanging around me. I went to the Channel Hall, Paris Island, South Carolina, used to sit with the officers, some of the enlisted gunnery sergeants and everything. After about three months of witnessing the people and telling people about my newfound faith in Christ, I'd go in and sit down and nobody would join me. Now they'd be all around me, and there I'd be at my little table where there were four places, and I'd be alone eating. Oh, every once in a while, one of them would come up to me like Nicodebus did clandestinely in the night. When nobody could see him and say, hey, listen, I'm a Christian too. I just want you to know that. I said, Well, that's good. I'm glad to hear that. Praise the Lord. I said, Would you like to come to church with me? Well, no. Oh, okay. I remember standing up in front of a colonel. I got into a little trouble for witnessing on base. It's true. And I stood there, heels locked, and he said, Lieutenant Fisher, I said, sir. And he said, I want you to know something. Sir, yes, sir. He said, I'm a Christian too. He said, sir, yes, sir. He said, and I just uh I believe there's a place and a time for this, and you know what, you shouldn't be witnessing in uniform. And I hadn't been unkind about it, trying not to be. I said, sir, yes, sir. He said, so this action will cease. Is that correct? And I said, sir, no, sir.

unknown 49:18

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 49:20

He said, Well, Lieutenant, you're going to get yourself into some trouble. I said, sir, yes, sir. But I didn't get in trouble with God.

unknown 49:31

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 49:33

And a couple guys did get saved. The last thing I had the opportunity to do before I left the Marine Corps was stand up at Paris Island, South Carolina in the base chapel. With probably at that time about a thousand recruits. Because they had to go to church their first service there. About a thousand recruits out there, and for about 20 minutes, I got to give my testimony how the lieutenant of the Marine Corps got saved.

unknown 49:57

Amen!

SPEAKER_00 49:58

Now, to me, I was in uniform. Put on Christ. Let's see what God will do with our lives. Oh, by the way, you know what? I preached five minutes longer than I was supposed to. But if you put on Christ, it won't matter. Because you'll realize He owns you, He bought it, He paid for it. And His time, I'm sorry, your time is His time. I apologize. I'll try to give it back to you tonight. The five minutes I took from you this morning. Let's do this before we leave. You got somebody in mind? So-and-so. They need church. So-and-so, they need Christ. That person or that person. Or I'm just going to go out and look and find someone. God lead me. So I could bring someone to church on Easter. We're going to have to be conformed to his image. And let this mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus. Brethren, you've been good to preach to and teach to this morning. Would you all stand, please, without leaving? Thanks. That baby didn't even see me in the last 25 minutes or so. Good thing. Good thing. If you've never received Christ Jesus as your Savior, I've told you enough today, and I hope that you would consider letting us show you from the Bible how you could be saved. For those of us who are already Christians, which I believe many in here are, please look up here just for a moment. Prayer moves God. God moves mountains. There's this person. I'd love to see him get saved. God can move that mountain, and prayer moves God. The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much. I got a brother in town. I like to see him in church on Easter. He helped raise me after my dad died. He's been in our church once or twice. He's never been to this building yet. I'm praying that God will move his heart. I want to bring somebody to church. I want to bring a few people to church. I know God will meet their needs. Would you get under a burden? So where you wake up, you think about it. Although persecution, yeah, you might get rejected by a few people you asked. That's alright. Christ was rejected by a few people he asked too.