Salvation Is Separate And Distinct From All Ordinances
--not but that ordinances are right in their place.
Many people think it is impossible for any one to get into the
kingdom of God if he is not baptized into it. I know people who were
greatly exercised because little children died unbaptized. I have
seen them carry the children through the streets because the pastor
could not come. I don't want you to think I am talking against
ordinances. Baptism is righ
the place of salvation, you put a snare in the way. You cannot
baptize men into the kingdom of God. The last conversion before
Christ perished on the cross ought to forever settle that question.
If you tell me a man cannot get into Paradise without being
baptized, I answer, This thief was not baptized. If he had wanted to
be baptized, I don't believe he could have found a man to baptize
him.
I have known people who had sick relatives, and because they could
not get a minister to come to their house and administer the
sacrament, they were distressed and troubled. Now, I am not saying
anything against the ordinance by which we commemorate the death of
our Lord, and remember His return. God forbid! But let me say that
it is not necessary for salvation. I might die and be lost before I
could get to the Lord's table; but if I get to the Lord I am saved.
Thank God, salvation is within my reach always, and I have to wait
for no minister. This poor thief certainly never partook of the
sacrament. Was there a man on that hill that would have had faith to
believe he was saved? Would any church to-day have received him into
membership? He had not to wait for this. The moment he asked life,
our Savior gave it.
Baptism is one thing; the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is another
thing; and salvation through Christ is quite another thing. If we
have been saved through Christ, let us confess Him by baptism, let
us go to His table, and do whatever else He bids. But let us not
make stumbling-blocks out of these things.
That is what I call sudden conversion--men calling on God for
salvation and getting it. You certainly won't get it unless you call
for it, and unless you take it when He offers it to you. If you want
Christ to remember you--to save you--call upon Him.
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God Honored Her Faith
"What do you say? A prophet in Israel that can cure leprosy?" "Yes." "Why, did you ever know any one that was cured?" "No." "Well, then, what makes you think there is a prophet that can cure leprosy?" "Oh, that isn't anything to what El... He Came Half-way
and stayed there--we do not know just how long, but probably about five years. Now, I believe that there are a great many Christians who are what might be called Haran Christians. They go to Haran, and there they stay. They only half obey. They a... He Thought The Lord Had Made A Mistake
that he was not the man. He said, "Who am I?" He was very small in his own estimation. Forty years before he had started out as a good many others have started. He thought he was pretty well equipped for service. He had been in the schools of the Eg... He Would Not Give Up One Darling Sin
The longer I preach, the more I am convinced that that is what keeps men out of the kingdom of God. John knew about Herod's private life, and warned him plainly. If those compromising Christians of whom I have spoken had been near John, one of th... Herod And John The Baptist
If some one had told me a few years ago that he thought Herod at one time came near the kingdom of God, I should have been inclined to doubt it. I would have said, "I do not believe that the bloodthirsty wretch who took the life of John the Baptis... How Many Would Buy Salvation!
But, thank God, it is not in the market for sale. You must buy it at God's price, and that is "without money and without price." Naaman found that out. My dear friends, did you ever ask yourselves which is the worse--the leprosy of sin, or the le... How Prophetic That Answer Was
when Abraham turned and said to the son, "God will provide Himself a sacrifice?" I don't know that Abraham understood the full meaning of it, but a few hundred years after God did provide a sacrifice right there. Mount Moriah and Mount Calvary are c... I Know
There is no hesitation about it, no qualifying the expression. Naaman doesn't now say, "I think"; no, he says, "I know there is a God who has power to cleanse the leprosy." Then there is another thought. Naaman left only one thing in Samaria, and... In The Very Act Of Obedience
he was blessed. Look at those ten New Testament lepers who came to Christ. He said to them: "Go show yourselves to the priests." "Well," they might have said, "what good is that going to do us? Here we are all full of leprosy, and if we go and ... Joy Among The Saints In Heaven
Once, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people laughing and talking aloud. One of them said: "Well, there will be no difference, it will be all the same a hundred years hence." The thought flashed across my mind, "Will there be no ... Justifying Christ
The next thing, he justifies Christ: "This Man hath done nothing amiss." When men are talking against Christ, they are a great way from becoming Christians. Now he says, "He hath done nothing amiss." There was the world mocking him; but in the mi... Keep Away From Christ
because they are looking for the experience of some dear friend or relative. They should not judge of their conversion by the experiences of others. They have heard some one tell how he was converted twenty years ago, and they expect to be converted... Lifted The Curtain Of Time
for Abraham. He looked down into the future, saw God's Son coming up Calvary, bearing his sins and the sins of all posterity. God gave him that secret, and told him how His Son was to come into the world and take away his sins. Now, my friends, n... Loved His Country
I like to see a patriotic man. He began to inquire about his people and about the city that was very near to his heart, Jerusalem. He had never seen the city. He had no relations back there in Jerusalem that he knew of. Nehemiah was not a Jewish pri... Many Josephs Today
men of position, of whom it could be said they are secret disciples. Such would probably say to-day, "I do not need to take my stand on Christ's side. What more do I need? I have everything." We read that he was a rich and honorable councillor, a ju... Mayor Of Sodom
He was getting on amazingly well; wonderfully prosperous. But by and by there comes a war. If you go into Sodom, you must take Sodom's judgment when it comes, for it is bound to come. The battle turned against those five cities of the plain and th... Naaman The Syrian
I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to honor. He stood high in position; he was captain of the host of the King of Syria; but he was a leper, and that threw a... Needed Bolstering Up
But his covetous eye looked upon the well-watered plains of the valley of the Jordan that reached out towards Sodom, and he chose them. He was influenced by what he saw, He walked by sight, instead of by faith. I think that is where a great many Chr... Never Have Heard Of
either of them if they had not done this. They stooped to conquer; and when you get ready to stoop God will bless you. Plato, Socrates, and other Greek philosophers lived in the same century as Nehemiah. How few have heard of them and read their wor... No Crown Without A Cross
We must take our proper position here, as Joseph did. It cost him something to take up his cross. I have no doubt they put him out of the council and out of the synagogue. He lost his standing, and perhaps his wealth: like other faithful followers o... No Eight-hour Working Day
then; they were on duty from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. They did not take off their clothes except to wash them. Fancy, this man who came from the Persian court with all its luxury, living and sleeping in his clothes for thos... No Name In History
so well known as the name of Abram. Even Christ is not more widely known, for the Mohammedans, the Persians, and the Egyptians make a great deal of Abram. His name has been for centuries and centuries favorably known in Damascus. God promised him th... No Physician
who could help him in Syria. None of the eminent doctors in Damascus could do him any good. If he was to get rid of the leprosy, the power must come from on high. It must be some one unknown to Naaman, for he did not know God. But I will tell you... No Voice For The Son Of God
Dear friend, if He is your Savior, confess Him. Every follower of Jesus should bear testimony for Him. How many opportunities each one has in society and in business to speak a word for Jesus Christ! How many opportunities occur daily wherein every ... Not A Myth But A Person
"He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God." That is the way you get the power. Naaman goes down to the river and takes the first dip. As he comes ... Not Able To Sleep Much
that night; he kept thinking of what he had heard. When the Holy Ghost is dealing with a man's conscience, very often sleep departs from him. Herod cannot get this wilderness preacher and his message out of his mind. The truth had reached his soul; ... Not An Orator
My friends, we have too many orators. I am tired and sick of your "silver-tongued orators." I used to mourn because I couldn't be an orator. I thought, Oh, if I could only have the gift of speech like some men! I have heard men with a smooth flow of... One Of The Sublimest Grandest Acts
that any man ever did. In that darkness and gloom, His disciples having all forsaken Him; Judas having sold Him for thirty pieces of silver; the chief apostle Peter having denied Him with a curse, swearing that he never knew Him; the chief priests h... One Text:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Day after day you could hear his voice ringing through the valley of the Jordan: "Repent! repent! repent! The King is at the door. I do not know the day or the hour, but He will be here very soon." ... Open-air Meeting
for the reading of the law of Moses in the hearing of the people. A pulpit of wood, large enough to hold Ezra the Scribe and thirteen others, was built. The people wept when they heard the words of the law, but Nehemiah said: "Mourn not, nor weep... Reviling
The first thing we read, then, of this man is that he was a reviler of Christ. You would think that he would be doing something else at such a time as that; but hanging there in the midst of torture, and certain to be dead in a few hours, instead... Ridicule
is a mighty weapon. "What do these feeble Jews?" said Sanballat. "Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" "Even that whic... Salvation Is Distinct And Separate From Works
Some people tell us we have to work to be saved. What has the man who believes that to say about the salvation of this thief? How could he work, when he was nailed to the cross? He took the Lord at His word, and believed. It is with the heart men ... Salvation Is Separate And Distinct From All Ordinances
--not but that ordinances are right in their place. Many people think it is impossible for any one to get into the kingdom of God if he is not baptized into it. I know people who were greatly exercised because little children died unbaptized. I ha... Shot Up A Prayer
to heaven right there in the king's dining hall that the Lord would help him to make his request in the right way. He first looked beyond Artaxerxes to the King of Kings. You need not make a long prayer. A man who prays much in private will make sho... Talking To Himself
in this way: "What a strange kind of man this must be! He claims to be king of the Jews, and the superscription over His cross says the same. But what sort of a throne is this! He says He is the Son of God. Why does not God send down His angels a... The Answered Prayer
Now consider the answer to his prayer. He got more than he asked, just as every one does who asks in faith. He only asked Christ to "remember" him; but Christ answered: "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise!" Immediate blessing--promise of ... The Apostle Paul's Experience
has been recorded three times. I have no doubt that he told it everywhere he went: how God had met him; how God had opened his eyes and his heart; and how God had blessed him. Depend upon it, experience has its place; the great mistake that is made ... The Biggest Fool In The World
"Why," they would say, "look at the opportunity that man had! He might have been commander of the Egyptian army, he might have been on the throne, swaying the sceptre over the whole world, if he hadn't identified himself with those poor, miserable H... The Call Of Moses
There is a great deal more room given in Scripture to the call of men to God's work than there is to their end. For instance, we don't know where Isaiah died, or how he died, but we know a great deal about the call God gave him, when he saw God on... The Converted Cupbearer
had arrived from the Persian court, and was going to build the walls of Jerusalem. There are some men who are always telling what they are going to do. Man, let the work speak for itself. You needn't blow any horns; go and do the work, and it will a... The First Man To Enter Paradise
after the veil of the Temple was rent. If we could look up yonder, and catch a glimpse of the throne, we would see the Father there, and Jesus Christ at His right hand; and hard by we would see that thief. He is there to-day. Nineteen hundred years ... The Last Act Of The Son Of God
was to save a sinner. That was a part of the glory of His death. He commenced His ministry by saving sinners, and ended it by saving this poor thief. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the Lord:... The Man Born Blind And Joseph Of Arimathea
There were two extraordinary men living in the city of Jerusalem when Christ was on earth. One of them has come down through history nameless--we do not know who he was; the name of the other is given. One was not only a beggar, but blind from his... The Penitent Thief
It should give us all a great deal of hope and comfort that Jesus saved such a man as the penitent thief just before He went back to heaven. Every one who is not a Christian ought to be interested in this case, to know how he was converted. Any on... The Prayer
of this wonderful man, his cry which has been on record all these years, and a great help to many people: "I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his co... The Preacher
I contend that John the Baptist must have been one of the grandest preachers this world has ever had. Almost any man can get a hearing nowadays in a town or a city, where the people live close together; especially if he speaks in a fine building whe... The Prophet Nehemiah
I should like to call your attention to the prophet Nehemiah. We may gain some help from that distinguished man who accomplished a great work. He was one of the last of the prophets, was supposed to be contemporary with Malachi, and perhaps his bo... The Secrets Of Heaven
After Abraham did what God told him, then it was that God told His friend all about His Son. If we make a full surrender, God will give us something better than we have ever known before. We will get a new vision of Jesus Christ, and will thank God ... The Starting-point Of His Faith
although still he thought it a foolish thing, and could not bring himself to believe that the result would be what the prophet had said. At last Naaman's will was conquered, and he surrendered. When General Grant was besieging a town which was a ... The Wrong Physician
but I will tell you of one who can cure you"; and he told him of Christ, and read to him the 53d chapter of Isaiah, "With His stripes we are healed." The young man said, "Doctor, do you believe that?" The doctor told him he did, and prayed and ... Thoroughly In Earnest
He was quite willing to go one hundred and fifty miles, and to take the advice of this little maid. A good many people say: "Oh, I don't like such and such a minister; I should like to know where he comes from, and what he has done, and whether an... Told These Three Thousand Years
Father, mother, sisters, brothers, the grave of her husband--she turned her back on them all. Ruth, come back, and tell us if you regret your choice! No: her name shines one of the brightest among all the women that have ever lived. The Messiah was ... Trying To Make Converts
of these Pharisees--men who had been fighting Christ for nearly three years! He asked them if they would also become His disciples. He was ready to tell his experience to all who were willing to hear it. If he had covered it up at the first, and had... Two Sides
The cross of Christ divides all mankind. There are only two sides, those for Christ, and those against Him. Think of the two thieves; from the side of Christ one went down to death cursing God, and the other went to glory. What a contrast! In the... Under Conviction
The next time we hear of him, he appears to be under conviction: "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If thou be Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seei... Wants To Give Money
for his cure. How many people want to do the same nowadays. Why it would have spoiled the story of grace if the prophet had taken anything! You may give a thank-offering to God's cause, not to purchase salvation, but because you are saved. The Lord ... We Spread So Thin
the world never hears of us. After he had been in the city three days and nights, he called the elders of Israel together, and told them for what he had come. God had been preparing them, for the moment he told them they said: "Let us rise up a... What A Confession
of Christ that was! He called Him "Lord." A queer Lord! Nails through His hands and feet, fastened to the cross. A strange throne! Blood trickling down His face from the scars made by the crown of thorns. But He was all the more "Lord" because of th... What Is The Price
that you put upon your soul? You say you do not know. I will tell you. It is the sin that keeps you from God. It may be whisky; there is many a man who will give up the hope of heaven and sell his soul for whisky. It may be adultery; you say: "Gi... Your Message And Not Yourself
the most prominent thing. Don't be self-conscious Set your heart on what God has given you to do, and don't be so foolish as to let your own difficulties or your own abilities stand in the way. It is said that people would go to hear Cicero and woul...