Three Kinds of People

[0:00] I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus, since I found in Him a friend so strong and true.

[0:18] I will tell you how He changed my life completely. He did something that no other friend could do.

[0:34] No one ever cares for you and me like Jesus. There's no other friend so kind as He.

[0:49] No one else can take the sin and darkness from me. Oh, how much He cares for me.

[1:03] All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me. All my heart was full of misery and woe.

[1:19] Jesus placed His strong and loving arms above me. Now He leads me in the way I ought to go.

[1:33] No one ever cares for you and me like Jesus. There's no other friend so kind as He.

[1:49] No one else can take the sin and darkness from you and me. Oh, how much He cares for me.

[2:04] Heaven and earth shall pass away. But my word shall not pass away. Amen. Hallelujah.

[2:16] Where there's sons, they shall cease. Where there's knowledge, it shall fail. Hallelujah. But God's precious holy word that is so freely given to us. Hallelujah.

[2:28] Shall never fail. Never pass away. We take the most powerful weapon that God has ever given mankind. He spoke the world into existence through His word.

[2:40] Amen. And yet we let it lay around on our mantles and on our tables and gather dust. Never reading. Never partaking of that word of God and making that word a part of us.

[2:53] So that when we're in the valley of the shadow of death, when we're going through it and the doctor says cancer, tumor, and all these different things. Hallelujah. With the word of God, amen, we have the power. Somebody shout, we got the power.

[3:06] Hallelujah. To give us victory over the world, over the flesh, and over the devil, over every sickness, and over every disease. What does Isaiah, the 53rd chapter and the 5th verse say? He was wounded for our transgressions.

[3:18] He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. Can somebody say amen? Amen. One time there was a little woman that came to Jesus.

[3:29] And she said, Lord, my daughter is vexed with a lunatic spirit. And Jesus said to her, well, what's that got to do with me? She said words like this.

[3:42] Well, Lord, you can heal her. Heal her if you wanted to. And Jesus said, well, it's not meat that I should give the children's bread to the dogs. She said, yea, Lord, but even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from their master's table.

[3:59] Honey, let me tell you what. I want it no matter what I have to do to get it. I have to get down and lap water like a dog like Gideon had his men do. Honey, whatever it's going to take, that's what I want to do. Can somebody shout amen tonight?

[4:11] I want to talk about there's three kinds of people in this world. Three kinds of people on the earth. There are people that are non-Christians. A non-Christian is anybody that does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and has accepted them as their Savior.

[4:26] Can you say amen? They have no God. They may pretend to have other gods. They may claim all is their God or bull is their God or whoever their God may be. But, honey, you can just lop it down as this.

[4:37] They're all lost and they're all on their way to hell because there's only one way to salvation and Jesus Christ is that way. Can somebody say amen? You know, somebody said, well, Brother Van, you wouldn't believe that if he hadn't came for you.

[4:49] Well, the Bible said 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 of God.

[5:02] Even as many as believed on his name. Amen? Which are not born of the will of flesh, but the will of man, but which are born of God. How many of those you got to be born of God? Honey, except you're born of God, you don't have anything.

[5:14] Let me tell you what, except you're born again, you are nothing. You count for absolutely nothing. Your life is wasted and there's no account at all unless you're born again. Because you don't start to live until Jesus Christ is given in your heart and your life.

[5:29] Can somebody say amen? Hallelujah. Read with me in the, in, in, in, in, what I want to talk about. That, that's, there's three kind of Christians, three kind of people on this earth. One of them are just plain old non-Christians. Some of them claim to be atheists.

[5:40] And I got to tell you in what, in hell there are no atheists. In hell there are no atheists. Amen? Because in hell the Bible said every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is King of Kings.

[5:51] Is the Lord of Lords to the glory of God the Father. Can somebody shout amen tonight? Then there's the Puseido. How do you, how do you pronounce that word? Pseudo. Do you pronounce the P? P is silent.

[6:04] There's those pseudo Christians. P-S-E-U-D-O. I can spell it, but I may not pronounce it. Pseudo. These Christians pretend loyalty, but do not love Jesus with all their heart.

[6:22] And then there is a real genuine article Christian. Can somebody shout amen? How many believe that there are some really, still some really genuine, born again, on fire, blood bought, hell fought, hallelujah, and going to Jesus.

[6:36] Amen? When he comes, and they're real, they're real, they're real, they're real. God has a real people, and he's coming for them. Let me tell you a few things about Christians. What separates the pseudo Christians from the real Christians is the little bitty four letter word called love.

[6:52] Can somebody say amen? Love separates real Christians and makes them real. If you say you have God, don't have love, then you're just a liar.

[7:03] Let me give you a few scriptures here. In 2 Corinthians, the 6th chapter and the 14th verse. How can I know, Brother Van, if I'm a real Christian or not? If you hang with me until I get through, I'm going to give you a test.

[7:16] I mean, like, takes tests. Oh, we don't like to take tests. All right, I won't give you a test then. But you're going to stand tests one of these days.

[7:30] You're going to have to stand either before the judgment seat of Christ or the great white throne judgment, and you're going to have to give an account of your life. Can you say amen? Hallelujah. 2 Corinthians 6, chapter 14 through 18.

[7:41] I hope I'm in the right place. I'm not. I'm in 1 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians, I guarantee you, is here in my Bible somewhere. Listen to what it says here. Be ye not unlequally yoked together with unbelievers.

[7:51] Now, here's your first test. Are you a genuine Christian or are you a pseudo-Christian? Be ye not unlequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath a righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?

[8:09] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? Or what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God.

[8:21] As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them, saith the Lord, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty.

[8:40] Let's all bow our heads and go to the Lord in prayer. Lord Jesus, Lord, for the next few minutes, I pray, Lord God, that you would open up the windows of heaven. Lord, begin to pour out your spirit. Lord God, upon me to minister, Lord, and let me say exactly what you would say if you were here.

[8:52] Lord God, anoint our hearts to receive and our ears to hear. Give us spiritual ears tonight that we might hear what the Spirit is saying. Father, we ask it all in Jesus' name. Lord God, that we might put roots down and bear fruit upward in the name of Jesus.

[9:06] Somebody shout amen. Amen. You know, it's hard to pray when you're thinking you've got your mind on something else. I'm talking about one thing and thinking about something else. Amen. You've got a mixed congregation here tonight.

[9:17] You've got some coming, some going, and some staying. Can you say amen? I want to be one of them that's staying. Amen. Hallelujah.

[9:27] Hallelujah. Are you a real Christian tonight? Or are you joined together with another believer? Now, it's one thing to be in a situation you can't control.

[9:39] It's another thing when you can't control the situation and you want to put yourself in it. Can you say amen? Listen, here's another sign of a real born-again Christian. John 3 and 3, it says, Jesus said, Marlon, not that I say unto you, you must be born again.

[9:54] He said, You must be born of the water and of the Spirit. Except a man be born again, he shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Can somebody shout amen? Are you born again? Are you born of the water?

[10:05] Are you born of the Spirit? Amen. I just want to touch on these real quick because these are all sermons in themselves. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says, Old things have passed away. And behold, all things have become new.

[10:17] Has old things passed out of your life? Are you still talking like you used to talk? Walking like you used to walk? Dressing like you used to dress? Acting like you used to act? Are you still letting your anger throw all of its fits like it used to do when you were an out-and-out-and-out-not-professed sinner?

[10:35] How about it? How about it? Are old things passed away? I heard somebody say here a while back, Brother Van, I don't understand why all these young people, they come in here and they get in intercession like we used to do.

[10:55] Isn't that something like we used to do? They shout like we used to do. They dance like we used to do. They pray like we used to do.

[11:06] They get up and get in the Spirit like we used to do. Doesn't that tell you something? Tell you that all things aren't like they used to be. Can you say amen? What's the answer to it?

[11:17] Honey, we need to come back. We need to get back. Like Sister was talking about a revival a while ago. We need to get back to an old, really, really old-time soul-saving salvation revival that will change our lives, that will make us not comfortable around sin.

[11:32] Are you comfortable around sin? Are you comfortable when people are cussing and drinking and doing every ungodly thing? Is that your atmosphere that you want to be around? See, a lot of Christians, a lot of pseudo-Christians are comfortable in that atmosphere.

[11:48] Or do you do like one man said he got in the car with some men at the funeral home and he said they began to load up their pipe with dope. He said, oh, you going to do that? Let me get out because I don't do that anymore. Amen?

[12:00] Man, peer pressure would have said just sit there and keep your mouth shut. You don't have to smoke it. But the Jesus Christ inside of him said, get out. Me not unequally yoked together with unbelievers as a symbol of something.

[12:13] Amen. Like some people do. Can you say amen? Hallelujah. Hold on with me real quick now. What happens?

[12:25] What two things do you get when you get born again? You wouldn't believe that you're going to find this in the book of Ezekiel, but you need to turn there and read it. Ezekiel 36. Somebody shout Ezekiel 36.

[12:38] Hallelujah. And it's verse 26. When you are born again, when you're really born again, when you're really born again, somebody say really born again. Because there's a whole lot of people that claim to be born again, but they're not born again.

[12:54] I'm going to talk about them in a minute. Right now I want to talk about real Christians. If you're a real Christian, then when you were born again, you got a new heart. Listen to what he says. And a new heart also will I give you, and put a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them.

[13:16] And you shall dwell in the land that I give to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Can you say amen? What's that telling me? Honey, if you ain't got a new heart, if your new heart ain't yearning for righteousness, and holiness, and want to be just like Jesus, want to walk like Jesus, and talk like Jesus, want to live above sin, and separated from sin, then honey, there's something wrong with your experience, and you're a pseudo-Christian, and not a real genuine, wide, bona fide Christian.

[13:42] Can somebody say amen? Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I don't know about you, but if you could see what I used to be, and see what I am now, you'd think, these people can't be the same ones.

[13:55] They can't, there's no way they could be the same person, because there's such a difference. Old things have passed away. All things have become new. Amen.

[14:05] Now we have a new walk. We got a new talk. We got a new way of talking. I thought I knew what love was, but I didn't. I knew what lust was. I didn't find out what love was until I found Jesus, and then God, who is love, loved me so much, and he gave me that love.

[14:21] He put a new heart within me. Whose heart did? He said, I'll put my spirit within you. Then if he put his spirit within you, whose heart did he put in us? He put his heart in us. Can you say amen? Romans 12, 1 and 2 says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies living sacrifices, holy.

[14:40] See, if you're born again, you don't have a problem with being holy. Can you say amen? Is that right, Brother Jesse? You got any problem trying to be holy? Are you fighting me when I'm trying to preach on it?

[14:58] Sometimes Brother Jesse, if he ain't talking, he can't out there. He's just, he's got his mind out there in limbo somewhere. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God.

[15:15] How many tonight can say, hey, my life that I'm living, my body that I'm in, is holy and acceptable unto God? Hey, God wouldn't have gone on Paul to preach it that way if he hadn't have meant what he said.

[15:27] But you try to ask somebody, are you holy? Well, I'm trying to be. Hey, don't you think it's about time we quit trying to be holy and start being holy? Amen. How do you be holy? Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate.

[15:39] Get away from everything that's not like God. Abstain from the very appearance of evil. If you think it might be, then don't do it. Don't go around it. You see, one time it wasn't hard to tell right from wrong.

[15:53] There was black and there was white and white was right and black was wrong. But anymore, we blurred the lines till there's no right and wrong. It's just all, well, all depends on how you take it.

[16:05] No, it ain't got nothing to do with how you take it. It all depends on how the word of God says it. Amen. Amen. See, there's nothing wrong with sports until sports take the place of Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, I claim to be a Kentucky fan, but I didn't watch the game today.

[16:21] Neither did I listen to it on the radio. When I heard Bobby leave, I thought, oh, I might want to turn on and see what happened. I wish I hadn't have turned it on. You didn't.

[16:34] That's right. That tells me a whole lot. That tells me a whole lot. Amen. Listen to what he says now. In verse 3, he said that you're going to receive a measure of faith.

[16:47] You're going to get a new heart. You're going to get a new spirit. And you're going to get a measure of faith. To every man there is given a measure of faith. What have you done with your faith? You know, let me just go back 35 years, 36 years ago when I first got saved.

[17:03] It was black and it was white. I didn't go. We got a little pool hall there in Livermore. I ain't had it there for two or three years because we used to have four or five. And I knew them all and I could play pool with the best of them.

[17:16] But you know what? When I got saved, I got condemned to go into pool halls. Now, so I don't know what's going on in pool hall anymore.

[17:27] I used to know because I was right in the middle of it. I used to be in there gambling and smoking and cussing. More cussing than anything. Just, you know, because that's just what a sinner does.

[17:40] But you know, they got one there in town. And my wife, we drove down the street there at Christmas because she said, look how dead it is around here. Said, there's only one place over. Look, and it's the little pool room. She said, I heard they got good food there.

[17:51] I said, well, I wouldn't know because I ain't never been in it. You know what? I'm not planning on going in it. Somebody said, well, I can't because I got the Holy Ghost. I can take it. Well, if you got the real Holy Ghost, they'll probably tell you to stay away from it.

[18:02] Abstain from the very appearance of evil. You said, Brother Van, what are you talking about? Don't play pool? I didn't say don't play pool. I said don't go to pool halls.

[18:14] Amen? No more wrong playing pool. Hey, I'm way off my subject now. No more wrong playing pool than it is shooting basketball out here in the parking lot. A game's a game. It's just a place you have to go and the people have to be around to do it.

[18:26] Can you say amen? How many lost your money in the $300 million lottery? Ask me how much I lost.

[18:43] I just went there. I wish that brother had won the lottery, was a member of this church. We could have got 10% of it. Say, Brother Van, when you attempted to buy a ticket?

[18:57] No, I wasn't. I thought about it, but I wasn't tempted to do it. Do you know why? Because when Paul Harvey said it's more apt, the odds are greater that a comet's going to fall out of the sky and knock you in the head than this you're going to win the lottery.

[19:09] I said, I'm going to keep my dollar. Besides, you know how many dollars was spent? The odds were like, you know, a trillion to one. But anyway, let me hurry along here.

[19:23] Hebrews 11, 6. If you're a real Christian, here's what you've got to believe. First, you've got to believe that God is and that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. How many believe, you know, the sinner, most sinners, they say they don't believe in God, but they walk around and they GD in this and they GD in that and they GD in that.

[19:39] Hey, they don't believe in Him, but they're going to curse His name all the time. Does that make sense? Because they don't even know what they're saying. They do not know what they're saying. I did it and I didn't know what I was saying.

[19:51] I was out of my mind. I sure wasn't in the right mind. Can you say amen? Hallelujah. He that cometh to the Lord must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

[20:01] Matthew 28, 19 and 20. Another way that you can tell that you're a creature, that if you're born again. If you've got the real genuine article. Or are you a pseudo-Christian? What's He say?

[20:15] Go ye into all the world. Teaching all the nations about me. Commanding them to be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.

[20:28] Lo, I am with you always. When's the last time you told somebody about Jesus? Who is He talking to? Well, He's just talking to the missionaries.

[20:40] He's talking to the evangelists. No, honey. He's talking to me and you. Wherefore go ye into all the world? Preach the gospel unto every creature. Amen?

[20:52] Teaching them to observe what sort of things I've commanded you. I'm getting a lot of hard looks. I wonder if we've got any pseudo-Christians here. What did I say a pseudo-Christian was?

[21:05] One that pretends loyalty to but does not love Jesus with all their heart. I'm going to give you an example here in a minute. Look here. Look here. John 5, 19 through 24.

[21:17] He said, if you're going to... And I just throw this in there. Again, I don't want you to turn there because I'm running out of time. I don't want to reuse all my minutes up. But Jesus said, if you honor the Father, you've got to honor the Son. If you don't honor the Son, then you don't honor the Father.

[21:29] Can you say amen? You've got to honor the Father and the Son. But, Brother Van, I thought you said that they were one. Honey, God is a spirit. God is a spirit. God's in this place tonight.

[21:40] How many people see Him? Oh, we can't see Him because He's a spirit. Regina probably sees God better than we do. Because God is a spirit.

[21:51] Amen? They are three and they are one. And I don't have a problem with it. And I honor the Father and I honor the Son. Amen? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You know what's going to happen when the Bible talks about the end?

[22:02] When the end comes? Then the Son will deliver everything back up to the Father. That the Father may be all in all. Amen? That's what the Bible says. That's what the Bible. That's what the Bible.

[22:12] That's what the Bible said. Then come at the end. Can you say amen? How many wants to be there when the end takes place? Hallelujah. But you're going to be there whether you want to or not. I just want to know how many wanted to be there.

[22:25] Let me hurry along here. 1 John 2 and 12. It says your sins are forgiven for His namesake. What is His namesake? Jesus Christ. Amen? Why are your sins forgiven? You're a Christian if your sins are forgiven and they're forgiven for His namesake.

[22:37] Acts 15 and 11 says, We believe through grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved. Ephesians 2 and 5 says, For by grace are you saved through faith. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[22:48] And then over in Titus, the second chapter says, But the grace that brings salvation teaches us. Do you have a problem with grace teaching you? If it saves you, can it teach you? That denying ungodliness and worldliness that we shall live holy and righteously and soberly in this present generation, in this present world.

[23:03] I started to say this while ago and it came across my mind again. Not very many things crossed my mind twice. So I'll go ahead and say it.

[23:13] When I first got in church, I didn't know anything. I just knew that none of the Christians at church went to the ballgames.

[23:25] Now in Livermore, that great big city, that metropolitan area of, you know, of Calhoun, you know, one little ballpark where the Rugrats play, Little League, Junior Pro.

[23:47] And you know what? I noticed that all them people that I went to church with, they didn't go to basketball games. You know what else I noticed?

[24:00] A lot of them didn't have a television. So you know what I started to do? I quit going to ballgames. Well, I didn't even want them to see me if I drove down by the ballpark.

[24:17] You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. You said, Brother Van, that's silly. No, that's separation. That's separation.

[24:32] That really is. That's separation. What do we do now? We got all of our kids and grandkids in Junior Pro. We go to all the ballgames.

[24:44] We just, well, there's no right and no wrong. Are we pseudo-Christians? Are we deceiving ourselves?

[24:56] Let me hurry along here. I don't want to miss none of this. Ephesians 2 and 5 says, by grace are you saved. I don't read that. Romans 3, 20 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

[25:10] 1 Peter 2, 2 is newborn baby's desire, the sincere milk of the word of God, that you may grow thereby. A Christian spiritual growth and moral development never ends. But what's happening if we're going backwards?

[25:20] If our moral development is going backwards? Don't raise up your hand because I don't want to know. But I wonder how many has got X-rated movies at your house or R-rated movies at your house that you stick them in your VCR.

[25:38] Well, it don't really matter because all you got to do is turn on your regular old television that comes on the air. Commercials.

[25:49] Have you seen the latest commercial, Hanes Herway? What would have happened if they'd have done that 30 years ago? Sister Pat, what would have happened?

[26:05] Well, the preachers would have thought a fence. They had to shut down Hanes Company. The president of the United States might have even said something 30 years ago. You seen Hanes Herway yet? Oh, well.

[26:27] Like I said, your spiritual growth and moral development never ends. It never ends as long as you're a Christian. Unless, unless, unless you backslide. See, you know what's happened?

[26:39] Most of us have came up to a point. We have paid the price. We have laid aside and we've, we've powered back. And, and, and we got right up there to the cutting edge where it was just hurting. And we stood it for a while.

[26:52] But then we begin to back off. You know what happens when you take one step backwards? The devil takes one step forwards. When you, when you back up on the ground that you have took from him, you, you done, you done thought of a devil in the lot.

[27:05] And you done took some ground away from him. And then suddenly you get tired of the fight. Suddenly the preacher didn't shake your hand. Suddenly they didn't ask you to sing or play a special song. Suddenly, you know, just something happened. You woke up one morning and you was down in the valley.

[27:18] And in the bottom of the valley there was a pit and you crawled down to the pit and tried to pull the dirt in on top of you. And you took a step back. You know what the devil did when you took a step back? He took a step up. And some of us were going like this.

[27:34] We're losing ground fast. We're backing up as fast as we can walk. And the devil is coming on strong. Can you say amen? Hallelujah. Romans 3, 23 says, For all have sinned to come short of the glory of God.

[27:48] As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word of God that you may grow thereby. Amen. Hallelujah. The Christian experience, listen to this, is a daily, daily, not a weekend, not a Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning.

[28:04] The real Christian experience is a daily walk with Jesus. Daily walk with Jesus. Can you say amen? I bet the only one here who hadn't watched TV this week is Sister Regina.

[28:18] I just thought I'd throw that in. Can you say amen? When you experience the miracle of being born again, each passing day is an opportunity to search your heart.

[28:36] How many of those, when you got saved, you were searching yourself, finding out what you could lay aside for Jesus. Because you knew if you laid something down for Him, He would give you more of His love, more of His spirit, more of His power, more of His glory, more of His anointing.

[28:53] If we would lay something down, He would give us something in His place. Amen. Every day, we have an opportunity to search out the hidden truths that's hid in this gold mine that we call a Bible.

[29:08] We call it a Bible. Truthfully, it is a gold mine and it's full of the most precious nuggets. We pretend to be loyal to Jesus. Let me just back it up here. I'm going to talk about Poseidon Christians. The word Poseidon means fictitious.

[29:21] It means pretending. It means false. It means counterfeit and lukewarm. It means Poseidon Christians reject the authority and the commandments of the Word of God and of Jesus Christ.

[29:32] They pretend to be loyal to Jesus, but they don't love Him with all their heart. Can you say amen? Matthew 26. Matthew 22, 36 through 40. I want to read that because this is one way that you can really tell if you're a pseudo-Christian or not.

[29:49] Matthew 22 and 36. I want to read through verse 40.

[30:01] Master, which is the greatest of the commandments in the law? And Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind.

[30:11] And this is the great first and great commandment. And the second is likened to it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments.

[30:24] Hang all the law and the prophets. On these two commandments. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.

[30:35] On these two commandments. How much do you love somebody that's sitting on the same seat with you? Or do you come to church hoping that they don't sit on the same seat with you? Or for sure if they have fellowship, you hope they don't hug you because then you're going to have to hug them back.

[30:49] And you know. I know because some of you hug me that way. I may have even hugged some of you like that. You never know.

[31:01] Amen. Which is the greatest commandment? Love. Everybody say L-O-V-E.

[31:13] There's a little saying that says. You know what the acronym for joy is? Joy. Jesus. First.

[31:24] Others. Second. And you last. How do we do it? We're first. Others second because we care more what man says about us than what Jesus thinks about us.

[31:40] And then we put Jesus last. Can you say amen? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let me tell you. If you want to know what love is. How many would like to really know what love is? You'd like a good definition of love.

[31:50] Go with me. First Corinthians 18. First Corinthians. 13 rather. Listen here. It says. Though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels. And have not charity.

[32:02] But then you said love. Well let me tell you what charity means. Charity. Charity means costliness. Charity means to esteem.

[32:14] Charity means affection for. And charity is a translation of the Greek word agape. Which is the love of God for man.

[32:24] And the love of man for his fellow man. Charity means goodwill. Charity means kindness. And charity means leniency. When judging others. How lenient are you when you're judging others?

[32:37] How lenient? We ought to take them out and hang them. Tom was there. He'd hang them. Shoot them. Blow them up. Run over them with a car.

[32:48] Burn them with fire. How lenient are we when we're doing with a. Oh Jesus. Forgive me Lord. Then we knew what we were doing. We planned to do it. And we did it. But forgive me.

[33:00] Have mercy on me. Y'all ought to forgive me now. How many knows what I'm talking about? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What's it say here?

[33:14] For though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels. And have not charity. I become a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy. And understand all mysteries and all knowledge. And though I have all faith.

[33:24] So that I can remove mountains. And have not charity. Have not love. I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. And though I give my body to be burned. And have not charity. Love one for another.

[33:37] And love for God. At this rich man that won the lottery. He's already rich. And so he won another 113, 14 million.

[33:48] All at once on top of that. Man. It scared me to death.

[33:58] If I had that kind of money. Because I remember the scriptures. It's easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle. Than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. How many knows that power corrupts? And money is power.

[34:11] Amen. Hallelujah. All right. Verse 4. Charity suffereth long. Love suffers long and is kind. Love emmeth not itself. Love vaunteth not itself.

[34:21] Love is not easily puffed up. Doth not make itself unseemingly. Provoketh not her own. Is not easily provoked. Rethinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity. But rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things.

[34:33] Believeth all things. Hopeth all things. Endureth all things. Love never fails. How can you know if you're a real true bonafide Christian? You have love one for another. Somebody said, well I just can't love them.

[34:47] Because they lie. Cheat. Steal. Drink. Dope. Well honey. They're doing the same thing you did before God saved you. And the Bible said while we were your sinners.

[34:58] Christ loved us enough to die for us. If he loved us enough to die for us. Don't you think that if we have his kind of love. That we should love others. I am almost to the point of being tormented.

[35:10] How many remembers that guy that used to come here? I don't know how he would get out here. But he was. He was a bum. Homeless. He had long hair and.

[35:25] Leather vest on. And cowboy boots. And he stunk. You could smell him a mile away. And he'd come out here. And he'd sit right back there in the back.

[35:35] Where Sister Patsy is. When we had the seat set the other way. And. After night. At night time. I'd get him in my car. And take him back downtown.

[35:46] And let him out on the street. Now I honestly believe Romans 8 28. That all things work together for good. I never really knew why God.

[35:58] Brought that man here. But we didn't shun him. We didn't run him off. But then we might not have done everything. We could have done for him too. And the last time I let him out.

[36:10] I remember he just stood there and looked at me for a long time. Because this is a man about 45 years old. Well built. Good looking. I guess everything that could go wrong.

[36:24] He thought it all happened to him. Finally I said goodbye. And I drove off. About a year or so later. Big old semi truck pulled up out front here.

[36:36] Right right on the street. Right here. And he came in there and hollered at me. And hey brother Van. I just wanted you to know I got a job. And everything is starting to work out. But I'll always worry.

[36:48] God what more should I have done. Besides give him a few dollars you know. Oh Lord I could get you crying tonight. If I got down there and tell you about the fast that God has chosen. Amen.

[37:00] Read about it in Isaiah 58. Let me hurry along here. I'm just about through. Let me give you an example of somebody. Who thought.

[37:11] They were a real Christian. But it turns out that they were a pseudo Christian. You probably never thought about this guy being that tight person. Because his name is Peter. Everybody remember the story about Peter.

[37:24] And they were there at the last supper. And you know. Peter had already jumped up and said. You're not going to wash my feet. Jesus said. Get behind me Satan.

[37:35] If I don't wash your feet. You won't have any part with me. Then Peter said. Lord wash my feet and my head also. Whatever else you need to be washed. And then after Jesus washed all their feet. And they had the last supper.

[37:46] They drank the wine. And the bread. And everything. And everything. Jesus said. Many of you will be offended of me. Because of me. And will forsake me.

[37:58] And Peter jumped up. And he said. Lord I'll never forsake you. I'll die for you. And he believed what he was saying.

[38:11] And Jesus said. Verily verily Peter. Before the cock crows. You're going to deny me three times. I'll never.

[38:22] I'll never deny you Lord. They left out there singing a hymn. They went down from. From Jerusalem in the upper room. And across. Across the brook there. Kidron. And went over to the.

[38:33] Garden of Gethsemane. And he had his other. Nine to eight disciples to wait. And he took Peter James and John. Went a little further. And he said. Now y'all pray with me here. They couldn't pray. They slept.

[38:44] Came back. Woke them up. A couple of times. And finally he says. Just sleep on. They came and they took Jesus. Took him down into palace judgment hall. And I'm making this story short.

[38:55] Because this is an Easter. I'm just abbreviating this. And Peter followed afar off. And he warmed himself by the enemy's fire. And while he was sitting there warming. Everybody was around talking.

[39:06] You know. And they were. You could hear them in there beating Jesus. You could hear them beating him. And one of the little maids comes up to Jesus. Said. You're one of them. And Peter said.

[39:18] Oh no I'm not. I'm not one of them either. Uh-uh. Same day. He said. I'll die for you. A little bit later on. He's there waiting.

[39:28] Somebody else comes by. And he said. Said. Hey I recognize you. One of them. He said. No I'm not. No. You got me mixed up. Somebody else. It's not me. Not me. You got me mixed up. And finally the third one came by.

[39:41] And said. Yeah. I remember you now. And besides that. Your speech betrays you. And then Peter began to swear. And to curse. As he did.

[39:52] The cock crowed. And as the cock crowed. I believe he was looking through the window to see Jesus. And I believe at that time. Jesus. Hanging there all limp and bloody.

[40:03] Looked up. Through the window to see Peter. And he saw those eyes that knew. Because Jesus knew what had gone on in the courtyard. Peter had thought.

[40:14] He was ready to die for him. But when it came down. To it. He found out that he loved himself. More. Than he loved his Lord.

[40:26] And Savior Jesus Christ. Many of us think we're willing to die for him. But we won't come to prayer meeting on time. We won't read our Bible. We won't pray. We won't fast.

[40:36] But God. I'm a soldier. In the army of the Lord. Well. Maybe I'm just a pseudo Christian. Maybe I'm just a pretender.

[40:49] Maybe I'm a fake. Say brother Van. You're making us feel bad. When you're going to make us feel good. I'm not going to make you feel good. I'm trying to wake you up.

[41:00] I'm trying to shake you. I'm trying to say. Sister Patsy is talking about. I have a real revival. Real revival starts in your heart.

[41:12] And it takes. Come. The word revive. Bring to life again. That which is dead. We need to be revived. That river. You say brother. Y'all up there shouting and everything.

[41:23] That's just part of it. Shouting is just part of it. I want a revival in my heart. For the word of God. I want a revival.

[41:34] I want to be revived. That I will get a closeness. And a walk. And a talk with Jesus. I want that. You know. I remember there was a time. When I couldn't get in the car. And you had better not get in the car with me.

[41:45] When you was going from here to Calhoun. Or from here to Livermore. Back. Because everybody said. You get in the car brother Van. You're going to cry. Cry. Because he's going to sing. And he's going to pray. And he's going to preach to you.

[41:56] And he's going to cry all the way. And you have to cry with him. Matter of fact. I used to. I used to know for sure. That the closest place. I was with God. Was when I was driving down.

[42:07] In the road in my car. Talking to Jesus. And poured out. And I can't preach to you. Without preaching to me. And what I'm worried about is.

[42:19] Are there any. Really true. Christians left. Here at Riverside. What happened to the mamas. That used to pray all day long.

[42:30] While daddy was at work. Come on. That's what made this church. I didn't make this church. This church was made a long time. Before I got here. By mamas.

[42:42] And daddies. That were living right. And praying right. And walking right. And talking right. Can you somebody say amen tonight? Amen. Amen. You know what? If you understand what I'm talking about at all. I'm talking about.

[42:54] You being the judge. Don't let me judge you. You be the judge. Am I a real Christian? Or am I a pseudo Christian? Just. Playing a part.

[43:06] Going through the. Going through the act. Amen. Hurry along. I'm just about out of time. Paul met some pseudo Christians.

[43:19] In Titus. The first chapter. The 16th verse. Here's what he. Here's what he wrote about them. They professed. Or they claimed to know God. But their works. And their actions. They denied him. Being abominable.

[43:30] You know what the word abominable. Are you abominable? Do we have any abominable Christians here? That's an oxymoron. Abominable Christian. And that's. That's like saying.

[43:46] Being a good sinner. You can't be a good sinner. You either got to be good. Or you're going to be a sinner. Amen. The word abominable means nasty.

[43:58] Are you nasty? You got a nasty spirit? You have a nasty mouth? How about your attitude? Is your attitude nasty? Oh.

[44:12] That's what abominable means? It also means disgusting. It means vile. It means loathsome. It means highly unpleasant.

[44:22] Disagreeable. Very bad. Hateful. Idolatrous. How serious is really. How really serious are you about your Christian commitment? Do you know that you should be more serious about your Christian commitment than you are about your marriage vows to your husband or your wife?

[44:38] Jesus first. Jesus first. Jesus first. Jesus first. Not husband first. Not wife first. Not children first. Not grandchildren first.

[44:49] Jesus first. Jesus' words said, except you love your father and your mother and your sister and your brother and yea your own life also.

[45:01] Except you love me more than these. Jesus. Why did he want us to love him more than these? Because honey, if we put him first, he takes care of everything else. But if we put everything else before him, then the rest of our life is going just like it is.

[45:14] And everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Ain't anything going wrong in anybody's life? That's because we got ourself first.

[45:25] Another second. We got Jesus way on down the line. Come on, stand to your feet. It's got your hands. Hey. For many years I've tried to preach this gospel.

[45:45] Letting everybody know that the Lord is coming again. Many have prepared to go to heaven. Oh, but if you're one who chose to stay and sin, well, you can have my TV.

[46:01] You can ride my Harley. If you need my car keys to hang it in the hall. That's my song. You can take all my money left. Well, my friend, just to help yourself.

[46:15] Son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me. Why does Jesus demand this level of love? Because if we don't give first place in our hearts to Jesus, we will soon, surely, backslide.

[46:35] Backslide. How many people would be coming to this church if none of them had backslid? We wouldn't have enough room for them in the big Baptist church up here on the corner if they hadn't a backslid.

[46:46] Why did they backslide? Because they didn't put Jesus first. If you put Jesus first, I promise you, you will never. It's impossible to backslide if you put Jesus first in your life.

[46:57] Can you say amen? Hallelujah. Look at God's love. He gave His Son. What did He get? He gave His Son. And not only that, He gave His Son's life. He gave His body to be beaten and bruised.

[47:09] Why did Jesus give up? He gave up glory, His glory. He gave up His throne. He gave up heaven to come down here and take on our sins and die for us. Are you a Christian?

[47:24] Are you a pseudo-Christian? How's your commitment? Is your vow to Jesus as strong as your marriage vow? When He said, Thou shalt have no other gods before me, that means like with you forsaking all others, cleave thee only unto Him for as long as you boast your part, until death do your part.

[47:47] How about it? How's your Christian commitment? Damn it. We had played a little game called Dirty Santa at Christmas.

[47:59] And it's just a cute little game. It's where everybody brings a gift, and then you open the gift, and you draw numbers, and then somebody else, when they open a gift, they can either take yours or somebody else's. I just wonder how many Dirty Santas we got around here.

[48:19] How sincere are we about Jesus? How sincere?

[48:32] How many would like to really be what we claim to be? How many knows that there's got to be, before you can ever get there, you got to take the first step? Amen?

[48:44] Here's what I didn't tell you about the Dirty Santa. They had this thermometer, and it was little round balls inside this liquid on this clear glass thing, and the top one was 80, and then 70, and then 60, and according to the temperature in the room is how many balls were floating.

[49:06] You can look at a church and tell what the temperature is by how many balls are floating, how many balls are on the bottom.

[49:22] Amen? How's your temperature tonight? Is your soul on fire for Jesus? Let's all bow our head and let's go to the Lord in prayer.

[49:35] Lord Jesus, we have come, Lord, at this point of this service. Amen. Amen. Amen. You've allowed me, Lord, to bring out things that we don't even like to think about, that we're thinking we're sold out, but, Lord, we're not really sold out.

[49:57] Lord God, you're requiring a higher, greater price for us to pay. Lord, when I ask how many wants to get back, several of them raise their hands, want to get back to that place, Lord God, where you're first in their life.

[50:15] Lord, where you're supreme, where we're doing your will as our only desire. Lord, I would ask you tonight that if there's one out of the sound of my voice here, Lord, that it's got junk in your life that you need to get out, that you'd make your way down to this old altar tonight.

[50:37] I say, Jesus, come in my heart tonight. God, take this junk out and Lord, set everything right. Let me get my priorities right. Let me get you first, Jesus. Lord, let me get to church at prayer time.

[50:49] Let me get there on time and let me get down and pray. And Lord, not me only. Let the whole church do it. Let everybody in church, Lord God, what would happen if everybody showed up at seven o'clock to have prayer service and they actually prayed?

[51:05] Could a sinner walk out of that place not saved? Could a sick person go out of that place not healed? Lord, the failure's not in you, Jesus.

[51:19] We realize that the failure's in us. And Lord, we'd ask you tonight to take us back. Take us back, Jesus. Take us back, Jesus, to the good old days, Lord, when we knew what it was like to push that old plate back and fast.

[51:37] We knew what it was like to open that Bible and begin to read your word because we esteemed your word as holy and precious and true and it was the only way of life. Take us back, Lord.

[51:49] Take us back. Lord, back in our minds first, Lord God, and give us a desire, Lord, that we might attain to that place. Shut in with you.

[52:01] Shut in with you in a secret place. What if there's one here tonight that don't know Jesus and the free partner of sin and you want to make heaven your home, you don't want to have to live this life and die and go to hell.

[52:15] If you'll just get up out of your seat and come on down here at this altar, we'll all gather around and pray with you. Hallelujah.

[52:29] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. They said Jesus came many years ago and he died to set us free.

[52:50] Hallelujah. You know, sometimes after people have been married for a while, they have a service and they call it renewing their vows.

[53:06] I really believe that the Lord would like this whole church to renew its vows to him tonight. Lord, I promise, Lord, I'm going to put you first. I'm going to love you supremely.

[53:20] I don't want to put anything before you, Jesus. Whatever I start to do, Lord, I want to ask first, Lord, is it your will? Is it all right? The Bible said, Blessed is the man whose heart condemneth him not of that which he alloweth.

[53:41] How about tonight? Would you like to renew your Christian commitment to Jesus Christ? Lord, you're my bridegroom. I want to live a life that is pleasing to you.

[53:57] Lord, when I stand before you, I don't want to have to stand there with my head hung down low and my eyes cast down because I've allowed sin in my life. But Jesus, I want to be able to hold up my head, look into your precious eyes and say, Jesus, because of your love and your mercy and your grace, Lord, I've made it.

[54:16] I kept you first in my life. Hallelujah.

[54:32] Hallelujah. He had love. You know what brought Jesus down to earth?

[54:44] His love. He had love. He had love. Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[54:55] Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for your love. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, God, let us, Lord, give that love back to you, Jesus.

[55:07] Let us love you with the love that you loved us with. Lord, God, let us love you with the love, Lord, that calls you to sacrifice your life for us. Let us sacrifice our life for you, Jesus.

[55:19] Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, God, we got this treasure and earthen vessels tonight. You can go there if your heart is right. Oh, you could be one of his own.

[55:35] Just take a look in your heart right now. There's Jesus in the place.

[55:53] Oh, you can feel it when you sing this song. Oh, you can mean it when you say he had love, love, love, he had love for you and me.

[56:21] He had love, love, love, he had love for you and me.

[56:35] Oh, yes, it did. And, it made love it made love through the it made love through the it made love through the전, it made love through the it made love through the전, it made love through the전, it made love through the through the it made love through전, it made love through전, Thank you.

[57:28] He had love, love.

[57:40] He had love for you and me. He had love, love.

[57:55] He had love for you and me. Oh, the Bible says he's coming back.

[58:12] He's going to take his children home. Now, you could go there if your heart is right.

[58:26] You could be one of his own. Let's take a look in your life right now.

[58:42] Oh, is Jesus in his place? And you can feel it when you sing the song.

[58:56] Oh, you can feel it when you sing. He had love. He had love.

[59:08] Love. He had love for you and me. He had love. He had love.

[59:22] Love. He had love for you and me. Oh, yes, he did.

[59:36] And you could feel it when you sing the song.

[60:02] Oh, my God.

[60:32] Oh, my God.

[61:02] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[61:14] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[61:26] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[61:38] and restore my joy. Oh, take me back, oh, to the place I first received.

[62:01] Take me back, oh, take me back, oh, Lord, where I first believed. Take me back, oh, take me back, dear Lord, to the place I first received.

[62:46] Take me back, oh, take me back, dear Lord, and back, dear Lord, I first believed.

[62:59] Praise the Lord, amen. I was just going to have you sing. Oh, I thought you had an announcement that you was going to make.

[63:12] Oh, come on. I was just going to have you sing. Oh, come on up here.