Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 798 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

-- Brother Thomas: Now, I'm going to speak to you on this subject--"How to Be Saved." I especially want this... I have to keep in mind when I'm preaching here, it's not just for you because actually more people will hear this than we have here, by far and large.

( congregational amens ).

Maybe 20 times as many, maybe more than that. I don't know. When you're going out on radio all over the world and then on two different TV networks, well you don't know who's gonna hear it so I'm trying to help them too. So you be patient with me.

I want to read Romans chapter 10, down through 17. "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

"For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? ( that is, to bring Christ down from above: ) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? ( that is, to bring Christ again from the dead. ) But what saith it?" Now, you'll notice that expression. I noticed that Mike used that expression last week in his testimony and it's not what man says, it's what the Word of God says.

( congregational amens ).

"But what saith it..." I'll find it here in a second. Third? Eight, oh yeah, I've gone on down there. "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

"For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed out report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

( congregational amens ).

"How to Be Saved?" That's the question. First of all a person's got to be lost before he can get saved. He's lost, he just don't know it. You have to be made conscious of it. That's what I'm talking about. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 9, verse 12, "...They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Nobody would argue with that. I don't think you would. "If we say we have no sin..."--What do we do?--"...we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Now, the first thing I want you to notice here now, is religion is a blinding thing. The first three verses the apostle Paul, who wrote this book of Romans, he said that the Jews as a whole, "...they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." I wonder how many religious people would be in that condition today. My God, I'd say most of 'em. Most religious people would be exactly like the Jews were.

( congregational amens ).

They don't even know what the righteousness of God is. Proverbs 14, verse 12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." And I call your attention to some other scriptures. In John chapter 6, verse 44 Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him...."

( congregational amens ).

They're getting 'em saved today whether God's drawing 'em or not. That's right, decisionism. They explain it to 'em. They explain some things I just said, you're a sinner aren't you? Yeah, I'm a sinner. Well it says here believe. Come on and believe. That's like a man getting married today to a beautiful young woman and says honey, I want us to have a baby this afternoon. It makes as much sense, makes just as much sense. "No man can come to me..." Jesus said, "...except the Father which hath sent me draw him...." Now you can use all kinda invitations. You can use all kinda gimmicks, all kinda psychology but if God isn't drawing him, you will never come.

( congregational amens ).

Then in John 6, verse 37 Jesus said this. Now this gives us peace. It gives us rest. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." I don't have to struggle.

( congregational amens ).

I've heard 'em tell all kind of stories about how many people will be lost if we don't do this and do that. There won't a single one of them be lost.

( congregational amens ).

Let me quote it again. "All the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me will in no wise be cast out."

( congregational amens ).

Every single one. That makes me rest. Used to we used to think we had to get out and witness and give out tracts. We'd go from door to door, have revivals and do all we could to get people saved, even get them to lift up their hands and admit they were sinners. Then after you got 'em to lift up their hands say stand up now. They'd stand up there looking stupid before everybody.

( laughter ).

If you don't come up somebody's gonna get you by the arm and bring you up. Does that make sense? Absolutely not. Praise God! I tell you, the Lord... Here's what Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

( congregational amens ).

There ain't no misses with God, no abortions. It's a homerun every time. All that God's doing, you can't stop it. All you can do is just cooperate with the inevitable. Praise God! Hallelujah! But people are like these Jews here--today they are, religion is. They're blinded. They don't know what we're talking about the righteousness of God. Verse 4 says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

( congregational amens ).

Do you believe that? I believe it. "...the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." In Hebrew chapter 7, verse 19, the writer of that book says, "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by which we draw nigh to God." And then in the 25th verse he repeats this in reference to those, "Wherefore he is able..."--God--"...to save..."--to what?--"...to the uttermost..."--How far is the uttermost?--"...them that come unto God by him..."--Here's why--"...seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hallelujah!

( congregational amens ).

If God was to just pick us up and put us down and say now root, hog or die poor we'd all die poor. Praise God! He does not bring a single one to the birth that he doesn't take care of.

( congregational amens ).

One way or another He can tan your hide if He needs to. Hallelujah! "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." That's all they can do. It's like a doctor's examination. When you go to see a doctor you say I got a pain down here, doc. Well, let's see now. He'll run some tests on you. He gets a little urine, feces. He says stick your tongue out and say 'ah' and a lot of other things. Now is that to heal you? It's to find out what's wrong. That's all the law does is show you what's wrong with you. That's all the power it has. It cannot save or change one wrinkle. Christ saves.

( congregational amens ).

He not only saves, He keeps those He saves.

( congregational amens ).

Praise God! Hallelujah! Notice here in verse six it says, "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? ( that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. ) But what saith it?..."--There's the word saith it--"...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" It's that close, but you have act on it.

( congregational amens ).

What good does it do you to observe from a distance? Hallelujah! Let's go over to Romans chapter 4. I want you to see something here. This is a good chapter and once again... Let's start at verse 3. Notice that again. Michael, I think you discovered something. "For what saith the scripture?" It's not what somebody says. It's not what Preacher Thomas says. It's not what Preacher Jones or Doctor Jones or anybody else says. It's, 'what saith the scripture?'

( congregational amens ).

"Abraham believed God, and it..."--What? His faith--"...was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh..."--That means you're trying to earn it, you're trying to deserve it, you're trying to get it because of what you do. He said--"...that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." God would be paying you. I don't believe that, do you? "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

( congregational amens ).

Isn't that wonderful? God counts it for righteousness. Hallelujah! I tell you we've got a great salvation. We've got a great Savior--far greater than we realize--far greater.

( congregational amens ).

Verse 6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousenss..."--He puts to your account--"...without works." Blessed is that man that God imputes--puts to your account--righteousness without works. I was just talking to these brethren in the office there this morning. I said, I'm not doing what I'm doing to be saved. I'm doing it because I've been saved, because I'm called.

( congregational amens ).

I had a good thought here while ago. Christ takes care of past sins, present sins and future sins. People can't see that salvation. They think it's just past sins. You got to straighten up and fly right. If we did we'd all go to hell.

( congregational amens ).

Let's note now verse 7 and 8. This is what David said, "Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven..."--Obviously that's past tense--"...iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." Watch verse 8. Now this is the capstone. This is what makes this so wonderful. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

( congregational amens ).

That's future. I believe with all my heart, mind and soul that a child of God is just as good as in heaven. If you go to...well this is Romans chapter 8. This is a good chapter too. Here he says, verse 29, "For whom he did foreknow...." Now the God that knows all things whose eyes run to and fro in the earth beholding the good and the evil, there is no searching of His understanding, a God who's description is best defined by one word--L-O-V-E. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son...." What about that now? God has this on order for you and for you and for you, if you're trusting in Him for your conformity, to the image of His Son. Praise God!

( congregational amens ).

It's coming. What for? Why has God ordered that for you that you might be "...conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be..."--Christ--"...the firstborn among many brethren." Now I preach this sometimes and I call it 'Many Brethren.' People don't know this but God knew all about us whenever Christ come into the world.

( congregational amens ).

Whenever Christ come into being, He knew every one of us. He didn't wait 'til things happened and say well I've got to do this and I've got to do that. That's us that does that. God's got it all laid out.

( congregational amens ).

Hallelujah! So blessed is that man. Now he comes on down here in verse 30, Romans 8, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified..."--Now watch this--"...and whom he justified, them he also..."--What?

-- Congregation: Glorified.

-- Brother Thomas: Is that the past tense? Yes it's past tense in this sense. God did it then. He did it from the foundation of the world. Hallelujah! God has on order your glorified body now.

( congregational amens ).

It's not happenstance. Hallelujah! He knows about every one of us. And the reason He has done this is that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren. Now watch this, verse 31, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Now watch verse 31, "What shall we say then to these things?..."--What we gonna say about this?--"...If God be for us, who can be against us?" I'm gonna tell you something. You and God are a great majority.

( congregational amens ).

You're a vast majority. You're a multitudinous majority.

( laughter ).

Can you think of any other words? If God is on your side who can be against you? Hallelujah! "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He makes intercession for us now--now. You think He's making intercession for you because you're a good boy? No, because you need somebody to intercede for you.

( congregational amens ).

We don't have to look to Jesus' mamma to intercede to Jesus for us either. Praise God! Let's note these last verses. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" You need to believe these things. Praise God for it.

( congregational amens ).

"...Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" It's saying, can any of these things separate you from Him? "As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

( congregational amens ).

It's good to be a conqueror. You can be Eric the Red or some great conqueror you know--Napoleon. We're greater than them. They made their splash in their day time but boy I'll tell you we're gonna make a splash for eternity-- now and throughout eternity.

( congregational amens ).

Now note these last two verses--38 and 39, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

( congregational amens ).

What more can you say? What more can you say? Lord, that's tremendous. Oh boy. Praise God! Let's go back to Romans chapter 10 now, verse 12 and 13, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." But there isn't certain specifics, certain order, certain conditions calling upon the Lord, "...and how then shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Now that's not just 'a' preacher. If it was we'd have salvation all around us because you've got scads of preachers. You've got 'em everywhere. I'll tell you, where you've got one that's called of God, that looks to God and has revelation, you've probably got 50 that don't. That's why they preach what they're trained to preach. That's why they give out what they've been taught. That's why they don't know any more. They have no vision.

In Jeremiah chapter 28 and verse 15, Jeremiah said this to another prophet, "Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie." That's right. That means then beloved, they have to hear a God called preacher, a God-anointed preacher.

Did you know that the Word of God, I'm talking about the letter of the Word now and the anointed Word...Let me give you a good comparison. You're alive, you're sitting there, you're heart's beating probably 70 something, 70 or 80 times a minute. You're breathing, getting oxygen into your bloodstream, you can think, you can see, you can talk, but now if we had a dead man here in the casket you couldn't expect him to do anything. There's as much difference in the letter of the Word and the anointed Word as there is in that dead man and an alive man.

( congregational amens ).

That's why the Bible says the letter killeth. That's Jesus said in John 6, "...the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are..."--What?--"...life." Hallelujah! Praise God! If you want life then you listen to where life is coming out.

( congregational amens ).

Hallelujah! Praise God! In 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 15 the apostle Paul said, "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ..."--Now this is the King James--"...yet have ye not many fathers..."--Then he says--"...for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" You know what another translation says? "One Father." Well how many natural fathers do you have? One. You only have one spiritual father.

( congregational amens ).

And I'll tell you why. These people who get it and lose it and get and lose it, they've just been programmed wrong. They don't know what they're talking about. God has no kind of life except everlasting life. The life that God gives is the same life He had before the foundation of the world. That's the life that comes in you when you believe, when you experience what we call the new birth--born again.

You're not, "...born of corruptible seed..." as Peter says, "...but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Chapter 1, 1st Peter. That kind of seed...Everything else is corruptible. Our first birth is corruptible. The seed of plants, trees, everything else is corruptible but the seed of God is incorruptible. One translation says, immortal. How can something that's immortal die? Hallelujah!

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