From Hearing to Transformation: Embracing the Gospel

"whosoever heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation that has passed from death unto life you notice what he said verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word your atham oh but everybody heard these words the crowd said is worth yes but what he says there is two of everybody that is hearing and hearing he says whosoever has rarely heard my words and believed on him was sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but has already passed from death unto life" [00:16:59]

"the man who hears in this living way the man who has been effectually called is a man who as he sits and listens to the preaching of the gospel becomes aware of a power he becomes of a we're aware of a power that he's dealing with him he's not just listening to men he's not just hearing words he's aware that something's happening to the apostle let me give his exposition of the thing I'm trying to say as he gives it in the first epistle to the thessalonians in the fifth verse of the first chapter he says our gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance" [00:27:36]

"there is hearing which leads to believing and there is hearing which doesn't believe it doesn't lead to believe you that's why our Lord said on one occasion take heed how he here he that hath ears he said let him hear take heed be careful make sure that you're listening in the right way let me effect that we are in a chapel and listening to the gospel doesn't of necessity mean anything at all every heard in this effectual manner how can we tell well let me proceed with the analysis yes the analysis" [00:18:33]

"the man who properly hears this gospel and do receives it is a man who having been convinced of its truth he is convicted by it oh what a difference there is between these two things I can be convinced the thing is right without being convicted by it but the man who becomes a Christian is convicted yes he says that's right that's true and as he is convicted he's convicted of how wrong he has been in the past wrong in his ideas wrong in his thinking wrong in his living wrong in his practice wrong everywhere" [00:31:43]

"he hears the message Christ looks at him and says yes you're a sinner vile you've got nothing to recommend you but I have so loved you that I died for you and for your sins and he believed he embraces the message he clutches at it he trusts himself to it he append ins everything else and gives himself utterly and entirely to it he has received the message that's what it means I say to you again says the Apostle if any man preach any other gospel unto you then that you have received he's taken it in he's embraced he says thank God here it is the very thing I wanted I believe it just my only hope I leave everything I cast myself upon this word of God he believes it he receives" [00:36:19]

"the Christian is a man who has been moved to action by the message he is not only being called by it he is not only received he's been moved to do something by it where do you find that someone I find it in verse six listen I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel ah says the Apostle I'm driven to write him because I'm given to understand that you've moved again you have removed you moved before when they were called by the grace of God into the gospel you move from where you are into the gospel and into the kingdom but all your moving back again are you moving it's there isn't it oh yes and this is a very vital part of this whole question of salvation and deliverance and of becoming a Christian" [00:38:01]

"the first thing you do is to send comfort and to thank Christ now that needs no demonstration does it if I happen to be in a position that I could do you some kindness what is the first thing you do to me when I do that kindness to you the first thing you do is to thank me I say don't bother but you say I must thank you it means everything to me and I can't silence you you will thank me I can't stop you thanking me perfectly right and it is exactly the same in this method I can easily tell you whether you've ever been convicted of your sinfulness whether you've ever really understood that you're in a sinful world and that as a part of it you'll go to perdition and to hell" [00:41:09]

"the man who believes this message turns away from the world he says that's the thing that was leading me to destruction I want it no more he forsakes it he turns his back upon it with Bunyan he flees from the city of destruction and everything that belongs to it and everything that is true of it and on the other side he surrenders himself and his life unto God he does what saul of tarsus did there he is you see on the road to Damascus he has now seen the face of Jesus Christ and has heard his voice and you remember what he asked he said what wilt thou have me to do Lord he'd never asked that question before but that he'd been living according to his own ideas and his own will" [00:44:54]

"he's a man who's anxious that everybody else shall be doing the same so far from being ashamed of this wonderful Christ and his salvation he I say glories in him and wants everybody to know about him and to hear him he sees his fellow men and women still in the world blind to the truth not aware of the fate that is going to descend upon them he sees them in the city of destruction they're working side by side with him in the factory in the shop in the office in the profession and he feels he must tell them he tells them because he knows the truth about them and because he knows the truth about him and he wants to see the whole world coming to this Christ of God" [00:48:12]

"have you felt the power have you felt it personal to you have you seen yourself as you are in the sight of god and his holy law have you seen it have you felt it have you been alarmed by it have your longed for deliverance have you seen the deliverer and the deliverance which he gives and have you embraced and given yourself and your life to you you will know my business is to give the call I've given the call to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ have you heard it have you heard it effectively have you receive and are you risking the whole of your eternal future it and upon it" [00:51:05]

"the man who hears in this living way the man who has been effectually called is a man who as he sits and listens to the preaching of the gospel becomes aware of a power he becomes of a we're aware of a power that he's dealing with him he's not just listening to men he's not just hearing words he's aware that something's happening to the apostle let me give his exposition of the thing I'm trying to say as he gives it in the first epistle to the thessalonians in the fifth verse of the first chapter he says our gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance" [00:27:36]

"the man who properly hears this gospel and do receives it is a man who having been convinced of its truth he is convicted by it oh what a difference there is between these two things I can be convinced the thing is right without being convicted by it but the man who becomes a Christian is convicted yes he says that's right that's true and as he is convicted he's convicted of how wrong he has been in the past wrong in his ideas wrong in his thinking wrong in his living wrong in his practice wrong everywhere" [00:31:43]