1 00:00:00,769 --> 00:00:06,711 Well, I was raised in Texas. 2 00:00:06,711 --> 00:00:10,847 And my parents both died when I was young. 3 00:00:10,847 --> 00:00:14,072 My mother died when I was two years old. 4 00:00:14,072 --> 00:00:17,166 And my father died six years later, 5 00:00:17,166 --> 00:00:19,466 when I was eight years old. 6 00:00:19,466 --> 00:00:23,473 And my cousin, who did not have children, 7 00:00:23,473 --> 00:00:26,801 she and her husband took me in their home, 8 00:00:26,801 --> 00:00:28,639 along with my older sister, 9 00:00:28,639 --> 00:00:34,258 and they raised us. 10 00:00:34,258 --> 00:00:36,522 My cousin's husband who was 11 00:00:36,522 --> 00:00:38,859 like a grandfather to me, 12 00:00:38,859 --> 00:00:40,994 then became my step-father; 13 00:00:40,994 --> 00:00:43,878 he died when I was twelve. 14 00:00:43,878 --> 00:00:51,686 Then it was Wilma, my cousin. 15 00:00:51,686 --> 00:00:54,681 It was her and my sister and I 16 00:00:54,681 --> 00:00:57,432 who lived together on our farm. 17 00:00:57,432 --> 00:00:59,527 And then, three years later, 18 00:00:59,527 --> 00:01:02,551 when my sister was an older teenager, 19 00:01:02,551 --> 00:01:06,074 she was married and moved. 20 00:01:06,074 --> 00:01:10,569 So then it was just my adoptive mother and I. 21 00:01:10,569 --> 00:01:12,852 And I grew up in church, 22 00:01:12,852 --> 00:01:15,695 although it was not a Gospel-preaching church. 23 00:01:15,695 --> 00:01:17,292 It was a conservative church. 24 00:01:17,292 --> 00:01:19,581 It was somewhat legalistic. 25 00:01:19,581 --> 00:01:22,771 And did not believe in musical instruments. 26 00:01:22,771 --> 00:01:26,510 And I never remember hearing the Gospel preached there. 27 00:01:26,510 --> 00:01:31,876 I remember as a pre-teenager 28 00:01:31,876 --> 00:01:35,151 one night fearing that I would go to hell 29 00:01:35,151 --> 00:01:38,119 if I was not baptized. 30 00:01:38,119 --> 00:01:42,525 And so I went and got baptized as quickly as I could. 31 00:01:42,525 --> 00:01:46,499 But all religious feelings were soon gone, 32 00:01:46,499 --> 00:01:49,519 and I was still unconverted. 33 00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:52,182 And as I got into my high school years, 34 00:01:52,182 --> 00:01:54,873 I began to visit the local Baptist church 35 00:01:54,873 --> 00:01:56,700 with my friends. 36 00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:59,050 And every time I would go, 37 00:01:59,050 --> 00:02:03,046 I would hear the basic Gospel. 38 00:02:03,046 --> 00:02:07,610 It was not a strongly doctrinal Gospel message, 39 00:02:07,610 --> 00:02:10,380 but it was yet true. 40 00:02:10,380 --> 00:02:12,635 It had the basics of the Gospel in it. 41 00:02:12,635 --> 00:02:14,364 And every time I would go, 42 00:02:14,364 --> 00:02:15,917 I would come under conviction. 43 00:02:15,917 --> 00:02:18,045 I would know that God was real. 44 00:02:18,045 --> 00:02:21,406 I would have feelings and desires and emotions 45 00:02:21,406 --> 00:02:23,918 about wanting Christ 46 00:02:23,918 --> 00:02:27,080 about being interested, feeling my sinfulness. 47 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:28,877 But no one ever instructed me. 48 00:02:28,877 --> 00:02:32,150 No one ever counseled me biblically 49 00:02:32,150 --> 00:02:35,548 what repentence was, what saving faith was. 50 00:02:35,548 --> 00:02:37,836 So there were many times 51 00:02:37,836 --> 00:02:40,327 in the context of that Baptist church, 52 00:02:40,327 --> 00:02:42,570 that I would do what they said: 53 00:02:42,570 --> 00:02:43,957 Walk the aisle. 54 00:02:43,957 --> 00:02:46,265 Pray a prayer. 55 00:02:46,265 --> 00:02:48,536 Make a decision for Christ. 56 00:02:48,536 --> 00:02:50,643 And yet, my heart was unchanged, 57 00:02:50,643 --> 00:02:52,597 and I didn't know what to do. 58 00:02:52,597 --> 00:02:56,735 So, generally those feelings would leave 59 00:02:56,735 --> 00:02:59,288 within about three or four weeks, 60 00:02:59,288 --> 00:03:03,115 and I would be back to my old self. 61 00:03:03,115 --> 00:03:05,506 This continued through high school, 62 00:03:05,506 --> 00:03:07,372 until I got out of high school, 63 00:03:07,372 --> 00:03:11,005 and I finally just grew weary of it. 64 00:03:11,005 --> 00:03:13,591 I decided I didn't want to go to church anymore, 65 00:03:13,591 --> 00:03:15,891 because it never lasted for me. 66 00:03:15,891 --> 00:03:17,922 It didn't work for me. 67 00:03:17,922 --> 00:03:19,358 And the entire time, 68 00:03:19,358 --> 00:03:23,407 I sincerely knew that God was real. 69 00:03:23,407 --> 00:03:26,348 I did believe the Bible was the Word of God. 70 00:03:26,348 --> 00:03:28,813 And I did believe that Jesus Christ 71 00:03:28,813 --> 00:03:32,172 had come and He was the Savior. 72 00:03:32,172 --> 00:03:34,815 I had those facts in my mind. 73 00:03:34,815 --> 00:03:38,660 And I knew in my conscience that they were true. 74 00:03:38,660 --> 00:03:41,677 But I was yet dead in my sins. 75 00:03:41,677 --> 00:03:44,093 And when I was 19 years old, 76 00:03:44,093 --> 00:03:46,661 in the summer of 1973, 77 00:03:46,661 --> 00:03:48,549 I had gotten completely out of church. 78 00:03:48,549 --> 00:03:50,615 I was not interested at all. 79 00:03:50,615 --> 00:03:52,184 I was working. 80 00:03:52,184 --> 00:03:54,220 And a very close friend of mine 81 00:03:54,220 --> 00:03:56,159 whose name was Kent, 82 00:03:56,159 --> 00:03:57,937 was in the army. 83 00:03:57,937 --> 00:04:01,044 He came home from the army one weekend, 84 00:04:01,044 --> 00:04:03,804 and he had come to know Christ 85 00:04:03,804 --> 00:04:07,630 while he was in the army only that summer. 86 00:04:07,630 --> 00:04:09,593 He was a new Christian. 87 00:04:09,593 --> 00:04:12,823 And he was burdened for me, because we were close friends. 88 00:04:12,823 --> 00:04:16,601 And he came home for a weekend from the army. 89 00:04:16,601 --> 00:04:22,172 He saw me on a Saturday morning, 90 00:04:22,172 --> 00:04:24,994 and he asked me if we could have some time together. 91 00:04:24,994 --> 00:04:26,918 So that evening on a Saturday night, 92 00:04:26,918 --> 00:04:32,106 The last Saturday of July of 1973, 93 00:04:32,106 --> 00:04:34,633 I spent about three hours with Kent. 94 00:04:34,633 --> 00:04:37,346 We were in his car just there in town 95 00:04:37,346 --> 00:04:39,519 on a summer evening. 96 00:04:39,519 --> 00:04:41,113 And he began to talk to me 97 00:04:41,113 --> 00:04:43,573 about the Lord Jesus Christ. 98 00:04:43,573 --> 00:04:46,577 And he didn't say anything that I hadn't heard 99 00:04:46,577 --> 00:04:50,149 in high school being in the Baptist church. 100 00:04:50,149 --> 00:04:52,310 But as he spoke, 101 00:04:52,310 --> 00:04:54,553 his life had authenticity. 102 00:04:54,553 --> 00:04:57,086 And I knew him well. 103 00:04:57,086 --> 00:04:59,050 And I trusted him. 104 00:04:59,050 --> 00:05:00,559 And the more he spoke, 105 00:05:00,559 --> 00:05:04,992 and the more his words were owned by the Holy Spirit, 106 00:05:04,992 --> 00:05:08,161 they were used by God to bring conviction 107 00:05:08,161 --> 00:05:09,862 to my heart. 108 00:05:09,862 --> 00:05:11,447 And the longer we talked, 109 00:05:11,447 --> 00:05:14,409 the more I came under conviction of sin. 110 00:05:14,409 --> 00:05:16,867 Deep conviction of sin. 111 00:05:16,867 --> 00:05:20,225 And as our time got into one hour 112 00:05:20,225 --> 00:05:21,688 and two hours, 113 00:05:21,688 --> 00:05:27,835 the Holy Spirit really came in a great way 114 00:05:27,835 --> 00:05:29,917 with a sense of His presence 115 00:05:29,917 --> 00:05:32,271 in an overwhelming way. 116 00:05:32,271 --> 00:05:34,398 And for the first time, 117 00:05:34,398 --> 00:05:36,941 the cross was made very real to me. 118 00:05:36,941 --> 00:05:40,352 That Christ really had died for my sins. 119 00:05:40,352 --> 00:05:42,610 And that's what happened on the cross. 120 00:05:42,610 --> 00:05:46,775 And that Christ truly did love me unconditionally. 121 00:05:46,775 --> 00:05:48,596 And it overwhelmed my heart. 122 00:05:48,596 --> 00:05:49,887 I didn't know how to pray. 123 00:05:49,887 --> 00:05:51,182 I didn't know anything, 124 00:05:51,182 --> 00:05:54,311 except the love of God was poured out upon me, 125 00:05:54,311 --> 00:05:56,647 and I knew it in a way 126 00:05:56,647 --> 00:05:58,996 that I had never seen before. 127 00:05:58,996 --> 00:06:01,946 And so I began to cry out to God. 128 00:06:01,946 --> 00:06:03,558 I didn't know how to pray, 129 00:06:03,558 --> 00:06:05,473 but it didn't matter. 130 00:06:05,473 --> 00:06:06,755 My heart wanted Him. 131 00:06:06,755 --> 00:06:08,968 And I began to cry out to God. 132 00:06:08,968 --> 00:06:10,783 And I said Lord Jesus, 133 00:06:10,783 --> 00:06:12,811 I know You died for me. 134 00:06:12,811 --> 00:06:14,491 And I have nothing to bring You, 135 00:06:14,491 --> 00:06:16,546 except my sin and my self, 136 00:06:16,546 --> 00:06:19,878 but here I am. 137 00:06:19,878 --> 00:06:22,881 In those moments, I felt washed. 138 00:06:22,881 --> 00:06:24,089 I felt clean. 139 00:06:24,089 --> 00:06:25,792 I felt whole. 140 00:06:25,792 --> 00:06:28,189 I felt the love of God fill me. 141 00:06:28,189 --> 00:06:30,635 And it was very, very real. 142 00:06:30,635 --> 00:06:32,497 And it was nothing that my friend did. 143 00:06:32,497 --> 00:06:34,252 He was overwhelmed as well. 144 00:06:34,252 --> 00:06:36,589 He had hoped that his words 145 00:06:36,589 --> 00:06:38,897 could influence me, 146 00:06:38,897 --> 00:06:41,997 but he did not have any idea, 147 00:06:41,997 --> 00:06:44,061 I believe, that this was going to happen. 148 00:06:44,061 --> 00:06:48,458 We were both surprised by the presence of the Lord 149 00:06:48,458 --> 00:06:50,862 in an unusual way. 150 00:06:50,862 --> 00:06:53,945 So my conversion - 151 00:06:53,945 --> 00:06:55,703 three hours earlier, 152 00:06:55,703 --> 00:06:58,057 God was the furthest thing from my mind. 153 00:06:58,057 --> 00:07:00,772 I was not thinking about Christianity. 154 00:07:00,772 --> 00:07:03,346 I wasn't interested. I wasn't under conviction. 155 00:07:03,346 --> 00:07:05,416 I was not searching. 156 00:07:05,416 --> 00:07:09,371 God came in His mercy and apprehended me. 157 00:07:09,371 --> 00:07:11,584 And saved me. And turned me. 158 00:07:11,584 --> 00:07:13,994 And His goodness overwhelmed me. 159 00:07:13,994 --> 00:07:17,563 And granted to my heart repentance. 160 00:07:17,563 --> 00:07:19,143 Repentance for me at that moment 161 00:07:19,143 --> 00:07:21,666 was just feeling the weight of my sin, 162 00:07:21,666 --> 00:07:23,725 seeing it and hating it. 163 00:07:23,725 --> 00:07:26,718 And I wanted Christ above everything else. 164 00:07:26,718 --> 00:07:29,810 And my heart went to Him. 165 00:07:29,810 --> 00:07:31,462 That was a Saturday night. 166 00:07:31,462 --> 00:07:32,613 I was 19 years old. 167 00:07:32,613 --> 00:07:35,055 The next morning, I went back up 168 00:07:35,055 --> 00:07:36,705 to the Baptist church there 169 00:07:36,705 --> 00:07:38,367 where I was a member. 170 00:07:38,367 --> 00:07:41,264 Both Kent and I did - where we were members. 171 00:07:41,264 --> 00:07:43,916 And I stood up and I gave testimony 172 00:07:43,916 --> 00:07:47,694 that before the previous night 173 00:07:47,694 --> 00:07:50,784 I had never been a true Christian at all. 174 00:07:50,784 --> 00:07:53,100 And that Christ had saved me. 175 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:54,619 And it created a little bit of 176 00:07:54,619 --> 00:07:58,778 either great joy for some or confusion for others 177 00:07:58,778 --> 00:08:00,785 because many had presumed 178 00:08:00,785 --> 00:08:02,761 that I was a true Christian. 179 00:08:02,761 --> 00:08:07,490 But, that was the beginning of my relationship with Christ 180 00:08:07,490 --> 00:08:09,188 as a 19 year old. 181 00:08:09,188 --> 00:08:13,714 And it's been now over 40 years 182 00:08:13,714 --> 00:08:17,055 of walking with Him, 183 00:08:17,055 --> 00:08:22,044 finding joy only in the Lord Jesus Christ. 184 00:08:22,044 --> 00:08:25,720 Well, every person knows in their heart 185 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:27,632 that there is a God. 186 00:08:27,632 --> 00:08:30,527 That knowledge is inside every person. 187 00:08:30,527 --> 00:08:33,020 People quench it. They resist it. 188 00:08:33,020 --> 00:08:35,073 They try to suppress it. 189 00:08:35,073 --> 00:08:36,122 But it's there. 190 00:08:36,122 --> 00:08:39,385 The knowledge of God is within a person. 191 00:08:39,385 --> 00:08:41,278 They know God is real. 192 00:08:41,278 --> 00:08:45,979 They also know intuitively that they have sinned. 193 00:08:45,979 --> 00:08:50,327 Their conscience tells them that they have sinned. 194 00:08:50,327 --> 00:08:54,684 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 195 00:08:54,684 --> 00:09:00,318 And every person has need of the Lord Jesus Christ. 196 00:09:00,318 --> 00:09:04,625 Every person, being sinful, is separated from God. 197 00:09:04,625 --> 00:09:09,375 And is in need of the Savior. 198 00:09:09,375 --> 00:09:14,818 You, as well, are such a person. 199 00:09:14,818 --> 00:09:17,201 The most important thing you can do; 200 00:09:17,201 --> 00:09:19,247 the most urgent thing you can do, 201 00:09:19,247 --> 00:09:22,209 is to stop your rebellion, 202 00:09:22,209 --> 00:09:24,298 to face your rebellion, 203 00:09:24,298 --> 00:09:26,396 to face your need, 204 00:09:26,396 --> 00:09:28,535 to acknowledge from your heart 205 00:09:28,535 --> 00:09:31,309 that indeed you are a sinner 206 00:09:31,309 --> 00:09:34,101 in need of a Savior. 207 00:09:34,101 --> 00:09:35,736 And turn to Him. 208 00:09:35,736 --> 00:09:40,202 The Gospel says God commended His love, 209 00:09:40,202 --> 00:09:42,537 He showed His love toward us, 210 00:09:42,537 --> 00:09:45,226 in that while we were yet sinners, 211 00:09:45,226 --> 00:09:47,369 Christ died for us. 212 00:09:47,369 --> 00:09:48,784 He died for our sins. 213 00:09:48,784 --> 00:09:50,220 He took our sins. 214 00:09:50,220 --> 00:09:53,969 And He took the wrath of God toward us 215 00:09:53,969 --> 00:09:55,727 upon Himself on the cross. 216 00:09:55,727 --> 00:09:57,827 And He bore them in our place. 217 00:09:57,827 --> 00:10:00,058 He died in our place. 218 00:10:00,058 --> 00:10:02,118 Christ died for us. 219 00:10:02,118 --> 00:10:04,269 And the love of God was demonstrated, 220 00:10:04,269 --> 00:10:06,068 in that while we were yet sinners, 221 00:10:06,068 --> 00:10:07,709 Christ died for us. 222 00:10:07,709 --> 00:10:09,551 And then He rose again. 223 00:10:09,551 --> 00:10:13,427 And He calls all to come to Him. 224 00:10:13,427 --> 00:10:17,358 God commands all men everywhere to repent, 225 00:10:17,358 --> 00:10:18,984 to turn from their sin, 226 00:10:18,984 --> 00:10:21,247 and to turn to His Son. 227 00:10:21,247 --> 00:10:24,495 God has commanded all men everywhere to repent. 228 00:10:24,495 --> 00:10:26,156 And He's verified that, 229 00:10:26,156 --> 00:10:28,639 in that He raised Christ from the dead. 230 00:10:28,639 --> 00:10:30,746 He's a living Savior. 231 00:10:30,746 --> 00:10:33,322 And He offers forgiveness of sins 232 00:10:33,322 --> 00:10:35,943 and eternal life to all 233 00:10:35,943 --> 00:10:37,840 who will come to Him. 234 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,322 The Bible says that 235 00:10:40,322 --> 00:10:46,248 God saves all who come to God through Christ. 236 00:10:46,248 --> 00:10:48,479 The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said, 237 00:10:48,479 --> 00:10:50,324 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 238 00:10:50,324 --> 00:10:53,496 No one comes to the Father except through Me. 239 00:10:53,496 --> 00:10:57,606 So what does God say to any sinner? 240 00:10:57,606 --> 00:11:00,046 To any person who is not in Jesus Christ? 241 00:11:00,046 --> 00:11:02,717 He tells them to repent. 242 00:11:02,717 --> 00:11:04,947 To turn from their sin. 243 00:11:04,947 --> 00:11:08,289 To realize how evil it is. 244 00:11:08,289 --> 00:11:10,759 And to turn away in their heart from it. 245 00:11:10,759 --> 00:11:14,269 And to turn in dependence and trust 246 00:11:14,269 --> 00:11:16,517 to Christ alone. 247 00:11:16,517 --> 00:11:18,573 Not your works, not your religion. 248 00:11:18,573 --> 00:11:21,342 Not church attendance. Not baptism. 249 00:11:21,342 --> 00:11:22,923 Not anything else. 250 00:11:22,923 --> 00:11:26,461 But to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. 251 00:11:26,461 --> 00:11:31,524 He is the object that your heart must go to. 252 00:11:31,524 --> 00:11:34,008 It's the living Savior who offers 253 00:11:34,008 --> 00:11:36,009 salvation and forgiveness 254 00:11:36,009 --> 00:11:38,252 to every person. 255 00:11:38,252 --> 00:11:40,383 This week, I spoke to a young man 256 00:11:40,383 --> 00:11:44,807 who expressed to me that he wanted to be saved, 257 00:11:44,807 --> 00:11:46,676 he had tried to be saved, 258 00:11:46,676 --> 00:11:50,503 but he didn't think that Christ would save him. 259 00:11:50,503 --> 00:11:52,174 And I told him 260 00:11:52,174 --> 00:11:53,972 that in all four of the Gospels, 261 00:11:53,972 --> 00:11:55,859 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 262 00:11:55,859 --> 00:11:57,438 you never find anyone coming 263 00:11:57,438 --> 00:12:00,060 to the Lord Jesus Christ for healing 264 00:12:00,060 --> 00:12:03,686 or for salvation or for forgiveness - 265 00:12:03,686 --> 00:12:08,009 if they came sincerely; if they came genuinely, 266 00:12:08,009 --> 00:12:10,091 He never turned anyone away. 267 00:12:10,091 --> 00:12:13,609 He always had mercy on them. 268 00:12:13,609 --> 00:12:16,412 And Christ is a merciful Savior. 269 00:12:16,412 --> 00:12:23,167 He will receive all who come unto Him through faith. 270 00:12:23,167 --> 00:12:27,002 So, He says to every sinner, 271 00:12:27,002 --> 00:12:29,466 to every person who's not a Christian, 272 00:12:29,466 --> 00:12:32,860 "Come unto Me, all you who labor, 273 00:12:32,860 --> 00:12:34,666 and are heavy laden, 274 00:12:34,666 --> 00:12:37,319 and I will give you rest." 275 00:12:37,319 --> 00:12:40,155 The most important thing you can do in life 276 00:12:40,155 --> 00:12:46,952 is to not let your heart rest in anything else; 277 00:12:46,952 --> 00:12:48,836 not let your heart be satisfied, 278 00:12:48,836 --> 00:12:52,351 not let your heart find satisfaction 279 00:12:52,351 --> 00:12:54,491 in anything else. 280 00:12:54,491 --> 00:12:58,570 Until you come to believe the Gospel 281 00:12:58,570 --> 00:13:00,598 of the Lord Jesus Christ 282 00:13:00,598 --> 00:13:03,602 and trust in Him and find salvation in Him. 283 00:13:03,602 --> 00:13:05,087 The Bible says, 284 00:13:05,087 --> 00:13:08,211 whoever will truly, from the heart, 285 00:13:08,211 --> 00:13:10,952 call upon the name of the Lord, 286 00:13:10,952 --> 00:13:12,724 they will be saved. 287 00:13:12,724 --> 00:13:14,091 And you can do that. 288 00:13:14,091 --> 00:13:16,892 Trust Christ.