0:00:12.614,0:00:14.251 Before I get to my text, 0:00:14.251,0:00:17.538 let me share something of my testimony. 0:00:17.538,0:00:20.891 When I was converted at [br]the University of Texas, 0:00:20.891,0:00:23.482 I was immediately introduced to men 0:00:23.482,0:00:25.776 like E.M. Bounds, 0:00:25.776,0:00:28.922 Praying Hyde, 0:00:28.922,0:00:31.533 Leonard Ravenhill, 0:00:31.533,0:00:34.991 C.T. Studd, 0:00:34.991,0:00:36.941 Hudson Taylor, 0:00:36.941,0:00:39.658 and my dearest and longest friend, 0:00:39.658,0:00:41.866 George Mueller. 0:00:41.866,0:00:46.201 And from them I learned [br]things about prayer. 0:00:46.201,0:00:48.530 I learned to seek God. 0:00:48.530,0:00:53.421 I learned about the inside of a closet, 0:00:53.421,0:00:55.942 and to pray and to tarry 0:00:55.942,0:00:59.182 and to wait upon my God. 0:00:59.182,0:01:04.271 And to believe that I should never believe 0:01:04.271,0:01:07.032 that what has been given [br]me in the New Covenant 0:01:07.032,0:01:11.011 is less than what has [br]been given in the Old. 0:01:11.011,0:01:14.698 That if there were [br]workings of God in the Old, 0:01:14.698,0:01:18.371 surely there are workings of God 0:01:18.371,0:01:22.252 and miraculous things that happen 0:01:22.252,0:01:26.711 among us to whom the [br]end of the ages has come. 0:01:26.711,0:01:30.950 That we should expect great things 0:01:30.950,0:01:34.254 in answer to our praying. 0:01:34.254,0:01:36.951 And that if we would tarry with Him, 0:01:36.951,0:01:38.509 we would see His power, 0:01:38.509,0:01:41.420 His presence in our life. 0:01:41.420,0:01:45.750 But as I would go out [br]on the street and preach - 0:01:45.750,0:01:47.772 I started out as a street preacher. 0:01:47.772,0:01:49.812 That's why I always tell young preachers 0:01:49.812,0:01:52.642 who are looking for a place to preach 0:01:52.642,0:01:57.672 that there's a pulpit on [br]absolutely every corner. 0:01:57.672,0:02:00.371 But with all my praying 0:02:00.371,0:02:03.753 and all my misguided zeal, 0:02:03.753,0:02:06.734 there was very little power. 0:02:06.734,0:02:09.811 To some degree, there [br]were great things God did, 0:02:09.811,0:02:12.821 but in my own heart, [br]there was something missing, 0:02:12.821,0:02:14.743 missing, missing. 0:02:14.743,0:02:16.603 And so as I was directed, 0:02:16.603,0:02:19.660 I went to seminary - 0:02:19.660,0:02:22.531 a by no means small seminary. 0:02:22.531,0:02:26.780 At the time, I believe, [br]the largest in the world. 0:02:26.780,0:02:29.740 And I studied with all my might. 0:02:29.740,0:02:32.270 I took the most difficult professors. 0:02:32.270,0:02:38.479 Greek, Hebrew, history, systematic. 0:02:38.479,0:02:41.015 But I found nothing there. 0:02:41.015,0:02:43.651 There were a few good men. 0:02:43.651,0:02:45.790 A few men who walked [br]with God and loved God, 0:02:45.790,0:02:48.101 but basically, I found nothing there. 0:02:48.101,0:02:51.091 Because they taught me all the theology 0:02:51.091,0:02:54.660 that closed every church in Germany. 0:02:54.660,0:02:57.279 I was taught Karl Barth, 0:02:57.279,0:03:01.551 (unintelligible). 0:03:01.551,0:03:02.838 Higher criticism. 0:03:02.838,0:03:03.966 On and on and on. 0:03:03.966,0:03:05.886 And I think the only thing that kept me 0:03:05.886,0:03:07.338 from becoming a liberal 0:03:07.338,0:03:10.236 was the grace of God, [br]the providence of God, 0:03:10.236,0:03:12.986 and the fact that it's [br]very difficult to be a liberal 0:03:12.986,0:03:17.456 and a street preacher at the same time. 0:03:17.456,0:03:20.233 I can remember going to [br]class one day in systematic 0:03:20.233,0:03:23.316 and we were studying eschatology. 0:03:23.316,0:03:26.721 I began to weep - not make a show, 0:03:26.721,0:03:28.884 but I guess tears were [br]running down my face 0:03:28.884,0:03:32.015 as I thought about the street [br]people that lived with me. 0:03:32.015,0:03:35.386 I lived down on the street at [br]that time with street people. 0:03:35.386,0:03:38.105 I thought about how if Christ [br]came back at that moment, 0:03:38.105,0:03:41.134 they would surely go to [br]hell without a doubt. 0:03:41.134,0:03:43.657 The professor noticed the [br]tears coming down my cheek 0:03:43.657,0:03:45.354 and after class he walked up to me 0:03:45.354,0:03:46.695 with some encouraging words. 0:03:46.695,0:03:49.054 He put his arm around me and he said this: 0:03:49.054,0:03:50.646 "Paul, don't take this so hard. 0:03:50.646,0:03:52.883 Don't be surprised if [br]on the day of judgment 0:03:52.883,0:03:57.525 Jesus lets all the goats [br]jump in the sheep line." 0:03:57.525,0:04:00.424 But I went to Peru as a missionary 0:04:00.424,0:04:03.524 in no way qualified. 0:04:03.524,0:04:04.736 We come to think today 0:04:04.736,0:04:07.014 that everyone who wants to be a missionary 0:04:07.014,0:04:10.045 can be a missionary. 0:04:10.045,0:04:11.486 That's as absurd as saying 0:04:11.486,0:04:14.776 everyone who wants to be [br]an elder can be an elder. 0:04:14.776,0:04:17.350 There are requirements - 0:04:17.350,0:04:18.745 requirements of theology, 0:04:18.745,0:04:21.274 requirements of character. 0:04:21.274,0:04:23.234 You simply cannot get around 0:04:23.234,0:04:25.264 the demands of Scripture. 0:04:25.264,0:04:27.414 But in God's providence, 0:04:27.414,0:04:32.926 I was allowed to go. 0:04:32.926,0:04:37.642 Other than a prayer life and zeal 0:04:37.642,0:04:39.795 there wasn't much to say. 0:04:39.795,0:04:42.205 I learned the ways to do evangelism - 0:04:42.205,0:04:43.771 get people to jump through 0:04:43.771,0:04:45.245 certain evangelical hoops 0:04:45.245,0:04:47.706 and if they say yes after each question, 0:04:47.706,0:04:52.610 you Popishly pronounce [br]them to be born again. 0:04:52.610,0:04:54.645 But then I came into contact 0:04:54.645,0:04:56.574 with an ex-Catholic priest 0:04:56.574,0:04:58.166 by the name of Jesus Hertado 0:04:58.166,0:04:59.915 who had been converted. 0:04:59.915,0:05:01.845 Brilliant man. 0:05:01.845,0:05:04.786 Latin, Greek, just [br]absolutely brilliant man. 0:05:04.786,0:05:06.276 And after he was converted, 0:05:06.276,0:05:08.085 he decided he would go to Germany 0:05:08.085,0:05:09.516 where the Reformation occurred 0:05:09.516,0:05:11.565 in order to learn the truths of Scripture. 0:05:11.565,0:05:13.293 But when he got there, he discovered 0:05:13.293,0:05:14.975 they were doing the same thing 0:05:14.975,0:05:17.116 the Catholic church was doing. 0:05:17.116,0:05:18.583 So he came back to Peru 0:05:18.583,0:05:20.575 and he started a Bible institute. 0:05:20.575,0:05:22.851 He asked me if I would teach. 0:05:22.851,0:05:25.136 I thought, well, I've been to seminary. 0:05:25.136,0:05:29.006 I know Greek. I'll help you out. 0:05:29.006,0:05:31.016 And this is where God truly began 0:05:31.016,0:05:34.067 to change my life as a young man. 0:05:34.067,0:05:35.974 Because this man, Jesus Hertado, 0:05:35.974,0:05:38.415 was so sick and tired 0:05:38.415,0:05:41.956 of getting everything but Scripture 0:05:41.956,0:05:44.295 that the first semester that I taught 0:05:44.295,0:05:46.415 was this: the students read through 0:05:46.415,0:05:49.866 the entire Bible - 10 chapters a day. 0:05:49.866,0:05:52.354 They write out a chapter summary. 0:05:52.354,0:05:54.636 They write out a [br]commentary of each chapter. 0:05:54.636,0:05:55.955 I mean, it was phenomenal. 0:05:55.955,0:05:58.174 It was hours and hours of work a day 0:05:58.174,0:05:59.405 just in the Scriptures. 0:05:59.405,0:06:01.085 And then they would come to class 0:06:01.085,0:06:02.745 and the only thing that class was 0:06:02.745,0:06:06.696 was simply ask the [br]teacher all your questions. 0:06:06.696,0:06:08.436 So I began to study Scripture 0:06:08.436,0:06:11.636 about 10 hours a day. 0:06:11.636,0:06:13.344 Because even though I graduated 0:06:13.344,0:06:16.119 near the top of my class in seminary, 0:06:16.119,0:06:19.177 I didn't know the Scriptures. 0:06:19.177,0:06:21.426 And just hours and hours and hours. 0:06:21.426,0:06:23.085 After making my way 0:06:23.085,0:06:25.786 through the first five [br]books of the Pentateuch, 0:06:25.786,0:06:28.945 I discovered I was no longer a Baptist. 0:06:28.945,0:06:31.716 Because I had gone to a Baptist seminary. 0:06:31.716,0:06:34.373 And the things that I was learning there 0:06:34.373,0:06:38.265 was nothing of what they taught me. 0:06:38.265,0:06:40.044 And so I decided that I would go back 0:06:40.044,0:06:44.075 to the States for a month or two - 0:06:44.075,0:06:46.656 try to figure out what am I? 0:06:46.656,0:06:48.886 This was after I finished [br]the entire course. 0:06:48.886,0:06:50.666 We'd gone through the entire Bible. 0:06:50.666,0:06:52.805 I went back to the States to discover 0:06:52.805,0:06:55.345 who do I belong to? 0:06:55.345,0:06:59.585 And someone handed me a book by Boyce: 0:06:59.585,0:07:01.775 "The Abstract of Principles." 0:07:01.775,0:07:03.626 I began to read it. 0:07:03.626,0:07:06.866 And I realized that I had not stopped 0:07:06.866,0:07:08.346 becoming a Baptist. 0:07:08.346,0:07:12.300 I realized that I had become one. 0:07:12.300,0:07:17.592 But then, the door began to open 0:07:17.592,0:07:20.496 with throughout history 0:07:20.496,0:07:24.115 jewels that God had given us. 0:07:24.115,0:07:27.784 There was Spurgeon. 0:07:27.784,0:07:29.616 I read him. 0:07:29.616,0:07:34.125 There was Edwards and Whitefield, 0:07:34.125,0:07:36.316 Owen, 0:07:36.316,0:07:41.284 and my lovely John Flavel. 0:07:41.284,0:07:46.856 Rutherford, and on and on and on. 0:07:46.856,0:07:50.728 Now what did this do to me? 0:07:50.728,0:07:55.085 I am glad that what I heard from them 0:07:55.085,0:07:57.980 was a confirmation of what [br]I had learned in Scripture, 0:07:57.980,0:08:03.355 only I couldn't think it nor [br]say it as good as they could. 0:08:03.355,0:08:07.656 But this is the greatest [br]thing I learned from them: 0:08:07.656,0:08:09.514 as Paul tells the church in Corinth, 0:08:09.514,0:08:11.721 when you compare yourself by yourself, 0:08:11.721,0:08:14.915 you are not wise. 0:08:14.915,0:08:18.238 When we compare ourselves to others 0:08:18.238,0:08:21.785 in the circle of [br]contemporary Christianity, 0:08:21.785,0:08:24.895 we are not wise. 0:08:24.895,0:08:26.906 When we compare ourselves to Scripture, 0:08:26.906,0:08:28.306 there is great wisdom there, 0:08:28.306,0:08:31.224 but there is also the danger 0:08:31.224,0:08:32.992 if we separate ourselves from history 0:08:32.992,0:08:34.566 that we will interpret Scripture 0:08:34.566,0:08:40.635 through the eyes of our own culture. 0:08:40.635,0:08:43.108 But when we take a look 0:08:43.108,0:08:46.155 throughout Christian history 0:08:46.155,0:08:49.945 and discover the men and women of God 0:08:49.945,0:08:53.025 that He has most used, 0:08:53.025,0:08:56.566 that show greatest evidences of piety 0:08:56.566,0:08:58.516 and the power of God, 0:08:58.516,0:09:02.215 and we begin to compare our theology 0:09:02.215,0:09:04.502 and our way of life to them, 0:09:04.502,0:09:08.343 it raises the bar. 0:09:08.343,0:09:12.664 It raises the standard. 0:09:12.664,0:09:16.875 And I want to encourage [br]you young men and women 0:09:16.875,0:09:19.273 who desire to be missionaries, 0:09:19.273,0:09:21.682 it is not your right. 0:09:21.682,0:09:24.564 It is a privilege. 0:09:24.564,0:09:27.275 As I said last night, 0:09:27.275,0:09:30.476 people do not need your life, 0:09:30.476,0:09:33.497 and they do not need your zeal, 0:09:33.497,0:09:39.275 and they do not need all your [br]well-meaning endeavor. 0:09:39.275,0:09:42.607 Don't go to the mission field 0:09:42.607,0:09:44.488 unless when you go there, 0:09:44.488,0:09:46.106 you can open your mouth 0:09:46.106,0:09:55.216 and instruct them in the things of God. 0:09:55.216,0:09:57.074 Well, let's go to our sermon. 0:09:57.074,0:10:02.785 Romans 12:1. 0:10:02.785,0:10:04.785 "Therefore, I urge you, brethren, 0:10:04.785,0:10:05.991 by the mercies of God, 0:10:05.991,0:10:08.696 to present your bodies a [br]living and holy sacrifice, 0:10:08.696,0:10:09.854 acceptable to God, 0:10:09.854,0:10:12.196 which is your spiritual [br]service of worship. 0:10:12.196,0:10:14.137 And do not be conformed to this world, 0:10:14.137,0:10:16.493 but be transformed by [br]the renewing of your mind 0:10:16.493,0:10:19.905 so that you may prove [br]what the will of God is - 0:10:19.905,0:10:24.489 that which is good and [br]acceptable and perfect." 0:10:24.489,0:10:25.990 Paul was an apostle 0:10:25.990,0:10:27.886 and he had an apostolic ministry, 0:10:27.886,0:10:29.898 but at the same time, 0:10:29.898,0:10:33.236 don't think of him as not having 0:10:33.236,0:10:35.215 the heart of Christ, 0:10:35.215,0:10:37.239 or having the heart of a pastor. 0:10:37.239,0:10:41.085 He cared deeply for people. 0:10:41.085,0:10:42.335 I am very, very afraid - 0:10:42.335,0:10:45.607 although I greatly appreciate [br]this newfound desire 0:10:45.607,0:10:47.514 to do everything for the glory of God, 0:10:47.514,0:10:49.413 and to do missions for the glory of God 0:10:49.413,0:10:51.314 and to preach for the glory of God, 0:10:51.314,0:10:54.744 but that in itself can [br]also become twisted. 0:10:54.744,0:10:56.805 Because sometimes it's used as an excuse 0:10:56.805,0:11:00.298 to not have a passion for people, 0:11:00.298,0:11:03.156 to not have a love for people. 0:11:03.156,0:11:05.867 We must always do all things 0:11:05.867,0:11:07.910 first and foremost for the glory of God, 0:11:07.910,0:11:09.620 but truly if we are doing that, 0:11:09.620,0:11:11.365 if we are loving the Lord our God 0:11:11.365,0:11:13.978 with all our heart, [br]soul, mind, and strength, 0:11:13.978,0:11:16.120 we will love our neighbor as ourselves. 0:11:16.120,0:11:21.405 We will care for people. 0:11:21.405,0:11:25.744 Especially when we know 0:11:25.744,0:11:29.445 that we can pick the [br]worst of all out of the lot, 0:11:29.445,0:11:31.465 the worst person on the face of the earth, 0:11:31.465,0:11:33.775 and we know that we would make them 0:11:33.775,0:11:35.776 look like a choir boy if it were not 0:11:35.776,0:11:38.097 for the grace of God in our life. 0:11:38.097,0:11:40.455 And therefore, we should urge people 0:11:40.455,0:11:43.405 on to truth for the glory of God, 0:11:43.405,0:11:47.904 but for their benefit also. 0:11:47.904,0:11:49.466 And I can see this in Paul. 0:11:49.466,0:11:54.515 He says, "Therefore, [br]I urge you, brethren..." 0:11:54.515,0:11:56.825 One of the greatest needs [br]in the church today - 0:11:56.825,0:11:58.786 My wife, when she first came to America, 0:11:58.786,0:12:01.275 she said the first thing that she noticed 0:12:01.275,0:12:03.916 is that it seemed that [br]Christians in America 0:12:03.916,0:12:06.565 were so thin-skinned. 0:12:06.565,0:12:09.376 She said we considered [br]it the job of our pastor 0:12:09.376,0:12:13.087 to rebuke us both publicly and privately; 0:12:13.087,0:12:14.465 to watch over our souls, 0:12:14.465,0:12:16.434 to urge us, encourage us, 0:12:16.434,0:12:17.915 to tell us when we're wrong. 0:12:17.915,0:12:19.516 It seems that American Christians 0:12:19.516,0:12:22.516 will have no part of this. 0:12:22.516,0:12:24.132 They consider it an attack 0:12:24.132,0:12:26.695 when it's one of the greatest expressions 0:12:26.695,0:12:30.455 of pastoral love that a man will risk 0:12:30.455,0:12:33.014 his relationship in order to honor God 0:12:33.014,0:12:36.327 and to save souls. 0:12:36.327,0:12:38.515 And we see this in Paul. 0:12:38.515,0:12:47.875 He is urging. 0:12:47.875,0:12:51.335 I will not lose sleep tonight 0:12:51.335,0:12:53.544 because people in the world 0:12:53.544,0:12:56.415 lack self-esteem. 0:12:56.415,0:12:58.584 I will not lose sleep tonight 0:12:58.584,0:13:00.864 because they're not [br]having their best life now 0:13:00.864,0:13:02.895 or they're not being [br]all that they can be 0:13:02.895,0:13:04.685 or their checkbook is not balanced. 0:13:04.685,0:13:06.516 I will lose sleep tonight 0:13:06.516,0:13:07.885 if I lose sleep tonight 0:13:07.885,0:13:10.244 because men will stand naked before God 0:13:10.244,0:13:15.734 and be cast into hell. 0:13:15.734,0:13:18.235 When I preach and when you preach 0:13:18.235,0:13:20.009 whether here or in the mission field, 0:13:20.009,0:13:22.095 you cannot simply think 0:13:22.095,0:13:24.605 that you're just a communicator of truth 0:13:24.605,0:13:25.885 and you leave it there. 0:13:25.885,0:13:33.047 You must preach as [br]a dying man to dying men. 0:13:33.047,0:13:35.265 And I see that in Paul. 0:13:35.265,0:13:38.175 There was a passion. There was an urging. 0:13:38.175,0:13:42.484 He wasn't simply satisfied 0:13:42.484,0:13:44.624 if he preached well 0:13:44.624,0:13:47.717 or communicated truth. 0:13:47.717,0:13:50.655 He longed for God to be honored among men 0:13:50.655,0:13:57.620 and he longed for men to be holy, 0:13:57.620,0:13:59.646 to be Christlike, 0:13:59.646,0:14:03.518 and to be able to rejoice in the benefit 0:14:03.518,0:14:05.884 of their great salvation. 0:14:05.884,0:14:11.592 We ought to be a people given [br]to urging our brethren 0:14:11.597,0:14:13.267 to greater and greater godliness, 0:14:13.267,0:14:15.367 to greater and greater piety, 0:14:15.367,0:14:21.160 to abound further and further in love. 0:14:21.160,0:14:22.908 He says, "I urge you, brethren..." 0:14:22.908,0:14:26.128 What is he going to urge them to do? 0:14:26.128,0:14:28.569 To do the most difficult, scandalous, 0:14:28.569,0:14:30.110 in some cases some would say 0:14:30.110,0:14:32.388 preposterous thing a person could ever 0:14:32.388,0:14:34.131 urge another person to do - 0:14:34.131,0:14:38.418 to give their life away. 0:14:38.418,0:14:40.839 Do you know even the devil had it right 0:14:40.839,0:14:42.519 in this sense - you can take away 0:14:42.519,0:14:44.998 a man's goods, his houses, his lands, 0:14:44.998,0:14:47.570 you can do absolutely anything to him, 0:14:47.570,0:14:49.809 but the moment you touch his flesh 0:14:49.809,0:14:53.769 is when you're truly [br]going to test this man. 0:14:53.769,0:14:59.670 To give away a car, a home, a tithe 0:14:59.670,0:15:01.168 is a small thing, 0:15:01.168,0:15:05.448 but to ask a man to give away his life... 0:15:05.448,0:15:08.058 I know there's so much [br]romantic notion about missions, 0:15:08.058,0:15:10.538 but Amy Carmichael, 0:15:10.538,0:15:13.229 Elisabeth Elliot's book - it's right. 0:15:13.229,0:15:17.239 Missions is only this: [br]an opportunity to die. 0:15:17.239,0:15:20.489 An opportunity to give your life away 0:15:20.489,0:15:23.389 for something much larger than yourself, 0:15:23.389,0:15:25.758 much greater than yourself. 0:15:25.758,0:15:28.206 So he is going to ask these people 0:15:28.206,0:15:33.078 to do what some [br]would consider almost cultic, 0:15:33.078,0:15:36.580 absurd, ridiculous, immoral - 0:15:36.580,0:15:38.182 to give their life away; 0:15:38.182,0:15:41.539 to offer their life. 0:15:41.539,0:15:44.939 Now, you're going to need strong medicine 0:15:44.939,0:15:49.448 to motivate a person to [br]something such as this. 0:15:49.448,0:15:51.640 What on earth or in heaven 0:15:51.640,0:16:00.107 could ever motivate a man [br]to give his life away? 0:16:00.107,0:16:03.048 Notice the first word in our text: 0:16:03.048,0:16:05.238 Therefore. 0:16:05.238,0:16:07.778 And then go on, when he says, 0:16:07.778,0:16:10.269 "Therefore, I urge you, brethren..." 0:16:10.269,0:16:14.635 By means - by the mercies of God. 0:16:14.635,0:16:16.671 When Paul puts "therefore" in the text, 0:16:16.671,0:16:19.529 what he's doing is he's linking this text 0:16:19.529,0:16:22.608 to something else. 0:16:22.608,0:16:25.579 He says basically this: 0:16:25.579,0:16:28.860 I'm going to urge you to [br]give your life away to God; 0:16:28.860,0:16:32.010 to offer it up as a living and [br]holy sacrifice to God. 0:16:32.010,0:16:33.696 Now I'm going to do so 0:16:33.696,0:16:35.671 on the basis of the following: 0:16:35.671,0:16:37.933 The first 11 chapters of this book 0:16:37.933,0:16:41.959 that outline for you the mercies of God. 0:16:41.959,0:16:44.639 Paul does the same thing [br]in the book of Ephesians - 0:16:44.639,0:16:47.040 the deepest theology [br]I believe you'll ever find 0:16:47.040,0:16:51.329 are the first three chapters [br]of the book of Ephesians. 0:16:51.329,0:16:53.934 Mystery upon mystery of God. 0:16:53.934,0:16:56.619 But he comes to chapter 4 0:16:56.619,0:16:58.819 after speaking of all the great things 0:16:58.819,0:17:03.102 God has done in Christ. 0:17:03.102,0:17:06.923 He comes to chapter 4 [br]and says, "Therefore..." 0:17:06.923,0:17:10.199 Now... we're going to go [br]on to practical religion. 0:17:10.199,0:17:11.627 We've gone into the theology. 0:17:11.627,0:17:15.009 Now we're going to into the praxis. 0:17:15.009,0:17:19.851 Based upon what God [br]has done for you in Christ, 0:17:19.851,0:17:23.324 lay down your life. 0:17:23.324,0:17:25.832 And this is absolutely spectacular! 0:17:25.832,0:17:28.069 This is what makes Christianity something 0:17:28.069,0:17:32.433 other than slavery or a drudgery. 0:17:32.433,0:17:34.970 We give our lives away as people 0:17:34.970,0:17:38.118 who are mesmerized by something. 0:17:38.118,0:17:41.079 By people who have seen something so great 0:17:41.079,0:17:43.580 they consider it a small thing 0:17:43.580,0:17:46.358 to give their life away. 0:17:46.358,0:17:48.290 I would submit to you this morning 0:17:48.290,0:17:50.542 that the reason why some people 0:17:50.542,0:17:52.584 are so grudging and sparing 0:17:52.584,0:17:54.999 with the way they give [br]their life away to God, 0:17:54.999,0:17:57.635 it is because they do not know 0:17:57.635,0:17:59.601 the mercies of God revealed 0:17:59.601,0:18:01.510 in the Person of Jesus Christ. 0:18:01.510,0:18:03.110 Many people in our churches 0:18:03.110,0:18:08.669 are absolutely unconverted [br]to start off with. 0:18:08.669,0:18:11.192 But even those who are truly converted, 0:18:11.192,0:18:14.700 they languish in poverty. 0:18:14.700,0:18:16.319 Even in the middle, sometimes, 0:18:16.319,0:18:20.650 of sound expository preaching. 0:18:20.650,0:18:22.920 And why is that? [br]I've come to a conclusion. 0:18:22.920,0:18:27.219 You can obey all the laws 0:18:27.219,0:18:29.048 of expository preaching 0:18:29.048,0:18:32.442 and still the preaching be Christless. 0:18:32.442,0:18:35.932 You have to understand that [br]when you come to a text 0:18:35.932,0:18:37.837 and you preach the text, 0:18:37.837,0:18:40.729 it must still all be about Christ 0:18:40.729,0:18:42.339 or it will be nothing more 0:18:42.339,0:18:46.390 than a quaint moral teaching. 0:18:46.390,0:18:49.119 That is why we see Spurgeon sermons 0:18:49.119,0:18:54.018 enduring and enduring. 0:18:54.018,0:18:56.939 It is because every time he took a text 0:18:56.939,0:18:59.627 he made his way to Christ immediately. 0:18:59.627,0:19:04.071 It was all about Christ. 0:19:04.071,0:19:06.888 I would submit to you that every word 0:19:06.888,0:19:09.799 in this book is about Christ. 0:19:09.799,0:19:12.205 I would submit to you [br]that nothing in this book 0:19:12.205,0:19:16.118 can be understood apart from Christ. 0:19:16.118,0:19:18.840 I would submit to you that everything 0:19:18.840,0:19:20.820 God the Father has ever done, 0:19:20.820,0:19:23.227 He has done for Christ, by Christ, 0:19:23.227,0:19:25.185 through Christ, and in Christ. 0:19:25.185,0:19:29.039 Outside of Christ there is nothing. 0:19:29.039,0:19:30.238 Nothing exists. 0:19:30.238,0:19:34.870 Everything is absolutely absurd. 0:19:34.870,0:19:36.599 And Paul comes to these people 0:19:36.599,0:19:39.202 asking them to do the unthinkable 0:19:39.202,0:19:51.999 until he brings forth the motivation. 0:19:51.999,0:19:59.759 From where does self-sacrifice come? 0:19:59.759,0:20:02.649 Is it just that the kingdom [br]of God advances violently 0:20:02.649,0:20:04.379 and the violent take it by force? 0:20:04.379,0:20:07.048 There's just some men who are full 0:20:07.048,0:20:09.775 of determination and [br]will to do the right thing 0:20:09.775,0:20:11.694 and they give their life away? 0:20:11.694,0:20:14.534 If that's true, it's idolatry. 0:20:14.534,0:20:18.294 And it's self-worship. 0:20:18.294,0:20:20.064 As Brother Charles Leiter who is here 0:20:20.064,0:20:21.766 has said to me several times, 0:20:21.766,0:20:24.493 "Those men who violently [br]take the kingdom by force, 0:20:24.493,0:20:26.604 they are not violent 0:20:26.604,0:20:29.275 in their strength and self will. 0:20:29.275,0:20:33.147 They are violent in that [br]they are desperate." 0:20:33.147,0:20:34.442 They know their weakness. 0:20:34.442,0:20:35.846 They know their need. 0:20:35.846,0:20:37.493 And that knowing of their weakness 0:20:37.493,0:20:39.165 makes them so desperate 0:20:39.165,0:20:43.623 they grab a hold of the [br]kingdom with all their might. 0:20:43.623,0:20:45.735 But what makes a person 0:20:45.735,0:20:47.813 give his life away? 0:20:47.813,0:20:49.066 I would submit to you, 0:20:49.066,0:20:51.732 there's only one biblical reason: 0:20:51.732,0:20:55.114 That they have glimpsed something 0:20:55.114,0:20:59.824 of the glories of God [br]in the face of Christ. 0:20:59.824,0:21:04.254 Christianity, although it has law 0:21:04.254,0:21:07.329 and an ethic and a morality, 0:21:07.329,0:21:11.113 it is not about rule keeping 0:21:11.113,0:21:17.395 or ethics or morality. 0:21:17.395,0:21:19.330 To make the United States of America 0:21:19.330,0:21:21.794 a moral people would just make them 0:21:21.794,0:21:25.395 two-fold sons of hell. 0:21:25.395,0:21:28.583 Christianity is about Christ. 0:21:28.583,0:21:30.433 It is about grace. 0:21:30.433,0:21:33.244 It is about redemption. 0:21:33.244,0:21:34.525 And as I said last night, 0:21:34.525,0:21:36.815 if you notice that your [br]love for God is waning 0:21:36.815,0:21:39.374 or it's not what it should be - 0:21:39.374,0:21:40.873 as all of us should say that - 0:21:40.873,0:21:44.392 or that you do not glorify [br]God as you ought, 0:21:44.392,0:21:46.193 or that you need to grow, 0:21:46.193,0:21:49.673 or that you need to find [br]power over pornography - 0:21:49.673,0:21:52.223 you do so by running to discover 0:21:52.223,0:21:53.993 more of the glories of God 0:21:53.993,0:21:59.058 in the face of Christ. 0:21:59.058,0:22:01.060 Him. 0:22:01.060,0:22:04.313 It all has to come back to Him 0:22:04.313,0:22:08.566 or it's idolatry. 0:22:08.566,0:22:14.563 Everything. 0:22:14.563,0:22:16.664 It is one of the reasons why 0:22:16.664,0:22:21.080 I literally hate it 0:22:21.080,0:22:23.003 when someone mentions something 0:22:23.003,0:22:25.863 about systematic theology, 0:22:25.863,0:22:28.475 and then they themselves or someone else 0:22:28.475,0:22:31.824 preface that: of course, [br]you've got to be careful 0:22:31.824,0:22:34.393 because systematic theology by itself 0:22:34.393,0:22:37.090 or doctrine by itself can make you cold 0:22:37.090,0:22:40.432 and without fruit and full of pride. 0:22:40.432,0:22:45.123 I don't agree with that statement at all. 0:22:45.123,0:22:50.123 Truth can never have a [br]bad effect on a person. 0:22:50.123,0:22:53.574 Good theology is always [br]going to create fire. 0:22:53.574,0:22:57.246 That's one of the ways that [br]you know it's good theology. 0:22:57.246,0:22:59.243 And if it doesn't create fire, 0:22:59.243,0:23:01.492 it's not the fault of truth. 0:23:01.492,0:23:04.743 It's either being taught incorrectly 0:23:04.743,0:23:10.294 or being listened to by unconverted ears. 0:23:10.294,0:23:13.633 You want to be filled with fire. 0:23:13.633,0:23:16.102 You want to be able to go out there 0:23:16.102,0:23:18.623 and lose your life for the sake of Christ. 0:23:18.623,0:23:20.623 It's a rather easy endeavor. 0:23:20.623,0:23:23.577 Just know Him. 0:23:23.577,0:23:26.624 His glory, His beauty. 0:23:26.624,0:23:30.274 His power, His life. 0:23:30.274,0:23:32.074 Know what God has done for you 0:23:32.074,0:23:36.234 in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 0:23:36.234,0:23:37.644 Look at what we've done. 0:23:37.644,0:23:39.694 Instead of following Jonathan Edwards, 0:23:39.694,0:23:42.904 we followed Benjamin Franklin. 0:23:42.904,0:23:44.764 We have followed pragmatism 0:23:44.764,0:23:49.427 instead of correct thinking. 0:23:49.427,0:23:52.244 The church is in trouble - 0:23:52.244,0:23:53.641 that's what they say anyway. 0:23:53.641,0:23:56.924 The problem is most of what they [br]call the church is not the church, 0:23:56.924,0:23:59.974 and the church is not quite [br]as in trouble as everybody thinks. 0:23:59.974,0:24:01.764 As a matter of fact, the church today 0:24:01.764,0:24:03.750 is absolutely beautiful. She's glorious. 0:24:03.750,0:24:05.125 She's humble. She's broken. 0:24:05.125,0:24:06.853 And she's confessing her sin. 0:24:06.853,0:24:10.364 The problem is what everybody's calling [br]the church today isn't a church. 0:24:10.364,0:24:12.974 Basically, by and large, [br]what's called church today 0:24:12.974,0:24:16.134 is nothing more than a bunch [br]of unconverted church people 0:24:16.134,0:24:25.534 with unconverted pastors. 0:24:25.534,0:24:28.524 What you have to see is this: 0:24:28.524,0:24:31.384 We try to help people [br]by giving them principles - 0:24:31.384,0:24:33.264 and there are principles in the Bible - 0:24:33.264,0:24:34.963 we try to help them by giving them 0:24:34.963,0:24:37.033 ten ways to do this and that 0:24:37.033,0:24:38.833 and discipleship courses 0:24:38.833,0:24:40.064 and all sorts of things 0:24:40.064,0:24:43.164 in order to make people grow. 0:24:43.164,0:24:48.464 Teach them who God is. 0:24:48.464,0:24:52.754 Show them the works of God. 0:24:52.754,0:24:58.503 Teach them about Jesus Christ. 0:24:58.503,0:25:00.685 The problem is many pastors can't do that 0:25:00.685,0:25:07.563 because it's hard work to [br]search out that Treasure. 0:25:07.563,0:25:09.624 Missionary, if you're going to be 0:25:09.624,0:25:11.818 of any account at all in the field, 0:25:11.818,0:25:13.165 then know this: 0:25:13.165,0:25:15.079 You're going to be talked about poorly 0:25:15.079,0:25:16.741 by all the other missionaries. 0:25:16.741,0:25:18.143 Just like Praying Hyde. 0:25:18.143,0:25:20.026 It was said that Praying Hyde was lazy 0:25:20.026,0:25:21.213 and all sorts of things 0:25:21.213,0:25:24.634 because all he would do is [br]stay in his room and pray. 0:25:24.634,0:25:27.684 Well, I think if you're going to [br]be a missionary of any account 0:25:27.684,0:25:29.091 this is what you must do: 0:25:29.091,0:25:32.434 stay in your room, not [br]only pray, but study 0:25:32.434,0:25:34.633 so that when you walk out of that room 0:25:34.633,0:25:38.015 you have something to say about God. 0:25:38.015,0:25:40.963 And so that you will be able [br]to walk out of that room. 0:25:40.963,0:25:42.324 Listen to me. 0:25:42.324,0:25:44.636 I've been there, done [br]that, got the t-shirt. 0:25:44.636,0:25:46.473 You walk out there in all your zeal 0:25:46.473,0:25:47.994 in the middle of the plaza 0:25:47.994,0:25:49.137 and you begin to preach. 0:25:49.137,0:25:50.833 And you think as a young missionary 0:25:50.833,0:25:52.994 that angels are going [br]to drop out of heaven 0:25:52.994,0:25:55.034 and the Hallelujah Chorus [br]is going to be sung, 0:25:55.034,0:25:56.715 millions of people are [br]going to be converted. 0:25:56.715,0:25:58.314 They're going to toss [br]you on their shoulders 0:25:58.314,0:26:00.036 and build a statue of you. 0:26:00.036,0:26:01.412 That's not going to happen. 0:26:01.412,0:26:02.965 What's going to happen is this: 0:26:02.965,0:26:04.295 You're going to go there 0:26:04.295,0:26:05.634 and you're going to preach 0:26:05.634,0:26:06.925 and you're going to preach 0:26:06.925,0:26:09.113 and when a crowd starts listening to you, 0:26:09.113,0:26:11.864 somebody somewhere is going to rise up 0:26:11.864,0:26:13.314 and call you a demon. 0:26:13.314,0:26:15.264 The entire crowd's going to turn on you. 0:26:15.264,0:26:17.264 They're going to grab your little pulpit 0:26:17.264,0:26:19.215 and your makeshift microphone 0:26:19.215,0:26:20.514 and all your little tracts 0:26:20.514,0:26:22.919 and they're going to throw [br]you out on the street. 0:26:22.919,0:26:24.683 It's going to take a lot more 0:26:24.683,0:26:26.808 than a romantic zeal for missions 0:26:26.808,0:26:29.864 to make you get up, pick [br]up your pulpit, your tracts, 0:26:29.864,0:26:33.214 and walk right back in [br]there and preach again. 0:26:33.214,0:26:35.924 It's going to take a passion for God 0:26:35.924,0:26:39.233 that is created out of knowing Him. 0:26:39.233,0:26:48.653 And that's the same for [br]everything in the Christian life. 0:26:48.653,0:26:53.499 I must know God to be holy 0:26:53.499,0:26:56.562 so that the knowledge I have of Him 0:26:56.562,0:27:01.142 eclipses everything else in the world. 0:27:01.142,0:27:03.263 I'm not strong enough to battle 0:27:03.263,0:27:06.453 between two opposing arguments. 0:27:06.453,0:27:09.633 But I have discovered this: 0:27:09.633,0:27:12.053 God is who He says He is 0:27:12.053,0:27:13.973 and He is more glorious than anything 0:27:13.973,0:27:17.794 this world could put forth. 0:27:17.794,0:27:23.253 So if I truly know Him, 0:27:23.253,0:27:28.163 and I truly see Him and His glories 0:27:28.163,0:27:31.395 eclipse the glories of [br]this temporal world, 0:27:31.395,0:27:36.684 then it is not very difficult to [br]make a decision anymore 0:27:36.684,0:27:39.525 because you become a man, 0:27:39.525,0:27:42.668 a prisoner. 0:27:42.668,0:27:46.254 Paul is going to urge them. 0:27:46.254,0:27:50.932 But Paul in a way is going [br]to seek to imprison them. 0:27:50.932,0:27:55.324 Paul called himself a [br]prisoner of Christ Jesus. 0:27:55.324,0:27:56.934 I believe that he meant more 0:27:56.934,0:28:00.657 than just chains on [br]his hands, don't you see? 0:28:00.657,0:28:04.533 He really was a prisoner. 0:28:04.533,0:28:09.493 The love of God had captured him. 0:28:09.493,0:28:13.804 See, he no longer belonged to himself. 0:28:13.804,0:28:17.254 It's such a revelation of the glory of God 0:28:17.254,0:28:18.804 in the Person of Christ 0:28:18.804,0:28:23.384 that he had become captivated. 0:28:23.384,0:28:27.345 That's what you need. 0:28:27.345,0:28:29.825 Just being holy so that you can be used 0:28:29.825,0:28:31.703 is not strong enough. 0:28:31.703,0:28:34.103 Just being holy so that the church 0:28:34.103,0:28:37.964 doesn't have a bad reputation [br]is not strong enough. 0:28:37.964,0:28:39.661 Just going to the mission field 0:28:39.661,0:28:41.793 because people need Jesus 0:28:41.793,0:28:44.204 is not strong enough. 0:28:44.204,0:28:46.224 The only thing that can hold you on course 0:28:46.224,0:28:49.135 is if you become a prisoner 0:28:49.135,0:28:51.155 of the grace of God, 0:28:51.155,0:28:55.064 the revelation of God. 0:28:55.064,0:28:59.093 It is amazing how greater and greater 0:28:59.093,0:29:01.724 understanding - intimate understanding 0:29:01.724,0:29:05.983 of the Person of God in the Gospel - 0:29:05.983,0:29:09.524 it in itself separates you. 0:29:09.524,0:29:11.358 It so mesmerizes you. 0:29:11.358,0:29:14.434 It's no longer a man [br]who looks at the world 0:29:14.434,0:29:16.193 and looks at Christianity 0:29:16.193,0:29:18.284 and then tries to make a decision 0:29:18.284,0:29:20.064 which one he should follow. 0:29:20.064,0:29:23.453 But it is a man almost in a trance 0:29:23.453,0:29:24.773 who has caught a glimpse 0:29:24.773,0:29:26.064 of something of Christ 0:29:26.064,0:29:31.650 and can no longer even look to the world. 0:29:31.650,0:29:33.074 This is what Paul is urging. 0:29:33.074,0:29:39.263 He says, "I urge you, [br]brethren, by this..." 0:29:39.263,0:29:42.193 By the knowledge of who God is 0:29:42.193,0:29:44.313 and the glory of God 0:29:44.313,0:29:47.465 in the Person of Christ and His cross. 0:29:47.465,0:29:50.773 I'm not going to be able to [br]get through these two verses. 0:29:50.773,0:29:55.396 I can see that, but let me say this: 0:29:55.396,0:30:00.193 The greatest malady for [br]the true church in America 0:30:00.193,0:30:06.224 is that she does not know her God. 0:30:06.224,0:30:12.573 Along with that is this: 0:30:12.573,0:30:16.425 We have - I call it - Gospel reductionism. 0:30:16.425,0:30:19.862 We have taken, as Paul told Timothy, 0:30:19.862,0:30:24.373 the glorious Gospel of the blessed God 0:30:24.373,0:30:27.002 and we've reduced it [br]down to four spiritual laws 0:30:27.002,0:30:28.991 or five things God wants you to know, 0:30:28.991,0:30:31.851 and where's the power in that? 0:30:31.851,0:30:34.651 Not only is there no power [br]in that for evangelism, 0:30:34.651,0:30:36.792 let me say this and it's [br]far more important, 0:30:36.792,0:30:39.891 there's no power in [br]that for the Christian life. 0:30:39.891,0:30:41.791 You see, the Gospel of Jesus Christ 0:30:41.791,0:30:44.092 is not Christianity 101. 0:30:44.092,0:30:48.930 It's not the first little [br]truths that you learn 0:30:48.930,0:30:50.802 so that you can be saved 0:30:50.802,0:30:53.468 and then a little thing or steps 0:30:53.468,0:30:55.877 that you take to other [br]people and share with them 0:30:55.877,0:30:58.143 so they can also make their decision. 0:30:58.143,0:31:00.003 The Gospel is everything! 0:31:00.003,0:31:02.692 Let me put it in this way. 0:31:02.692,0:31:04.023 There is much talk today 0:31:04.023,0:31:07.214 about the second coming of Jesus Christ, 0:31:07.214,0:31:09.868 how it will occur, when it will occur, 0:31:09.868,0:31:11.537 what will be the events preceding 0:31:11.537,0:31:12.553 and what will follow 0:31:12.553,0:31:14.144 and all these different things. 0:31:14.144,0:31:15.414 Let me assure you of one thing: 0:31:15.414,0:31:16.703 You will understand everything 0:31:16.703,0:31:18.604 about the second coming of Jesus Christ 0:31:18.604,0:31:20.992 on the day it occurs. 0:31:20.992,0:31:23.563 I can promise you that. 0:31:23.563,0:31:25.647 But I can also tell you this, 0:31:25.647,0:31:29.303 you will pass an eternity of eternities 0:31:29.303,0:31:33.853 and you will never even [br]begin to understand 0:31:33.853,0:31:36.303 the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 0:31:36.303,0:31:39.403 The Gospel is not four spiritual laws! 0:31:39.403,0:31:42.563 It's not: Do you know you're a sinner? 0:31:42.563,0:31:44.205 Do you want to go to heaven? 0:31:44.205,0:31:45.933 Would you like to pray this prayer? 0:31:45.933,0:31:48.635 The Gospel is what the [br]entire Bible is about. 0:31:48.635,0:31:51.333 It is the greatest manifestation of God 0:31:51.333,0:31:52.504 that we will ever have, 0:31:52.504,0:31:54.635 and I will submit to [br]you that we will spend 0:31:54.635,0:31:57.974 all of eternity tracking out [br]what God has done for us 0:31:57.974,0:32:00.878 in Christ and in the cross of Christ. 0:32:00.878,0:32:03.933 And if you can ever see that - 0:32:03.933,0:32:07.194 I have spent literally the [br]last 12 years of my life, 0:32:07.194,0:32:08.334 hours and hours - 0:32:08.334,0:32:10.292 almost hours and hours a day 0:32:10.292,0:32:14.012 doing one thing - 0:32:14.012,0:32:17.118 reading and writing about: 0:32:17.118,0:32:22.819 Christ died for me. 0:32:22.819,0:32:29.090 I haven't even begun. 0:32:29.090,0:32:32.309 I can't sleep at night because of it. 0:32:32.309,0:32:34.049 And what I want you to see 0:32:34.049,0:32:38.799 is you don't need so much trappings. 0:32:38.799,0:32:40.419 You only need to realize 0:32:40.419,0:32:42.160 where the Treasure is found. 0:32:42.160,0:32:45.793 It's found in the cross of Christ. 0:32:45.793,0:32:50.930 And that truth will carry you anywhere 0:32:50.930,0:32:56.230 the providence of God [br]decrees for you to go. 0:32:56.230,0:33:00.026 That is the power of missions. 0:33:00.026,0:33:05.618 God becoming flesh, 0:33:05.618,0:33:07.819 dying under the wrath of God, 0:33:07.819,0:33:12.995 that God might be just [br]and the justifier of men. 0:33:12.995,0:33:15.087 What more do you need? 0:33:15.087,0:33:18.048 There's an eternity. 0:33:18.048,0:33:22.533 There's an eternity of worship 0:33:22.533,0:33:25.659 in this one thing: 0:33:25.659,0:33:35.078 Christ died for sinners. 0:33:35.078,0:33:36.600 You see, here's the problem. 0:33:36.600,0:33:38.548 You come to me and you say, Brother Paul, 0:33:38.548,0:33:43.069 I need zeal. I need [br]something to compel me. 0:33:43.069,0:33:44.282 You need the cross. 0:33:44.282,0:33:45.788 Well, yeah, I know about that. 0:33:45.788,0:33:48.129 No, you don't know about it. 0:33:48.129,0:33:51.559 No, you haven't even begun. 0:33:51.559,0:33:54.468 It's just like when you finish [br]your Bible Institute here. 0:33:54.468,0:33:57.619 Don't think, well, I've learned systematic 0:33:57.619,0:33:59.679 so now I'm going to go out and minister. 0:33:59.679,0:34:02.739 You haven't even [br]begun to learn systematic. 0:34:02.739,0:34:04.285 You have learned a few tools 0:34:04.285,0:34:07.250 to begin to study systematic. 0:34:07.250,0:34:09.548 You have learned a few tools to begin 0:34:09.548,0:34:10.809 to endeavor to know more 0:34:10.809,0:34:12.079 about the cross of Christ, 0:34:12.079,0:34:13.667 and that knowing and seeking 0:34:13.667,0:34:17.200 will last for eternities. 0:34:17.200,0:34:20.475 And it will be these things that [br]empower you in your Christian life. 0:34:20.475,0:34:23.240 And that's why he says, [br]"Therefore, I urge you, brethren, 0:34:23.240,0:34:24.459 by the mercies of God 0:34:24.459,0:34:26.943 to present your bodies a living 0:34:26.943,0:34:30.609 and a holy sacrifice." 0:34:30.609,0:34:32.402 Now, I know the time is short, 0:34:32.402,0:34:34.860 but let me just put emphasis here 0:34:34.860,0:34:37.369 on this word "bodies." 0:34:37.369,0:34:39.780 I think sometimes I read the Scriptures 0:34:39.780,0:34:41.370 and things stand out to me 0:34:41.370,0:34:44.040 and I think the Holy Spirit is so wise. 0:34:44.040,0:34:46.641 God is so brilliant! 0:34:46.641,0:34:48.839 This Bible must be inspired. 0:34:48.839,0:34:52.879 Notice he doesn't say present your hearts, 0:34:52.879,0:34:56.457 or present your minds. 0:34:56.457,0:35:00.549 Present your bodies. 0:35:00.549,0:35:02.239 I think this word helps us to avoid 0:35:02.239,0:35:04.090 a super-spirituality. 0:35:04.090,0:35:09.605 It helps us to avoid a superficiality. 0:35:09.605,0:35:11.672 We live in a world today 0:35:11.672,0:35:14.808 that has somehow managed theologically 0:35:14.808,0:35:16.649 to cut off the heart 0:35:16.649,0:35:19.844 from the rest of our person 0:35:19.844,0:35:21.559 and make it a separate entity 0:35:21.559,0:35:24.844 that does not affect the rest of us. 0:35:24.844,0:35:26.450 We could talk to people all day; 0:35:26.450,0:35:27.699 we could dismiss right now 0:35:27.699,0:35:29.495 and go to every tavern in Owensboro 0:35:29.495,0:35:31.984 and find people all over - [br]drunks and the like - 0:35:31.984,0:35:36.589 who have given their heart to Jesus. 0:35:36.589,0:35:38.989 But nothing else has followed. 0:35:38.989,0:35:41.236 But what you must understand is the heart 0:35:41.236,0:35:44.510 is the very essence of what a man is. 0:35:44.510,0:35:46.292 It's the very core of his being. 0:35:46.292,0:35:49.758 It's the center of [br]absolutely his entire being. 0:35:49.758,0:35:51.150 When you talk about ontology 0:35:51.150,0:35:53.195 and you begin to go in depth and in depth, 0:35:53.195,0:35:56.800 you finally find yourself [br]at the center of the heart. 0:35:56.800,0:36:01.419 The heart is everything you are. 0:36:01.419,0:36:04.870 And it is an absolute [br]ontological impossibility 0:36:04.870,0:36:07.040 to give someone your heart 0:36:07.040,0:36:12.202 without everything else going with it. 0:36:12.202,0:36:14.070 And that's why Paul is not speaking 0:36:14.070,0:36:16.685 in terms of giving Jesus your heart 0:36:16.685,0:36:18.739 or giving God your heart. 0:36:18.739,0:36:22.812 Or even giving your mind, 0:36:22.812,0:36:27.814 but the entirety of your person. 0:36:27.814,0:36:29.609 One of the things I most appreciate 0:36:29.609,0:36:34.809 about the Puritans is this: 0:36:34.809,0:36:38.149 They sought, it seems to me, 0:36:38.149,0:36:41.898 with everything they had, 0:36:41.898,0:36:46.238 they endeavored to submit every aspect 0:36:46.238,0:36:50.068 of their life to Christ, 0:36:50.068,0:36:52.650 to bring every thought 0:36:52.650,0:36:57.934 under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 0:36:57.934,0:37:03.289 Paul is not asking for a partial [br]giving away of self here. 0:37:03.289,0:37:05.389 He is commanding, demanding, 0:37:05.389,0:37:09.900 urging, pleading. 0:37:09.900,0:37:14.139 A giving over of all that you are to Him. 0:37:14.139,0:37:16.647 A great momentous decision. 0:37:16.647,0:37:18.839 It is this context, this idea 0:37:18.839,0:37:21.571 of how long will you live [br]between two opinions? 0:37:21.571,0:37:24.049 Once and for all make a decision. 0:37:24.049,0:37:26.191 Once and for all by the grace of God 0:37:26.191,0:37:27.433 turn yourself over 0:37:27.433,0:37:34.708 and begin to work that out in your life. 0:37:34.708,0:37:39.774 I submit to you a few questions. 0:37:39.774,0:37:45.819 Have you submitted your mind to Christ? 0:37:45.819,0:37:48.750 You say, well, what does [br]that mean, Brother Paul? 0:37:48.750,0:37:51.525 Well, go to Scripture. 0:37:51.525,0:37:54.549 I like this better than [br]using a concordance. 0:37:54.549,0:37:55.909 Start in Genesis 0:37:55.909,0:37:57.939 and read through the entire Bible 0:37:57.939,0:37:59.389 and every passage in Scripture 0:37:59.389,0:38:01.332 that deals with the mind, pull it out 0:38:01.332,0:38:03.019 and create a systematic theology 0:38:03.019,0:38:04.648 with regard to how your mind 0:38:04.648,0:38:11.793 can be submitted to the [br]Lordship of Jesus Christ. 0:38:11.793,0:38:14.269 Your eyes. 0:38:14.269,0:38:18.870 What does the Bible say about your eyes? 0:38:18.870,0:38:21.011 Your ears. 0:38:21.011,0:38:25.107 And your tongue. 0:38:25.107,0:38:28.841 And your hands and your feet. 0:38:28.841,0:38:30.780 And your body. 0:38:30.780,0:38:33.739 And the way you clothe it. 0:38:33.739,0:38:38.269 What does the Bible say about [br]relationships that you are in? 0:38:38.269,0:38:42.470 What are you commanded to do by Scripture? 0:38:42.470,0:38:44.869 You see, my dear friend, 0:38:44.869,0:38:47.850 without a vision the people perish. 0:38:47.850,0:38:49.687 And that should not be used by pastors 0:38:49.687,0:38:51.599 who want to go into a building program. 0:38:51.599,0:38:54.686 That's not what that [br]text is talking about. 0:38:54.686,0:38:57.081 Where this is no vision of God's law, 0:38:57.081,0:39:02.965 the people run unrestrained. 0:39:02.965,0:39:06.920 I want to talk to you, young person. 0:39:06.920,0:39:09.358 You've learned doctrines [br]of sovereign grace. 0:39:09.358,0:39:10.509 You read the Puritans. 0:39:10.509,0:39:17.270 Congratulations. 0:39:17.270,0:39:19.908 Have you gone through [br]Scripture to discover 0:39:19.908,0:39:22.888 what God says about relationships? 0:39:22.888,0:39:26.422 And sought to understand [br]it and submit your life to it 0:39:26.422,0:39:30.296 in obedience? 0:39:30.296,0:39:33.904 I know I sound like a 1960's [br]fundamentalist preacher, 0:39:33.904,0:39:35.449 but let me ask you a question. 0:39:35.449,0:39:37.349 Have you gone into the Scriptures 0:39:37.349,0:39:38.889 to find the principles laid out 0:39:38.889,0:39:42.530 for clothing and etiquette? 0:39:42.530,0:39:44.318 And have you decided that you would 0:39:44.318,0:39:49.296 submit your life to those directives? 0:39:49.296,0:39:56.689 You see, we talk about being biblical. 0:39:56.689,0:39:59.219 In our worship, have you [br]gone through Scripture 0:39:59.219,0:40:02.160 to discover what God [br]desires out of worship? 0:40:02.160,0:40:04.331 Well, you know, we love worship this way. 0:40:04.331,0:40:06.089 I don't care how you like worship 0:40:06.089,0:40:07.940 because that's not the point. 0:40:07.940,0:40:11.318 What has God said? 0:40:11.318,0:40:13.448 You see, in this idea, we can romance 0:40:13.448,0:40:16.309 this thing to death. 0:40:16.309,0:40:18.121 We can spiritualize it to death. 0:40:18.121,0:40:21.757 Someone says I've given my [br]life to the mission field. 0:40:21.757,0:40:23.807 That does not mean at the same time 0:40:23.807,0:40:26.899 that you have given your heart to God. 0:40:26.899,0:40:31.397 Because you can go to the [br]mission field and be godless. 0:40:31.397,0:40:33.548 And carnal and trite. 0:40:33.548,0:40:35.878 You'd be better off joining [br]National Geographic 0:40:35.878,0:40:41.398 than you would a mission agency. 0:40:41.398,0:40:48.308 Are you seeking in simplicity 0:40:48.308,0:40:52.599 to examine your life? 0:40:52.599,0:40:54.071 I'm not talking about finding 0:40:54.071,0:40:57.358 legalistic inferences and [br]forcing them upon yourself. 0:40:57.358,0:41:00.230 I'm talking about the great [br]principles of Scripture, 0:41:00.230,0:41:03.218 dealing in every aspect [br]of your personal life, 0:41:03.218,0:41:11.039 applying them to you [br]and seeking to obey them. 0:41:11.039,0:41:16.229 Let me ask you a question. 0:41:16.229,0:41:20.723 If you go to the mission field 0:41:20.723,0:41:22.479 without taking what I have said 0:41:22.479,0:41:24.580 as a serious endeavor, 0:41:24.580,0:41:27.047 isn't there the possibility [br]that the only thing 0:41:27.047,0:41:29.000 you're going to do there 0:41:29.000,0:41:31.910 after you have crossed land and sea 0:41:31.910,0:41:33.598 is make a convert like yourself 0:41:33.598,0:41:39.469 that's nothing more than [br]a two-fold son of hell? 0:41:39.469,0:41:42.009 I mean, after all, my greatest fear - 0:41:42.009,0:41:44.158 one of my greatest fears 0:41:44.158,0:41:46.540 is that Fidel Castro is going to die 0:41:46.540,0:41:48.230 or has already died 0:41:48.230,0:41:51.190 and that the wall around [br]Cuba's going to fall. 0:41:51.190,0:41:52.809 That's one of my greatest fears. 0:41:52.809,0:41:54.409 You want to know why? 0:41:54.409,0:41:59.148 Because every form of American [br]"churchianity" that exists 0:41:59.148,0:42:06.289 is going to make its way over there. 0:42:06.289,0:42:08.089 I remember speaking with Conrad 0:42:08.089,0:42:09.929 the first time that I went over there 0:42:09.929,0:42:11.730 to Mr. Mbewe's. 0:42:11.730,0:42:13.658 He said the first thing we always 0:42:13.658,0:42:15.808 like to tell people who come over to teach 0:42:15.808,0:42:17.660 is you're not bringing God with you. 0:42:17.660,0:42:22.539 He was here long before [br]you bought your ticket. 0:42:22.539,0:42:25.759 There isn't a whole lot of [br]American Christianity, folks, 0:42:25.759,0:42:28.538 that needs to be exported. 0:42:28.538,0:42:30.562 Unless like Ravenhill says we put it on 0:42:30.562,0:42:32.339 some kind of a raft and send it off 0:42:32.339,0:42:35.149 to a lone island, and after it's [br]gone away from the dock, 0:42:35.149,0:42:39.000 we all sing the Doxology. 0:42:39.000,0:42:44.148 If we're going to endeavor [br]to work in missions, 0:42:44.148,0:42:46.327 then we must be motivated 0:42:46.327,0:42:49.054 by a God that we know; 0:42:49.054,0:42:51.919 a Gospel that we know. 0:42:51.919,0:42:55.022 And we must be a people 0:42:55.022,0:42:59.789 who have endeavored with great force 0:42:59.789,0:43:01.132 to examine their lives 0:43:01.132,0:43:03.930 in the light of Scripture 0:43:03.930,0:43:06.570 and conform their lives 0:43:06.570,0:43:13.439 to what Scripture says. 0:43:13.439,0:43:16.902 How much of what you have - 0:43:16.902,0:43:21.539 even the way you sit in a chair - 0:43:21.539,0:43:24.889 is formed by those around you 0:43:24.889,0:43:27.668 and not by Scripture? 0:43:27.668,0:43:29.978 It's something to think about. 0:43:29.978,0:43:37.439 Let's pray. 0:43:37.439,0:43:41.807 Father, I pray... 0:43:41.807,0:43:44.067 Lord, You know, 0:43:44.067,0:43:47.738 that You would use this 0:43:47.738,0:43:51.825 to begin some on a journey 0:43:51.825,0:43:54.239 of knowing You, 0:43:54.239,0:43:58.760 seeking to know that which brings delight, 0:43:58.760,0:44:06.720 seeking to conform their lives to it. 0:44:06.720,0:44:13.548 Father, help us who have [br]begun the journey long ago 0:44:13.548,0:44:17.543 to not grow weary, 0:44:17.543,0:44:23.890 but to seek to know You more, 0:44:23.890,0:44:27.509 to seek to understand Your will, 0:44:27.509,0:44:31.429 to love what You love [br]and hate what You hate, 0:44:31.429,0:44:40.130 to be a simple people, 0:44:40.130,0:44:46.999 an obedient people, 0:44:46.999,0:44:51.480 a people motivated by the Gospel 0:44:51.480,0:44:56.989 and drawn to the Gospel. 0:44:56.989,0:44:58.838 In Jesus' name, Amen.