Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 809 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

-- Brother Phil Enlow: Praise God! Isn't it wonderful to be together?

( congregational response ).

Isn't it wonderful to have something to sing about?

( congregational amens ).

Praise the Lord! Well I had no thoughts of being up here and I don't know how long I will be, so don't everybody just put your Bibles away. Let's just look to the Lord tonight. But I did have a simple thought come to me and it's from Psalm 34. There's really a lot of different places you could start to give out the same basic idea, but that seems like a good one.

Psalm 34...it's a psalm of David and according to the note at the head of my chapter here, this is actually a psalm he wrote when he was in a bad place. He was...he actually was on the run. He was living...trying to live temporarily in the land of the Philistines and they were enemies and Saul was out to get him. He just didn't have a place to run almost and he got there and the Philistines started saying, hey, isn't this David? You remember who he is and so you remember what he had to do?

He got in such a weak place, he finally had to pretend to be insane, so they wouldn't pay any attention to him and take him seriously. But anyway this is the background. You know we can get in weak places as Christians. We need the Lord, don't we? But listen to what David says. "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (NIV).

And as I was sitting there at the piano tonight, I was just thinking of this Scripture, about the poor man who called and the Lord heard him. And the thing that was impressed upon my heart is what we need to be and the condition of heart and spirit that we need to be for God to meet with us and to do us good, because we are by nature extremely proud creatures. We are far prouder than we like to admit.

And pride is...the fruits of pride are self-reliance, an opinion about our abilities, our knowledge, our something...it could be our pedigree, it could be our church. It could be 1001 things that we tend to be proud about and rely upon and God, if He's going do very much with us, He has to knock those props out from under us, and to cause us to realize that what this is about is not God instructing us how to...pull us up...pull ourselves by our own bootstraps, this is salvation.

( congregational amens ).

And you can illustrate that very easily with the person who's drowning. If you've really and truly got a person who is at the point of drowning...they have gone down for the third time. The lifeguard is there. First of all, the lifeguard...a good one is smart enough to wait 'til that point, because he knows that if he gets to the person and they've got enough of panic and enough strength left that he could pull the lifeguard down, too. So there has to come a point of helplessness, and there has to come a point of helplessness where the person themselves completely lets go and recognizes that they are helpless.

And you know the lifeguard doesn't come along and say, all right, now you're ready to be saved. Now here's how you swim. And you need to do this, and you need to do that, and you need to do the other...no! That's not the message. And it isn't our message. It's not the message of the Gospel. Whether you need to be saved tonight or whether you're a Christian who's just struggling and learning how to live for God in this evil world, the need is the same. We are weak and helpless creatures in ourselves.

And the Lord knows exactly how to remind me of that. And it's usually He allows me and my pride and self-will to fall in the mud, and I have to say, oh my God, Lord, here I am again. Look what I did. Nobody here understands this...what I'm talking about here tonight, I know.

( laughter ).

You're all past this. You've reached a spiritual...a level of spiritual maturity where you just sail above life and you fly like an eagle. Well the fact is we don't, do we?

( congregational response ).

We...and most of the time, as I say, the Lord has to deal with us to bring us to the point where He can help us. And so, if you're in the position that is mirrored by what David said, you're in a good place. If you're feeling especially weak, especially unworthy, then you may have an inside track on what God wants to do this week. I can tell you, I feel that way. I don't feel like I'm strong and able, but that's not the message. You notice who it is that God...that David puts the emphasis upon in all that he says. He doesn't say, God told me how to do it, and I did it, and I prevailed, and I did...no! It's all about God!

( congregational amens ).

Everything he does is point to God.

( congregational amens ).

I will extol the Lord! His praise! My soul boasts in the Lord! Let the afflicted hear and rejoice! What other message could we have that could give hope to somebody who's in the same condition we are or worse. Our message is not about a self-help program, as I said. Our message is that God, by His grace, has the power to save from the gutter-most to the utter-most.

( congregational amens ).

So whatever your need is tonight. Listen to what a poor man...what happened when a poor man called. What happened?

( congregational response ).

The Lord heard him. What does the Scripture say about the proud? What does God do when He comes upon a proud person?

( congregational response ).

Have you ever found yourself in that place? You just kind of felt like you had a handle on things and God just...I don't know...God wasn't there. You were doing it. You were going along in your own strength. You thought you were doing great. You weren't getting anywhere. Neither was I when I've done it.

Oh, I'll tell you what, this is salvation from beginning to end. For we serve a God who, when we come to that place and we say, oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner...praise the Lord, that's when He listens. He dwells in a high and holy place, it's true. But He also dwells with those who are humble and contrite, broken in spirit. And He does it to revive them.

Thank God, that's what He did for David here. So that's why he was able to say, this poor man called--this poor man called! Not, this rich man, not this able, strong warrior, not all the things that you could have said about him. Not this great musician, not the man who kills his 10,000's about whom they sing songs. This poor man!

( congregational amens ).

He cried, he called, the Lord heard him, and delivered him, saved him out of all his troubles. What did Jesus say? "Blessed are the..." what? "...Poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of..." God. So when God does something to remind me of what I am, praise God, I thank Him!

( congregational amens ).

I thank Him and it's by grace. What a horrible message it would have to be to stand here and say, look at what I have achieved. God's given me the secret and I have prevailed to achieve this high level, and if you will only do what I do, then you can too. I'll tell you, you go in a lot of places today, and that's the kind of a message.

( congregational amens ).

They'll say if you're a Christian, you're supposed to be healthy, you're supposed to be prosperous, you're supposed to be successful in this world, and if you're not, it's your fault! You just don't have enough faith. Look at me, I'm prevailing here, I'm in charge...oh my God! Jesus Christ came into the world to save, what?

( congregational response ).

Sinners! Who said that? You remember who said it? Paul did, the apostle Paul. The man who grew up learning how to be righteous--grew up as a Pharisee, the most self-righteous people on the planet. He learned different, didn't he?

( congregational response ).

God showed him he was nothing but a helpless sinner who could not twitch to help himself. He needed God's strength and help, and he took that place and God helped him. And so he could look people in the eye and say, I don't care what your problem, what your need is, if you'll call upon the Lord, if you will take this place...you'll stop protesting about what you are, and you will come to recognize what you truly are in God's eyes, He'll help you.

( congregational amens ).

Now this isn't getting down in a puddle of self-pity. This isn't getting down in a place of depression. But it is getting down in a place of honesty and a sense of desperation and need, and when we get there, we have every right to look to God, because that's when...that's what God is listening for. The ears of God are tuned to a certain frequency. They're not tuned to the proud. They're not tuned to the religious. They're tuned to the child who cries, Father, I want you to hold me.

( congregational praise ).

Oh that's the kind of a God that we have. Praise God! Oh that gives me such hope tonight! That ought to give you hope.

( congregational amens ).

But I want to be in that place, folks. None of us has a thing to boast about. But we can boast about the Lord!

( congregational amens ).

We can do like David did. We can say, "My soul will boast in the LORD." He is worthy! He has prevailed! He has done all that's necessary.

( congregational amens ).

He's won how much of it?

-- Congregation: All!

-- Brother Phil Enlow: All of it! That's the message, folks. Where are you at tonight? Where are you in your experience? You have needs in your life? You know why we struggle? Because it's us trying to do it. And why do we think we can do it? It's just pride and self-will. And all God wants us to do is let go, be honest, be what we are before God and give Him the glory, and say, "Lord."

( congregational amens ).

Like the drowning man, I'm gonna have to just quit. I'm gonna have to let You do the saving. I cannot help You save me. I can cooperate, but I cannot help You to save me. You're gonna have to do it. It is grace all the way! It's not just grace to get you in the door. It's grace will lead me home, all the way...I need His grace every day. That's something that I don't deserve. It's divine favor--divine favor, divine strength that I simply do not have. And boy do I find that out all the time, what I don't have.

Thank God, I'm a proud creature, but so are you. We're everyone made of the same stuff. Oh, isn't it wonderful that God, who knows what we are, is willing to look down and to save us anyway? Oh our nature is...we get it all backwards. We think, I've got to somehow be something in His eyes for Him to receive me. It's just the opposite. He knows what you are. What are you pretending for?

My God, it's not that we'd want to go out and try to be that, but we are. It's our nature to be needy sinners before a holy God. But oh, thank God, He's not counting on me. He's not counting on any quality or anything that I have. And so what that does is bring us down to a level playing field. In fact, the only thing that makes it un-level is if you think you can do something. If your heart is lifted up with pride, that's the thing that will un-level the playing field. Otherwise, we have the same need.

And I don't care if you're a small, weak child...you have every right to call upon a heavenly Father, because He's strong. It's not our ability. "...He is able to save completely those who come to God..." by Jesus Christ, seeing he ever lives to make intercession. Oh praise God, I'm so glad...I think of times, in spite of everything and I'm filled with such shame sometimes at things that I've...things that I do...and you need to.

I'll guarantee you that everyone here comes to those kinds of places where that's all we have the right to feel. But oh, don't you ever be discouraged. You do what David did. Are you poor tonight? Are you needy? Are you willing to occupy that place? If you are, if you're willing to take the low place, that's where the water runs. Oh I'm in need of water tonight. I'm in need of strength.

( congregational amens ).

But my God, let's lift up the one who's the source of all strength.

( congregational praise ).

Praise God!

( congregational praise ).

If you've never come to know Him, you need to...I pray that God will just bring you...will so open your eyes and you will understand what it means to be a lost sinner, 'cause once you do, then He can show you a Savior who is able to take care of it perfectly, completely. Then you put your entire case in His hands and you say, all right Lord, it's Your life now.

But oh if you're a struggling Christian, don't you ever quit! Don't you ever be discouraged. Don't you ever give up because you failed. You look to God! This poor man cried! That's what happens when a poor man cries. When a poor man calls on God, God hears. I want God to hear me. I'm not gonna call and say, well, God, I've done pretty good today. I've tried. I've messed up a little here, but I'm a pretty good...oh no. Just say, I'm a unworthy sinner. No matter what I've done, it doesn't change what I am. I am a product of Your grace if I am anything.

( congregational amens ).

And so You get all the glory and to You belongs all the glory. Oh I'll tell you we've got a God who will lift up the fallen, who will strengthen the weak. And this is a message we can give to anybody, because it isn't about trying to be something you're not. It's about letting go and letting God have His way, and when we do, He will. Praise God! Praise the Lord!

( congregational praise ).

-- Brother Jim Easterly: Praise God! You know we come together and there's so many people here. People travel so far to get here. I did not plan to get up, because I thought surely the Lord will unravel some really complicated truth for us tonight in a meeting this size. And yet, once again God has offered the simplicity of salvation in none other than Jesus Christ.

He's referred to as the Captain of our salvation. That's what Hebrews calls Him, the Captain of our salvation. The Captain of your salvation, He's in charge of your salvation. You're not. The mistakes you make...you know in an army, a military force, privates make all kinds of mistakes. There was a lot of mistakes made in World War II. But the battle eventually was won. And the Captain of your salvation is Jesus Christ.

I don't...I don't think I could...if this was a real complicated truth, I wouldn't be able to make it clear to you. But I just want to give you a little example. You know what Satan tries to do is convince you that the battle is between you and him and that's not who the battle is between. He wants to convince you of that in your mind. For him to be able to get you, he'd have to be able to whip Jesus Christ. He'd have to be able to take you out of the Father's hand.

And you don't know this, see. You're born into this world. You're using your carnal mind. You're subject to all the things that the human frame is subject to. Then you hear the Gospel. And I know what my reaction was. I don't know what yours was, but I know what mine was. And yours might have been similar, because you're probably made just like me. And that's, well it's too late for me.

That was my reaction the first time I heard Brother Thomas preach right here in Southern Pines. I said, it's too late for me. I have committed too many powerful, horrible sins. I have already screwed this up. See I didn't know anything about the Captain of my salvation. When He said, "It is finished," on that cross, there's no power in heaven, earth or hell that can stop what He's done for you.

You may not be aware of it yet, but that's the truth. He's the Captain of salvation. He's the Redeemer. Don't believe that stuff about you've gone too far. And I'm gonna tell you something, if you're a candidate, you've got the kind of spirit David had. People don't come up and try to get into heaven. If they've ever seen Him, they don't come up there with all of their stuff that they've done and their medals and all that stuff.

They come up there and they fall down before Him, holding their crowns in their hands. They get down in their knees in front of Him. They know He's the Captain of their salvation. Their testimony is, this poor man cried and the Lord heard me. If you're poor tonight and you know it, you're in a real good place. And I'm telling you, He's...He doesn't lose these battles. He's the Captain of our salvation.

You see the battle is in our mind. Satan's already been cast out of heaven. He can't even accuse you to God. He's accusing you in your mind. There's a way to be set free from that. Jesus talked about that in Luke chapter 4. He's come to set the captives free. When He sprinkled His blood on that mercy seat, it was completely finished.

There's a lot of things that have to happen to you in the process of being brought around to being in the image of His dear Son. From where we are to where we're going, there's a big change and it takes a lot of time, but there's not anything that can stop it. He's the Author and He is the Finisher of your faith. It's not your faith! He's the author of that faith! He's the Captain of your salvation!

You know, Satan...I don't believe Satan's even gonna be standing there to accuse you. Those books are gonna all be open. You know the book that matters to you? It's the Lamb's Book of Life.

( congregational amens ).

Your name's in that Book of Life, we're not gonna go through all the places that you messed up. I'm not gonna have to re-live all my mistakes and failures. And I'm gonna tell you where I found that out. I found it out right here at the feet of Jesus. This is where you can be taught the truth. This is...this is the foolishness of preaching that can save your soul.

We all have ideas about what's gonna have to happen when we're saved and what we would have to do before we could ever even get to the place where we could truthfully ask for that. Put all of that out of your mind! He's the Captain of your salvation. He's already been to the cross. He paid your sin debt. He was made sin for you. God poured His wrath out on sin right there at the cross. It's finished.

( congregational amens ).

Praise God, you will follow Him right straight into heaven. You will be with Him in Paradise. And not because of anything you've ever done or anything you could ever do, or anything you will attain to, but because Jesus Christ paid your sin debt.

( congregational amens ).

Return to Transcripts Page

---

---