A Christ-less Christianity

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(00:01) A lot of people still here. That’s a blessing. Late night. Well, Lord bless each one of you that are staying here and digging in deep. Some of these verses that I want to read this evening have already been read here tonight. And so, we’ll just go right through it here again. And I appreciate uh the prayer there. I feel like that’s my heart tonight. the title of the message as you see on your brochure there, a Christ-less Christianity.

(00:35) I would be intrigued to to know what goes through each of your minds when you read that title, a Christ-less Christianity. You might be thinking, is it is it possible? What does it mean? Where are we going with this? But just to lay a foundation during Jesus’s ministry, he had quite a task ahead of him.

(01:04) Jesus spent several years teaching about his kingdom to a great a group of men that had not received the spirit and power of God yet. Had not received salvation, you could say. And so if you just consider the ministry of Jesus and consider the possible frustrations that Jesus would have went through dealing with the apostles and some of their their self focus or their self-centeredness and we obviously know that Jesus didn’t get frustrated.

(01:34) Jesus was a tremendous teacher that was was working toward a goal. But we see the disciples acting out in the flesh. They were they were asking Jesus to send the children away. They were wanting to know which would sit on his right hand. They were wondering when this Jesus Christ, this king of Nazareth would would give them power over Rome and restore that kingdom of Israel.

(02:12) We remember James and John and their frustration wanting the Lord Jesus to bring down fire from heaven like Elijah did. It seemed like it was a constant battle for them, wondering what or how they can do things. These were just men that didn’t have power. Men that did not have power.

(02:46) And so in John chapter 14, 15, 16, and 17, we have this beautiful passages where Jesus is speaking and those chapters are full of red. Jesus is speaking and he’s trying to teach something to his disciples and one of his objectives here and we we already heard it here in John chapter 14 but one of his objectives is this that I am going to leave and when I leave the comforter is going to come.

(03:17) The Holy Spirit is going to c is going to come. Now you can imagine these these men that have gotten to love Jesus. They spent a lot of time with Jesus and they didn’t understand that and they didn’t understand it for one and for two they didn’t like the idea. But Jesus knew what these men needed, didn’t he? Jesus knew that I I would not be able to stay here with you like this.

(03:42) And it’s for your good that I go so that the comforter can come in verse 26 of chapter 14. But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. In verse 23 of chapter 14, he speaks about making his abode with them.

(04:08) I want to leave so that then Christ can dwell in you and that he can give you power. If we look at the beginning of the church in Acts chapter 1, and I’ll just read the first few verses there in Acts chapter 1, break in verse three. “To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them 40 days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God and being assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the father.” This thing that

(04:48) he’d been trying to share with them there in John “which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” So we hear there are two baptisms there. The baptism of John and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

(05:11) Verse six, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel? And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times of the season which the Father hath put in his own power.

(05:27) But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” What a tremendous foundation for the church of Jesus Christ. You know, when I was born again and just prior to being born again, I was I was I started me and my family started attending a local church there in town. And I would read passages out of the scriptures and I would have two questions when I would read some of these passages.

(05:58) The first question was how can I do this? And the second question is why am I not seeing people do this? You know, I’m reading the Bible for the first time and I’m reading some amazing things and it’s making me wonder is it possible for me to be doing this? And then as I look around at all the people that profess to be Christians, all the friends that are coming out of the woodwork that I’ve known for most of my life that I’ve never heard him ever mention the word Jesus, why are these people not doing this?

(06:35) And so I would go to my pastor and I would bring these scriptures to him. You know, it says that we should deny self, pick up the cross, and follow him. That we should love our enemies. And what should his answer have been? What should he have answered me? It would have been amazing if he’d have said, “Benji, it takes faith.

(07:07) ” Benji, it takes faith. Do you believe that Jesus Christ can perform these things in you? But instead, he would mention that a lot of Jesus’s teachings are for mature Christians. Or he would say that, you know, Benji, that’s the goal. That’s the high standard. And, you know, nobody’s like Jesus. Nobody’s going to be able to quite attain to that. We need to try, but you’ll never make it.

(07:43) A Christ-less Christianity. Another way we could say this title is a faithless Christianity. And my burden here this evening for this message is that we have lowered Christianity to a place where we no longer need Christ. We no longer need faith. We no longer need God. We no longer need power. Once again, verses that were already read this evening in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 14.

(08:26) It says, these are just beautiful passages here. For this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.

(08:49) This is the heart of God for each one of his children, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

(09:13) Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that workketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end. Amen. You know the truth is this that we here at least most of us or nearly all of us we live in America. That’s just a reality. You didn’t have a choice in that and I didn’t have a choice in that. That’s where we find ourselves.

(09:38) We live in America and in America we have control of almost everything. We have the ability to control our lives. It’s just a truth that you need to understand that that we have freedoms, we have liberties, we have all these things and it’s a tremendous blessing. But there’s also a threat of a curse in this that we have the ability to control everything in Christianity through the ages.

(10:04) Through the ages, if you look at all these different Christian groups, Christianity has been made up of men and women crying out to God. Men and women crying out in desperation to a God that would run to their aid. That was delight delighted to run to their aid. That was the Christian church. from the beginning wanting to show himself strong in the Christian.

(10:44) People that were desperate. We get a picture of Jacob wrestling with the angel. I will not let you go. But we live our life here. Our American dream. No need for God. No need for power. Just the idea of Jesus’s teachings where he says, “If you love your life, you will lose it.” What does that do in your heart? That simple teaching there.

(11:17) What does it do in your heart? What if that was the only standard on judgment day? If you love your life, you will lose it as you come before God. Where will you be at? Where would that put you? tremendous example in the Old Testament, the story of Asa, son of Abijah. And Abijah was a wicked man, a wicked father. He scattered idols all over Judah.

(11:47) And you know, if you read this this account, which I’m sure you have, it’s a tremendous encouragement when you see Asa come in and start destroying these idols. He starts clearing the land. He comes in and he wants to make a difference.

(12:06) I’m not sure what got into the heart of this man, but he wants to make a difference and he wants to bring Judah back and reform to the standard of God. And so he goes right to work and God blesses Judah. God gives them prosperity. And when Ethiopian army comes with 1 million soldiers, it appears like the days of King Asa are over. 1 million Ethiopian soldiers. There will surely not be a stone left unturned. But King Asa turned to God. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power.

(12:53) Help us, oh Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. Oh Lord, thou art our God. Let not man prevail against thee. You get in this sensation. You get a cry from this man, a cry of desperation. Let me ask you, dear people, tonight, when is the last time that you’ve been desperate? When is the last time that you found yourself in a position where you had to have God? There was nowhere else to go. There’s a million in front of you. Your life is about over. and it brings a man to his knees and he’s crying out to God saying,

(13:25) “We can do nothing.” Do you think God wants us to be in that place? Do you think God likes it when he sees his people in a desperate place saying, “I will not look to my own strength. I will not look to my own wisdom. I will not look to my own reputation.

(13:46) I’m not going to look to my own my own skill set, but instead I’m going to find myself crying out to a God that has more power than any of us could ever even imagine. And we understand that God delivers them, doesn’t he? It’s amazing. We understand that God delivers him. And then it isn’t it isn’t that long later that Basha, the king of Israel, sets up this little encampment outside of Judah.

(14:14) And what does Asa do? He goes to the Syrians and asks for help. My father and you were friends. Here’s all of these treasures. Will you help us? And at that time Haniah the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and said unto him, “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God.

(14:44) Therefore, as the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand, were not the Ethiopians and the Lubans a huge host with very much chariots and horsemen. Yet because thou did rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.” Verse 9 in 2 Chronicles, a tremendous passage. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

(15:09) Herein thou hast done foolishly. Therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars. And we see the fruit of his life. Go to ruin. Goes to ruin. Do we use these as examples in our own life? Dear people, do you find it amazing that God, the creator of the world, wants to use you to show himself strong. It’s a promise. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

(15:53) a Christ-less Christianity. Where do you think the church is today? I would just be curious. Where do you think the church is going in our day today? Do we feel the revival fires burning? Do we feel radical men and women of God leading their homes and taking charge, shaking the gates of hell? Or do we see the church is kind of going into a little bit of a slumber? The church is going into a little bit of a cool spirit, a relaxed, a little lukewarmness, maybe more concerned about pleasure than the actual things of God.

(16:31) What do you see when you look around your communities, around your people? Do you see a ferveny that overrides self? Or do you see people like the apostles that are bumbling around walking in the flesh? Yes, they love Jesus. Yes, they love this. They love that. Yes, I’m a Christian. But yet, they’re walking in the flesh, not fulfilling the power of the spirit of God.

(16:59) Look at the example of the rich young ruler. And Jesus said unto him, “Why callst thou me good? None is good, save one that is God. Thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery.” How many could do that in this room? Do not kill. How many? Do not steal. Do not bear false witness.

(17:19) Honor thy father and thy mother. And he said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up.” You know why he was able to keep them from his youth up? It’s because he didn’t need God to do those things. He didn’t need God to not commit adultery. You don’t need God to be a moral person. You don’t need God so that you don’t steal at the gas station. You don’t need God so that you don’t swear.

(17:44) You know, without God, you could be a better person. With a little bit of counseling, a little bit of a good motive, some motivation, you can be a good person. You can be a nice person. You can be a good neighbor. But it doesn’t take the power of God. And so Jesus Christ looks at this man, his he has a heart of compassion for this man and he says, you know, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor.

(18:15) And all of a sudden, this man is faced with a with a proposition that’s out of his own power. It’s out of his own ability, out of his own strength. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, “Yet lackest thou one thing.

(18:36) Sell all to the house and deliver distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. forsake all and follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw it, he was very sorrowful. He said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God? For it is easier for a camel to go through the that needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

(18:59) And they that heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” You just picture this. You picture these men, these disciples that are trying to figure this whole thing out, remember, without the power of God in their life. And as they hear this teaching, they they marvel and say, “Well, this doesn’t even make any sense.

(19:16) ” If that’s the case, then who’s a Christian? Have you heard that kind of excuse in your life? Have you heard people around you saying that? Well, if that is the way it is, then nobody’s going to make it. Relax. Calm down. Your standards too high. Bring it down a little bit. And Jesus’s response is very simple. The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

(19:44) Do we believe that tonight? Do we ever give an opportunity for God to show that in your life? Do we give him an opportunity or is it too risky? How about Joshua? You know, marvel there at the land of Canaan, the land of Canaan, this promised land. And here comes Joshua across the Jordan River with a massive army. Several million people.

(20:17) Some would say there’s been enough things going on and just the presence of this has Jericho trembling. It says these people were trembling. They had shut up their doors, shut up their walls. It’s very clear that we’re not going to be able to stand against such a great number. But you know, Joshua comes in there with his battering rams and with his two million people and he destroys the walls of Jericho and goes in there and takes the city.

(20:45) Who’s going to get the glory for that? And so God says, “March around the city and on the seventh day, march around it seven times and blow your trumpets and I’ll take those walls down.” And there’s not going to be one person that thinks you’re going to get the credit for this. This thing is impossible. This thing doesn’t make any sense. Man can’t take any glory for it. Gideon, the same way in Judges.

(21:10) Where do we find ourselves tonight? The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midionites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, “Mine own hand hath saved me.” It’s It couldn’t be any clearer in the scriptures. It couldn’t be any clearer that God is not wanting to share his glory with anyone.

(21:37) He’s not willing to do it. And the reason why he’s not willing to do it is because God is the only one that can save people. If you get the glory and men lift you up, what can happen? Nothing can happen. But when people turn to God and give God the glory, salvation can come. But you know, God breaks that down. He breaks that down until there’s just 300 men. And I want to be part of that.

(22:06) I want to be part of those faithful 300 men that know that I had nothing to do with this that know how miserable and wretched I was before God did a work in me so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what men shall do unto me.

(22:32) In Romans 8 Paul says if God be for us who can be against us that same God is still wanting to work in mankind. He’s still wanting to work at his people, his children. He’s still wanting to show himself strong so that people would give him glory and be a part of his kingdom. What is keeping you from God working in your life? You know, there’s there’s not one in here, I doubt that would say they don’t want God to do a work in them.

(22:59) We just heard about the power of the gospel and healing the sick. There’s not one in here that wouldn’t want to be a part of such a work. But if God sees that you’re in it for your glory, if God sees that you’re in it for your reputation, there will be no power. Is your your reputation keeping you from having faith in God? In 2 Corinthians, he said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for thee. My for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

(23:36) Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me?” Do we know about weakness here tonight? Do we know about weakness? Knowing that when we are weak, then you know, it’s an amazing thing. It it makes complete sense when we’re talking about God wanting to use us. God is saying, “When you are weak, that’s when I’m going to be strong.” But here we are in this land of ease.

(24:04) Does anybody in here know what weakness means? Do we know what it’s like to say that I rather glory my infirmities so that the power of God can be worked out through me? Do we know what that means? Or is it just all about me? You know, it amazes me. It amazes me how clear the scriptures, how clear they are.

(24:41) And I feel like I have just a tiny advantage over a lot of you because I was older in my years, 28 years old, when I started reading this Bible. And it just to this day, it amazes me how clear it is. And then another thing amazes me how clear the Bible is and what we’ve done with it. and how it could be so clear that God resists the proud and yet we’ll go around telling everybody how proud we are.

(25:02) And in my mind, those things don’t make any sense. We look around and we see a bunch of people that are boasting in their sin, happily calling themselves a sinner, happily calling themselves proud. And then we wonder why there’s so much decay. We walk around with our self in our mirror. You can think of it as a big old a big flag on a pole. And on that flag, it says in big letters for all to see, it is all about me.

(25:38) And do you believe if you have that flag and maybe tonight here, this weekend, maybe you came with two, three flags and you’re running through this campground with these flags that says, “It’s all about me.” And you know, we’d never be so foolish, would we? But maybe your shoes say it’s all about me.

(25:54) Maybe your clothes say it’s all about me. Maybe your hairstyle says it’s all about me. Maybe it’s your casualness that says it’s all about me. And we’re here looking at a God that’s looking, going to and fro. He’s trying to find someone who he could show his power through. Someone that would rattle the gates of hell, someone that could turn the world upside down.

(26:17) And yet it’s all about me. It’s a dichotomy. It’s not going to work. It’s not going to work. And we’re trying to live this Christian life. We’re trying to wear the T-shirt, the Christian T-shirt. We’re trying to to say that we’re the Christian, and we’re trying to do it without Jesus Christ. And our life becomes full of frustrations.

(26:48) Paul says that in the last days that there are going to be a group of people that profess to be Christians and they have a form of godliness. They have a form of godliness. And you know I don’t know what that alltogether looks like. Maybe it’s like a whitest suppler. It looks so pretty. It looks so right. It looks so nice.

(27:13) It’s a form. But these very people are denying the power they’re in. And if you look on to that, it’s such a sad case. Why do we serve God? Do we serve God so we can have a cleaner life? Do we serve God so we can have a good job or a good career or make a lot of money? What is the purpose behind the reason you serve the Lord Jesus? I understand you probably had a rough childhood.

(27:56) Your father was possibly angry. Maybe you were picked on as a child. Maybe you’re thinking, “But you don’t understand what I’ve been through.” My question to you is, is not God big enough? Is he not big enough to transform that whole situation and give you the power to overcome? Do we want to live in the past, all the hurts we’ve been through, all the things that we’ve endured, so now we have an excuse to live a life without Jesus Christ, a life with no power.

(28:36) It’s all about God. That’s what the flag should be waving. That’s what would get God’s attention as a people that say we cannot do it. I have no interest in the fashions of this world. I have no interest in in boasting of my pride. I have an interest in God working in me. I have an interest in doing things that there’s no one ever will recognize and think that I did them. but they’ll know that it’s God.

(29:08) It reminds me of a time that I was over in Haiti and we were walking along the streets wondering what the Lord had for us, a group of us and all of a sudden there was a commotion and some people were running toward us and we didn’t understand what they were saying, but they were grabbing us and pulling us off the street and they pulled us down a few alleys and they they pulled us up to a very pathetic site.

(29:34) There was a lady laying on a on a bunch of wood and it looked looked to be at first sight that she was dead. There was all manner of insects crawling all over her. A terrible sight. And they were trying to explain to the person that knew Creel there that this lady has laid here for days. And you know, your heart goes out in a situation like this. And in a situation like this, there’s not one person in this room that would be thinking, I got this. I can do it.

(30:01) But you feel in a place of desperation. Here it is. God is wanting to do something here. God is wanting the glory of this. And so we laid our hands on this lady. We started to pray. And I remember praying and crying out as as as hard as I could, crying out that God would move here. All these Haitian people are gathered around. What an opportunity.

(30:31) And as I was praying for this lady, I had to think this lady could be filled with demons. She could be filled with all manner of things that are that are wicked that has driven her to this state. And I cried out that God would have victory in her life.

(30:47) And this woman started to gvulse and started to vomit and throw up what looked like to be blood. I didn’t know what was going on, but our prayer was a prayer of faith. You know, I don’t have a whole lot of ability in this place here. I don’t know how to I don’t know how to do anything in the medical field. I don’t know how to do anything when it comes to helping this lady. But I know a God that wants to.

(31:09) I know a God that wants to show himself strong. And I remember after we got done praying, I remember the thought went through my mind. Now, what do we do? Now, what do we do? do we just stand up and give him a Bible? And I just felt led to to get a hold of this woman. And I said, “Let’s help her up. Let’s help her up.” And we lifted that lady up and she walked into her hut. And everybody was gasping.

(31:44) And the next morning, people were running to our to our place we were staying there. And they said, “This lady wants a Bible.” And we went back to this hut and there was a woman that looked completely different. Completely different. A huge smile on her face wanting a Bible. And you know, God is God is God is wanting to do that all over the world.

(32:07) We hear these stories in Haiti. We hear these stories in Ethiopia. We hear these stories all over the place. Do we hear these stories in America? Are we walking the streets in America, in our cities, wanting God to do a work? Lord, I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I know I have you. I know I have my Bible, and I know that you want to show yourself strong.

(32:31) And the Lord God is going to it’s going to get his attention. Over and over and over again, we wake up in the morning and we say, “God, you want to use me. I know you do. Please don’t let me be so busy. to let me be focused on things that are not eternal that I miss opportunities. And the Lord brings things continually into into your life so that you can show the power of God.

(33:02) And the truth is that man can do a lot. Man can do a lot. It’s amazing what men can do. They can build skyscrapers. They can perform brain surgeries. But there’s one thing that men will never be able to do, and that is live out the Christian life. It is something that is going to take the power of God. And that is my burden here tonight. I feel like we’re missing it on so many levels.

(33:37) the simplicity of the gospel, the simplicity that’s in the word of God, the teachings of Jesus, and we’ve settled into a role where we don’t need God. We don’t need God. We look at Samson, a man that was influenced by the power of God. A man that had a level of confidence in the power of God. And when the times came where his hair was cut and Samson lost the power, did he know he lost it? I think it’s amazing.

(34:44) A man that had lived most of his life with the power of God, if not all of his life. A man that could do almost anything because of God’s power. and he wakes up one morning and it’s not there and he does not know it. He doesn’t know it. And you know, you know when he finds out that he has no power, he finds out he has no power when he needs the power.

(35:20) And it brings me to a question. How long would it take you to figure out you didn’t have the power of God in your life? Can we be real? You wake up one morning just like Samson did and you don’t have the power of God in your life. Maybe some of you have never had the power of God in your life. I don’t know that.

(35:47) When would you know it? You wake up, you’re a little sleepy, maybe a little grumpy, didn’t get quite the rest you wanted. You go downstairs, a normal day, breakfast, mundane, off to work. How long would you go? Would you go the whole day without even knowing that you had no power? Would you maybe make it a week? It’s the burden of the message tonight is have we gotten to a place where we don’t expect the power of God? Have we gotten to a place where we know how we can live our life so that everything just looks right? We avoid situations that might be a little risky. We avoid situations that might be a little dangerous.

(36:49) never. And all of a sudden our heart’s kind of cold and maybe we wonder why it’s cold. And maybe in weekends like this and prayer groups we share that it’s been cold and we shared the same thing last year and the year before, but we get a little boost that maybe takes us another week or two and then back to the old cold life.

(37:13) Yes, we try to read our Bibles. Yes, we we flip through some pages in the morning. Yes, we have trouble focusing, don’t we? Our mind wants to go to other things. There’s so much going on in our life. There’s so many decisions to make. And we never get to a place where we’re crying out for God. And the trouble is we look around and I’m sorry.

(37:42) I’m sorry. But we look around and it’s the same in everybody else’s life. It doesn’t seem that anybody’s standing up and saying, “I want to make the name of the Lord God ring through this area. I want to be a testimony. I want to be an encouragement. I want to be faithful. I don’t want to get swept away by the lust of the flesh.” So then it comes just about comparing ourselves among ourselves.

(38:10) We’re a little better than they are. We feel like we know a little more than that, brother. And we end up spending years, decades. We try raising children. We try raising families. We try loving our wife without God. Without faith, we start getting confused about faith and works and which comes first and which comes last. And we try, we’re grabbing at strings.

(38:37) I hope I hope I can make it in. We start treating the grace of God into this big umbrella that’ll just hopefully make it all right. We hope the preaching is at a standard where we could attain to it without God. Relax, brother. Bring it down. You know the truth of the matter is this. When something is brought into your life that you cannot do, do you get excited or do you get discouraged? I was in a situation not long ago where I was preaching a message on the on the home. I was preaching a message on the home and and and just pouring out my

(39:40) heart, a tremendous subject and afterwards a few days later, a brother came to my house and he says, “You know, I was listening to your message there and my wife was in the nursery and when she came in from the nursery and sat down beside me, I could tell she was crying. what are you crying for? And she says, I feel condemned. I’m never ever ever going to reach the standard that he’s preaching.

(40:19) And this brother was very distraught at this situation. And I told him, I said, “You should be thankful that your wife is there. We should be thankful when a standard is raised that we cannot attain to it that we can’t muster up enough strength, read enough child training books, but we need to be on our faces before God saying, “God, unless you do a work here, my children are lost.

(40:46) God, unless you do a work here, I’ll never be able to get there.” Instead of our tears being tears of bitterness toward the preacher, instead of our tears being bitterness toward the word of God, it should be a bitterness. It should be tears of crying out to God for help, for strength to get through it.

(41:05) You know, I see young people even this weekend, we see young people all over, and I think of the choices that lay before him. I think of the huge decisions that lay before him. I think of the generations that are going to follow these young people. And I wonder, are they looking toward God for these decisions? Are these young people spending their nights out in the woods with flashlights seeking the living God because this next few years are going to mean a lot? or are they trying to attract and impress with the way they do their hair?

(41:52) I I understand that when we start talking about outward things like that that most people turn the volume off, but to me it just it just shakes my core that we’re actually bringing the standard of Christianity down so low that we can openly flaunt ourselves. We can flaunt our flesh. We can flaunt our desires and expect God to move.

(42:18) It is not a reality. And I understand that in a lot of churches, we make it all right. We make it okay. We accept it and we bring the standard down so low that we call it acceptable. Young Christians that are trying to find their way, let’s be an encouragement to them.

(42:39) But dear people, if we don’t start off on the foundation of faith in God, we are laboring in vain. We’re not going to gain anywhere. And I understand it. As young people mature, they start making better choices. And that is my fear. They start making better choices. They start maturing. They start becoming men and women. They put away some things that were childish. They become members of the church.

(43:05) But they do it all just like the rich young ruler. They do it all without the power of God. And on judgment day, God just simply says, “I’m sorry.” Where did you ever expect that this was going to cut it? Where in the Bible did you ever read that we were going to let sin in? Where in the Bible did you ever hear the Lord Jesus teaching that a little pride is going to make it in? It’s not in this Bible.

(43:37) The sacrifice was too high to let a little in. What is the problem of the ages? If we ask the question, did pi come in different range from all of you? The love of money, it’s a problem of the ages. Technology is the problem of the ages. Immorality is the problem of the ages.

(44:08) But dear brothers and sisters, friends, I’m here to tell you that tonight I think the problem of the ages is men trying to live the Christian life in their own strength and they’re getting good at it. You’re getting good at it. You’re able to pull the wool. You play the card on Sunday morning. You know how to live it out. The Bible’s clear that some will fall away that some will fall away. But I would ask the question, when they do, does anybody notice it? I know it’s a hard saying, but when the Bible says that the righteous will scarcely be saved, I think it’s making a call to the church.

(45:02) There are many that call themselves Christians that are scarcely going to be saved. And it should cause us to examine ourselves. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? In thy name have cast out devils? and I named on many wondrous works. But we know what he says.

(45:26) Does that sink into your life? Does that sink into your heart? And you know, maybe this is out of line tonight. When I’m asked to come and preach at 11:00 at night, I just feel the the heart says that we need to stir. We need to bring us to a higher standard. I’m not trying to be condemning.

(45:50) I’m not trying to get people to feel a a place of condemnation, but I would love it if people here would say, you know, I I’m done. I can’t do it. I give up. I would love to see people getting into that place. Lord, it’s going to be you or it’s not going to happen. Lord, you’re going to have to do a work in me. You’re going to have to show yourself strong. I had a young man call me from an Anabaptist church se several hours away and he wanted to meet me. He had something to talk with me about.

(46:22) And so we met at a little breakfast place I think at 5:00 in the morning. He’s having trouble in his life. I I can remember him walking into this restaurant. And I’m sorry, but I used to live in the flesh. I lived a lot of years in the flesh. I know what it’s like to live in the flesh. And I know what happened when I got born again.

(46:54) When I read the passages that Paul talks about the flesh being reckoned dead, that we should crucify the flesh. And I know what crucify means. It doesn’t mean that something’s still alive. Something still has has a way in my life. I I know what it was like to live in the flesh.

(47:10) And when you see this young man walking in with the latest Hey, dude shoes, the latest trend in jeans, the latest shirt, the latest hairstyle, all the swoops, and he sits down before me. I can know one thing. This man is not dealing with the power of God. Now, I’m not sure where he’s going. He might be breaking his heart this morning and wanting to repent. And he just shared with me that he doesn’t have any power in his life. He’s in terrible moral failure.

(47:37) And he asked, “Will you hold me accountable? Can you hold me accountable?” And you know, I’ve done this before and I understand. I I love accountability. I love accountability in the brotherhood. People from Dayton Christian Fellowship, they know that. I love it more than maybe most. We need each other.

(48:03) But I just sat there in front of this this dear young man and and the voice just kept coming through my head. This man does not need accountability this morning. This man needs the power of God in his life. This man needs salvation. and he needs to be done with himself and come to the throne of Christ, come to the cross.

(48:25) And so I decided that I would just share the gospel. And so I just started with the gospel and just share the reason why Jesus died to give us victory. Will you sing it tonight? Victory in Jesus. Have we lost that? You know, we sing the song victory in Jesus. But sometimes I wonder if we actually believe we can have victory in Jesus.

(48:51) The entire Protestant world around us, they say, “No, we’re all just humans. We’re all just in the flesh. Nobody can be perfect.” And all this talk that justifies sin in their life. And I think it’s permeated from every corner in our church houses. And after I shared just the idea that Jesus Christ is wanting to change your heart.

(49:14) He died to change us. That’s what being born again is to give us a new heart. That’s what the sacrifice was made for. It wasn’t made Jesus didn’t die so that you could be a better person. He didn’t. He didn’t die so that you could go to church on Sunday morning. He didn’t die so that you could be a good businessman and have a prosperous business and be a blessing in your community. He didn’t die for that.

(49:42) He died to have communion with you, to have fellowship with you, and not just this life, but all of eternity. And he can’t fellowship with sin. And after sharing this, this young man, he says, “I just don’t understand it. I’ve been in church my whole life. I’ve never heard it. I’ve never heard this. And I knew that when I left there today and he got into his sports car and took off, I knew I just wrecked his life.

(50:12) I knew I just turned this poor boy’s life upside down and and he starts calling me, “What about all the volleyball? I love playing volleyball. Are you telling me I just need to have my hair a mess?” All these questions. And I’m saying, “No, you just need to be born again. You need to repent. I know that people have a bad attitude toward that.

(50:33) You can’t just label everybody is not born again, but I’m sorry, but Jesus says you will know a man by his fruit. In the next weeks to come, this young man was in the battle of his life. The battle of his life. And do you know who was on the other side of the gospel trying to persuade him that he was okay? Was it the atheist? Was it the college students? Was it the people he worked with? You know who it was? It was his church. You need to stop listening to him. You’re okay.

(51:14) You’re fine. You can have a little fun. Do we need the power of God for that? Do we need the power of God for that? I found out later that he was one of the best volleyball players in the area. He traveled all over the place playing volleyball. He had such a thing to give up and he called me just trying to see if it’d work.

(51:44) The idea of a complete surrender. Is it off the table in our day today? My time is up. Do we need God today? And I I respect that. I appreciate that. But I just want to challenge you. Those of you that are nodding your head and saying yes, examine your life. Do you use the power of God in your life? Is it a necessity? We all know that it might have just been two or three seconds before Samson knew he didn’t have it.

(52:36) Even though all around us, if I’m talking on the billboard line, it is not the atheist that gives me the the the flack. It’s the professing church. You know, it reminds me, I’ll just say it in closing. A man that had a need. He was blind. His name was Barnameus. And maybe he was at a point where he accepted his need. He accepted the fact that he was blind.

(53:11) But when he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming, it got his attention. He knew by now. But we know for sure that he was not going to be able to heal himself. Maybe he tried before. Maybe he had tried different things. Maybe people have tried different things with him, but to no avail. And so he decides that he’s going to get desperate, even though he knows he’s going to make a fool out of himself.

(53:45) And so when he hears Jesus coming, he cries out. And I can just picture this man. This is his only hope. This is his only chance. He doesn’t know where Jesus is, but he hears the commotion. And I can just picture him sitting there alone that wall just letting it go. Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. I need you.

(54:14) And what happens? all his friends, all the community around him, the people that have been stepping over him for years try to quiet him down. Shh, quiet. Quiet. Stop being so loud. What would the temptation be? How many of you would have spent the rest of your life blind, but not Barardemus? And Jesus hears his cry. and he’d hear your cry.

(54:46) He wants us to be in a place where we need him. A brother from back home there was driving one day and he was in his own little world and he passed by a vehicle that was stranded on the side of the road. And after he had passed, the Lord convicted him. Why did you just miss that opportunity? Why did you just drive past that car? And he made a commitment right then.

(55:24) Lord, I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. You’re wanting to show yourself strong. I won’t do it again. And a few miles up the road, what does he see? You know what he sees? and he pulls over. He runs to the driver’s side of this car and he sees a man in there that’s slumped over having a Caesar choking on his own tongue and Steve reaches in and pulls his tongue out and he holds this man like a baby until the paramedics had come. He’s holding this man and crying out, crying out that God would do a work.

(56:10) Do you think that’s coincidence? I believe God is more desperate than than he ever has been finding people that want to show the strength and power of the Lord Jesus Christ in our day. Will we be done with ourselves? Take down the flag and let God work and have a Christfilled, faithfilled Christianity. God bless you.