Why would you stand here lying about what
God says by quoting Greek as an authority?
And then this man just swept along Greek
like it was his own language, New Testament
Greek, giving the equivalent word purpose, just going,
I suppose he has his quiet time in
Greek, I don't know.
Why would you lie?
I think he added, why are the new
translators lying from what the originals say, no
matter what text you use, you will give
account to God if you lie and twist
this book.
And I want to know why, why you
change God's original statements to suit your doctrinal
preferences.
You liberal theologians, he said, well, amazingly, the
man who originally stood up and said he
knows Greek, I don't know how he disappeared,
but he was gone.
He just disappeared.
That's about all you can do when you
prove yourself a liar and an authority when
you know nothing.
But now I sat there and I thought
to myself, you know, this is interesting, it's
even thrilling at moments, but they missed the
whole point.
I mean, there's no confusion.
John doesn't just give us chapter three full
stop, then we're in trouble.
John gives us chapter one, two, three, and
he's already told us in chapter two that
it's possible for a Christian to sin.
It's not the end.
God isn't going to give you up.
He's going to make sure you get through
because his blood cleanses and cleanses.
He ever liveth to make a decision.
God tells you it's possible in a repented
state to fail, to fail, and you need
the blood.
You need the blood.
Brother, you're always going to need the blood
with all the powers of hell against you,
but that doesn't mean you aren't going to
live in wonderful, consistent victory in between those
moments that come when all hell turns against
you and you're just numb of mind and
you might fail in some word or reaction
that isn't utterly Christ-like.
Oh, you need the blood.
So now, John obviously doesn't think we're going
to think he's saying you cannot sin.
You're of the devil if any sin ever
happens.
He knows.
He's cleared that already.
Don't become like a Jehovah Witness now, please,
who just gives us a little few verses,
but you dare not start in the first
chapter.
You don't even dare look at the verse
before they start or they want to run
screaming curses at you because you challenged them
and made fools of them, by the way.
Don't be like that.
Don't start reading Romans nine unless you've read
one, two, three, and four and five, etc.
Don't just isolate.
Don't just do it.
That's what Jehovah Witnesses are guilty of doing.
We dare not.
Don't talk.
Don't even consider chapter three unless you've looked
and realized it's obvious.
It's not saying you're of the devil if
a failure comes.
So that's behind us.
So what does John actually mean then?
Why would he say such things, stating such
statements in the Greek as it is in
the King James Bible?
Well, in my limited understanding, let me try
and explain what I believe.
I have a friend, an advocate in Pretoria,
the capital of South Africa.
His name is Mike van den Berghe, a
good man, and he shares much with me
in our fellowship.
He was sharing how as a boy his
godly father, his godly father, he said, Keith,
my father was so godly that I haven't
recovered from his life to this day of
what I saw in him as a boy.
He was so godly.
He was probably the most godly person I've
ever knew in my life, my own daddy.
But my father did something that shocked me.
He befriended a godless man, a terribly godless
man, a foul-mouthed, blasphemous, profanity, wicked thoughts,
wicked, evil man that people were scared of
coming near, with children even.
The way the profanity just flew out.
This man was really defiling in his godlessness.
And he says, my father, my godly father,
would always stop at the gate, look up,
and go up the steps, and sit with
the man, have a cup of tea, and
sit for an hour or so.
He would always stop in the street when
he found them, and they'd stand there talking.
He became a friend of my father's.
And it stunned me.
I stood there looking at this man, looking
at my father.
Why does my father make this man his
friend?
This man's wicked.
And then he said, one day, suddenly my
father died.
Prematurely, cut off from us.
I was too young.
And there, at the funeral, this godless man
came.
And he walked past me, and as a
boy, I touched his arm.
And I said, sir, I have something to
ask you.
My father was godly.
And I know that you're ungodly.
I know that you blaspheme.
You swear.
You use profanity.
And I know the wickedness of your language.
People are scared.
You're so defiling.
And I have stumbled over this.
Why is it my father, who was so
godly, could befriend you, could seek out your
company, could sit with you?
Why?
How is that possible?
It's been something that stumbles me, sir.
This man looked at this boy in tears,
welled up in his eyes, and they started
pouring down his face.
And he said, in shame, my boy, I
couldn't sin in front of your father.
He never knew what you somehow know of
me.
He was so godly that I could never
swear.
I could never say profanity.
I could never express anything evil.
I couldn't do it to him because of
his life, his godliness.
He never knew.
Now, beloved, if a godless man, in the
presence of a godly man, cannot sin, how
much more we, in the presence of God,
cannot do it?
And now this is this whole thing.
This is the whole thing.
We have to be in his presence.
Whosoever abideth in him, John says.
This is the point.
Not that you're not of God, if a
failure comes.
The point is, victory is the result of
salvation, but the direct result, once we say
to abiding in him, whosoever abideth in him,
sinneth not.
That's the answer he's giving us.
He's not giving us some controversy here or
contradiction to his own words before.
He wouldn't think we're capable of contradicting what
he's already clearly stated.
His whole concept is what he starts with.
We have fellowship with God the Father, with
his son.
These things write unto you that your joy
may be full.
Listen, one verse after the other.
If we say that we have fellowship with
him and walk in darkness, we lie.
We lie.
You can't.
He that saith he hath fellowship with him,
if we say we have fellowship with him,
we ought to walk even as he walked.
He that saith he abideth in him, ought
himself also so to walk even as he
walked.
Little children, abide in him.
Abide in him, that when he shall appear,
we may have confidence and not be ashamed.
This is how we kept from going back
to the sins of the world, the communion
with God, the walk of fellowship.
Walk in the Spirit and fulfill not the
lust of the flesh.
Walk in communion with God and beloved.
He's in you.
His seed remains in you when you were
born of God, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit comes into your whole being.
You're the temple of the Holy Spirit.
He isn't miles up there crying out, don't,
don't do this.
He's in you and in you.
The checks of the Holy Spirit as you
commune, by the way, as you keep in
touch with God, by communing with God, staying
in an abidance with God, this literal abiding,
oh, it all begins with the quiet time.
If the quiet time is not your most
vitally real thing in life, you won't abide
through the day.
If it's a lie, you just sleep on
your knees, you won't.
But get that, you'd rather give God half
an hour of vital reality than two hours
of a lie sleeping on your knees.
And that vital reality in the quiet time
of communing isn't to get up and say,
now I've done my duty, I can leave
God behind.
No, you get up when God says, now,
child, you can get up and go because
now you'll be able to walk with me.
That's a quiet time.
Anything less isn't a quiet time.
And this, this abiding in Him, in His
presence, we cannot.
His seed's in us.
The Holy Spirit saying, Matthew Lefebvre, one of
the great preachers of our country, he said
to me, you know what, I see this
as meaning brother Keith, cannot sin because the
seed remains in him.
He cannot sin because he's born of God.
He said, if a man stands up on
a building with a little baby and someone
else stands down there and calls up and
says, throw the baby to me.
What?
No, I can catch.
Don't worry.
Don't doubt it.
Come throw.
I can't.
Of course you can.
Are you mad?
You can.
You know you can.
Well, I can, but I can't.
I mean, the law of love makes you
unable to do what you can do that
could hurt.
How much more hurting God?
I can't.
I can.
Of course I can.
You can sin when the devil tempts you,
but you, you can't, if you're abiding in
Him.
If, can two walk together except they be
agreed, God says.
Like Enoch walked with God, no wonder he
was so holy.
This communing with God.
And so he cries out in the next
verse, verse 10, a staggering, staggering verse in
this, in this, in this, in this, in
this has manifested the children of the devil.
In this, the children of God are manifested
and the children of the devil in what?
Now listen carefully because this is going to
shock every one of you that don't know
God in truth and you're never going to
recover, sir, until you get to know Him.
In this, the children of God are manifest,
are shown to be God's children and the
children of the devil are shown to be
the devil's children, even if they're religious and
in church every Sunday and give their tithing.
In this, the children of God are manifest
and the children of the devil.
Whosoever doeth not righteousness, whosoever doeth not righteousness
is not of God, but stop now, it
isn't a full stop, neither he that loveth
not his brother.
In this, the children of God are manifest
and the children of the devil, whosoever doeth
not righteousness is not of God, neither he
that loveth not his brother.
What?
Can that be as important as to be
righteous?
I mean, holiness without which no man shall
see God.
I strive to keep from sin and evil.
How can this be equally important?
I mean, he doesn't even say this is
not so important, even if Jesus said, by
this, shall all men know that you are
my disciples, if ye have love one for
another.
This commandment I give you, this new commandment,
that ye love one another.
Now, this verse 10, chapter 3, verse 10,
it is the pivot upon which the whole
book revolves.
It's the axle of the wheel of the
whole book.
Every spoke coming out of the axle is
different verses, but believe it, there's not one
single verse in the whole book from beginning
to end that hasn't got this attached to
it.
Attached to it and bringing out this one
thing.
These two things, righteousness and love.
In this the children of God are manifest
in the children of the devil, whosoever doeth
not righteousness, that's the first part of the
book mainly, neither he that loveth not his
brother, here comes the second part, a barrage
of God's word proving you're of the devil,
if you do not love the brethren.
Now, listen, in case you think I'm exaggerating,
just listen, just listen, and remember this, he
already touched in it quite a few times,
but now he's going to hit it home.
He said already in chapter 2, verse 10,
he said already, he that saith he is
in the light and hateth his brother is
in darkness even until now.
He that loveth his brother abided in the
light, and there's none occasion of stumbling in
him, but he that hateth his brother is
in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth
not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath
blinded his eyes.
You're still in darkness if you have hatred.
Don't lie, you're a liar, God says.
He that saith he is in the light
and hateth his brother is a liar.
Don't doubt it, he's a liar.
In this, the children of God are manifest.
Watch all those folks just turning around, teaching
this one thing, and the children of the
devil, whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of
God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
But this is the message that we heard
from the beginning.
This is the message that we heard from
the beginning, that we should love one another,
that we should love one another, that we
should love one another, not as Cain, who
was of that wicked one, and slew his
brother, and wherefore slew he him, because his
own works were evil.
His own works were evil, and his brother's
righteous.
Wherefore slew he him, because his own works
were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate
you, even if it's the world and the
church.
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate
you.
We know that we have passed from death
unto life, because we love the brethren.
We know that we have passed from death
unto life, because we love the brethren.
He that loveth not his brother abideth in
death.
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, is
a murderer, and ye know that no murderer
hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because
he laid down his life for us, and
we ought to lay down our lives for
the brethren.
We ought to lay down our lives for
the brethren, but whoso hath this world's good,
whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels
of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love
of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and
in truth.
Whoso hath this world's good in this room
today, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,
how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue.
James said the same, chapter 2, verse 14.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a
man say he hath faith, and hath not
works?
Can faith save him, if a brother or
sister be naked, and destitute of daily food?
And one of you say unto them, Depart
in peace, be ye warmed, and filled.
Notwithstanding ye give them not those things which
are needful to the body, what doth it
profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, it's worthless in God's sight, being
alone.
And so John says exactly the same thing.
My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and
in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of
the truth.
Hereby we know that we are of the
truth, and shall assure our heart before him.
For if our heart condemn us, God is
greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
If you sit here today, and your heart's
condemning you, God's saying, God is greater than
your heart, sir, and knoweth all things, all
things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not in
this building today, if our heart condemn us
not, then, then, then have we confidence toward
God.
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him.
Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because
we keep his commandments, because we keep his
commandments, and do those things that are pleasing
in his sight.
And this is his commandment, this is his
commandment, that we should believe on the name
of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one
another as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in
him, and he in him.
Hereby and hereby we know that he abideth
in us, because he hath given us of
his Spirit, capital S.
He hath given us of his Spirit, and
the fruit of the Spirit, you know, is
love.
Always starts with love, by the way, because
nothing else is there, if it isn't there
first in your life.
Hereby we know that he abideth in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit,
his Spirit.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God.
Do you?
Do you accept anything from God?
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God, because many
false prophets have gone out into this world.
Jesus said that in Matthew 7, beware of
false prophets.
Beware, you think Christ said that and it
isn't going to happen?
You be so careful.
Beware of false prophets which come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
You shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit
is hewn down and cast into the fire.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but
he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name?
And by the way that word prophesied isn't
some high-pitched tone voice with some message
from God adding to the Bible because the
Bible is not good enough.
The word prophecy in the context of the
New Testament in the light of what Christ
was saying according to John Wesley and even
your Jonathan Edwards, in case you need a
little bit of authority behind it, in its
context is speaking about preaching.
Full stop.
And that's the gift to be sort of
in its context and this dispensation is not
some little utterance of some message that somebody's
sitting in the meeting here with a blue
dress that doesn't love her husband.
Prophecy according to the greatest leaders of our
faith all unitedly is this anointed, unctionized preaching.
Anointed, unctionized preaching and teaching of the oracles
of God in the light of eternity.
Those are the words of the greatest theologian
that ever lived and agreed by everyone else
that made a mark for God that ever
made some commentary on it.
Many will say to me in that day.
How many?
I don't know.
How many in your churches across this land
or are there none that Christ can find?
How many do you think will say in
this land's pulpits?
Many who prophesy will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied?
Have we not preached in thy name and
in thy name have cast out devils?
Oh my, in thy name by the way.
People can cast out devils in the name
of Jesus.
Listen to what he says to them.
We've done that and done many wonderful works,
many wonderful works, miracles in thy name.
Then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you.
I wonder how many preachers God would say
this to.
I never knew you.
Depart from me ye that work iniquity, you
that are still in your sin.
You will never turn from a life of
sin.
You never repented.
Holiness without which no man shall see God.
You never turned.
Everything you preach cried out back to you
like Nathan.
You're a man but you're still preached.
You're still at liberty.
Double vengeance on such hypocrisy.
His anger, I never knew you.
Depart from me ye that work iniquity.
Oh, so John now, this godly age of
John, he cries out in his letter with
love and compassion, throbbing in his heart to
keep the church pure.
Beloved, believe not every spirit.
Believe not every spirit but try the spirits
whether they're of God because many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
Many false prophets have gone out into the
world.
Hereby know ye the spirit of God.
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is of God and
every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is not of
God and this is that spirit of antichrist.
Where have you heard that it should come
and even now already is in the world.
This is that spirit of antichrist.
Where have you heard that it should come
and even now already is in the world.
Year of God little children.
Year of God little children and have overcome
them because greater is he that is in
you.
Greater is he that is in you than
he that is in the world.
Hallelujah.
They are of the world.
Therefore speak they of the world and the
world heareth them.
We are of God.
He that knoweth God heareth us.
He that is not of God heareth not
us.
Hereby know we the spirit of truth and
the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another.
Let us love one another for love is
of God and everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God for
God is love and this was manifested the
love of God toward us because that God
sent his only begotten son into the world
that we might live through him.
Here in his love not that we love
God but he loved us and sent his
son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved of God so loved us we are
taught to love one another.
No man has seen God at any time.
If we love one another God dwelleth in
us and his love is perfected in us.
Do you know what he's saying here?
Men can't see God but if we love
one another they see him through us.
That's being conformed in the image of Jesus
Christ his son.
You become like Christ.
You become so Christ like if you let
God have his way that men see the
reality of God to see what the nature
of God the goodness the holiness of God
through your life.
Do you see why it's so important?
Hereby know we that we dwell in him
and he in us because he has given
us of his spirit and we have seen
and to testify that the father sent the
son to be the savior of the world.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the son
of God God dwelleth in him and he
in God and we have known we have
known we have known and believed the love
that God hath to us.
We have known and believed the love that
God hath to us.
God is love and he that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect that we
may have boldness in the day of judgment
that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment because as he is so are
we in this world.
There is no fear in love there is
no fear in love but perfect love perfect
love perfect love casteth out all fear because
fear hath torment and he that feareth is
not made perfect in love.
There's no fear in the love God wants
you to have toward him here suddenly.
There's no fear in this love.
God has not given us a spirit of
fear.
You've not received the spirit of fear but
of power and of love and of a
sound mind God says.
If you received his spirit you haven't received
this fear child that you can have boldness
in the day of judgment that you can
know I know whom I believed and I'm
persuaded that he's able to keep that which
I've committed against him that day.
Do you know I'm persuaded I have no
doubt God's going to keep me.
Hallelujah but you live in fear now you're
not going to make it.
You're in fear God's going to forsake you.
You have the fear all the time.
Oh brother there's a fear a revengeful reverential
fear but there's another fear the devil uses.
Fear hath torment perfect love that God wants
you to have an imperfect trust in his
promises that I will never leave you nor
forsake you.
I'm with you to the end.
He that has begun a good work in
you shall perform it.
What shall separate us?
Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ?
So tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword
as it is written I oh I'm not
making a statement here of some faith I'm
attaching I'm just quoting the bible.
If your beliefs your doctrines brother can't quote
what the other side quote all the time
well then you're in trouble.
I'll quote anything.
I believe in the keeping power of God
not because of John Calvin and don't you
dare call me a Calvinist just so that
you can say I belong to this side.
No all I'm guilty of is believing more
than John Calvin ever believed I think.
The power of God the love of God
and that God asked me to believe not
to live in fear but he is able
to keep me to keep that which I've
delivered unto him against that day that we
may have boldness in the day of judgment.
God requires a perfect love in him a
perfect trust and he that fears is not
made perfect in love.
If you're going to live in doubt and
fear all the time and the devil accuse
you all the time you can never be
made perfect you never I'll never perfect in
you what I'm wanting to do hallelujah
oh we love him because he first loved
us we love him because he first loved
us if a man say I love God
and hated his brother if a man say
I love God and hated his brother he's
a liar he's a liar for he that
loveth not his brother whom he has seen
how can he love God whom he has
not seen and this commandment have we from
him that he who loveth God love his
brother also he who loveth God love his
brother also whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God and everyone that
loveth him that begat loveth him also that
is begotten of him this is D.L.
Moody's great text he shook the church didn't
he everyone that loveth him that begat that
gave birth to the spiritual birth to the
children of God loveth him also that is
begotten you know you love God he said
if you love God's children you know you're
right with God if you find love cover
the multitude of sins and doesn't want evidence
and ammunition to destroy him that puts you
right into the hands in the camp of
the devil God says to John be careful
whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is
born of God and everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten
of him by this we know that we
love the children of God when we love
God and keep his commandments for this is
the love of God that we keep his
commandments this is what it means to love
God that we obey him you hate God
if you say you love him and you
don't obey him you deny him you undermine
him you write books against what he said
to try and explain away and excuse and
apologize for what Christ said watch it preachers
you say you love God this is what
it means to love God according to John
this is the love of God that we
keep his commandments and his commandments are not
grievous for whatsoever is born of God over
cometh the world hallelujah whatsoever is born of
God overcome with the world and this is
the victory that overcometh the world even our
faith who is he that overcome at the
world but he the believer that Jesus is
the Son of God who is he that
overcometh the world but he the believer that
Jesus is the Son of God.
This is He that came by water and
blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only,
but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit, it is the
Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is
truth.
For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy
Ghost.
And these three are one, hallelujah.
Problems to the Jehovah Witnesses, right from old
areas.
How he got past that, I don't know.
These three are one.
There are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, capital W, and the
Holy Ghost, capital H.
And these three are one.
Don't deny it.
Don't become a radical and question it.
God didn't ask you to understand the trinity,
He asked you to believe it.
And once you get faith, saving faith, you
believe it, you don't have problems over it.
So you're not saved if you don't believe
it.
You can't be.
The Spirit bears witness to this.
There are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost.
And these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the Spirit and the water and the
blood.
And these three agree in one.
If we receive the witness of men, the
witness of God is greater.
For this is the witness of God which
He has testified of His Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself.
He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself.
The same as Romans 8 verse 16.
The Spirit itself also beareth witness with our
spirits that we are the children of God.
We know, hallelujah.
He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself.
He that believeth not, God hath made him
a liar.
Because he believeth not the record that God
gave of His Son, and this is the
record that God has given to us eternal
life.
And this life is in His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life.
And he that hath not the Son of
God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that
believe on the Name of the Son of
God that ye may know that ye have
eternal life and that ye may believe on
the Name of the Son of God.
And this, this, this is the confidence that
we have in Him.
This is the confidence that we have in
Him.
If we ask anything, if we ask anything
according to His will, He heareth us.
And if we know that He heareth us
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desire of Him.
He's speaking about what He said in chapter
2, verse 20.
If our heart condemns us not, then have
we confidence toward God whatsoever we ask.
We receive of Him because we keep His
commandments and do those things that are pleasing
in His sight.
The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
The eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous.
His ears are open unto their prayers, but
the face of the Lord is against them
that do evil.
Oh, this is the confidence that we have
in Him that whatsoever we ask, we receive
of Him.
Oh, praise the Lord.
This is the confidence that we have in
Him that if we know that He heareth
us, oh, that if we ask anything according
to His will, He heareth us.
According to His will, He heareth us.
And if we know that He heareth us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desire of Him.
And then suddenly He does something shocking.
He gives an example.
The only example He gives of asking and
receiving, if you're right with God.
If any man see, if any man see
his brother sin, if any man see, oh,
the devil got you just in the right
spot, didn't he?
I saw him, the hypocrite, look at this,
if any man see his brother sin, a
sin, what do you do?
You run, the telephone.
I saw him, the preacher, he failed, he
sinned.
I saw her walking in her piousness with
the Bible, dressed like that, she's better than
me.
I saw her, I saw her sin.
What do you do if any man, woman,
see her brother or sister sin?
You go and make sure, that's the end
of their testimony, oh, you've got ammunition.
The devil knew, just let him get in
the right place and I'll wipe him out
because he will make sure if he sees
someone else failing.
Brother, don't forget all the mercy God showed
on you since you've been saved because if
you do and you expose someone else's sin,
I guarantee you God will do of things
that he would have kept under the blood
and safeguarded you in front of your children,
in front of your wife, in front of
your church, in front of your pastor, he'll
bring it up.
I've seen it again and again when men
try and expose others and think they have
the right to rebuke before all those who
sin.
Paul said that, but beloved, be careful.
That's a rare thing when a man really
has to be challenged, really has to be
challenged.
Until then, you put yourself in such danger
with what you do when you see someone
sin.
You know what this man says concerning asking,
interceding, crying out with faith to God, the
confidence we have, knowing that it is His
will, so he gives us an illustration.
If any man see his brother sin, a
sin which is not unto death, which is
not unto death, he shall ask, that means
a compassionate cry, and he shall give him
life for them that sin not unto death.
Your cry to God, your compassion, oh God,
protect him, protect her that no one else
finds out.
God, let me see God, but I'm never
going to pass this on.
It will destroy her.
It will undermine his right to ever preach
again.
I've sinned.
I failed God.
I cannot go and destroy them.
I needed mercy, but I want thee pleased
to protect as you protected me from being
exposed and given no right in front of
my children even.
If that thought, if that look, if that
word was ever thrown out all the way
through my life that God's blood was needed
to cleanse.
He cries out compassionately, please God, deal with
him, deal with her, deal with the somehow
speak to their heart before it all goes
worse and things get out and it's the
end of them.
Please God, help.
Oh, and if you're right with God at
that time and you have confidence with God,
you have the right to pray for someone
else's failures that you see.
He shall ask and he shall give him
life for them that sin not unto death.
There is a sin unto death.
I do not say that he should pray
for it.
That's a difficult verse, so don't challenge me
too much, okay?
I'll do the best I can though.
There is a sin unto death.
I do not say that he should pray
for it.
There's one sin that God cannot forgive, the
sin against the Holy Ghost, the blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost.
And many, many Christians think they've committed it.
If they cursed, if they in stress, if
they sickness, I even preached with a man
who confessed one day to me and said,
you know, Keith, I've never recovered from when
I was a boy.
I had 11 sicknesses.
I was delirious.
My mind was gone.
And I started cursing God.
I cursed him and I swore every filthy
word a little boy could think in anger
and hatred.
And since then, I got saved.
But Keith, I always get this accusation that
I committed that I really am never going
to be forgiven.
So I said to this preacher, brother, you
didn't commit it, otherwise you wouldn't have any
concern anyway about sin or forgiveness.
You can't.
If the Holy Spirit left you totally, there's
no such a thing as you wanting God.
The only thing it is to commit a
sin that God will never, ever be able
to sin to forgive is what the Pharisees
did when they looked at Jesus Christ himself
and said, it's by the power of the
devil, Beelzebub, that he's doing these miracles.
They looked at Christ and because of jealousy
and hatred, knowing he was righteous, knowing they
were unrighteous in their motives, knowing they wanted
any excuse to kill him, knowing they had
to undermine him through carnality and sin, rejection
of light, knowingly you look at Christ and
to defend anything you stand for, you say
it was the devil that did that through
him.
Satan's power worked those miracles.
Outside of that, there's no such a thing
coming near.
So don't let the devil accuse you, okay?
I've never met a person in my life
that committed that sin and I have prayed
with thousands and thousands individually, individually, even with
murderers I've prayed who found forgiveness.
There is a sin unto death.
I do not say that he should pray
for it.
All unrighteousness is sin and there's a sin
not unto death.
We know that whosoever is born of God
sinneth not, but he that is begotten of
God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth
him not.
And we know that we are of God
and the whole world lies in wickedness, in
the hands of the wicked.
We know as we walk by what comes
against us even, they're in the hands of
the devil, the whole world, but we are
of God and the whole world lies in
the hands of the wicked.
And we know that the son of God
is come and has given us an understanding
that we may know him, that we may
know him, that is true.
We are in him that is true even
in his son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life.
Beloved, keep yourselves from idols.
Keep yourselves from idols.
And then he says, amen.
O sacred head, now wounded with
grief and shame weighed down, now scornfully
surrounded with thorns, thine only crown.
O sacred head, what glory, what
bliss till now was thine, yet though
despised and gory, I joy
to call thee mine.
O noblest brow and dearest, in other days
the world all feared when thou appearest.
What shame on thee is hurled?
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore
abuse and scorn?
How does that visage languish which once was
bright?
As mourn what thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners gain.
Mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the
deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior, tis I
deserve thy place.
Look on me with thy favor, vouchsafe to
me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank thee,
dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy
pity without end?
O make me thine forever, and
should I fainting be, Lord, let me never,
never outlive my love for thee.
Be near when I am dying, O show
thy cross to me, and for my succor
flying, come, Lord, to set me free.
These eyes, new faith, receiving
from Jesus shall not move, for he who
dies believing dies safely
through thy love.
Can we all stand, please?
Can we bow our heads, please?
Well, if it's the last sermon I ever
preach, I thank God it was this sermon.
No matter what the powers of hell did
to try and stop me, I thank God
it was this sermon.
Take that which I have done weakness, and
please let there be fruit in every single
life of what they've heard.
Or else their answer to this letter of
John is just a total rejection of God's
word and standard, deliberately, calculatedly, and even effortlessly.
Give us the grace, every one of us,
in the light we've been given, to seek
thee.
If we do not know thee, may be
separated to such a degree it's unbelievable from
worldliness, but full of hatred against anybody and
everybody.
No compassion, no care, unless they agree exactly
doctrinally, standard methods as me.
God help us to look at these words
and search our hearts.
If we are of God, we're of the
devil.
Unless all these words were just an exaggeration
that God didn't mean through John.
Help us, God, to begin to seek thee,
for vital reality with God.
And I believe that is the only reason
that has allowed John to write these words.
Because anything less than vital reality is a
grief to God, and eventually will be to
men, anyone who comes near us.
Help us, God, bring fruit, Lord, let the
word of God not return unto thee void,
but accomplish that purpose for which it was
sent, even if it was brought in such
weakness that I'm trembling thinking of it now.
But brought with a heart longing for one
thing, men to find reality with God before
they die and find even if they were
preachers, God never knew them.
As his own, please help us, God, to
embrace this book and all the light we've
been given, and seek thee for grace to
live it.
Because if we can't, oh, let everyone that
nameth the name of Jesus depart from iniquity.
Oh, don't name him.
Stop naming him.
You're not of him.
Please help us, God.
Take our lives, every one of us.
And as we leave this place, hound us
with this message given by John from the
heart of God, and tried in weakness to
be given and relayed to others.
Take this message and haunt us with it.
Follow us that when we think we can
put our backs to it, it will come
with a vengeance as we lie in the
bed and we won't be able to sleep.
We'll just find ourselves getting on our knees
and seeking God.
Follow us, Lord, through life with us as
we find ourselves tempted and find we cannot
anymore after what we heard today and why
we cannot.
And to make sure we abide in thee
and our little children abide in him.
Make sure you do it, child, that when
he shall appear, we may have confidence and
not be ashamed before him at his coming.
For Christ's sake, in his lovely name, and
out of love for him, we all ask
these things of our Father in heaven.
Amen.