Sermon Central
-
Lord Of All Or Not At All
Contributed by Michael Dephillips on Feb 6, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: In 1875 William Booth preached a prophetic message on the greatest danger facing the modern church would be the true issues of salvation
"Lord of all or not at all"
(Prayer: Hebrews 1:14 and 1 Peter 1:12-13)
A few weeks ago we began a journey together beloved through this blessed Word of God to discover and dig out the truth of how a soul is really saved from a devil’s hell by the blood of Christ Jesus. It has been a personal journey for myself as the Holy Spirit has revealed to my heart and mind the reality of when I was saved from a devil’s hell and that before September 10, 1995 the Lord Jesus had never known me. Even though my life stank with religion and with righteous works that were in the eyes of God nothing more than filthy rags, there had been no salvation of my eternal soul. I had simply joined something without feeling the convicting power of the Holy Ghost nor being led to the place of Repentance by that same blessed Holy Spirit. Over the last two weeks we’ve studied in depth those two needed elements in anyone’s salvation and over all our excuses the Lord Jesus still says, NEVERTHELESS! Nevertheless I tell you it is for your benefit that I go away because if I go not away the COMFORTER will not come but if I go I will send him unto you and he will reprove the world of sin, righteousness and of judgement. Of sin because they believe not on me…
Beloved I had all the religious baggage but I didn’t have Jesus and he did not know me because he had not yet written my name in his blood in his book, the Lamb’s Book of Life! I had a baptism certificate and some obscure day in my past when I tried to do the right thing and identify my life with Jesus but I wasn’t saved then. They told me I was and they may have all believed I was and even I believed I was until God showed me I had never felt conviction and responded to that first work of the Holy Spirit by repentance towards God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit! I had birthed something in my flesh that had no power upon it to transform my heart and mind. I had a church that would have said I was a fine member who gave my time and my talents and my money but Jesus never knew me! Someone might have gave witness of the great works I had done as a Youth Director, Brotherhood Director and even as a Sunday School teacher but Jesus never knew me! I had been baptized in the summer of 1981 after an event at a Youth Camp but had simply gone down a dry lost soul and risen from the water a wet lost soul with no ability to shine in the darkness of the great work that hadn’t yet been done in my heart. SHINED NO MORE LIGHT FOR CHRIST JESUS THAN A WET MATCH ON A STORMY NIGHT AND EVEN THOUGH THE WORLD MAY HAVE SAID I WAS SOMETHING, JESUS NEVER KNEW ME! HE NEVER KNEW ME! IF I HAD DIED BEFORE SEPTEMBER 10, 1995 EXPECTING TO GO TO HEAVEN I WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO A DEVIL’S HELL!
Beloved I believe with every fiber of my being that the devil’s done chewed off all his fingernails from worrying about what this preacher is going to do with what God has shown me! Paul said in Ephesians 6:12 that there is a war being fought in the heavenlies between spiritual forces and wickedness in high places withstanding the glorious work of God and the Christian. Do you ever consider the power of the light that is shined in darkness when we just get honest with God and listen to what he tells us? I believe the devil was in the phone booth calling 911 last Sunday and the Sunday before that as people, good people who weren’t saved but had tried, good people that would give you the shirt off their backs or cook you a meal if you were hungry, they were good people but the devil ran screaming when the listened to the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit and got saved! JESUS KNOWS THEIR NAME NOW BECAUSE HE WROTE IT DOWN IN HIS BOOK! I BELIEVE THAT! I KNOW THAT HE KNOWS ME! DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night and the OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY AND THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH."
