Hello, and welcome once
again to, Pillars of Faith.
00:00:26.62\00:00:30.06
This is a program
where we examine the truths,
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the doctrines,
that we hold so dear.
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Where we lift up
the name of Jesus.
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But more than that, where
we examine the Word of God
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and those tenants of faith
on which the Adventist Church
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is built and which
Christianity in general uses
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to buttress its faith
and to encourage its people.
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So welcome once again.
My name is C.A. Murray.
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And it is my privilege
to welcome you to night
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number three of
our sitting together.
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Our speaker is Pastor Jim
Gilley, who, as you well know,
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for many years
was the president of
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Three Angels
Broadcasting Network.
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Also the president of the
Arkansas/Louisiana Conference.
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He also was a vice-president
of the General Conference
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for many, many years.
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And we are so happy that
he broke into his retirement
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to come back and be with us
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and to give us
this wonderful message.
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The message tonight is
entitled, Grace, Truly Amazing.
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But I want to take just
a moment to reflect upon
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yesterday's message
which I loved and appreciated;
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which was, God's
Witness Protection Program.
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That's one of those kinds of
messages that encourages you.
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If you are a
witness for the Lord,
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if you're trying to
witness for the Lord,
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and if you're a little
squeamish about the results
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of your witnessing,
you can take courage
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that God protects His witnesses.
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Now that's on two fronts.
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One, when you
stand up for the Lord,
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the Lord stands up for you.
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So you don't have to worry
about your witness having power,
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because the power is
in the hands of the Lord.
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He asks us just to open our
mouths and to stand up for Him,
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and God will
take care of the rest.
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Not our job to
convert or convict.
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That's the Holy Spirit's job.
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Our job is to tell the
truth and to stand up for Jesus.
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And God does
protect His witnesses.
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And so we saw that
in a very powerful way
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on yesterday's program.
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As we said today,
Grace, Truly Amazing.
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It is a truly amazing
thing to be part of the grace,
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to be a recipient
of the grace of God.
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And Pastor Jim will tell
us about that this very day.
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Our Scripture lesson
comes from the book of Romans.
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Romans 3, and we are
looking at verses 21-26.
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And so I invite you,
give you just a moment to turn
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to that passage of
Scripture, if you will.
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Romans 3, and I'm looking
at verse 21 and reading down
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through verse 26.
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The Bible says in Romans
3:21, "But now the righteousness
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of God apart from the law
is revealed, being witnessed
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by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God,
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through faith in Jesus Christ,
to all and on all who believe.
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For there is no difference."
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I'm in verse 23.
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"For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God,"
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24, "being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption
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that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth as a
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propitiation by His blood,
through faith, to demonstrate
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His righteousness, because
in His forbearance God had
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passed over the sins that
were previously committed,
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and verse 26, "to
demonstrate at the present time
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His righteousness, that He
might be just and the justifier
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of the one who
has faith in Jesus."
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So you can see
where we're going.
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Talking about
righteousness by faith
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and the doctrine
of justification.
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And of course, all wrapped
up in a package of grace.
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Pray with me now as we ask
God's blessing on this message.
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And then the next
voice that you will hear
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will be that of our
pastor, our friend, Jim Gilley.
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Father God, how we thank
You for the gift of grace
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and for what it does in us,
for us, to us, and through us.
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Bless now this message.
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Bless him who has
been called to speak it,
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and those of us who
will listen and hear.
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May our hearts be
filled with Your Spirit,
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may our lives be changed.
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May we be emboldened,
enabled, to take one more step
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along the road
that leads to glory.
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Keep us, even as You teach us.
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And we thank You, dear
Father, in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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And now Jim Gilley.
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Hear ye him.
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Thank you, Brother C.A.
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It's good to be back
with you here again at 3ABN,
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and to be in this auditorium
speaking to those that are here
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and also
speaking to you at home.
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And it's just a
real pleasure to return.
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Camille and I are living
in California now and we love
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where we're living
because we're across the street
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from our daughter and
five of our grandchildren.
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Four there most of the time,
one is still back here at 3ABN.
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But we really do
enjoy being with them,
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but we miss being here at 3ABN.
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And it's great to see the
crew again, the production crew.
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We've traveled
around this country together
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and done so many programs
here in this very auditorium.
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It's good to see Brother C.A.,
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and to see Danny
Shelton yesterday.
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We had the opportunity to visit,
had a good visit together.
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And with Brother Brian Hamilton.
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And looking forward to
seeing some of the others
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before we head on down the road.
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But what a real pleasure
it is to be back at 3ABN.
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As I've said so many times,
I believe in this ministry.
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I believe that
God has anointed it.
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I believe that its
best days are ahead.
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And I think the evidence is that
the devil is always attacking.
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When the devil is
attacking, you know that you're
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doing something right.
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And he has never let up in
trying to do everything he can
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to dissuade people
from supporting 3ABN.
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But I beg you to
listen to the Holy Spirit
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as the Holy Spirit
guides you in your support
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of this ministry.
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This ministry only
survives with your support.
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Now I can tell you
this because I was here
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for almost eight
years as president.
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And it is a ministry of faith.
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There is not some organization
anywhere that's ready
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with a safety net to catch
it in case things don't work.
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God impresses upon you
to support this ministry.
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And I pray that you will
be generous in your support.
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I use to make a
statement sometimes that
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I thought was good.
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In fact, some of you
watch 3ABN and you tell me,
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"This is the ministry
that brings me my bread.
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I feed upon the
Word of God from 3ABN."
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Well let me tell you something.
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If you get your
groceries at Kroger's,
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you don't go down the street at
Walmart to pay for them, do you?
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So if you are getting
your nourishment spiritually
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from 3ABN, if the bread
of life is coming to you
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through these airways,
the television and radio,
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then I urge you to
support this ministry.
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No gift that you give is too
small, and none is too large,
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in order to keep this
ministry moving around the world
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and having power in
presenting the gospel
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of the Lord Jesus
Christ to a dying world.
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Today we're
looking at amazing grace.
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Grace, God's
grace, is truly amazing.
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And you know that
song, Amazing Grace,
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is one of our favorites.
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It's in our hymnal.
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And for years it was just back
there in the back of the hymnal,
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you might say, along
with, The Old Rugged Cross,
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and, What A
Friend We Have In Jesus,
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and all of those favorite hymns.
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There was a time, all of a
sudden, when it went public.
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It became a popular song.
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It happened in 1972.
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Judy Collins, a
singer, was doing an album.
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Actually, doing a single record.
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In those days, those of
you that weren't around then,
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they did a record, and
usually on the other side
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they had on the flip
side a song that was,
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well some people would
call it the throw away.
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Because it was just a song
they had to cover the backside.
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Judy Collins had done a
song that they were expecting
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was going to be a hit.
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And you know what?
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She really thought
this song was going to be.
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But she didn't have another
song to go on the other side.
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And the producer said to her,
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"I thought you
had a second song."
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She said, "I really don't."
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But said, "Listen, I had a song
that I use to sing in church.
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Let me sing that."
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And she sang, Amazing Grace.
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She sang it a cappella.
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Without accompaniment.
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Now today I can't tell you the
song that was on the other side,
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because, Amazing
Grace, sung a cappella,
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became a hit, a number
one hit, around this nation.
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Since that time, I looked it up
not long ago, and at that time
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3400 different music artists
that were listed on Amazon
00:10:41.40\00:10:47.98
had recorded that.
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Someone told me now
that it has gone past 5000
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different musicians who
have recorded that song.
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"Amazing grace,
how sweet the sound
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that saved a wretch like me;
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I once was lost
but now I'm found,
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was blind, but now I see."
00:11:09.33\00:11:12.90
That song, with a message
that reaches out to people.
00:11:13.70\00:11:18.97
This is a song that
was written by John Newton.
00:11:19.11\00:11:23.14
Now let me tell you a
little bit about John Newton.
00:11:23.38\00:11:25.71
John Newton was a man that
was born in about the 1700's
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in London.
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His father was a sea captain.
00:11:37.46\00:11:39.73
His mother was a
very spiritual person.
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In those days,
ninety-five plus percent
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of the population
were members of the
00:11:47.14\00:11:49.70
Church of England in England.
00:11:49.74\00:11:51.84
A very formal staid group.
00:11:52.14\00:11:54.54
There were others that had
moved out and were looking at
00:11:54.58\00:11:58.25
other possibilities of worship.
00:11:58.28\00:12:00.98
Some of the Wesley
brothers, and Whitfield,
00:12:01.02\00:12:03.89
and some of the others.
00:12:03.92\00:12:05.59
There was a little
chapel that met in London.
00:12:05.95\00:12:09.29
And John Newton's mother
was drawn to that chapel.
00:12:09.32\00:12:14.03
It was a very spiritual place,
and a very spiritual lady.
00:12:14.36\00:12:17.87
When John Newton was seven
years old, his mother died.
00:12:18.97\00:12:22.90
Now a lot of things
happened about that time.
00:12:23.91\00:12:26.54
His mother was a good
singer and a good musician.
00:12:27.01\00:12:30.91
People told John,
"Well, God just needed
00:12:31.21\00:12:34.35
another singer in His
choir," and things like that.
00:12:34.38\00:12:37.55
And it made John hate God.
00:12:37.59\00:12:39.85
You know, when you lie
about God, even if you're trying
00:12:40.32\00:12:44.39
to make people feel better,
it never works out for the best.
00:12:44.43\00:12:48.73
It's better to go with
the truth of God's Word.
00:12:48.76\00:12:51.60
And that story that, "Well,
God needed another singer,"
00:12:51.70\00:12:55.24
or, "God needed somebody
else," or, "God just needed her
00:12:55.27\00:12:58.91
and took her," has
caused many a child
00:12:58.94\00:13:02.28
to hate a God that
would take away their mother.
00:13:03.24\00:13:07.12
And so he began
early in life to hate God,
00:13:08.02\00:13:11.82
to despise Him,
00:13:12.39\00:13:13.86
because he was told that God
had taken his mother to heaven.
00:13:14.16\00:13:19.23
So John was put into a
reformatory school, so to speak.
00:13:19.83\00:13:25.47
It was a boarding school.
00:13:25.50\00:13:27.64
They were just about like
reform schools with tuition.
00:13:27.80\00:13:31.34
And he hated it.
00:13:32.11\00:13:34.44
His dad put him there because
his dad was going out to sea.
00:13:34.84\00:13:37.81
And then his father also had
remarried, and the stepmother
00:13:37.85\00:13:42.68
did not like John.
00:13:42.72\00:13:44.32
John ran away from school.
00:13:44.79\00:13:46.42
He got down to where his
father was on board ship,
00:13:46.45\00:13:49.72
and he joined his father.
00:13:49.76\00:13:51.09
And his father said,
"Well, you might as well
00:13:51.13\00:13:52.46
come on and go with me.
00:13:52.49\00:13:53.83
I don't have time
to take you back."
00:13:53.86\00:13:55.20
And so for the next few years
he traveled with his father
00:13:55.46\00:13:59.63
on the ship.
00:13:59.67\00:14:01.00
He learned a lot about shipping.
00:14:01.57\00:14:04.94
He learned by
working with the captain
00:14:05.44\00:14:07.91
how to be a captain.
00:14:08.18\00:14:09.61
And then he decided that
he wanted to be in the Navy.
00:14:10.55\00:14:13.62
So he joined the Navy.
00:14:14.02\00:14:16.38
He saw these fellows
in the Navy running around
00:14:16.42\00:14:19.09
in their nice
uniforms, so John thought,
00:14:19.12\00:14:22.06
"I want to be in the Navy."
00:14:22.09\00:14:23.43
But when he got in the Navy, he
realized that was not for him.
00:14:23.46\00:14:28.43
And you know what?
00:14:29.50\00:14:30.83
As soon as he
possibly could, he went AWOL.
00:14:31.23\00:14:34.77
He thought, "If I
could just get to my dad,
00:14:35.14\00:14:37.37
my dad has got a
lot of influence.
00:14:37.41\00:14:39.51
If I can get to my dad,
he'll get me out of all of this
00:14:39.61\00:14:42.58
and I can go back
into the merchant marines
00:14:42.61\00:14:44.78
and be back with my father."
00:14:44.81\00:14:46.45
But he was caught in the
meantime and put in jail.
00:14:46.48\00:14:49.92
He served out his
sentence there for going AWOL.
00:14:50.82\00:14:54.69
And finally did get
away and went with his father
00:14:54.72\00:14:58.56
back in the sea for a while.
00:14:59.23\00:15:01.80
And then he got a
place on a freighter.
00:15:02.53\00:15:07.74
A freighter that was
going down to Africa.
00:15:08.57\00:15:11.94
He met a friend
while he was on that trip.
00:15:12.51\00:15:16.28
And the friend said,
"Why don't you come on and
00:15:16.71\00:15:18.91
come to my house with me."
00:15:19.11\00:15:21.05
John said, "Well, I have no
other place to go," so he did.
00:15:21.65\00:15:25.92
But when he got to
the friend's house,
00:15:25.95\00:15:28.46
the friend's wife said, "Why
did you bring this fellow here?
00:15:28.49\00:15:31.83
I don't want him here."
00:15:32.36\00:15:33.70
And she did everything she
could to make life miserable
00:15:34.20\00:15:38.70
for John Newton.
00:15:38.73\00:15:40.24
She would not even
let him eat at the table.
00:15:40.87\00:15:44.71
And she only fed him
the scraps from the table.
00:15:45.57\00:15:48.74
When the family was through
eating she would dump all the
00:15:48.78\00:15:51.58
scraps on one
plate and give it to him.
00:15:51.61\00:15:54.42
And he said, "You know,
this reminds me of a story
00:15:54.45\00:15:57.89
my mother use to tell
about a prodigal son."
00:15:57.92\00:16:00.86
And so he was just happy when
he finally got away from there.
00:16:01.99\00:16:06.76
He got aboard, got
another job on another ship.
00:16:07.33\00:16:10.17
He understood shipping.
00:16:10.20\00:16:11.67
And he became the captain's
helper on a slave ship.
00:16:12.10\00:16:16.77
And one night
they were in a storm.
00:16:17.47\00:16:20.91
He was manning a position
when the captain came along
00:16:21.34\00:16:24.51
to him and said, "John, go
downstairs and get me a knife.
00:16:24.55\00:16:27.82
I need a knife, I
need to cut a rope here."
00:16:27.85\00:16:29.95
And John ran
down and got a knife.
00:16:30.65\00:16:32.35
Another man stood in his place.
00:16:32.39\00:16:34.42
And while John was
downstairs getting that knife,
00:16:34.62\00:16:37.89
a giant wave
came over that ship.
00:16:37.93\00:16:41.36
And the man who
had taken his place
00:16:42.36\00:16:45.80
was washed overboard, lost.
00:16:46.33\00:16:49.87
He died.
00:16:50.84\00:16:52.17
When John came back, he realized
that wave would have taken him
00:16:52.97\00:16:58.11
had the captain not
asked him to go down.
00:16:58.91\00:17:02.48
And he just felt like
God had spared his life.
00:17:03.32\00:17:06.65
But he didn't know why.
00:17:07.16\00:17:08.49
He went into the captains
room after the storm was over.
00:17:08.52\00:17:11.59
They had some time, and
he got the captain's Bible.
00:17:11.69\00:17:15.33
And he started to read.
00:17:16.56\00:17:18.93
The chapter that he went to
was Romans the third chapter.
00:17:19.83\00:17:23.87
Now John Newton knew
that he was a sinner.
00:17:24.37\00:17:26.57
In fact, he said, "I
did everything that I could
00:17:26.61\00:17:30.01
to pollute anybody around me.
00:17:30.05\00:17:33.88
To destroy their faith,
to destroy their morals.
00:17:34.38\00:17:37.75
To destroy them in
every way," he said.
00:17:37.79\00:17:40.46
"I did everything that I could."
00:17:40.49\00:17:42.32
But the Holy Spirit
was still working on John.
00:17:43.99\00:17:49.73
And He led him to the
passage that Pastor C.A. read.
00:17:50.57\00:17:55.60
Romans the third chapter.
00:17:56.04\00:17:58.07
What a chapter this was.
00:17:58.54\00:18:01.48
It says, "Now the
righteousness of God
00:18:02.18\00:18:05.95
apart from the law is
revealed, being witnessed by the
00:18:06.41\00:18:10.19
Law and the Prophets,
00:18:10.22\00:18:12.12
even the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ,
00:18:12.15\00:18:16.93
to all and on all who believe.
00:18:17.13\00:18:20.00
For there is no difference;
00:18:20.03\00:18:21.73
for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God,
00:18:21.83\00:18:29.50
being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption
00:18:29.54\00:18:33.71
that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth
00:18:33.74\00:18:37.01
as a propitiation by
His blood, through faith,
00:18:37.05\00:18:41.32
to demonstrate
His righteousness..."
00:18:41.35\00:18:46.25
And he knew at that moment that
the great God of the universe
00:18:46.92\00:18:52.79
loved even him.
00:18:53.29\00:18:55.60
And he made his
commitment to Jesus Christ.
00:18:56.56\00:19:00.84
Now, you know, it
was a real growth period
00:19:01.24\00:19:05.17
that took place in his life.
00:19:05.21\00:19:06.78
For a while he even
remained in the slave trade.
00:19:07.11\00:19:12.45
He remained even as a
captain of a slave ship.
00:19:12.48\00:19:15.58
He did not somehow see
the difference that you and I
00:19:15.82\00:19:20.42
would see, because of
the morality of the age.
00:19:20.46\00:19:24.16
Later on, after he was married,
he suddenly began to have
00:19:24.73\00:19:31.67
seizures and fits.
00:19:31.77\00:19:34.27
And he was no
longer able to go to sea.
00:19:35.07\00:19:38.17
He came home from the sea.
00:19:39.24\00:19:41.41
He began to study.
00:19:41.78\00:19:43.45
It was amazing.
00:19:43.85\00:19:45.18
He began to study
biblical languages.
00:19:45.21\00:19:47.02
He studied Greek and
Hebrew, and he became a pastor
00:19:47.05\00:19:51.72
in a little town named, Olney.
00:19:52.39\00:19:55.62
He was a part of a group
there that was so spiritual.
00:19:56.49\00:20:03.13
And it grew so tremendously
that he was then invited
00:20:03.67\00:20:08.27
to go to London.
00:20:08.74\00:20:10.07
This was after
sixteen years at Olney.
00:20:10.11\00:20:12.37
He went to
London, he was a grown man
00:20:12.67\00:20:14.44
before he became a
minister, and he went to
00:20:14.48\00:20:16.64
London as the pastor.
00:20:16.68\00:20:18.88
He was still bothered by all
those journeys that he had made
00:20:19.28\00:20:24.92
on those slave ships.
00:20:24.95\00:20:26.55
And he would think
about it from time to time.
00:20:27.56\00:20:30.86
A young man started
coming to his church.
00:20:31.66\00:20:34.03
A young man by the
name of William Wilberforce.
00:20:34.40\00:20:38.50
And Wilberforce had
the same conviction,
00:20:39.20\00:20:43.20
and he talked to him.
00:20:43.24\00:20:44.87
He said to William Wilberforce,
he said, "You cannot imagine
00:20:45.04\00:20:49.58
how many of those slaves
died in the hold of my ship."
00:20:49.61\00:20:53.42
And he said, "I still wake up
in the night thinking what I did
00:20:54.38\00:21:00.56
was wrong."
00:21:01.62\00:21:02.96
And he said, "William, I
believe that slavery is wrong."
00:21:03.53\00:21:08.60
Wilberforce became a real
strong person in the movement
00:21:09.03\00:21:15.90
against slavery in England.
00:21:16.10\00:21:18.31
And he is
credited with being the one
00:21:18.34\00:21:21.74
that brought about the
change of the law so that
00:21:21.78\00:21:25.31
slavery became illegal
in England twenty years
00:21:25.41\00:21:31.52
before it became illegal in
the United States of America.
00:21:31.55\00:21:36.49
And the influence
was from John Newton
00:21:37.26\00:21:41.30
through William Wilberforce.
00:21:41.76\00:21:44.83
Now when you look
at this Scripture,
00:21:44.87\00:21:46.97
you realize that this is a
Scripture that is so amazing.
00:21:48.00\00:21:53.17
In just an hour that
we have here together,
00:21:53.78\00:21:56.14
there is no way that I can
take this whole Scripture apart.
00:21:56.31\00:22:00.25
I can look at some
of the parts of it,
00:22:00.45\00:22:02.95
but you need to
study it yourself.
00:22:02.98\00:22:05.69
You need to look at
Romans the third chapter
00:22:05.85\00:22:08.19
because this is the chapter that
changed the life of Augustine.
00:22:08.22\00:22:14.36
This is the chapter that changed
the life of Martin Luther.
00:22:14.83\00:22:19.53
This is the chapter that
changed the life of John Wesley.
00:22:20.30\00:22:25.21
If you can just stop
and think for a moment
00:22:25.87\00:22:29.54
how many people have
been influenced by this.
00:22:30.41\00:22:34.15
It is the chapter that
changed John Newton's life.
00:22:34.18\00:22:37.95
It is the chapter that
changed Spurgeon's life.
00:22:37.99\00:22:41.66
And when I was
struggling as a young man
00:22:42.92\00:22:46.83
to find the truth of
righteousness by faith,
00:22:47.60\00:22:52.43
it was this chapter
that more than any other
00:22:53.17\00:22:58.51
impacted my life.
00:22:59.14\00:23:01.84
And my friend, I
will tell you this.
00:23:02.18\00:23:04.61
It will impact your life.
00:23:04.71\00:23:09.12
You see, the Bible tells us
that the gospel of Jesus Christ
00:23:09.58\00:23:14.16
changes us.
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.02
If you go back to the verse
just before that, verse 20,
00:23:16.06\00:23:19.79
it says, "Therefore by the
deeds of the law shall no flesh
00:23:19.83\00:23:25.07
be justified in His
sight, for by the law
00:23:25.10\00:23:29.44
is the knowledge of sin."
00:23:29.47\00:23:31.54
You see, the law was never
made to save you or to save me.
00:23:32.24\00:23:37.55
The law is made to
tell me what sin is.
00:23:38.28\00:23:41.75
Now sometimes we get the
idea, "Well, if I just don't
00:23:42.72\00:23:45.29
steal, kill, commit adultery,
if I don't break the Sabbath,
00:23:45.32\00:23:49.36
then I'm keeping the law."
00:23:49.39\00:23:50.96
But in Matthew 5,
Jesus expands that
00:23:51.26\00:23:55.63
and He lets us know
that, wait a minute,
00:23:55.66\00:23:58.10
it's not just because
you don't kill somebody.
00:23:59.10\00:24:02.10
You can't even hate them.
00:24:03.04\00:24:05.41
And if you actually study
the depth of the Scripture
00:24:06.51\00:24:10.25
that Jesus is
talking about in Matthew 5,
00:24:10.28\00:24:13.45
it goes even beyond that.
00:24:13.48\00:24:15.25
If you actually look
at the words in the Greek
00:24:15.28\00:24:18.22
and in the Aramaic, you
will see that it means, not only
00:24:18.25\00:24:22.66
if you don't kill them,
if you think all of them
00:24:23.49\00:24:28.10
or if you assassinate
their character through gossip,
00:24:28.13\00:24:33.40
it's just like killing them.
00:24:34.94\00:24:36.74
It's amazing how we
just, at the drop of a hat,
00:24:38.04\00:24:42.91
will gossip about
somebody, steal their character,
00:24:43.35\00:24:47.48
kill their reputation.
00:24:47.88\00:24:50.05
And we think that
we are holy and just.
00:24:50.29\00:24:54.66
And God says, "No,
you are a murderer.
00:24:54.92\00:24:58.16
You are a murderer."
00:24:58.99\00:25:00.53
He talks about adultery.
00:25:01.90\00:25:03.60
He said, not just
abstaining from adultery.
00:25:04.33\00:25:08.90
No, it's even the very
thought, the impure thought.
00:25:08.94\00:25:13.14
You cannot lie, steal.
00:25:14.58\00:25:16.85
All of these
things the Bible says.
00:25:17.05\00:25:19.05
And we do it in some ways.
00:25:19.08\00:25:22.18
You know, somebody
says, "But wait a minute.
00:25:22.22\00:25:24.29
There are different
variations of the law."
00:25:25.22\00:25:26.99
Yes there is.
00:25:27.02\00:25:28.36
There's the difference
between murder and jaywalking.
00:25:28.39\00:25:30.79
But both are breaking the law.
00:25:31.76\00:25:33.36
And when it comes to the
Bible and to the law of God,
00:25:34.53\00:25:39.03
if you are not
absolutely one thousand percent
00:25:39.07\00:25:43.91
perfect, then you need a Savior.
00:25:43.94\00:25:46.34
And there's not one single
one of us who does not need
00:25:47.14\00:25:52.28
to be covered by
the blood of Jesus.
00:25:52.31\00:25:55.72
There is only one that ever was
one thousand percent perfect.
00:25:56.12\00:26:03.09
And that is our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
00:26:03.12\00:26:07.73
And so He must die in
our stead, in our place.
00:26:08.36\00:26:13.47
He is the propitiation.
00:26:13.77\00:26:16.10
He is the one that
stands in our place.
00:26:16.14\00:26:19.71
He is the one
who died on the cross
00:26:19.91\00:26:24.21
that we might have life eternal.
00:26:24.61\00:26:27.05
And He changes lives.
00:26:27.48\00:26:30.55
"...being justified
freely by His grace..."
00:26:30.59\00:26:33.96
It says in verse 31, "Do we then
make void the law through faith?
00:26:34.22\00:26:38.83
Certainly not!
00:26:38.86\00:26:40.40
On the contrary,
we establish the law."
00:26:40.43\00:26:44.40
You know, we have a lot
of failures in our lives.
00:26:45.30\00:26:47.30
We fail, but God
says, "Don't give up.
00:26:47.34\00:26:50.71
Because remember, you are
not the one that's saving you."
00:26:50.74\00:26:54.61
That's what we'd
really like to do.
00:26:55.61\00:26:57.38
Every single one of us
would like to save ourselves.
00:26:57.41\00:27:00.65
That's what we would like to do.
00:27:01.62\00:27:03.42
In fact, there have
been some that have said
00:27:04.09\00:27:06.09
that the sin that so easily
besets us is the sin of trying
00:27:06.12\00:27:12.03
to save ourselves.
00:27:12.06\00:27:13.90
Because we fall
back in to legalism,
00:27:14.80\00:27:18.93
to depending upon ourselves,
00:27:19.53\00:27:21.64
rather than
depending upon the Lord.
00:27:22.04\00:27:24.37
When we fall, we
need to get back up.
00:27:25.11\00:27:28.78
We need to learn
from our failures.
00:27:28.81\00:27:30.68
I was just reading the
other day about Michael Jordan,
00:27:30.71\00:27:34.22
the great basketball player.
00:27:34.25\00:27:35.98
He said that in his career,
he missed over 9000 shots.
00:27:36.38\00:27:43.59
He lost over 300 games.
00:27:44.56\00:27:48.00
And he said, 26 times
the ball was thrown to him
00:27:49.13\00:27:54.87
where if he had
made that final shot
00:27:55.20\00:27:58.24
they would have won the game.
00:27:58.34\00:27:59.94
And 26 times he
failed to make that shot.
00:28:00.04\00:28:05.08
He talks about those failures.
00:28:06.88\00:28:09.18
But then he says, "The failures
were the secret to my success."
00:28:09.52\00:28:15.19
Somebody says, "How?"
00:28:15.22\00:28:16.56
Because he said, "I learned
to humbly work at practicing
00:28:16.73\00:28:22.70
and being better."
00:28:22.73\00:28:24.07
When we fail, we need to
know that it's because we're
00:28:24.73\00:28:27.97
depending on ourselves.
00:28:28.00\00:28:29.50
We're depending on ourselves
rather than depending on
00:28:30.04\00:28:33.34
our Savior, Jesus Christ.
00:28:33.38\00:28:35.48
Because He is the one
that gives us the power.
00:28:35.51\00:28:40.12
He is the one that
gives us the strength.
00:28:40.22\00:28:43.18
He is the one that
will change our lives.
00:28:43.69\00:28:47.69
You know, one of the
most wonderful things that
00:28:48.16\00:28:50.39
I've had the
privilege of, over the years,
00:28:50.49\00:28:53.93
is doing evangelism
and seeing lives changed.
00:28:53.96\00:28:57.43
I remember one night there was
a man in Dnipropetrovsk Ukraine.
00:28:58.27\00:29:05.51
We were staying at a hotel.
00:29:06.71\00:29:08.58
And this hotel was,
I think that we were
00:29:09.38\00:29:13.15
paying three dollars a day.
00:29:13.18\00:29:14.58
And my friend, that tells
you the condition of that place.
00:29:14.62\00:29:18.79
But it was a rough place.
00:29:19.35\00:29:21.46
The only place that we
could afford to stay in town.
00:29:21.49\00:29:25.09
But we were staying there.
00:29:25.13\00:29:26.59
And so, every night
when I would go to the hotel,
00:29:27.06\00:29:30.90
several of our pastors
would go along with me.
00:29:31.50\00:29:34.20
Now these pastors had
all been in the service.
00:29:34.24\00:29:38.04
And in Russia, they were
not allowed to be in the medics
00:29:38.31\00:29:42.28
or something like that.
00:29:42.31\00:29:43.65
They had to be
in the armed forces.
00:29:43.68\00:29:46.11
And I will tell you something.
00:29:46.48\00:29:48.38
These men, I would
have walked down any alley
00:29:48.68\00:29:52.82
in the world with them.
00:29:52.85\00:29:54.59
Because they could have
protected me no matter what.
00:29:54.69\00:29:57.63
And they would go, four or five
of them, right along with me.
00:29:57.66\00:30:01.56
And I knew that I was
not going to be rolled,
00:30:01.60\00:30:05.23
I was not going to
be knocked in the head.
00:30:05.43\00:30:07.67
Nobody was going to harm me.
00:30:07.90\00:30:09.47
And there were those
from some organizations even
00:30:09.50\00:30:13.11
there in Ukraine and
Russia that would have done
00:30:13.14\00:30:17.25
whatever they could to
bring physical harm to you.
00:30:17.35\00:30:20.12
We have had a
number of situations where
00:30:20.15\00:30:22.95
we saw that the
potential was there.
00:30:23.15\00:30:26.76
Anyway, this night
we got out of the car,
00:30:27.52\00:30:29.92
and all of a sudden a
man came out of the dark.
00:30:29.96\00:30:32.66
And I tell you,
those fellows were ready to
00:30:33.43\00:30:35.86
lay hands upon him.
00:30:37.43\00:30:38.97
And they wouldn't have been
spiritual hands, I'm afraid.
00:30:39.00\00:30:41.60
And I said, "No, no,
no, wait. I recognize him.
00:30:42.24\00:30:44.67
He's coming to the meeting."
00:30:44.71\00:30:46.04
And he came, and
through a translator
00:30:46.98\00:30:49.28
he told me, he said, "I
have given myself to Satan."
00:30:50.21\00:30:54.82
He raised his shirt, and
there was a satanic tattoo
00:30:55.38\00:31:01.69
on his midsection.
00:31:01.72\00:31:03.32
He said, "But I want
to give myself to Jesus."
00:31:03.96\00:31:06.80
I laid my hand on him.
00:31:07.90\00:31:09.23
Now let me tell
you, this fellow,
00:31:09.26\00:31:10.60
you could smell
the alcohol on him.
00:31:10.97\00:31:12.93
He reeked of alcohol.
00:31:12.97\00:31:15.34
He smelled so
strongly of tobacco
00:31:15.54\00:31:18.74
that it was one of those kind
of individuals that you knew
00:31:18.77\00:31:22.61
smoked so much,
used tobacco so heavily,
00:31:22.88\00:31:25.91
that it almost
came out his pores.
00:31:25.95\00:31:28.58
And you could just smell it.
00:31:29.38\00:31:31.19
I put my hand on that tattoo
and I prayed that God would
00:31:31.92\00:31:36.16
release him, that God
would honor his desire
00:31:36.19\00:31:39.43
that he wanted to
give his life to Jesus.
00:31:39.46\00:31:41.73
And I prayed that
Jesus would take him.
00:31:41.76\00:31:45.17
And I prayed, and
I'm praying verbally
00:31:45.47\00:31:48.47
and I'm praying
silently at the same time.
00:31:48.50\00:31:50.97
And I'm saying, "Lord,
You must do this for him.
00:31:51.01\00:31:54.54
There is no way that he can
throw off all of these things
00:31:54.58\00:31:59.38
that have hold of him.
00:31:59.41\00:32:00.92
You must perform a
miracle in his life.
00:32:01.02\00:32:05.15
Take away the
tobacco from him, Lord.
00:32:05.35\00:32:07.86
Take away this alcohol.
00:32:07.89\00:32:09.79
Any drugs that he might us.
00:32:09.82\00:32:11.63
Lord, take it away from him.
00:32:11.66\00:32:13.60
Because You're the
only one that could."
00:32:14.13\00:32:16.36
And when I finished praying,
and he went off into the night,
00:32:17.70\00:32:22.50
I thought, "Oh Lord,
there's no way unless You do it
00:32:23.54\00:32:28.41
that there can be a
change in his life."
00:32:28.84\00:32:31.08
But you see, my friend,
when God says that He will
00:32:31.18\00:32:34.88
do things for us, He will do it.
00:32:35.15\00:32:38.35
And the righteousness
of God can come through
00:32:38.69\00:32:42.09
the power of the Spirit.
00:32:42.12\00:32:43.69
All have sinned and come forth.
00:32:43.73\00:32:45.69
But the blood of Jesus
cleanses us from all sin,
00:32:45.79\00:32:51.53
the Bible tells us.
00:32:51.57\00:32:52.90
And so this man, I
kept waiting and praying.
00:32:54.20\00:32:59.94
Night by night I would preach
and I would see him there.
00:33:00.38\00:33:03.45
And then we gave the call
to give their life to Jesus.
00:33:04.05\00:33:08.68
He was one of the first.
00:33:09.28\00:33:10.72
He didn't walk down the
aisle, he ran down the aisle
00:33:10.75\00:33:14.46
to the front.
00:33:15.59\00:33:16.93
And he gave his life to Jesus.
00:33:17.56\00:33:20.13
He was a seaman, by the way.
00:33:21.03\00:33:23.06
And later on
after he was baptized
00:33:23.90\00:33:29.57
I would go back to the area.
00:33:29.87\00:33:31.37
I went back over the
years many, many times.
00:33:31.41\00:33:35.51
Each time I would go
back, I might even be in a
00:33:36.01\00:33:38.31
different city, but I
would sometimes see him
00:33:38.35\00:33:41.22
in the audience.
00:33:41.25\00:33:42.68
Sometimes I didn't,
and I would ask people,
00:33:43.18\00:33:45.59
"What about the
man..." and I'd describe him.
00:33:45.62\00:33:48.72
"Oh," they'd say,
"he's faithful to church.
00:33:49.12\00:33:51.66
He comes always, but
he's a seaman and right now
00:33:51.96\00:33:56.00
he's probably out to sea.
00:33:56.03\00:33:57.93
But when he gets
back, he'll be at church."
00:33:58.50\00:34:00.74
I remember the
last time I saw him.
00:34:01.00\00:34:03.04
He was in the balcony.
00:34:04.01\00:34:05.67
The place was totally packed.
00:34:06.44\00:34:08.51
Every seat in that great
giant auditorium was full.
00:34:08.54\00:34:12.61
People were standing down the
aisles, standing in the front.
00:34:12.81\00:34:16.45
We had people behind
us that were standing.
00:34:16.55\00:34:20.26
And the balcony was full.
00:34:20.46\00:34:22.59
But I looked and I saw him.
00:34:22.62\00:34:24.33
One of the advantages of
preaching with a translator
00:34:24.56\00:34:27.76
is that while the translator
is doing the translation,
00:34:27.80\00:34:31.37
sometimes you can
think a little bit.
00:34:31.50\00:34:33.57
You might even
study a little bit or
00:34:33.60\00:34:35.67
you can look
around at the audience.
00:34:35.70\00:34:37.41
And so I looked up at
him and I pointed to him.
00:34:37.51\00:34:41.54
And he knew I was pointing.
00:34:42.24\00:34:43.85
And he jumped up and he
raised his hands above his head,
00:34:43.88\00:34:48.45
and he did like this...
00:34:48.88\00:34:50.72
And I knew that what he
was saying, "Jesus is still
00:34:51.09\00:34:58.26
giving the victory in me."
00:34:58.49\00:35:02.26
And I praise God.
00:35:02.86\00:35:04.20
You see, this is what
preaching is all about.
00:35:04.23\00:35:07.40
You see these
lives that are changed.
00:35:07.44\00:35:09.50
You see things
that are happening.
00:35:09.54\00:35:11.61
And it's only by
the grace of God.
00:35:11.64\00:35:14.04
When I was a very
young evangelist starting out
00:35:15.14\00:35:17.18
in New England, there was
a great deal of opposition
00:35:17.21\00:35:20.22
to our meetings.
00:35:20.25\00:35:21.58
And I remember that the college
president who was backing up
00:35:22.28\00:35:29.49
his Bible department
chairman, they spoke out against
00:35:29.52\00:35:37.50
public evangelism.
00:35:37.53\00:35:39.13
In fact, I had to meet
with the conference president,
00:35:39.37\00:35:42.74
and the college president, and
the head of the Bible department
00:35:42.77\00:35:45.87
to defend
holding public meetings.
00:35:45.91\00:35:49.74
They kept saying, "The
day of evangelism is over."
00:35:50.45\00:35:54.52
And they resented, somehow,
that any amount of funds were
00:35:55.28\00:35:59.72
being spent by the conference
for public evangelism.
00:35:59.75\00:36:02.92
They wanted it all put
in the educational area.
00:36:02.96\00:36:07.06
And I remember visiting
with them, and how discouraged
00:36:08.26\00:36:14.24
I was when I left there.
00:36:14.27\00:36:17.01
I went down to the
little town in Massachusetts
00:36:17.77\00:36:21.18
right along the
Connecticut border,
00:36:21.61\00:36:23.55
and I held an
evangelistic meeting.
00:36:25.05\00:36:27.25
And there was a
couple coming to the meeting.
00:36:29.05\00:36:31.49
The lady was the sister
of that college president.
00:36:32.79\00:36:39.03
She'd been out of the
church for over forty years.
00:36:39.63\00:36:42.73
She was married to
a man who had never
00:36:43.63\00:36:45.57
been a member of the church.
00:36:45.60\00:36:47.20
But night by night they came,
and I would go and visit them
00:36:47.84\00:36:51.84
at their work.
00:36:51.87\00:36:53.21
Because they worked at a very
well known establishment there.
00:36:53.74\00:37:00.68
And I would go and
get permission, and go in
00:37:01.05\00:37:03.42
and actually
talk to them at work.
00:37:03.45\00:37:05.45
Because I couldn't see
them during the day at any other
00:37:05.49\00:37:08.22
place, and at night they
were coming to our meetings.
00:37:08.26\00:37:11.36
Visit with them,
have prayer with them.
00:37:12.09\00:37:14.16
Finally the night came we were
giving the call for surrender.
00:37:15.46\00:37:19.43
I was hoping and praying
that they would come forward.
00:37:20.20\00:37:24.07
I remember that as it got
down towards the end of the call
00:37:24.87\00:37:28.64
all of those had come
forward except this couple
00:37:29.31\00:37:34.35
that I had kind of
expected would come.
00:37:34.38\00:37:36.79
And so I thought, "Well, I'm
going to slip off my microphone
00:37:38.25\00:37:42.29
and I'm going to go back
and I'm going to talk to them.
00:37:42.96\00:37:45.79
They were
sitting on the back row.
00:37:45.83\00:37:47.36
And I got around
behind them and I said to her,
00:37:47.46\00:37:50.63
"You know, I've been praying
00:37:50.67\00:37:52.37
that you would make
your decision for Jesus.
00:37:52.77\00:37:57.41
That you would
come back to the church.
00:37:58.24\00:38:00.78
Don't you want
to do that tonight?"
00:38:01.14\00:38:02.91
She shook her head no.
00:38:03.11\00:38:04.85
And I was just so disappointed.
00:38:05.98\00:38:09.25
I walked back towards the front.
00:38:10.12\00:38:11.92
On the way down, the
Holy Spirit spoke to me,
00:38:11.95\00:38:14.49
not audibly, but in
such a strong impression
00:38:14.52\00:38:18.06
that there was nothing
that I could do except follow.
00:38:18.56\00:38:22.36
"You didn't ask him."
00:38:23.83\00:38:25.30
"Well, but she's the
one that knows the message.
00:38:26.50\00:38:29.77
And if she's not going to
come, he's not going to..."
00:38:30.37\00:38:33.04
"You didn't ask him."
00:38:33.07\00:38:34.74
Boy, the Holy Spirit can...
00:38:35.54\00:38:37.15
I turned around right
in the middle of the aisle
00:38:37.65\00:38:40.52
and I walked
back, and I said to him,
00:38:40.55\00:38:43.28
"You know, I've been
praying that you would
00:38:43.32\00:38:45.75
make that decision too.
00:38:45.79\00:38:47.56
Would you want
to do that tonight?"
00:38:47.99\00:38:49.32
He said, "Yes, I do."
00:38:49.36\00:38:50.79
And she looked at him
and she said, "You do?"
00:38:51.59\00:38:54.46
He said, "Yes I do.
I've been waiting for you."
00:38:54.96\00:38:58.53
And she said, "And
I've been waiting for you."
00:38:58.57\00:39:01.24
And they stood up and
they hugged each other.
00:39:01.87\00:39:04.91
And they came forward.
00:39:05.44\00:39:06.98
And you know something?
00:39:08.21\00:39:09.54
The next week we asked the
college president if he would
00:39:11.05\00:39:15.62
come down and baptize his sister
00:39:15.65\00:39:18.55
and his favorite son-in-law...
00:39:19.05\00:39:21.09
Brother-in law. Excuse me.
00:39:21.59\00:39:23.12
...favorite brother-in-law, if
he would baptize both of them.
00:39:23.32\00:39:28.03
And he did.
00:39:28.06\00:39:29.40
You know something?
00:39:30.00\00:39:31.33
Every time I would see
him, he would grab my hand.
00:39:31.37\00:39:33.67
He never told me,
"You know, evangelism
00:39:33.70\00:39:35.70
still is working, isn't it."
00:39:35.74\00:39:38.74
Never said that.
00:39:38.77\00:39:40.11
But he was on the
conference committee.
00:39:40.71\00:39:42.41
And different conference
committee people would tell me,
00:39:42.44\00:39:44.75
"I don't know what you
did with doctor so and so,
00:39:45.15\00:39:47.32
but he is the best
support that you have
00:39:47.35\00:39:51.65
on the conference committee.
00:39:51.95\00:39:53.62
Whenever you put a
request for a budget in,
00:39:54.09\00:39:58.26
you know
something, he will answer it.
00:39:58.29\00:40:01.40
He will say,
'Let's support that man.
00:40:01.43\00:40:04.93
Let's give him what he needs.'
00:40:04.97\00:40:06.63
He speaks up for your budgets.
00:40:06.67\00:40:09.00
And he makes the motion."
00:40:09.37\00:40:10.97
You see, when
evangelism touches the heart,
00:40:12.24\00:40:16.91
touches the family, touches
the immediate needs of those
00:40:17.25\00:40:22.92
that are around us,
then all of a sudden
00:40:22.95\00:40:27.59
it still works, doesn't it?
00:40:28.26\00:40:30.03
The grace of God out there, the
grace of God being presented.
00:40:30.29\00:40:37.47
The grace of God is
the one who comes and gives
00:40:37.63\00:40:44.67
to each one of us.
00:40:44.71\00:40:46.44
The Bible says
that it is by faith.
00:40:46.78\00:40:50.91
It is accepted by faith.
00:40:51.15\00:40:52.95
If you look at all the
times in this chapter here,
00:40:52.98\00:40:56.95
verse 21 forward, it says,
"by the Law and the Prophets,"
00:40:56.99\00:41:03.73
it is accepted by faith,
"even the righteousness of God,
00:41:03.99\00:41:08.36
through faith in Jesus Christ,
to all and on all who believe.
00:41:08.40\00:41:13.97
For there is no difference..."
00:41:14.00\00:41:15.80
In other words,
in Jew or Gentile.
00:41:16.10\00:41:18.11
"...for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God,
00:41:18.14\00:41:21.71
being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption
00:41:21.74\00:41:26.05
that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth
00:41:26.08\00:41:30.62
as a propitiation by
His blood, through faith,
00:41:30.65\00:41:35.26
to demonstrate
His righteousness,
00:41:35.29\00:41:37.46
because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins
00:41:37.56\00:41:42.23
that were previously committed,
00:41:42.26\00:41:44.20
to demonstrate at the
present time His righteousness,
00:41:44.23\00:41:48.97
that He might be just
and the justifier of the one
00:41:49.00\00:41:53.74
who has faith in Jesus."
00:41:53.78\00:41:57.45
And then it says,
"Where is boasting then?
00:41:57.48\00:42:00.12
It is excluded. By
what law? Of works?
00:42:00.45\00:42:04.42
No, but by the law of faith.
00:42:04.82\00:42:08.62
And therefore we
conclude that a man is justified
00:42:09.06\00:42:12.39
by faith apart from
the deeds of the law.
00:42:12.43\00:42:15.93
Or is He the God
of the Jews only?
00:42:15.96\00:42:19.10
Is He not also the
God of the Gentiles?
00:42:19.13\00:42:21.84
Yes, of the Gentiles
also, since there is one God
00:42:21.87\00:42:26.51
who will justify
the circumcised by faith
00:42:26.54\00:42:30.61
and the
uncircumcised through faith.
00:42:30.75\00:42:33.98
Do we then make void
the law through faith?
00:42:34.02\00:42:36.82
Certainly not!
00:42:36.85\00:42:38.19
On the contrary,
we establish the law."
00:42:38.29\00:42:42.02
Then he goes down to
Abraham, and it says,
00:42:42.06\00:42:44.13
"What then shall we
say that Abraham our father
00:42:44.16\00:42:47.13
was found
according to the flesh?
00:42:47.16\00:42:49.76
For if Abraham was
justified by works,
00:42:49.80\00:42:52.73
he has something to boast
about, but not before God.
00:42:52.77\00:42:57.37
For what does the Scripture say?
00:42:57.47\00:42:59.61
'Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him
00:42:59.64\00:43:04.08
for righteousness.'"
00:43:04.28\00:43:06.15
My friend, faith, trust, and
belief in the Lord Jesus Christ;
00:43:06.51\00:43:13.99
that is the thing
that changes lives.
00:43:14.62\00:43:19.39
It gets us ready for heaven.
00:43:20.26\00:43:23.70
Saved by grace.
00:43:24.10\00:43:26.70
Saved by faith.
00:43:26.80\00:43:29.10
Saved by the blood of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
00:43:29.54\00:43:36.34
He is the one.
00:43:36.58\00:43:37.91
He is the one.
00:43:38.31\00:43:39.75
The only way
that we will be saved.
00:43:40.25\00:43:45.35
There's another man that
lived about that same time.
00:43:45.82\00:43:50.53
His name was William Cowper.
00:43:51.76\00:43:54.30
You'll find his
name in our hymnal.
00:43:54.90\00:44:02.07
It's C-o-w-p-e-r.
00:44:02.40\00:44:04.17
And some people want
to pronounce it Cow-per,
00:44:04.21\00:44:05.94
but it's pronounced "Cooper."
00:44:05.97\00:44:07.48
And William Cowper had
a life that was very close
00:44:08.44\00:44:14.88
in many respects
to John Newton's.
00:44:15.58\00:44:18.72
When his mother died,
he was very young himself.
00:44:19.59\00:44:24.89
His father remarried.
00:44:25.76\00:44:27.96
His stepmother did
not want him to be around.
00:44:28.36\00:44:33.20
She was against him
being in the family at all.
00:44:33.87\00:44:39.01
So his father sent him off to
one of these boarding schools.
00:44:39.47\00:44:43.31
His father was an attorney.
00:44:43.51\00:44:45.55
And he wanted his
son to be an attorney.
00:44:46.11\00:44:48.42
And when the boy
finished the boarding school,
00:44:48.95\00:44:51.15
he sent him to a school where he
would learn to be an attorney.
00:44:51.19\00:44:56.83
But he had a nervous breakdown
while he was at that school.
00:44:58.06\00:45:03.77
It was so severe that they
had to institutionalize him.
00:45:04.47\00:45:10.51
It looked like he
would never, ever come away
00:45:11.34\00:45:17.38
from that particular place.
00:45:17.75\00:45:20.05
But he did.
00:45:20.55\00:45:21.88
He finally did.
00:45:22.75\00:45:24.29
Because someone
brought him the gospel.
00:45:25.52\00:45:28.12
There was a man there by
the name of Nathaniel Cotton.
00:45:28.76\00:45:31.33
He was a doctor.
00:45:31.36\00:45:32.69
And he began to
read this chapter
00:45:33.09\00:45:36.50
of Romans the
third chapter to him.
00:45:36.60\00:45:40.40
And he also began to
read to him some other text.
00:45:40.50\00:45:44.51
You see, there are
two ways to salvation.
00:45:45.54\00:45:49.44
One is through
divine accomplishment,
00:45:49.54\00:45:52.15
the other is
through human endeavor.
00:45:52.35\00:45:54.52
But the only one that
works is divine accomplishment.
00:45:54.95\00:45:58.49
Depending upon Jesus.
00:45:59.35\00:46:01.09
Human endeavor always fails.
00:46:01.12\00:46:04.59
And so Nathaniel
Cotton shared some other text.
00:46:05.09\00:46:09.36
He shared this one,
it says in Romans 4:5,
00:46:09.93\00:46:14.34
"But to him who does
not work but believes on Him
00:46:14.37\00:46:17.87
who justifies the ungodly,
00:46:18.27\00:46:21.18
his faith is
accounted for righteousness..."
00:46:21.34\00:46:26.25
"...his faith is accounted..."
00:46:26.88\00:46:29.05
Again, in Ephesians 2:8-9,
"For by grace you have been
00:46:29.62\00:46:34.59
saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves;
00:46:34.62\00:46:37.73
it is the gift of
God, not of works,
00:46:37.76\00:46:40.36
lest anyone should boast."
00:46:40.56\00:46:42.20
Can you imagine if we
could earn our way to heaven
00:46:42.23\00:46:46.84
the boasting
that would take place?
00:46:47.97\00:46:50.61
Well I can just see some
people standing there saying,
00:46:51.34\00:46:54.11
"Well now look at this mansion.
00:46:54.14\00:46:56.11
I deserve this.
00:46:56.44\00:46:57.78
I was so good on earth
that there's no mansion
00:46:57.81\00:47:02.45
anywhere in heaven that could
be greater than I deserve."
00:47:02.55\00:47:07.59
Boasting, that's what it would
be if we could save ourselves.
00:47:07.62\00:47:11.99
Boasting.
00:47:13.23\00:47:14.56
The Bible says that
if it were by works,
00:47:14.93\00:47:19.10
then we could boast.
00:47:19.30\00:47:21.54
But we cannot boast, my friend,
because we are saved by faith
00:47:21.90\00:47:27.38
through grace, and
it is the gift of God.
00:47:27.41\00:47:30.95
The Bible says in 2
Timothy 1:9, God has "saved us
00:47:31.58\00:47:36.05
and called us with a
holy calling, not according to
00:47:36.62\00:47:40.39
our works, but according
to His own purpose and grace
00:47:40.42\00:47:45.59
which was given to us in Christ
Jesus before time began..."
00:47:45.63\00:47:54.04
Salvation through grace.
00:47:54.80\00:47:57.97
Jesus; the plan of salvation
was made before the earth
00:47:58.37\00:48:03.65
was even planned.
00:48:03.68\00:48:06.11
God says, before the
foundation of the earth
00:48:06.15\00:48:09.15
that Jesus was ready
to die for you and for me.
00:48:09.38\00:48:13.12
Titus 3:5, "...not by
works of righteousness
00:48:13.36\00:48:17.66
which we have done,
but according to His mercy
00:48:18.23\00:48:21.83
He," being God, "saved
us, through the washing of
00:48:22.33\00:48:27.14
regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit..."
00:48:27.17\00:48:34.28
And then Galatians 2:16-21.
00:48:35.01\00:48:43.12
It says, "...knowing
that a man is not justified
00:48:43.89\00:48:47.99
by the works of the law but
by faith in Jesus Christ..."
00:48:48.02\00:48:55.73
"I do not set
aside the grace of God;
00:48:56.06\00:48:58.90
for if righteousness
comes through the law,
00:48:58.93\00:49:01.70
then Christ died in vain."
00:49:02.20\00:49:05.94
And again, over and
over, Paul says to us,
00:49:06.41\00:49:10.48
now this doesn't mean
that the law is done away with.
00:49:10.51\00:49:12.98
No, the law tells us
that we need a Savior.
00:49:13.01\00:49:16.69
The law tells us that there's
no way that we can be saved
00:49:17.19\00:49:22.42
without a Savior.
00:49:22.46\00:49:24.59
It is so important
that we trust completely
00:49:25.19\00:49:30.70
in a God that saves us.
00:49:31.13\00:49:35.07
In Jesus Christ our
Lord, our God, our Savior.
00:49:35.10\00:49:42.64
It's so important.
00:49:43.51\00:49:45.15
You know, my
friend, there's no way that
00:49:45.68\00:49:47.95
we can, in our own
strength, save ourselves.
00:49:48.25\00:49:53.69
There's no way in our
own strength we can even face
00:49:53.72\00:49:56.69
the problems that we
have here in our life.
00:49:56.79\00:49:59.49
You look at how many
people are falling apart
00:50:00.36\00:50:02.90
constantly because
they're trying to carry
00:50:03.26\00:50:05.83
the load themselves.
00:50:05.87\00:50:07.77
We have to let the
Lord take our yoke.
00:50:08.60\00:50:11.47
He says, "Take My
yoke. It's light."
00:50:11.51\00:50:14.34
Because He's
carrying the weight.
00:50:14.84\00:50:16.81
He's carrying the load.
00:50:17.05\00:50:18.85
And He's saying to you and
to me, "I want to save you.
00:50:19.18\00:50:23.18
I want to save you."
00:50:23.79\00:50:25.19
And my friend, I
heard somebody say one time,
00:50:25.22\00:50:28.22
it's more difficult to be
lost than it is to be saved
00:50:28.42\00:50:32.63
when you've given
yourself to Jesus.
00:50:32.66\00:50:34.96
Because He loves you.
00:50:35.80\00:50:37.30
He says, "I will
never let anything be taken
00:50:37.57\00:50:42.40
out of My hand.
00:50:43.30\00:50:44.94
If you are in My hand," He
says, "I will not allow you
00:50:45.44\00:50:50.98
to be taken away."
00:50:51.25\00:50:53.58
And so, my friend, I
am saying to you today,
00:50:54.05\00:50:58.29
whatever you do,
give your life to Jesus.
00:50:58.65\00:51:02.16
Trust in Him.
00:51:02.62\00:51:04.06
Allow Him to be
fully in control.
00:51:04.53\00:51:09.26
Give your life
to Him unreservedly.
00:51:09.73\00:51:13.64
And trust totally
in His righteousness,
00:51:14.34\00:51:17.97
not in our righteousness,
because we have none.
00:51:18.01\00:51:21.61
The Bible says that our
righteousness is as filthy rags.
00:51:21.64\00:51:26.41
We know our sins are,
but He says our righteousness
00:51:26.45\00:51:33.36
is as filthy rags.
00:51:33.72\00:51:35.72
Our goodness is as filthy rags.
00:51:36.12\00:51:39.49
Our goodness is not
good enough for God.
00:51:39.53\00:51:44.17
It has to be that we are
saved by the blood of Jesus.
00:51:45.47\00:51:53.38
And His goodness,
His righteousness,
00:51:53.68\00:51:57.38
takes full control
if we will allow Him.
00:51:57.75\00:52:02.32
If we will let Him take
full control of our lives,
00:52:02.82\00:52:07.26
He will do it.
00:52:07.29\00:52:08.92
It's a promise.
00:52:09.46\00:52:10.99
He says in John 3:16,
"For God so loved the world
00:52:11.76\00:52:16.43
that he gave His
only begotten Son,
00:52:16.46\00:52:19.47
that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish
00:52:19.57\00:52:23.94
but have everlasting life."
00:52:24.11\00:52:26.71
John 14:1-3, He says, "Let
not your heart be troubled;
00:52:27.04\00:52:31.48
you believe in
God, believe also in Me.
00:52:31.51\00:52:33.85
In My Father's
house are many mansions;
00:52:33.88\00:52:37.62
if it were not so," He
says, "I would have told you.
00:52:37.79\00:52:42.36
I go to prepare a place for you.
00:52:42.39\00:52:44.96
And if I go to
prepare a place for you,
00:52:45.16\00:52:48.23
I will come again and
receive you unto Myself;
00:52:48.26\00:52:52.63
that where I am,
there ye may be also."
00:52:52.67\00:52:56.17
In Galatians 2:20, he says,
"I am crucified with Christ."
00:52:56.91\00:53:01.78
This is Paul speaking.
00:53:01.81\00:53:03.14
"Nevertheless, I live."
00:53:03.21\00:53:05.18
We still have a life to
live. We die with Christ.
00:53:05.51\00:53:08.78
"Nevertheless, not I
but Christ liveth in me.
00:53:08.82\00:53:16.12
And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith
00:53:16.56\00:53:20.73
in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave Himself for me."
00:53:20.76\00:53:27.90
Oh my friend, God
loves you and He loves me.
00:53:28.74\00:53:34.94
And He becomes a
part of our lives.
00:53:35.48\00:53:38.98
We're crucified with Him.
00:53:39.01\00:53:40.78
Nevertheless we live.
00:53:40.82\00:53:42.18
Yet we don't live,
but He lives within us.
00:53:42.22\00:53:45.62
And He must live within us.
00:53:46.22\00:53:48.22
If we are to be filled with
Him, He must live within us.
00:53:48.26\00:53:52.86
And this is the message
that Dr. Nathaniel Cotton
00:53:53.23\00:53:57.70
gave to William Cowper.
00:53:58.13\00:54:00.67
William Cowper.
00:54:01.44\00:54:02.77
He said, "You
must depend upon Jesus
00:54:03.47\00:54:07.51
and quit
depending upon yourself."
00:54:07.74\00:54:09.98
And he did.
00:54:10.05\00:54:11.38
Now he moved from that place.
00:54:11.81\00:54:18.42
He started staying
with a family that lived
00:54:18.89\00:54:21.26
just outside the institution.
00:54:21.29\00:54:23.19
And the head of the
family, the father, died.
00:54:23.76\00:54:26.49
And so they moved to Olney.
00:54:26.53\00:54:29.10
Remember Olney.
00:54:30.40\00:54:31.80
I mentioned it earlier.
00:54:32.47\00:54:33.90
John Newton was the
pastor of the church there.
00:54:34.44\00:54:37.01
And those two men,
William Cowper and John Newton,
00:54:37.84\00:54:43.24
became fast friends.
00:54:43.65\00:54:45.78
They wrote songs together.
00:54:46.08\00:54:47.88
They did a hymnal, I
think it has 370 some odd hymns
00:54:48.58\00:54:53.89
and it's
called, The Olney Hymns.
00:54:53.92\00:54:57.09
Sixty-six of those were
written by William Cowper.
00:54:58.03\00:55:02.03
One of which is, "There is
a fountain filled with blood
00:55:03.06\00:55:11.11
drawn from Emmanuel's veins..."
00:55:11.41\00:55:14.61
And then he says,
"...drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
00:55:15.78\00:55:20.52
and sinners
plunged beneath that flood
00:55:20.55\00:55:24.89
lose all their guilty stains."
00:55:25.32\00:55:29.92
William Cowper
had lost his guilt.
00:55:30.53\00:55:34.20
He had lost all of that
which was condemning him
00:55:34.96\00:55:42.10
because he accepted
Jesus, and he accepted the blood
00:55:42.80\00:55:48.94
of Jesus.
00:55:49.74\00:55:51.31
Can't you just feel
that song? The experience.
00:55:52.38\00:55:57.12
"There is a
fountain filled with blood
00:55:57.15\00:55:59.95
drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
00:56:00.36\00:56:02.22
and sinners
plunged beneath that flood
00:56:02.26\00:56:06.09
lose all their guilty stains."
00:56:06.13\00:56:10.80
Today, if you will
accept Jesus, I would invite you
00:56:11.53\00:56:16.00
to know that it
is not by our works.
00:56:16.64\00:56:21.04
It is by His faith, His
works, our acceptance of His
00:56:21.38\00:56:27.45
death upon the cross.
00:56:27.48\00:56:28.98
Oh that changes
your life, friend.
00:56:29.48\00:56:31.65
That will change your
life a whole lot more than
00:56:31.85\00:56:34.56
trying to do what's
right; is to accept Him
00:56:34.59\00:56:38.39
and the infilling
of the Holy Spirit.
00:56:38.89\00:56:41.26
Christ living in you,
your life will be changed.
00:56:41.70\00:56:47.47
I promise you that.
00:56:47.50\00:56:49.17
The things that you think that
you can do in your own strength,
00:56:49.90\00:56:53.91
you can't.
00:56:53.94\00:56:55.28
But when the Holy
Spirit comes into your life,
00:56:55.31\00:56:57.61
then you begin to
walk with the Lord.
00:56:58.08\00:57:02.98
Father in
heaven, I thank You today
00:57:03.02\00:57:05.35
that You have
promised to us life eternal
00:57:06.65\00:57:09.56
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:57:09.59\00:57:11.89
I thank You, Lord, that You
have given to us a prescription
00:57:12.56\00:57:17.97
for life eternal; that is,
to depend upon Jesus Christ
00:57:18.37\00:57:23.30
as our Lord, our
God, and our Savior.
00:57:23.67\00:57:28.31