I’m going to speak to you today on this subject: how to face your future. Now Americans are obsessed with the future. We want to know what’s in store for us. So if you read the newspapers today, or listen to the radio, there will be plenty of prophets, and pundits, and prognosticators who are going to tell us about the future. It’s amazing how people try to learn about the future. Some look in tea leaves, or some go to soothsayers. We call them today fortune tellers, and by the way they are all of the devil. Some are so foolish as to read the pages of the astrologer, trying to look into the future. Others are different. They bring their intellect, and their intuition, their minds, and they say, “Well this is what has happened. These are the trends I see, and this is what shall happen.”
I listened to a group last night called the Capital Gang. I watched it on CNN, and they were talking about what the year is going to be, who are going to be the candidates for the presidency, ta da da da da da. And with all of their wit and wisdom, they were forecasting the future. Some people, maybe they study books like Megatrends, or whatever. We all want to know the future. There’s only one who knows the future, and that’s God. Put it down big, plain, and straight. But whether we know the future or not, we have a future that we must face.
I would like for you to take God’s word, and turn to James chapter four, and I’m going to begin reading in verse thirteen. Because here’s a passage that deals with the future. It tells the story of a man. He was a first century wheeler dealer. He was a business man, and he was planning his future. And we’re going to find the story, and in the story we’re going to find three great mistakes that he made. We’re going to learn from those mistakes, and we’re going to learn how to face the future, not only as a church, but for your family, and for you as an individual.
Now here’s James chapter four, verse thirteen. Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will enter into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then (poof) it vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Now here’s the story of a man who made three tragic mistakes in the first century, and he has plenty of brothers in the twentieth century.
Now here are the three mistakes that he made. Number one. He made the mistake of what I want to call Godless planning, Godless planning. Here’s a man who’s planning, and he’s sitting down. He’s a business man, so he’s thinking about how he’s to run his business. First of all he gets out his calendar, and he plans the period of time. He says, “Today or tomorrow.” He looks at his calendar, and he says, “I could do that today, or I could do this tomorrow.” And so he considers the time, and the period of time, and so forth; a wise thing to do.
And then he not only considers the period, but he considers the place. He puts up his calendar, and he gets down his, his maps. And he begins to look at the maps and make his charts of the various cities, and so forth. He says, “That’s the city I want to go to. I will enter into such a city.” And then not only does he, he plan the period and the place, but he also plans the procedure. He, he’s saying, “I want to be a merchandiser. I’m going to buy, and I’m going to sell.” Evidently he knows a good supply, and also he also knows a good market. Maybe he has a degree in marketing from the University of Jerusalem.
He’s a smart man. And so he, he, he figures the procedure. He knows how he’s going to do it. And then he, he also, like any business man, he looks at the bottom line. He considers the profit. I will buy. I will sell, and I’ll sell for more than I buy for. I’ll get gain. I’ll make a profit. So he’s already counting up the shekels. He’s already counting the profit. He is planning, planning shrewdly, evidently planning well. But he, he’s made a tragic mistake. Did you notice it? There’s no mention of God. He doesn’t take God into his consideration at all. Verse 15 says that he did not say if it is God’s will, I will live and do this or that. He has not considered the will of God. And that is tragic. That is sinful. That is prideful. That is, matter of fact, it’s arrogant.
Now an atheist is a fool. The Bible so clearly and plainly, the fool hath said in his heart there is no God. Isn’t that what the Bible says? But come up here and let me tell you something. The biggest fool is not the man who says there is no God. There’s yet a bigger fool, and that’s the man who says, “There is a God,” and then doesn’t live like it. Isn’t that true? And there are many like that. Oh yes, they admit the fact of God theoretically, but they live their lives as though Jesus Christ never lived, never died, never rose again, when as Laurie sang “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all. They take their life, their soul, their all. They take their own mind. They take their own wit, their own ambition, their own arrogance, and they plan their lives. Have you done that? Are you endeavoring to do that? What a mistake that would make. You see, the word life, L I F E, if you look in the middle of the word life, there are two little letter I F, if, if. If the Lord wills, we shall do this or that. So many of us make our plans and then say, “Lord, here are my plans. Would you please bless what I’m doing,” when we really ought to be saying, “Lord, help me to do what you are blessing. What is it, Lord, that you want me to do?”
Now as you face the coming year, I want to tell you clearly and plainly that God has already a plan for your life, God does. The Bible says clearly that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God has foreordained for us to walk in them. It’s God’s plan. Let me give you some verses, perhaps for your margin, that will show you clearly that God has a plan for your life. For example, one of my favorite is in Psalm 32, and verse eight. God said, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go.” Isn’t that a great promise? Isn’t it? I will instruct and teach thee in the way thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye. That is his guidance is going to be the kind of guidance that looks over you, looks ahead of you, and looks you in the face so that you might know God’s will.
It’d be a shame for you to miss God’s plan. Isaiah chapter 30 and verse 21 says, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying This is the way, walk ye in it. The Bible says in Romans 8, verse 14, as many as are lead by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. So you don’t need to be floundering around in the darkness like a ship without a rudder, and a comp, or a compass on a dark and stormy night. And you don’t need to come to the end of your life and say as one said, “Youth a mistake, manhood a struggle, old age a regret.” God has a plan for you. God has a plan for your education, for your business, for your family, for your marriage.
Let me give you three words that will just help you, and, and I’m going to make this exceeding simple. But if you want to know God’s will for your life for this year, if you want to put verse fifteen into practice and say, “I want God’s will.” The very first word is the word confession. Confess every known sin. Get the sin out of your life. When you pray for guidance, if you’re still harboring sin in your life, you will not have that guidance. The Bible says in Psalm 66, and verse 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Yet again the Bible says, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
There’s no reason that you should not start this year absolutely, totally clean, whiter than snow. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. But if you don’t confess your sin, God will not give you leadership.
Here’s a verse that’s a frightening verse. It’s Ezekiel 14, and verse three. Listen to it. Son of man, these men have set up idols in their heart. Now what is an idol? What is an idol? You say, “Well, it’s something you make out of sticks and stones and bow down and worship.” Maybe, but not always. Americans have idols. They’re made of fiberglass and stainless steel, and, and, and plastic, and metal, and so forth. They’re, they’re the things that we worship. Anything that you love more, fear more, serve more, or honor more than God is an idol in your life, whatever it is. It can be your family. It can be your business. It could be your recreation. But listen to it. These men have set up idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. When you have an idol, you have something in your life that you’re going to stumble over.
And then God said, “Should I be inquired of at all of them?” Now what does that mean? When you have an idol in your life, forget about asking God to lead you. He’s not going to lead you. These men have set up idols in their lives. They’ve built a stumbling block for themselves. And God said, “Why should they ask me? Why should they ask me for guidance?” The very first thing you need to do is to confess every sin, and put away every idol. So the first word is what? Confession.
Now here’s the second word. It’s consecration. Not only must you get the sin out of your life, you must get the stubbornness out of your life. The Bible says, if in all of our ways we acknowledge him, he will direct our paths. Now what that means is to say, “Lord God, I acknowledge your right to rule over my life. And not only is there no sin, there’s no stubbornness. God, I want, I desire your will, whatever it is you want me to do, when you want me to do it, any time; what you want me to do, anything; where you want me to do it, any place. Lord I am yours to command.” Have you done that? I mean, say, have you done that? That’s not a rhetorical question. That’s an honest question, straight to your heart. Have you done that? Have you really? Have you said, “Lord, I want your will, nothing else, any cost, any place, any time, your will dear God?” Have you signed the contract at the bottom, and asked God to fill it in? God’s will is not for rebels. Confession, consecration, I am Lord, I am yours, Lord. Here I am. I’m reporting for duty. Whatever it is you want me to do Lord, I’m under your control. I am a man, a woman under orders.
Here’s the third thing, and very simple. Just these three things: confession, consecration, and concentration. Are you listening to God? Now the Bible says you’ll hear a voice behind you. Are you listening to that voice? God says, “I will guide you with my eye.” Are you looking into the face of God? Can you see the expression on the face of God spiritually? Is God’s face towards you? Well, God’s face will be toward, if your face is toward God. God’s voice will be in your ear if your ear, if your ear is in tune to God’s voice. Sometimes people say, “You know why is it that God is not leading me? I’ve done what you’ve said, Pastor. I’ve confessed every known sin. I’ve done what you’ve said, Pastor. I’ve yielded my life and I’ve said, “Oh God, I desire to do thy will.” One more thing, are you listening to God? Are you tuning your ear to God? Do you have a quiet time? I say, do you? It may not be that God is not speaking. It might be that you’re not listening. Or you may be even praying, but your prayer is not a listening prayer. You’re saying, “Lord, listen your servant is speaking,” rather than, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears.” Are you listening to God? Have you ever been listening to the radio and then turned the radio off? Do you think the music stops when you turn the radio off? The music is still there, but you just simply don’t hear it because you’ve turned it off.
And God may be speaking, but you may not be listening. If you’ll take those three things: confession, consecration, and concentration and play them out, you will know the will of God for your life and God will say, “This is my way for you, my child, walk in it.” Now he’s not going to give you a road map as much as he is a relationship, and day by day you’ll know his will.
Now here’s a second mistake this man made. First of all, the very first mistake that he made was this Godless planning. The second mistake he made was dangerous presumption. Look if you will again in verse fifteen. For that ye ought to say if the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. This man presumed that he had tomorrow. He said today or tomorrow. But God said, “You may be very foolish to plan for tomorrow.” He said, “What is your life but it’s like a vapor. And the word for vapor is the word atmos, A T M O S. It’s the word we get atmosphere from. Your life is like your breath that falls on a cold day and then disappears. Your life is like a mist rising over a pond that evaporates as the sun comes up. The Bible says your life is like a leaf that fades. Your life is like the flower of the grass that withers. It’s here today and it’s gone tomorrow. Don’t boast yourself about tomorrow. Not a one of us today in the threshold of this new year knows that we will see another new year. Oh how life is so fragile, and how life is so brief. Even when you say, “Well, Pastor, I’m young, and I’m in good health.” The Bible says there is but a step between me and death. You step out from behind a parked car and another one hits you, and you’re gone just like that. This may be the last step I’ll ever take. You say, “Well Pastor, you look very healthy.” Yes, but what if an airplane comes through that roof? I don’t know. You don’t know.
What is your life, but a vapor that appeareth for a little while? There is but a step, there is but a heart beat between you and hell if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, between you and heaven if you know the Lord Jesus. When you were conceived in your mother’s womb, your little heart began to beat. Some people came by my house this week and said, “Pastor, wonderful news, we’ve conceived. We’re going to have a child.” And that daddy said, “I heard the heart beat.” That’s not just a blob of protoplasm.
That’s a little baby in there, a little beating heart. That heart begins to beat in the mother’s womb. Then that little baby is born and it begins to eat that food, and run, and play, and skip on the playground. That little heart beats and begins to beat stronger and stronger with exercise. The little is beating. Then that boy grows to be a teenager. One day in the school room, he looks across the school room and he sees that very special girl. That heart begins to beat that way, and he falls in love, and he gets married, and he begins to raise his children, and then he has some grandchildren. That heart is just beating, and then one day it kind of beats irregularly. He, he goes to see the doctor says, “Well you you’ve got a little problem in there. We’ll give you some medicine, put a pacemaker in there.” And he gets to do pretty good, and then after while it gets to beat wrong again. And he goes the doctor, and the doctor says, “Well, we’re going to change the medicine.” Feels pretty good and one day goes to wake him, he doesn’t wake, not beating anymore. “Well,” you say. “Pastor, you know that’s, that’s the way I want to go. I just want to die in my sleep like that. I just want to put on my pajamas and just not wake up.” But you know something, friend, sometimes that heartbeat stops in a mother’s womb.
Sometimes it stops on the playground. Sometimes it stops on the football field. Sometime it stops in heavy traffic, on the way home from work. Sometimes it stops in the vigor of young manhood. Sometimes the youth must quit his parties. Somebody must lay aside his or her toys.
What is your life, but a vapor? Poof, it’s gone. Don’t presume upon tomorrow. Don’t say, “I’ve got this coming year to live.” You do not know, and therefore our Lord says, “Take no thought for tomorrow. The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, and today is the only day you’ve got. Listen to me. Tomorrow never comes, because when you get to it, it’s always today. Isn’t that true? It’s the only day you ever have. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is a time only on the fool’s calendar. Jesus said, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This is the day the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. And this is the only day you have, and only God knows if you’ve got all of this one. So live this day for the glory of God. And our Lord said there are two days that can take away the strength from today; One is yesterday, and the other is tomorrow, and often today is crucified between those two thieves.
Paul said in Philippians chapter three, we are to forget those things which are behind. And what are some things you are to forget on this New Year’s Day? Forget your past guilt. Now I don’t mean overlook it. I mean bury it in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. God says, “Their iniquities will I remember against them no more.” And the Bible says, “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And you, dear friend, get clean today, and be clean.
Past guilt, past grief . . . Has this past year been a hard year for you? Why don’t you give those sorrows to Jesus? Give them to Jesus, and un, unhook yourself from them. Past grudges: has somebody done you wrong? Well, turn them over to the Lord, and unhook yourself from them. And put in your heart a spirit of forgiveness. And don’t’ go nursing a grudge into the new year. And past glory . . . Was last year a good year for you? Well, that’s gone.
When I played football, we’d have a good game. We’d come next time to our practice, and the coach would say, “Fellows, we’re playing again next Saturday. Put away your press clippings. That other team hasn’t read them.” Friend, it, it, that’s gone. Your guilt, your grief, your grudges, your glory, that’s in the past. Forget those things. This is the day the Lord hath made, and our Lord says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” He says, “Take no anxious thought for the morrow. The morrow will thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day,” is what, “the evil thereof.” God will give you sufficient evil. Who gives it to you. Who gives it to you? God gives it to you. Why does God give you evil? Not sin, evil. That means heartache, suffering, toil, pain, pain, moan, groan, woe. God is up there in heaven mixing that up and giving it to you. You said, “I thought God was a good God.” He is a good God, and that’s why he does it. The worst thing that could happen to you and to me would be to live this life without any pain, without any sorrow, without any heartache, without any difficulty.
With our sinful natures, we would never call upon God, so God gives us sufficient evil. And then God gives us sufficient grace. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Sufficient what? Evil. Sufficient what? Grace. God causes me to have to come to Him, and then gives me grace. And that is the marvelous, divine ecology that God has given me for today, to live today looking to God. And the Bible says, “As your days are, so shall your strength be.”
Now what happens when you worry? You bring tomorrow’s problems into today. God gave you sufficient strength for today’s problems. He did not give you sufficient strength for tomorrow’s problems. So when you bring tomorrow’s problems into today, that doesn’t help you get ready for tomorrow. It doesn’t take the trouble out of tomorrow. It takes the gladness out of today. You, today, are overloaded, overburdened, trying to handle tomorrow’s problems today. And when you get to tomorrow, you get to tomorrow out of breath, because you’ve been carrying a load that you’ve never been meant to carry. Day by day, He will sustain you. Every step you take, God will take care of you, day by day. Take no thought for tomorrow. Worry is the interest you pay on borrowed trouble. That is tomorrow. You live today trusting the Lord. What is your life, but even a vapor that a, appears for a little while, and then vanishes away? And on this threshold of a new year, don’t plan without God. Take God into your plans. And don’t presume upon tomorrow. Say, “If the Lord will, I shall live and do this or that.” And live today like it may be your last day. And say, “This is the day the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Now here’s a third mistake that the man made. First of all, there was Godless planning; secondly, presumption, where he’s simply presuming that he knows what’s going to happen. The third thing is tragic procrastination. Look, if you will, in verses sixteen and seventeen. But now ye rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Have you ever thought that if you simply knew the will of God, everything would be wonderful? I know a lot of folks who know the will of God, who don’t do it. You see. It’s not enough to know God’s will. It’s twice tragic if you know the will of God, and do not do it. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him, to him it is sin. It is
a greater sin to fail to do what you ought to do, than to do what you ought not to do. Because if you are doing what you ought to do, you cannot be doing what you ought not to do. And therefore the sins of omission are greater than the sins of commission. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, sinful procrastination. You say, “Now, Lord I know what I ought to do, and one of these days I am going to do it.”
Procrastination is another word for rebellion. It is sin against God. And if you will,
think of all problems that procrastination has brought about in your life and in my life. Procrastination is the reason that some people are lost. What does a man have to do? Sit in an auditorium like this and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. What does he have to do, curse God, blaspheme God, refused to be saved, say, “I’ll never be saved.” No, just simply postpone salvation. II Corinthians chapter 6, and verse two says, “Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation.” A man is not lost today because he lies, or steals, or commits adultery, or is proud, because those sins have been paid for. The Bible says, “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already,” not because he lies, not because he steals, not because he commits adultery. He is condemned already because he hath not believed. You see it’s the sin of procrastination, just simply failing to do what you ought to do that condemns and sends souls to hell. So many today, of course there are those who have never heard, but we’re not talking about those. We’re talking about those who know to do good and they do it not.
You sit in this auditorium, and I tear my heart out and beg you to be saved. And you say, “I will be saved, but not today.” That, my friend, is sin. One day you may die and go to hell, and it’ll be everlastingly too late. Procrastination, the sin of omission is why so many marriages break up. What do you have to do to harm your marriage? Do you have to beat your wife, curse her? No, just fail to nurture and love her. A woman said to her husband, “Why don’t you tell me that you love me?” He said, “Look when we got married, I told you I loved you. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.” People are like that. Love is not like a diamond that you have to treasure. Love is like a flower that must be watered, and cultivated, and cared for. You don’t fall in love. You grow in love, and you need to verbalize, and visualize, and vitalize that love. It’s, it’s the reason that so many of us have wrong thoughts in our head. It’s the sin of omission. You say, “Pastor, I’m having difficulty. I’m having difficulty. I cannot think the right thoughts. I have all kinds of bad thoughts in my mind.” Do you know why? Because you haven’t got good thoughts in your mind. It’s just that simple. God engineered you, and God made you where you can’t think two thoughts at one time. And if you’re thinking what’s right, you can’t be thinking what is wrong. Therefore the Bible says, “Whatsoever things are pure, just, lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.” Load up on the word of God. To him that knoweth to good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. It is the sin of omission that is the great sin.
Do you know why churches fail today? Not because people fight the churches, not because they oppose the church. That only causes it to, some churches to grow. The great enemy of the church, is the neglect of her own members. For example, tonight we’ll be having an evening service, and some of you will not be here. Why? Well, you have something else you’d rather do. You neglect the worship service. Did you know that when you don’t attend a service that’s a vote to close the doors? If everybody voted as you voted, there’d be no service that night. Did you know if everybody prayed like you pray, or give like you give, or witness like you witness, the church may succeed, or the church may go out of business? You see it is neglect. To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Godless planning, prideful presumption, sinful procrastination, three big enemies that can keep you from being what you ought to be this coming year.
Are you saved? Joe Henry Hankins pastored in Texas and in Arkansas. He was a mighty preacher. Joe Henry Hankins said that on an occasion he had a woman who was the wife of a successful businessman, very much like this businessman. That woman got saved. Hankins, a wise pastor, thought it’d be a good time for the husband to get saved. So he went on Saturday afternoon to visit the husband. The wife was going to be baptized that Sunday night. They had a cordial talk. Joe Henry Hankins took his New Testament, presented the cause of Christ to that businessman, and asked that businessman if he would give his heart to our Lord, and be saved. The businessman thought for a while, and he said, “Dr. Hankins,” he said, “my wife is going to be baptized tomorrow night.” He said, “What you say is right. I need to be saved, and tomorrow morning when the invitation is given, I’ll come down that isle, give you my hand, and give my heart to Jesus.” Hankins said, “That is great. That is wonderful.” And he closed his New Testament, put it in his pocket, and thought God has won a victory today. And as he got to the door if that rich man’s house, put his hand upon the door knob, the Holy Spirit spoke to the pastor. He knew something was not right. He went back, and he said, “But sir, why don’t you give your heart to Jesus now, and then come tomorrow morning and let the people know that you’ve given your heart to Jesus? Let’s get it settled right now.” You know what that businessman said? He said, “Preacher, I’m an honest man. I’m a good businessman, and when I give my word, my word is my bond. You can count on it. I’ll be down that isle tomorrow morning, give my heart to Jesus Christ.” Preacher thought again, “Well, a victory’s been won. Praise God.” He started, the second time he put his hand on the door knob, the Holy Spirit said, “Preacher, there is something not right.” Hankins said, “I knew it. I got my New Testament, and I went back to that man, and I opened my New Testament to II Corinthians chapter 6 and verse two. And I said, “Sir, forgive my presumption, but would you read this verse?” And that businessman
read it. Behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation. And the preacher said, “Who wrote that?” The businessman said, “God wrote it.” He said, “When does God say you’re to be saved?” Oh he said, “God says now.” Then he said, “If somebody tomorrow, would it be God?” He said, “No it wouldn’t be God.” He said, “Who then would it be?” He said, “Well it’d be the devil.” “Well then,” he said. “You’ve got the devil telling you to do it tomorrow and God telling you to do it today. Now whose voice are you going to listen to?” You know what this man did? Put his hand in his fist, and slapped it in there. And he said, “Preacher, I’ve listened to the devil all of my life, and all it’s ever brought me is grief. I’m going to listen to God and do it now.” And he slipped down on his knees, and prayed with Dr. Hankins, and gave his heart to Jesus Christ, and was saved, born again there on his knees.
The next Sunday morning, that pastor, the next morning literally, was standing on the front steps of that church welcoming people as they came to church. This businessman’s nephew came up hurriedly to the pastor, and said, “Pastor, my uncle had a heart attack last night, but he said to tell you that he’s still meant what he said. As soon as he’s well, he’ll come forward and make public what he did.” Dr. Hankins went on in the service that morning, and when he finished the service and went home for lunch, he got a phone call, this time from the businessman’s sister-in-law. And said, “Pastor, Pat’s heart attack was worse than we thought. He’s had another seizure, and, Pastor, they say it’s very serious. They think he’s dying.” The pastor said, “Let me, let me get my things together. I’ll be over there as quickly as I can.” Before the pastor could get away from the house, the phone rang again. They said, “No need to come. No need to hurry, Pastor. He’s gone. But, Pastor, before he died, he said to tell you thanks so much for encouraging him to obey God, and give his heart to Christ when he did.”
Boast no thyself of tomorrow. For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. And to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin. Have you been planning your coming year without God? Have you? Have you been saying, “Well I’ve got plenty of time?”
Have you? Is there something that God the Holy Spirit is telling you to do, and you’re not doing it? Friend, the way to face your future is to bring God into your planning. Live one day at a time, and obey God daily, step by step. Amen?
Father God, seal the message to our hearts. While heads are bowed and eyes are closed, if you’re not saved today, I want to do with you what that pastor did with the businessman. I want to guide you in a decision. I want you to pray right now, and I’m going to ask that no one stir, no one move. If you’re saved, you begin to pray for those who may not be saved. And I want you to pray a prayer like this. If you’re not absolutely certain you’re saved, just pray like this. Dear God . . . That’s right just speak to him out of your heart. Dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me. Jesus, I believe you’re the Son of God. I believe you paid my sin debt with your blood on that cross, and I believe God raised you from the dead. I believe it. And, Lord, not only do I believe it, but I receive it. Come into my heart right now, this moment. Come in, Lord Jesus. Forgive my sin, cleanse me, save me. I’m a lost sinner, and I need to be
saved. I’m sick of my sin. I repent of my sin. I open my heart. I trust you now as my Lord and savior. Begin now to make what you want me to be. And, Lord Jesus, give me the courage to make it public, and I will today. Today I will openly and publicly let it be known that I’m trusting you. You died for me. I will not be ashamed for you, and when that invitation is given, when the pastor invites people to come forward, I will come forward. Tell him that. By your grace, and with your strength, I will today, now confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen.
Now look up here. How are you saved? You believe, you receive, and you confess. Now the confession is only an indication that you’ve already trusted. But the faith that will not lead to confession will not lead to heaven. Jesus said, “If you’re ashamed of me, I’ll be ashamed of you. If you confess me before men, I’ll confess you before my father in heaven.” That’s we’re going to invite you now to make public what you prayed in your heart. Standing at the head of each of these isles this morning, will be a minister of this church. And today, if you said, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I trust you to save me,” I want you to seal that by coming forward. The chorus that we’re going to sing is in your bulletin. It says this, Lord I believe, Lord I receive, Lord I confess you now. Now, now I confess you, and you step out and come forward.
Now there are others of you, you’re saved and you know that you’re saved, but you need a church home. And if you need a church home and Bellevue is where you feel the Spirit of God moving, and you want to be a growing, faithful member of this church, I invite you to come down any of these isles, and tell the minister that you want to place your membership here. And you can lead the way for those who need to receive Christ as their personal savior. If you come, just tell the minister you want to place your membership here. If you’re coming to trust Christ, or making it known that you’ve trusted Christ, you tell the minister, “I’m trusting Jesus.”
