One of the tests of assurance is that true salvation changes the way you act when nobody is watching because you know that God is watching. Your faith is that real, it is that powerful, it is that controlling — that when nobody is watching you know God is, and it prevents you from doing things on the computer that otherwise you would rather do.
Tim: I mean, what I would say to anybody. Look, if you look at these things, this list of ten things, and you’re just like: I don’t think I’m in there. I don’t think I’m in that group. What do I do in secret? Is there real repentance? Do I have a love for Christ? Am I surrendered to God’s will? Where is my mind? Are my idols being eradicated? Am I experiencing the testimony of the Spirit? Am I a new creation? Do others see it? Do I trust in Christ? I mean, am I making radical decisions in my life? Do I know Christ in a new way? And you go through all those things and you say, I don’t think I’m in there. But, listen to Christ’s words to these churches. It doesn’t matter how much truth you’ve been exposed to, if you will hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus is saying, “Come to Me.” That’s what repentance is. “Turn from your sin and come to Me.”
Question: From Demi. “Dear Pastor Tim, I have recently checked myself and don’t know if I am saved or if I’m a Christian that has fallen.”
Discussion:
Tim: Now, I dealt with this, because this seems like it’s the question of the hour. It just seems that so many people are asking the same question over and over – in our church, in other churches we know, people that come to us, people that visit with us, people that are connected with us on the Internet, emails that we get. I don’t doubt, James, in your Christian life you’ve probably had a thousand questions. Maybe not that many, but I mean, literally, in one form or another, where Demi is is where a multitude of people are. And I felt like, ok, let’s answer this. Because when we have our Bibles, we have answers to things, right?
I mean, here’s a girl. She says, “I’ve checked myself and I don’t know if I’m saved or if I’m a Christian that has fallen.” We get a lot of people that come along: “I don’t know if I’m a Christian.” “I don’t know if I’m saved.” It’s an assurance issue. And she goes on to say – and you’ll see a bit of contradiction here but I think it just has to do with her confusion about where she actually is. She starts out by saying, “I’ve checked myself.” In other words, I’ve examined myself, and I don’t know. I don’t know. When I look at myself, I don’t know. “I believe that Christ died for my sins.” She’s got a head knowledge about the cross. “I believe that Christ died for my sins so that I may be blameless before God.”
Now, she’ll say this: “I know that I’m no longer a slave to sin. I know that it is only God that can give salvation. I confessed my sins and asked God for salvation, but I fell into sexual sin. She says, “I know I’m no longer a slave to sin.” But she says she fell into sexual sin. So I think even in her own mind, she can say I know I’m not a slave, but at the same time, she doesn’t really know, because she’s falling into sin, which is really coming back to why she doesn’t know where she’s at. “I have continually asked for salvation.” Obviously, there’s all sorts of doubts. If she’s continually asking for salvation, it’s because, again, she doesn’t know. There’s a lack of assurance. There’s a lack of confidence here. “But the battle with sin is so real.” And sometimes people talk that way about the battle with sin. They talk about it being a battle, but they’re not getting any victory. They’re totally a slave.
And I dealt with that before. One of the APT’s I’ve done in the past had to do with the difference between a slave to sin and struggling with sin. (Tim is referring to “Are You Struggling Against Sin or a Slave of Sin?”) “This has led me to question my salvation.” And then she has in parentheses: “which I know is a sin.” In other words, her questioning her salvation she believes to be a sin. The truth is if she’s not really saved it isn’t really a sin. She wouldn’t be doubting what is already true if she’s actually not saved. She says, “I do believe I’m saved.” You see the contradiction here. After she already said, “I don’t know.” She says, “I do believe I’m saved. I think I just need assurance.” Which is another way of saying I don’t have assurance, which means she’s hoping she’s saved. And she really wishes God would give her assurance.
This is really commonplace today. Massively commonplace. Especially with the Internet. People are coming across the messages that are out there – good, Gospel messages – and I think people are coming under conviction. I think people are being awakened to the reality of hell. I think people are terrified to some degree. I think the thought of punishment for sin is really startling to people. It scares people. (Incomplete thought) I think what we have today is I think we have a lot of people who are coming face-to-face with the truth and it’s shocking to them. It scares them. But they’re just not wanting to let go of their sin. I think we’re getting a lot of that.
And I think we’re getting a lot of people that they want assurance, when the truth is, they have not repented. There’s not really been a deep repentance there. Now, I’m not saying I know what this girl’s situation is. I mean, you start falling into sexual sin – David did that. And you can just read what that did in his own life. It created a season that darkness came on him; coldness, callousness. Something went on in the depths of his soul during that time. I don’t know where she’s at. But what do we say to somebody like that? I mean, we have biblical answers. And I just thought, what do we say to this girl? The thing about Christ, I think a lot of times, what would Christ say? Where would He go with this? But the truth is, Christ knew where people’s hearts were. And I don’t. And neither do you always. We can ask God for discernment, but a lot of times (incomplete thought).
Jesus had an idea about the rich, young ruler. He had an idea about the woman at the well. He knew men’s hearts. You and I have difficulty seeing what Jesus saw. But, I was thinking about this. I have ten things I want to shoot off here really quick. Think with me about the Sermon on the Mount. Sermon on the Mount – Jesus comes into this world. Jesus is maturing. He comes to the age of His public ministry. And the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us what His Kingdom is all about. He tells us the kind of people that inherit the Kingdom of God. Not the kind of people the world think. What kind? Poor in spirit. You’ve got mourners who are going to be comforted. You’ve got the meek who are going to inherit the earth. What does the world think? The world thinks that the people who you want to be like are the heroes of this world. If you’re going to inherit the world, you’ve got to be mighty. You’ve got to be like Alexander the Great. You’ve got to be like the great Caesar’s. You’ve got to have muscle. That’s how you take the world. Jesus is saying, My Kingdom is not like that at all.
What’s very interesting is that as this Sermon on the Mount is such an opening up of what His Kingdom is like, and when you get into the sixth chapter, it’s like chapter 5 deals a whole lot with the Christian’s relationship to the law. When you get to chapter 6, Jesus specifically looks at our life when nobody else sees. Have you ever noticed that? He moves off of: You have heard, but I say… concerning the law. And when He breaks into chapter 6, it’s now what you do in secret. How you give in secret. How you pray in secret. How you fast in secret. He’s very concerned that the life of His people – the true people of His Kingdom, they are people that live a certain way when nobody’s watching.
And that’s what I would say to everybody. You know, it’s just true. We tend to want to appear a certain way to others. Not just in our conduct, we do it physically. A lot of times, you walk around your house and you’ll wear your pajamas and you won’t brush your hair. All of a sudden, somebody will be at the door, and you know my wife’s frantically in the bathroom, and doing what? You know, she’s making herself look presentable. You all know that. But that happens in our actions too. And I guess there’s a fear of man element in it. I guess we want other people to think well of us. But, I know that the best men who have ever lived, have undoubtedly been conscious of when they’re in the public.
But you know what? Cut through all that. True salvation changes the way you act when nobody’s watching. Because you know God is watching. Your faith is that real and it’s that powerful and it’s that controlling. That when nobody is watching, you know God is and it prevents you from doing things on the computer you otherwise would do. It prevents you from doing things in private you would do when you were lost in private. It prevents those kind of things. Because you know God sees and you fear. When you give, you give privately as though you’re in the sight of the all-seeing God Who sees in secret. When you pray, you don’t just pray to be seen by men, you pray in a way that you know your heavenly Father is watching.
Look, you look at your life when nobody’s watching. This is what Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount. Just look at your life when no one is watching. If it hasn’t radically changed, you’re not a changed person. That’s what He’s saying. So look, if I fall into a sin like fornication, this is still real. If I’m David and I fall into that sin, he’s still across the majority of his lifetime, what characterizes him is a man after God’s own heart, and man who walked in the fear of God and was conscious of an ever-watching God. And if, like this young lady, if she falls into that sin, she can still step back and look at her life, from the time she claims God has saved her, has it radically changed how she behaves when nobody’s watching? The greatest place, brethren, where nobody’s watching is up here. Has anything changed? Or do you harbor such things? Listen. Temptation is going to come. We know temptation is going to come. Why? There’s a tempter in this world.
Look, the man who – a young man; a single man, who comes into a service – I know pastors who talk about struggles in these areas, but if you’re a single, young man and you’re sitting in a church service and you see young ladies ahead of you, and suddenly your mind goes somewhere that it shouldn’t go. But is there: “Lord, I’m sorry.” “Lord, help me.” Job’s eyes. I do not want to have those eyes of adultery that I read about in the prophets. I want Job’s eyes. “Lord, help me.” Or, there’s this groan. There’s this sigh. There’s this recognition: God saw that. Oh, I want a pure heart! Versus: You can sit through that whole service and you just feast. You have a pornographic mind and there’s no check on it. You’re in trouble. You’re just plain downright in trouble. Whether or not you fall into one time of fornication or not like David – you’re in trouble, if when no one can see, that’s what’s going on in your life. I mean, I’ll guarantee you, the faith God gives us is a faith that knows. I mean, we know, God is real. If those who would come to Him, you’ve got to believe He is, and that He’s a rewarder of them that seek Him. True faith believes He is. And it fears God in private. And that’s why Jesus is saying, your fasting, your giving, your praying, it’s going to look different than the hypocrite. Because you’re not going to do it to be seen by men, you’re going to do it because you’re concerned about the God Who sees. So that’s one thing.
The second thing is repentance. Repentance. And I’m not just talking about in the beginning. When Peter denied the Lord, he went out and wept bitterly. When the Corinthians were strongly rebuked by the Apostle Paul in the first Corinthian letter, have you ever read 2 Corinthians 7 and how they responded? How did they respond? Let me read to you 2 Corinthians 7. Listen to how they responded. He says this in v. 8, “Even if I made you grieve with my letter…” That was the first letter. “I do not regret it, though I did regret it, for I see that the letter grieved you.” He regretted it because it grieved them. But look at this, “only for awhile. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting.” When we sin, is there grief? And what’s repenting? It’s turning from that sin and turning to God. When you fall into sin, do you run into the arms of God? And then that’s one thing, it’s not just turning from sin, repentance is running to God. When you fall into sin, are you running to God for forgiveness? That’s what they did.
And watch this: they felt a godly grief. “So that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret whereas worldly grief produces death. See what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves.” You see that? They were eager to clear themselves. They approached the sin in their midst with indignation, with fear, longing, zeal, what punishment. This guy in their midst that was guilty of this sin for which they were all labeled as being proud and arrogant for allowing it in their midst. They dealt with it strongly. “At every point, you proved yourselves innocent in the matter. So though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong…” Now he’s talking about him. But they were earnest. They were zealous. Brethren, do you know something about this? When we fall into sin, is there a repentance where there is a grief? Peter went out and wept bitterly. Have you ever shed tears over your sin? Is there that sigh, that groan? Where you’re going, yes, with your head hung low? Like the tax collector. But you go back to the Lord, because you don’t have any other place to go. You’re ashamed.
But it’s to Him you go. Why? Because it’s in Him alone that there’s healing. It’s in Him alone that there’s forgiveness. It’s Him alone that came to you in the first place when you were yet dead in your trespasses and sins, and scooped you out of the miry clay. It’s your only hope of healing. It’s the only place where that blood flows that alone heals. Is there repentance? Ask yourselves that. When you fall into sin, are you confessing to the Lord? Are you going to Him and are you turning? I mean, with a vengeance? With zeal, with passion. Lord, help me! I don’t want to do that again. That’s what they did. Peter weeping bitterly, because Peter didn’t just weep bitterly, he then expressed his love to Christ, and he eventually gave his life for Christ. You know, you can talk about hatred for sin, and you can talk about grief, and you can talk about all sorts of struggles with sin, and all that. You can feel real sorry. And sometimes it’s no more than just worldly grief. Worldly grief can be because you got caught. But you know what? Worldly grief could just be because I can’t have my sin and go to heaven too. It’s a grief just because I recognize I’m going to hell. I’m going to hell holding on to my sin and I don’t like it and I’m just grieved. That’s a big difference between just feeling a pity party – Oh, woe is me. Why isn’t God giving me assurance when I’m just living in sin? Oh, I feel so wronged. How come other people get it? I feel like I’m getting the shaft. Why is God not doing this? Woe is me. And just throwing a pity party. There’s all sorts of ways of grief. But the godly grief – remember, repentance is not just turning from sin. It’s turning towards God. It’s running from our sin into the arms of God. Ashamed as we might be, just recognizing: where else am I going to go? I have an Advocate with the Father when I sin. There’s no condemnation. That would be the second thing: repentance.
How about a third thing? How about just love for Christ? I mean, think about that. Is there a love for Christ? Do you remember what Paul says? What does he say about those who don’t have a love for Christ? Accursed. Right, he pronounces a curse on anybody that doesn’t have a love for Christ. Now think with me, I’ve said this before. No man has to wonder if he’s in love with a woman. No woman is going to scratch her head, squint her eyeballs, to figure out if she’s in love with a man. We know love. We know when we love. We know the love of a child. We know the love of certain things. We know if we say, oh, we love that song, we know what it is. It’s that which thrills the soul. It’s that which we think on. It’s that that our mind is consumed with. It’s that which we think about when we wake up and go to bed at night. It’s that which drives us. It’s that which our focus is on. It’s that which we live for. Don’t say you love Christ if He’s not filling your mind and if He’s not the target of your life. Let’s not play games. Let’s not try to redefine love when it comes to Christ when we full well know what it is with regards to everything else.
And I mean, you all know number 4. It’s surrendering to the will. Jesus said that you are My disciples indeed, if what? If My Word dwells in you. Remember, don’t be hearers of the Word and not doers, deceiving your own self. Has God done something in your life? Jesus said it’s not everybody that says to me, “Lord, Lord,” that’s going to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s those that do the will of the Father in Heaven. Look, does God’s Word have bearing on your life? If you can just go live in sin and do whatever you want to do, but you’re being religious and you go to church and you even give a little bit of your money, and you go to the Bible study, and you own a Bible… I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about when Christ says something in His Word, does it have bearing on your life? If God’s Word can say something and you can just brush it off, you can just keep brushing it off, and it’s nothing to you, you’re in big trouble. Don’t play games. You’re in big trouble. I’m not saying the Christian keeps that Word perfectly, but I’m saying it has a bearing on our life, like it never did before. It’s speaking to us. Decisions I make are being pressed upon by the Word. You get married. James, have you ever thought about love your wives like Christ loved the church since you’ve been married? The Word of God presses on us if we’re husbands. The Word of God presses on us if we’re church members. The Word of God presses on us as citizens.
Right? I mean, in the beginning, I was really convicted about the speed limit. I’ve been telling somebody, you know, I drove through a construction zone, through like ten miles of I-94 freeway up by Chicago when I was first saved. And I had a car full of passengers and I’m driving like 30 miles an hour in this one lane construction on I-94. I have traffic backed up for probably 10 miles. But I was so convicted. And just recently, with a tight schedule in going to Austin and everything, I get hung up in rush hour traffic and now I’m not going to make it there, and so I’ve been trying to wrestle – is it right to go a little bit over to try to make up the time and get there on time? And when I got to Austin one time, I think it was Paige that said, “Pastor Tim! You speed?” And it was like Romans 13 really. And I just felt like, that’s right. I’ve just got to leave earlier. No matter what it means as far as my schedule. I’ve just got to leave earlier so that doesn’t happen. I want to please the Lord. Isn’t that what you want, Christian? I want to please the Lord. It’s not just I want to rigidly have to keep His law and be under the law. I want to please the Lord. And righteousness is a desire of my heart. I want to be like Christ. I do hunger and thirst after righteousness. I want that. Surrender to God’s will is a huge thing.
Number 5 and I’ve already mentioned it on a couple of these. But more broadly, I’ll just say it. Where is your mind? I mean, Scripture says that the mind that is set on the things of the Spirit – that’s life. The mind that’s set on the things of the flesh – that’s death. What are the things of the Spirit? Well, we’ve already talked about if you love Christ, you’re going to be thinking a lot about Him. But it’s thinking about the Word of God. It’s thinking about how to show love to the people of God. It’s thinking about Christ. It’s thinking about the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It’s thinking about glory. Isn’t that the kind of thing that Paul wanted the hearts and the minds of the Christians at Ephesus set on? The hope that was before them? Just the riches of this glorious inheritance. He wants them thinking. Are you thinking? Are you thinking of heaven? Are you thinking on Christ? Are you thinking of the Godhead? Are you thinking of the Father? Are you thinking of Scripture? Are you thinking of obedience? Are you thinking of the things that pertain to the Spirit? Because the things that pertain to the flesh; the thing that are according to the flesh, what are the things according to the flesh? Doing things in my own power. Doing things selfishly. Doing the things that the world does. Setting my mind on the things of the world. Just being consumed with the things that the world is consumed with and having my mind set there.
How about this? Idols being eradicated? You know, when I read in Ezekiel 36, and what Ezekiel’s version of the new covenant there, what is one of the things that we find that he’s going to do in our life with regards to idols? He’s going to wash us. He’s going to cleanse us from all our idols. You just ask yourself this. We could deal with God’s discipline, but I think this is a good place to put it. If you’ve been a Christian any amount of time, you’re going to know the reality of Ezekiel 36. God is in the business of eradicating the idols from the life of His people. And if you don’t know that, you’re not His child. Because He promises. That’s one of the tenets of the new covenant. Brethren, I know that. And you know, idols are things we love. And when He uproots that weed, those roots go deep. And some of the things He tears out – that’s what makes an idol. It’s something that we love. It’s something that’s competing for His love. He’s jealous for our love. And when He pulls those things out, it hurts. And you know when He does it. And He’s done it in my life repeatedly. I mean, it’s just been like 25 years of idol eradication. And a lot of it’s been painful. I want it. I pray for it. But when it comes, it really hurts. “Lord, get all the idols out of my life.” Yeah, but you don’t think you’re talking about that. And then ugh! A lot of times He will have you pull it up by the roots yourself. Because He’ll make you so miserable with it that you finally do it. But that’s another thing. Idol eradication.
How about number 7? The testimony of the Spirit. The Spirit of God pours the love of God into the hearts of the people of God. You have that from Romans 5:5. And if you look at the context there, it’s associated with the cross of Christ. Now, look, the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirits that we’re children of God. And it comes hand in hand with the cross. Assurance, when you look at the cross, that’s what I find the Spirit gives. When your eyes are locked into those songs we sing; when you’re looking at the cross, is that where your hope is? Is that where your joy is? Do you find the assurance of the Spirit being testified to you? Because Romans 5 and Romans 8 says that will happen if you’re a child of God. How about this? You’re a new creation in Christ. We have this from 2 Corinthians 5:17. We’re new creations in Christ. Old things are passed away. All things are become new. Look, if you suddenly stop being who you were, which that means old things pass away – who you were passes away. You are now a new person. If you are a new person, guess what? Your mom and dad know it. If you’re a new person, your brothers and sisters know it. If you’re a new person, your husband or your wife knows it. Your kids know it. Your friends know it. If they don’t know it, it’s not true. You do not become a radical new creation in Christ – I understand if you’re saved at 5 years old it may be difficult to tell. But I’m talking most of us are not saved at 5 years old. If other people do not know that you’re a new creation, it’s because you’re not very likely.
How about this? You trust Christ. Look, I’m not saying you can say, “Oh, I believe Christ died for sinners.” I’m saying you’re like Peter, and you’ll get out of the boat and walk on water. I’m saying decisions you make in your life show who you trust. Whether you trust money; whether you trust in the arm of the flesh; or whether you trust Christ. I mean, you’re making decisions in your life that show your trust goes beyond the nominal. All sorts of people say they believe in Christ. I’m talking about you live resting the weight of your soul, the decisions of your life on Who Christ is. You’ll make decisions that will seem absolutely foolish to this world; will confound and baffle them, and they’ll call you foolish; they’ll say you’re going overboard; they’ll get angry, upset, or they’ll laugh and mock. They will not be able to enter in or understand, because you have something they don’t have. You will make decisions financially that the world doesn’t make because you trust Christ. You will make decisions with your life, with your family, with your health, with everything, because you trust Christ in a way this world will never do who know not Christ.
And the last one I would say is this. This comes from 2 Corinthians 5:16. Listen to the verse: “From now on therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer.” My number 10 here is you know Christ in a new way. Did you hear what he said? We now know nobody after the flesh. How did we know people after the flesh? Just listen to two lost people when they get on an airplane. What do you do for a living? I do this. What do you do for a living? I do this. Now we view everything through a different lens. What’s the lens we view everything through? Are they saved or are they lost? We used to view Christ a certain way. Do you remember that? When you were lost? How you viewed Christ? And he’s saying for the Christian, we no longer view Christ according to the flesh. You view Christ according to the flesh, who is He? I think I’ve told you before, I viewed Him as the Son of God – not really being God. I viewed Him as One that I could profane His name as long as I didn’t profane the name of God, I could profane His, and it was ok. I so trampled Christ in the mud. I counted Him little, insignificant, not God, less than God. I counted Him as this little thing to be tromped on. That’s how I looked at Him. I looked at Mary as the one that was really desirable. Not Christ. I looked at Him as a word that could just roll off my tongue in blasphemous fashion.
But you know what? When God saved me, it was Christ. It was all Christ. I mean the deity of Christ amazed me. Christ amazed me. And I was so used to using His name profanely, that in the beginning, I had to say Christ Jesus, not Jesus Christ, because I so wanted to honor His name. Oh, I viewed Him as so high and so exalted and so lifted up after that; so to be desired. Oh, I’d come across texts like, “altogether lovely” and it’s just like everything in me wants to scream, “yes!” I’d come across verses like that. It’s like any place you find Him in the Old Testament, your heart leaps. Do you know that? I mean, do you know something about that? Where you knew Him according to the flesh at one time? You knew Him as a little thing, a lightweight thing? You despised Him? But now, you don’t know Him according to the flesh any longer. You know Him according to the Spirit. You know Him according to one who has life. You know Him according to one who has seen Him. At least, seen much of His glory for what He truly is.
See, these are ten things that you can find from Scripture. These are experiential things. These are real things. These are identifiable things. And you know what? You know one of the things I’ve just absolutely been amazed with? Really over the last several years, I’ve spent so much time contemplating those seven churches that are found in Revelation 2-3. And I’m amazed. I’m amazed. Jesus comes to the church that lost its first love. And He doesn’t say I’m going to cast you away; I’m going to destroy you. Look at all the opportunities you had. Look at all the light you’ve been exposed to. He says to them, Repent. In other words, “come back to Me.” He comes to a church that claims to be alive, and yet it’s dead. And He says the same thing. “Come back to Me.” These are religious people that are dead. And He’s saying, you are not so far gone that I won’t have mercy on you. “Come back to Me.” The Laodiceans. Yeah, lukewarm, but He defines lukewarm as being wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked… And He says I’m there at the door to knock. Open to Me. I’ll come into you. It’s just amazing to me. These are people that have been exposed to vast amounts of truth. And they’ve despised it. He says of Jezebel to the one church, I gave her an opportunity to repent. Even a woman that has led this church into all sorts of sin, heresy, lewd living, and He’s saying, even her, I gave a season to her to repent.
I mean, what I would say to anybody. Look, if you look at these things – this list of ten things. And you’re just like, I don’t think I’m in there. I don’t think I’m in that group. What do I do in secret? Is there real repentance? Do I have a love for Christ? Am I surrendered to God’s will? Where is my mind? Are my idols being eradicated? Am I experiencing the testimony of the Spirit? Am I a new creation? Do others see it? Do I trust in Christ? Am I making radical decisions in my life? Do I know Christ in a new way? And you go through all those things and you say, I don’t think I’m in there. But listen to Christ’s words to these churches. It doesn’t matter how much truth you’ve been exposed to. If you will hear what the Spirit says to the churches, Jesus is saying, “Come to Me.” That’s what repentance is. “Turn from your sin and come to Me. I stand at the door. Come to Me. Open.” You say you’re alive, but after hearing these, you recognize you’re dead? He’s saying, “come to Me.”
Do you look at your life in light of these and say I’m wretched, I’m poor, I’m blind, I’m miserable, I’m just like those Laodiceans. He’s saying, “Come to Me.” I’m amazed. You’d think Christ would just get to the place where He’d just write people off, right? I mean we hear of the unpardonable sin. We hear of people going so far. We’ve been looking at the book of Hebrews and you know what? All that is true. But no matter how much it’s true, it’s still true that people can go so far in their sin. They can have so much light. They can have so much privilege. Be in churches that are true churches, true candlesticks. And Christ is still saying – even if after all that, you’re still dead, you’re still wretched, you’re still poor, He says, “Come to Me.” Isn’t that amazing that we have such a Savior? So if you don’t measure up, it’s not like you throw up your hands. After all the light, after all the privilege, after all I’ve been exposed to… but if you have ears to hear, if you hear what the Spirit says to those churches, as Christ is speaking to them, He’s saying, “Come.” “Come. I’ll yet accept you.” All five of those bad churches, He didn’t write one of them off. He didn’t. Not one of them. Now, He says you keep going in the way you’re going, you’re going to be written off. But He’s saying if you’ll come – now Jezebel, her time was over. She’d been written off. But the rest of them there, those that were following her, He’s saying turn. I gave her an opportunity. She didn’t. I’m giving you an opportunity. He’s given us an opportunity. If you don’t measure up, throw yourself; fall down before Him. He’s very merciful. He wouldn’t be inviting us this way if He wasn’t. Well, those are ten things to look at. Those are very searching things. I’m not expecting that there will be perfection in that in our life, but you know what? I can look at these ten things and I can say my life isn’t perfect, but I see realities – all ten of these in my life. And I’m thankful; I’m grateful. I hope you all do too. And if you don’t, you’ll flee to Christ at once.
Father, we thank You that we have the Word that is a lamp to our feet. We can test ourselves. We can examine ourselves in light of Scripture. We’re thankful that we have such a receiving Savior, such a tender Savior. In light of the wickedness and sin of so many, that our Lord would still be calling them to Himself; still be saying to us, “Son, daughter, lay down your weapons of warfare against Me, and surrender, and I’ll have mercy upon you.” Oh, what a Savior! We praise You, Lord Jesus Christ. You are altogether worthy, altogether lovely. Amen.
