You and I ought to be very thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to meet and worship Him. Such a blessing is not universal. It is exceptional in the history of the world, and I am glad to see people show their appreciation of this blessing by taking advantage of the opportunity.
As many of you well know, the New Testament teaches that the law of Moses is not binding on Christians today, but that we should follow the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. This means that the Ten Commandments, as such, are not today binding, but the principles involved in the Ten Commandments are binding in so far as they have been included in the law of Christ. Frequently, when I make such a statement someone replies, “Do you mean that we may do as we please? Do you mean that it’s all right to kill today? That it’s all right to steal?” Evidently the Holy Spirit knew that people would ask such questions and, therefore, the 5th chapter of Galatians was written. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and benot entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit,ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings,and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
The fact that we are not bound by the law of Moses then does not mean that we can do as we please. This Scripture plainly says, “Ye cannot do the things that ye would.” We are restrained by the law of the Spirit. We are restrained by the law of love. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In order that we may clearly understand what this implies, the Holy Spirit has listed for us the works of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit. This list is the basis of the lesson which I want to present this morning. I have the items on the board. Perhaps those in the back of the building cannot see them. But at least we shall refer to them as we go along and you will get the picture anyway.
Let us look at the works of the flesh first. The Bible plainly says that those who follow the works of the flesh shall not enter the kingdom of God. If you find yourself guilty of one or more of these works of the flesh, then remember that you are on the outside, that you will remain on the outside until you repent and obey God. People who follow the works of the flesh simply cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
1.Adultery and Fornication.The first four in the list are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lasciviousness. All four of these words have reference to immorality. Some state legislatures make a distinction between adultery and fornication, using the word adultery to apply to immorality on the part of married people, and the word fornication to apply to the same sort of sin on the part of unmarried people. Therefore, those words cover exactly the same sort of crime—illegitimate relationship between men and women. I don’t know just how prevalent this sin is in the world—I have no statistics on that point, and would not be particularly interested in gathering any, but I do know that such sins are very common, and I know that you know whether you are guilty. If you are guilty the Bible says that you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You must repent of that sin and have it washed away by the blood of Jesus before there is any hope for you.
2.Uncleanness.This word probably covers a little more territory than either of the first two words. The best definition I know for uncleanness is found in Romans 1:24: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature; and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly; and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” If I were to talk an hour, I could not give a clearer definition of what is meant by uncleanness. It is obviously a work of the flesh, and all who are guilty stand condemned in the sight of God Almighty.
3.Lasciviousness.This term is apparently still more comprehensive. It not only includes general acts of lewdness and abandoned sensuality but is sometimes used to describe that which tends to produce voluptuous or lewd emotions. For instance, “The lascivious pleasing of a lute” (Shakespeare). The plural of the noun form is found in Romans 13:13 where it is translated wantonness. “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” Referring to this text Thayer’s GreekLexicon quotes the following definition of lasciviousness from Fritzsche: “wanton acts or manners, as filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females, etc.”
There may be some who would not (at least think they would not) actually become guilty of adultery but who do allow themselves to daydream about things which are unclean and immoral. Such unholy meditations are liable to produce wanton and lewd desires and may even lead to an overt act of immorality. You should study the meaning of the word lasciviousness and diligently avoid the sin it describes. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:14).
4.Idolatry.We turn now to a different sort of transgressions but we are still talking about works of the flesh. Everybody knows what idolatry means. If a man worships something other than the God of heaven, he is guilty of idolatry. If one values anything in this world more than he esteems God and his relationship to God, he is virtually guilty of idolatry.
5.Witchcraft.Then comes the sin of witchcraft, or sorcery, which, I believe, includes what is commonly called fortunetelling. It is condemned both in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament. It is a work of the flesh. Friends, if it is wrong to practice the fraud, the craft, the art, (or whatever it is) of fortunetellers, then it’s wrong to patronizethem, for when you do so you are giving them both your financial and moral support.
6.Hatred.Hatred is a sin of the disposition. It is an attitude of the heart. It is the state of being an enemy. This term describes aversions and antipathies which are opposed to brotherly kindness and love.
I’m not sure that these words were intended to be arranged in logical order, but I do believe we can see some sequential significance in the order of the word hatred and the three which follow just as we did in the first four.
7.Variance.This word means contentions. It is hatred in action, manifesting itself in contests, altercations, lawsuits, and disputes in general.
8.Emulations.This word signifies envious and contentious rivalry or jealousy, which often are associated with hatred and variance. Jealousy is strife to excel at the expense of another. It is destructive, not constructive. When you are jealous you try to pull the other man down in order to get above him. But you can’t do it! In the effort to injure another you sink lower yourself.
9.Wrath.This is the climax of the last four words. Wrath is hatred in violent action. It consists of turbulent passions which disturb the harmony of mind and produce domestic and civic broils and disquietudes. (Once I used Jiggs and Maggie of comic strip fame as an example of wrath when they were throwing pots and pans at each other, but someone corrected me by saying that Jiggs never threw any, they all came from the other direction! But anyway the pointof the illustration was clear.) When hatred, variance, and jealousy break out into violent action, that’s what is described by the word wrath. Herod’s jealousy became wrath when he killed the babes of Bethlehem in an effort to destroy Jesus.
These last four are sins of the disposition. In some instances they are committed, especially the first three, by people who come to worship every Sunday and pass as devoted Christians. But friends, I want you to see what ugly company they are keeping. They are classed by the Holy Spirit right along with idolatry, adultery, uncleanness, and lasciviousness. That’s mighty bad company, isn’t it? We are inclined to be more tolerant of sins of the disposition than of sins of immorality, but we’d better be very careful how we appraise sins without Biblical authority. God has put them all in the same catalogue, and therefore sins like hatred and jealousy will send you to hell just as quickly as idolatry or adultery. If you’re guilty of any of them, you must repent before you can go to heaven for people who continue in the work of the flesh cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
10.Strife, Seditions, Heresies.The word “strife” represents a courting of distinction, a desire to put one’s self forward, contention and wranglings with a partisan and factious spirit which tends to result in division. The word “sedition” suggests the act of dividing. It means dissension. The word “heresies” applies to the parties or sects arising from diversity of opinion and aims.
Note, therefore, that division is condemned inevery stage of its development. The disputing, arguing, wrangling, and vanity which lead to it are condemned by the word strife. The act of separating into parties is condemned by the word “divisions” or “seditions,” and the parties themselves are condemned after they occur by the word “heresies.” Again I call your attention to the fact that God puts these sins in the category of fornication and adultery. The very disposition to divide is wrong; the act of dividing is wrong; and the parties and sects which result from the division are likewise wrong. Division is evil from beginning to end. It is a work of the flesh and all of those who are guilty of it, who encourage it, who endorse it, or who support it, morally or financially, will be condemned as following the flesh rather than following the spirit.
11.Envying.This is another sin of the disposition. The best definition I have found of envying is this: “Pain felt, and malignity conceived, at the sight of excellence or happiness.” Did you ever notice someone who is happier than you or more successful than you, and as a result feel some sort of pain within you, or some sort of uneasiness? Well, that’s envy. It is pain felt or malignancy conceived at the sight of happiness or success on the part of another.
After reading in some religious paper a glowing report of a very successful meeting, a preacher may have a strange feeling of discontent or chagrin which self-analysis would show to be the result of his natural (fleshly) reaction to the success of a brother evangelist. Is not this a case of envy? Is it not awork of the flesh? Can those who do such things enter the kingdom of God?
Preachers are not the only ones who are tempted to envy each other. Business men, doctors, school teachers, young people in their social relationships may all be guilty of this sin and must guard against it. If you cannot see your boy friends or your girl friends be more popular or successful than you without having a feeling of uneasiness and a disposition to harm them in some way, then you are guilty of the sin of envy, and a murderer can come just as nearly going to heaven as one who is guilty of envy. Because they are both works of the flesh and stand condemned by Jehovah.
12.Murder.We don’t need to comment upon the word “murder.” You know what it means. You can be guilty of murder at heart. The Bible says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).
13.Drunkenness.Everybody knows what this sin is. It’s the work of the flesh, and those who are guilty of it will be lost. And there’s only one way to be absolutely certain that you won’t get drunk—just don’t drink of anything that’s intoxicating. If you never take the first drink of beer, if you never take the first cocktail or sip of whiskey, then you’ll never get drunk. But if you do take the first one, you don’t know what may happen.
14.Revelings.Reveling signifies lascivious feasting with obscene songs and music, feasts and drinking-partieswhich are continued until late at night with unclean songs, dissolute conduct, and boisterous merrymaking. Those occasions when people turn themselves loose and do not observe proper restraints of natural desires, are occasions of revelry. Remember “that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
In contrast with the works of the flesh let us look at the fruits of the Spirit. They are the fruits which will be produced in the life of one who is following in the Spirit. They are the characteristics which will adorn the life of one who obeys God. I want you to notice how attractive these are. I want you to see how beautiful this list is.
1.Love.Love for God, for your brother, for your neighbor, and even love for your enemy is a fruit of the Spirit.
2.Joy.God expects his people to be joyous. Paul said, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 1:1). “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). Again we read, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4). As Christian people, those who are following the Spirit are full of joy. People who are trying to follow the Spirit and the flesh both are not full of joy. But those who are truly following theSpirit are joyful, because joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
3.Peace.Peace—peace with God, with one’s self, and usually with most, if not all, one’s fellowmen—is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. The calm, quiet, order, and hope which abide in the heart of a Christian are more precious than gold. The sinner has doubts, fears, alarms, and dreadful forebodings.
4.Longsuffering.People who follow the Spirit are patient; they are not easily provoked; they bear the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring or repining and submit cheerfully to every dispensation of God’s providence.
5.Gentleness.One who is harsh and unkind is lacking in this fruit of the Spirit. It has been said that to be gentle means to always do and say the kindest things in the kindest way.
6.Goodness.This means uprightness of heart and life—a constant desire and diligent effort, not only to abstain from every form of evil, but also to do good to the bodies and souls of all men.
7.Faith.The word faith is here used in the sense of fidelity, the character of one who can be depended upon to keep all his promises, to meet all of his obligations, and to be true to every relationship.
8.Meekness.Meekness is likewise a fruit of the Spirit. It is the very opposite of anger. Moses was called a meek man. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” And although Christ was brave and uncompromising, he was nevertheless one of the very meekest of men.
9.Temperance.Temperance means self-control. Remember this very chapter says, “Ye cannot do the things that ye would.” You cannot give free expression unto the passions of your body. Your body must be buffeted and brought into subjection as Paul did with his. We must learn to exercise self-control and to make ourselves do that which we know we ought to do.
These are the fruits of the Spirit. They are the characteristics that should be developed in your life if you are a Christian. I just want you to look at these two pictures—the fruit of the Spirit on the one hand and the works of the flesh on the other. They are contrasted in every sense of the word. They are incompatible and antagonistic. To the extent you have one you fail to possess the other.
Let me ask you this question: Do you believe the fruit of the Spirit will make anybody unpopular? Sometimes when people are unpopular and are being persecuted they say, “Oh, well, those who live Godly lives are to be persecuted.” That’s true. The Bible teaches it (2 Tim. 3:12). But I’m afraid that very often our persecution comes from other causes. We might be suffering because we have hatred, jealousy, and envy, and not because we have the Spirit of Christ. Before you take pride in your persecution you’d better examine the source of it. It might be coming from the wrong side of the fence.
Those who follow the Spirit are a living rebuke to those who fail to do so, and as such they will receive some degree of persecution. But I also contendthat everybody in this world will have to admire a person who has the fruits of the Spirit in his life. His character presents a beautiful picture to all who know him. You just can’t help admiring him. Let us be very careful then about the cause of our persecution.
But I promised to talk to you about “And So Forth” or “And Such Like.” After the apostle Paul had finished naming the works of the flesh he said, “and such like.” He said that there were some things like those named which also belong in the same classification. Now suppose you were requested this morning to come forward and list in this blank column some things that are like those Paul named. What would you put in this column? There must besomethings like these. The Bible says there are some things like them. Otherwise, there would have been no sense in saying “and such like.” What are those things which are like the ones named by Paul? The Bible itself mentions some others that could be put in this class. For instance, lying is a work of the flesh. It could certainly be included in the “and so forth” of Paul’s list.
But now I want to put some words in this blank column, and leave it up to you to decide whether they belong under the Fruit of the Spirit or the Works of the Flesh. From this point on, I’m going to let you preach this sermon. It’ll be your sermon from here on out. I shall not tell you where I think these words belong. Not that I’m afraid or ashamed to tell, but I want you to make your own decision. For afterall, people will not do right until they decide to do so themselves. If I can provoke you to think and to resolve in your own heart that you will do right, then that will be much better than anything else which I might do for you today. The first word I’m listing is:
1.Dancing.I want you to decide for yourself which column it belongs in. Would you list it as a work of the flesh or as fruit of the Spirit? Into which list does it fit better? I’m not going to say. Decide for yourself. If you were called upon to classify it in one or the other of these groups, in which group would you put it? You may say it doesn’t belong in either. Well, I’ll still leave that up to your judgment. I’ll put another word up here.
2.Bible Study.(That’s two words, isn’t it?) Do you have any trouble classifying that? In which list would you put it? Would you say that Bible study belongs with the fruit of the Spirit or with the works of the flesh? I shall not try to influence your opinion. Decide for yourself. You see I can put most anything up here today because I’m not committing myself. I’m playing safe. Well, let’s list another word.
3.Movies.Not as they could be and not as they ought to be, and not as they are in some isolated cases, but as they are in general, would you say that they look like this crowd (Fruit of the Spirit) or do they look like this crowd (Works of the Flesh)? Do they contribute to lasciviousness, do they contribute to envy and hatred and such like things, or do they look more like peace, self-control, and goodness? Decidefor yourself! I’ve asked a great many people this simple question: “Do you believe that movies as they are in general are helpful to society or injurious to society?” All of the answers to that question except in one single instance have been on the same side. I think you know what the correct answer is.
4.Card playing.Let’s consider card playing here, playing bridge, and such like games. Please note what happened in Cincinnati a few years ago. The city council passed an anti-gambling law which, of course, outlawed playing bingo. Some of the preachers of the city got together and wrote out a petition asking the city manager to amend the anti-gambling law to give the churches permission to play bingo in order to raise money to carry on their work. The city manager granted the petition. It’s on the legislative record of the city of Cincinnati. Do you wonder why so many people have quit going to church, why the buildings are empty on Sunday?
A young lady in Cincinnati told me the first time I ever saw her that she didn’t like to go to church, that she came away feeling worse than when she went and that she didn’t get what she needed when she attended the typical place of worship in the city of Cincinnati. Do you wonder why? Now Cincinnati may be a little bit extreme, but similar conditions prevail at a great many other places.
There was a lady in Louisville, Kentucky, who told me she was alarmed about her son. She said he was a natural-born gambler. There are a lot of “natural-born gamblers,” but they are not all in Kentucky.I asked the lady if she didn’t go to bridge parties, and she said she did. Then I said, “Don’t you contribute your share of the money to buy a prize?” She admitted that she did. Next I asked, “Don’t you play a game of chance to see which lady will take the prize home?” Again she answered in the affirmative. My reply was, “Well, you taught your son to gamble. Why are you alarmed?” She was perfectly content to gamble in the living-room with a group of so-called refined ladies, but she didn’t want her son to bet on the horse races or go to some gambling den in the city. (I almost told you where I thought that one belonged, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to do that.) Let’s take something else.
5.Prayer meeting.Where would you put attending prayer meeting? I never heard anybody raise a question about that. I think everybody knows where it belongs so we pass on to something else.
6.Petting.We just as well talk about it; everybody knows about it. Many have been guilty of it. Where would you put petting? Does it look like lasciviousness, tending to produce wanton and lustful desires, or does it look like it belongs with the fruit of the Spirit? Now about the only difference I see in petting and dancing is that the dancing is done to music and the petting without the benefit of music; dancing is usually done in public, where the presence of others imposes at least some degree of restraint, whereas the petting is done in a parked automobile on a side road or in some living-room with the shades pulled down. That’s about the only difference. I’m perfectlywilling to leave the decision to your own honest judgment, because if you’re not honest you’re certainly lost anyhow.
7.Tobacco.Maybe you think I’m going too far, but I’d like to ask you to classify the use of tobacco. Would you classify tobacco—whether it’s dipping, chewing, or smoking—as a work of the flesh, or as fruit of the Spirit? Do you believe that using it will help you to save souls or hinder you in saving souls? Would you be a little bit ashamed to let the man whom you were trying to convert see you smoking or dipping or chewing? Again, I’m just asking questions. Not answering them. If anybody wants to know what my answer is, see me after we’re through and I’ll tell you. But I want to leave it up to your own judgment. Where would you place these things? Do they belong in the list of works of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit?
Friends, we are talking today about something that’s fundamental. There’s no part of the Bible more fundamental than the 5th chapter of Galatians. The Bible says those who do these things (works of the flesh) shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Against these things (fruit of the Spirit) there is no law. You’re perfectly safe when you’re on this side. There’s no law of God or man that would condemn anything in this list. You never heard of a law forbidding one of these fruits of the Spirit. There’s not a state legislature on this earth that would even think about condemning one of them. Against such things there is no law.
Perhaps the greatest progress the church of Christ could make today would be to heed diligently the lesson of Galatians, chapter 5, and get all of our thinking, conversation, and conduct in harmony with the fruit of the Spirit. The very example of the membership would then be a tremendous drawing power. It would win the admiration of all those who observed it. All serious-minded people who want to go to heaven when they die, would like to have a part with a group of people who are governed in such a way. If there are some present this morning who are guilty of following the lust of the flesh, there is still a chance for you to be forgiven. If you will repent, confess your faults, and pray God to forgive you, he will do so—that is, those of you who are erring children of God. You who have not yet been baptized into Christ may secure forgiveness by believing in him as God’s son, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith, and obeying the commandment to be baptized for remission of sins. If you are subject then to this call of Christ, we invite you to accept it.
Allow me to add a word of welcome to all of you who are present and especially to the visitors. We are very grateful for such good attendance at our Sunday evening meetings, and especially for the large number of young people present. I know of no better way to build a courtship, and eventually a marriage and a home, than upon regular attendance to all the meetings of the church. I have just learned recently of one young man who is seriously considering obeying the Gospel as a result of attending our Sunday evening meetings with his girl friend. This is an example of how you young people may do a lot of good, not only for yourselves but for those whom you may bring with you. Hence I urge you to come back tonight to hear Brother Bradford and every Sunday evening to our program of worship and study.
We had so many questions arising in my class upstairs this morning that we didn’t get to our lesson. We are taking the same lesson next Sunday, the first twenty-two verses of the ninth chapter of Acts, and the memory verse will be Colossians 2:12. If you want a copy of the questions, you can find them here on the pulpit at the end of the hour.
We had a fine program last Wednesday evening, even a bigger crowd than expected. I hope you realizethe importance of the training we are giving the young men on Wednesday evening. It means a lot to them. They’ll be the leaders of the churches in just a few years from now and they’ll appreciate your presence and encouragement as they conduct our services for the next five weeks. We are expecting a good program again this week.
This morning my topic is “What Must I Do to Keep Saved?” There have been many sermons, and rightly so, preached upon the subject, “What Must I Do to Be Saved?” That is indeed a very important question. It is asked and answered three times in the book of Acts (Acts 16:30-34; 2:36-38; Acts 9:6; 22:16). These answers teach that in order to be saved, one must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; repent of his sins; and then be buried with Christ in baptism for remission of sins. One who has done these things is then a child of God, a member of the Lord’s family, a citizen in the Lord’s kingdom, a member of God’s church; for Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” (Mark 16:16) and God adds to the church day by day such as are being saved (Acts 2:47). All people then who have been saved are in the church because God put them in, just as soon as they were saved.
It’s not our purpose to speak at this time on the topic, “What Must I Do to Be Saved?” but ratherupon one which is equally important, “What Must I Do to Keep Saved?” This very question implies not only the possibility, but even the danger, of one’s falling from grace. If it were not possible for one who has once been in a saved condition to fall out of it into an unsaved condition, then our topic would be entirely out of place. Furthermore, a big part of the New Testament would be of no value. A great portion is devoted to warning Christians against falling and to telling them how to keep from falling. Every warning in the New Testament addressed to Christians implies not only the possibility but also the danger of apostasy.
Simon, the sorcerer, believed and was baptized; therefore he must have been saved for Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). But after Simon had reached that condition, he endeavored to buy the gift of God with money, to whom Peter said, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:20-23). Surely Simon was then lost, although he had been once saved, illustrating the fact that one can fall from grace.
Addressing the Christians at Galatia who would be saved by the law of Moses, Paul said, “Ye arefallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Why argue about the possibility of falling from grace when such a plain statement is found in the Bible?
If any further evidence could be desired, you can find much more in the Bible to the same point. For instance, James, chapter 5, and the last two verses thereof, “Brethren, if any one of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Save a soul from what death? Not from physical death. “It is appointed unto men once to die,” physically. In that sense everybody has to die, the good and the bad alike. The only death from which you can be saved is the second death, which means to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:14, 15; 21:8). This verse says that if you save a sinner from the error of his way, you have saved him from the second death. But who are the sinners here addressed? They are members of the church. Verse 19 says, “brethren,” you people who have already been saved, “if any one of you”—one of you saved people—“do err from the truth, and someone convert him,” then he has saved his soul from eternal torment. Surely this teaches that a brother in the church, who has been saved, may so sin as to go to hell, and will go to hell if somebody doesn’t convert him.
No wonder, then, the Apostle Paul said, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Let him who thinketh he standeth—letthe man who thinks that apostasy is impossible—take heed, lest he experience that which he denies. These Scriptures then are sufficient to show that there is a danger of one’s falling from grace.
Please do not get the impression, however, that you have to fall from grace. You don’t have to do it! You can stand if you will. If you will stand, God will give you the power to stand. If you submit your life unto Him for safekeeping and maintain the right attitude toward Him, and the right sort of service for Him, then He will keep that which has been committed unto Him. You don’t have to fall from grace. Anybody can be saved who wants to. If you don’t go to heaven, it will be because you didn’t want to badly enough to put forth the proper effort.
I’d like to emphasize the fact that anybody can go to heaven who wants to. It is like Brother Freed used to tell us at school: “You can do anything you want to, if you want to badly enough.” A story which illustrates the point comes from England, where they are said to dig graves deeper than we do in America—in fact, ten feet deep. Instead of having the cemeteries hard by the church building as we often do, the story says that they have them adjacent to the school buildings, sometimes on the school campus.
In one instance they had a graveyard between the boys’ dormitory and the administration building. Ofcourse the boys did not walk around it. They made a path right across it. One day the caretakers digged a grave ten feet deep across the path and failed to put up a red light, leaving the grave open during the night. After it got dark a boy started from one building to another and fell into the open grave. He tried to climb out, but the walls were straight up and down and ten feet high. Finally, he gave up and sat down in the corner to await developments. It wasn’t long till he heard another boy coming down the path—“pat, pat, pat.” He sat right still, and boy number two fell off in the grave with him. Then boy number one said, “Can’t you let a man rest in peace in his own grave?” The second boy jumped right out of the grave like a cat—without any trouble at all. He had a stronger desire to escape than the first boy did. He was scared worse!
This illustrates the point that you can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough. If you are scared enough of hell, you will go to heaven. If you want to go to heaven more than you want to do anything else in this world, then you will go there, and there is no power on earth, or in heaven, or beneath the earth that can keep you from going to heaven ifyouwant to (Rom. 8:35). You are the only person in all this universe who can keep you out of heaven.
Now I may surprise you a little bit when I tell you that there are not many people who want to go to heaven. I can prove it by the Bible. The Bible says that very fewaregoing to heaven, and since anybody can go who wants to, then only a few want togo. If many wanted to go, then many would go; but the Bible says that there is a strait and narrow way which leads to life everlasting and few there be that find it. But there is a broad way that leads to destruction and many there be that travel it (Matt. 7:13, 14). Anybody can go to heaven who wants to, but only a few are going; then only a few want to go. If you will examine yourself and observe the people around you, you will soon become convinced that not many people want to go to heaven.
An illustration which I frequently use on this point is this: One Sunday afternoon I was talking to two young ladies who were backsliders. I asked them if they loved the Lord. They said, “Why, Brother Dark, of course we love the Lord.” Then I said, “Do you want to go to heaven when you die?” As you might expect they answered, “Why, sure, everybody wants to go to heaven!” My next question was, “Will you be at worship this evening?” They grinned a little bit and looked at each other. I said, “You have some dates, don’t you?” They grinned a little more, and said, “Yes.” I said, “Your boy friends don’t want to go to church with you, do they?” They grinned a little bit more and said, “No.” Well, they didn’t come to worship that night. I asked which they loved more, those boy friends or the Lord. They didn’t make any answer.
Now, which do you think they loved the more? They said they loved the Lord more than they loved anything else in the world, but they went out with some boy friends that night instead of coming toworship. They thought they wanted to go to heaven, and they did want to a little bit; but they wanted to go out with those boys more than they wanted to go to heaven. And that’s the case with a great many people. You ask them if they want to go to heaven and they will say “Yes”; but there is something they want to do more. They want to have a good time, make money, or do something else, more than they want to go to heaven. That’s the trouble with most people. That’s the reason most people are going somewhere else. God allows people to go anywhere they want to and if they prefer to go somewhere else rather than to go to heaven, then they go somewhere else and He permits them to do it.
Just remember this: you cannot possibly go to heaven without traveling the road which leads there. A lot of people would like to go to heaven but they don’t want to travel the road which leads there. They want to travel some other road and then get to heaven. Well, you can’t travel the road that leads to Memphis and get to Chattanooga, can you? You can’t travel the road that leads to hell and wind up in heaven. It just can’t be done. So if you want to go to heaven more than you want to do anything else in this world and are willing to put forth the effort required to do it, you can certainly go there.
That to me is a very encouraging thought. My destiny, under God, is completely within my own hands. I don’t have to depend upon anybody else’s wishes, anybody else’s choice or word about it whatsoever. God wants me to go to heaven, and withthat point settled then it is all up to me, and you can’t keep me from going there. Nobody else can, if I want to go. Nobody can keepyoufrom going! Sometimes people make excuses, and they blame others for their failure. They find fault with other people and say, “He did so and so, and therefore I did so and so.” That’s no good at all. There is nobody in this world who can keep you from going to heaven if you want to.
From this point on I shall assume that I am speaking to people who do want to go to heaven. On this assumption I can give you three little rules to follow, which will insure your success. I do not mean that the mere formality of doing these three things will make you safe for heaven. There is not necessarily any virtue in the mere routine suggested. But granting that you want to go to heaven, if you will follow these three simple rules, they will enable you to do what you want to do. The beauty of them is that they are so simple that anybody can follow them who wants to.
1. The first one is to read the Bible every day. If you want to go to heaven, you are willing to do that much, aren’t you? If you really want to go to heaven, won’t youwantto read the Bible? It’s the book that tells you how to get there. It is the road map that shows you the way. If you want to go toheaven, the first rule then is to read the Bible every day. From doing that you’ll learn what God wants you to do in order tobesaved and in order tokeepsaved. The Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians “because they received the word with all readiness of mind andsearched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 16:11). Now, if you don’t read the Bible every day, I believe you’d have a hard time establishing the fact that you want to go to heaven. Don’t you believe you would? How can you prove that you want to go to heaven when you fail to read the only book in the world which can tell you how to get there?
I suspect that I’m talking to two or three hundred people right now who don’t read the Bible daily, and if I knew how to make this more emphatic, I’d do it! I’d like to fix it so you never would forget it. The Bible is the only book that can tell you how to do what you propose to want to do. It is the word whichGod hath spoken. The mere fact that you are a member of the church is an announcement that you want to go to heaven, but your behavior contradicts your profession, if you do not read the Bible every day.
I have found sometimes that those people who argue the loudest and take the most dogmatic positions on points of doctrine are the very ones who don’t read the Bible. They think they know! They can tell you what’s right and what’s wrong. If you ask them how much they read the Bible, they’ll hang their heads in shame and say, “Well, I haven’t readit much.” Sometimes they even preface their remarks by telling you they haven’t read it much. They say, “Now, preacher, I don’t read the Bible much, and I know you do, and so and so” and then proceed to tell me just exactly how it is.A man who doesn’t read the Bible has no right to express an opinion in the field of religion.A man who begins his conversation by saying, “Now, I’ll admit I don’t read the Bible,” ought to stop right there until he has read it. He doesn’t have any right to talk about it, nor to undertake to tell anybody what to do, or what one ought to do until he has read the Bible—the only reliable standard of right living. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). “Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jas. 1:21). “Study to show thyself approved unto God ...” (2 Tim. 2:15).
If you will read the Bible every day, there is not much that needs to be done for you; if you will not read the Bible, there is not much that can be done for you! Anybody who doesn’t love the Lord well enough to read this letter that He has written, anyone who doesn’t want to go to heaven bad enough to be a daily student of God’s word, I just can’t see much chance for him. One of the most alarming things is the ignorance of our own people concerning the Bible. Many of our own members are not daily students of God’s holy word. I wish I could say something that would scare you just as much as the second boy who fell in the grave. If I knew what to say, I’dsay it. I’d like for you to become so badly scared that you would read the Bible every day.
Now, you can do it! If you don’t read it, you cannot blame anybody but yourself for your failure. You say, “But, Brother Dark, I don’t have time.” Oh, yes, you do; you have as much time as anybody. There are twenty-four hours in the day and you have all twenty-four of them. You say, “Yes, but I have so many other things to do.” Well, are those other things as important as going to heaven? Do you love them more than you love going to heaven? Do you want to do them more than you want to be saved?
How many of you read the newspaper every day? I suspect we would get a unanimous response on that. How many of you listen to the radio every day? Now, it is not wrong to listen to the radio. It’s not wrong to read the newspaper, maybe, but certainly you will agree that a man who loves the newspaper and the typical radio program more than he loves the Lord isn’t much interested in going to heaven. He had rather go where they have newspapers and radios, than to go to heaven where they have the word of God and a choir of angels singing.
You see, your behavior reflects your interests. So, youcanread the Bible every day; and if you don’t do it, you can blame no one but yourself for your failure. You can’t say, “I tried to be a Christian and couldn’t.” You’ll just have to say, “I didn’t try. I didn’t do what I could. I didn’t do my best.” Sometimes I hear people say, “Well, I’ve done the best I can,” when I know they have not. I know they aretelling a falsehood when they make that statement. Anybody who doesn’t read the Bible daily is not doing the best he can!
2. Rule Number 2 is just as simple: “Pray every day.” Youcan! The Bible commands you to pray without ceasing (Eph. 6:18). Anybody, who can talk, can talk to God. I am afraid that there are a great many church members who do not pray to God every day. One cannot believe the Bible and deny the efficacy of prayer. Prayer is powerful! Prayer moves the hand that rules the universe. Prayer will cause God to do things that He would not have done if you had not prayed. Prayer is a means of drawing upon the riches and the glory and the wisdom of God. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to write a check on the bank of heaven with the assurance that it will be honored. That’s exactly what prayer is. Through prayer you can draw a check upon a bank whose resources are inexhaustible, with the full assurance that the Teller will honor the draft or check. Prayer changes things. God will do things for you after you have prayed that He would not have done if you had not prayed.
Whatsoever ye would therefore, that God should do unto you, ask him for it. “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7, 8). He will withhold no good thing from them that call upon Him according to faith and in the name of His Son.“If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:11). If you haven’t been praying to God daily, you ought to begin to do so right now. I heard Brother H. Leo Boles say one time that he never even bought a pair of shoes without first asking God to guide him in the choice that he made. One should ask God’s guidance in every choice, however trivial it may seem to be. If you are not using the power which can come to you through prayer, then you are going along without a great blessing that you could be enjoying. You are not doing what you can. You can only blame yourself for the failures that come your way.
3. Rule Number 3 is one that I have emphasized here many times: “Go to worship every time the congregation meets.” Be faithful and regular in your attendance at worship. Now, youcando this also! Of course, I know there are legitimate exceptions in cases of severe sickness on your part or some member of your family or something else of like nature; but you know the difference between that and just staying away because you prefer to sleep, read the paper, listen to the radio, go fishing, take a trip, or some other such illegitimate, unscriptural excuse.
You need to have the contact with other saints upon the first day of the week. God knew what He was doing when He arranged for us to meet together to worship Him. He knew we would get inspiration and encouragement there that could not be foundanywhere else. Whenever you show me a man who is neglecting his church attendance, I’ll show you a man in the same person who is drifting away from God. I believe there is no exception to this statement. Whenever a man willfully stays away from worshiping with God’s people, he certainly drifts away from the Lord.
I read a story one time about a certain family who had been missing the worship. One of the overseers of the church went to see this family. He went into the room and exchanged the customary greetings; then sat down before the open fire. He picked up the tongs and got a red hot coal, just glowing with heat, and laid it out on the hearth by itself. It wasn’t long until it cooled off and turned black. The man of the house spoke up and said, “Brother, you need not say anything. We’ll be at worship next Sunday.” That illustrates what happens to anybody who deliberately stays away from worshiping God with the saints. You can attend worship regularly; if you don’t you can only blame yourself for your failure. You cannot say, “I tried, and couldn’t.” You’ll have to say, “I didn’t try.”
One time in West Virginia, I closed a meeting by talking along this line. When I went back a year later one of the elders got up and said, “We had twenty-four additions when Brother Dark was here last year. Eighteen of them are still with us. Three of them have moved to other towns, and three have fallen from grace.” I asked whether the three backsliders had followed these three rules. Of course theyhad not. They couldn’t have fallen from grace if they had been following these three rules; at least I have never heard of anybody’s falling who did. Have you? I have heard of people’s falling from grace while following one or two of them, but not all of them. These are not the only requirements but when faithfully performed they make it possible and easier for you to do your duty in every way. May I insist then, if you want to go to heaven—and you say you do—that you read the Bible every day, pray to God every day, and go to worship every time you can.
Let me read a Scripture before I close this lesson. It’s found in the first chapter of 1 John 1:4. It’s one of the sweetest promises in all the Bible. “These things write we unto you, that your joy may be made full.” God wants us to be full of joy. He said, “I’m writing these things that you may be full of joy.” Well, what is it, John? “This, then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Will you note this promise again? “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” This promise is to those who walk in the light.