1 00:00:00,302 --> 00:00:02,676 You may be thinking, 2 00:00:02,676 --> 00:00:06,925 "Oh, Brother Lee, the world just thinks 3 00:00:06,925 --> 00:00:08,744 that Christians are arrogant 4 00:00:08,744 --> 00:00:13,335 and intolerant and irrelevant." 5 00:00:13,335 --> 00:00:16,024 Arrogant? 6 00:00:16,024 --> 00:00:17,724 You need to capture this. 7 00:00:17,724 --> 00:00:22,615 Truth is never arrogant. 8 00:00:22,615 --> 00:00:25,652 It doesn't involve arrogance. 9 00:00:25,652 --> 00:00:28,425 Truth is a matter of fact. 10 00:00:28,425 --> 00:00:31,676 Now the delivery of the truth however, 11 00:00:31,676 --> 00:00:33,474 the vessel, the ambassador 12 00:00:33,474 --> 00:00:36,034 can be proud and unloving and arrogant. 13 00:00:36,034 --> 00:00:38,115 That's true. 14 00:00:38,115 --> 00:00:40,523 It's true that our actions and our methodologies 15 00:00:40,523 --> 00:00:43,256 will either substantiate the truth we proclaim 16 00:00:43,256 --> 00:00:45,624 or undermine it. 17 00:00:45,624 --> 00:00:49,197 But the truth itself is never arrogant or proud. 18 00:00:49,197 --> 00:00:51,505 To proclaim an exclusive Gospel 19 00:00:51,505 --> 00:00:54,624 is not the proclamation of a proud man; 20 00:00:54,624 --> 00:00:57,574 it's the proclamation of a man that has been humbled 21 00:00:57,574 --> 00:01:00,564 by the grace of God that rescued him. 22 00:01:00,564 --> 00:01:04,825 Arrogant? No. Not arrogant. 23 00:01:04,825 --> 00:01:10,329 Intolerant? No. Not intolerant. 24 00:01:10,329 --> 00:01:15,276 Really, Christians should be the most tolerant people in the earth. 25 00:01:15,276 --> 00:01:17,945 Paul writes, "Love endures all things." 26 00:01:17,945 --> 00:01:20,223 That's pretty tolerant. 27 00:01:20,223 --> 00:01:21,862 But this tolerance, 28 00:01:21,862 --> 00:01:23,609 this love for our neighbor 29 00:01:23,609 --> 00:01:26,896 doesn't dull the edge of the Gospel blade. 30 00:01:26,896 --> 00:01:29,103 It sharpens it. 31 00:01:29,103 --> 00:01:31,153 What we shouldn't be able to tolerate 32 00:01:31,153 --> 00:01:35,144 that we often do - I, myself included - 33 00:01:35,144 --> 00:01:36,963 what we shouldn't be able to tolerate 34 00:01:36,963 --> 00:01:38,843 is the thought of anyone perishing 35 00:01:38,843 --> 00:01:43,024 apart from hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 36 00:01:43,024 --> 00:01:46,223 That's what we shouldn't tolerate. 37 00:01:46,223 --> 00:01:48,757 We won't embrace the lies of this age. 38 00:01:48,757 --> 00:01:50,975 We won't agree with false religions. 39 00:01:50,975 --> 00:01:53,704 We will stand for an exclusive Gospel 40 00:01:53,704 --> 00:01:58,122 that powerfully rescues men from sin. 41 00:01:58,122 --> 00:01:59,405 We will love our neighbors. 42 00:01:59,405 --> 00:02:00,694 We will serve the needy. 43 00:02:00,694 --> 00:02:02,508 We will minister to the oppressed 44 00:02:02,508 --> 00:02:04,836 and share the Gospel with a dying world 45 00:02:04,836 --> 00:02:08,259 that needs Jesus. 46 00:02:08,259 --> 00:02:10,865 Intolerant? I don't think so. 47 00:02:10,865 --> 00:02:15,575 Irrelevant? God forbid. 48 00:02:15,575 --> 00:02:19,525 The Gospel is the furthest thing from irrelevant. 49 00:02:19,525 --> 00:02:23,773 It's about as relevant as anything under heaven - 50 00:02:23,773 --> 00:02:25,405 likely, exceedingly more so. 51 00:02:25,405 --> 00:02:30,093 It's the only cure for sinners. 52 00:02:30,093 --> 00:02:32,093 Of course, the world would not consider 53 00:02:32,093 --> 00:02:35,085 the only cure for cancer to be irrelevant. 54 00:02:35,085 --> 00:02:37,845 That would be especially relevant. 55 00:02:37,845 --> 00:02:41,102 Well, the Gospel then is no less relevant 56 00:02:41,102 --> 00:02:43,753 to the needy sinner. 57 00:02:43,753 --> 00:02:48,023 How will then they call on Him 58 00:02:48,023 --> 00:02:50,355 in whom they have not believed? 59 00:02:50,355 --> 00:02:52,228 And how are they to believe in Him 60 00:02:52,228 --> 00:02:54,693 of whom they have never heard? 61 00:02:54,693 --> 00:02:56,483 And how are they to hear 62 00:02:56,483 --> 00:02:58,979 without someone preaching? 63 00:02:58,979 --> 00:03:02,464 It is relevant, church. 64 00:03:02,464 --> 00:03:03,971 So don't let the world put you 65 00:03:03,971 --> 00:03:06,685 into the mold of being unkind, unloving, 66 00:03:06,685 --> 00:03:10,013 unfair or arrogant. 67 00:03:10,013 --> 00:03:14,334 Is it unloving to share the Gospel of reconciliation 68 00:03:14,334 --> 00:03:17,223 with one alienated from God? 69 00:03:17,223 --> 00:03:18,663 I don't think so. 70 00:03:18,663 --> 00:03:21,972 Is it unkind to speak Gospel encouragements 71 00:03:21,972 --> 00:03:24,493 to the broken-hearted? 72 00:03:24,493 --> 00:03:26,023 I don't think so. 73 00:03:26,023 --> 00:03:29,264 Is it arrogant to offer Christ and eternal life 74 00:03:29,264 --> 00:03:31,884 to the dying sinner? 75 00:03:31,884 --> 00:03:33,445 Of course not. 76 00:03:33,445 --> 00:03:38,283 So preach the Gospel, brethren. 77 00:03:38,283 --> 00:03:39,948 Use words. 78 00:03:39,948 --> 00:03:42,154 Love the souls of men. 79 00:03:42,154 --> 00:03:43,864 Why? 80 00:03:43,864 --> 00:03:47,844 Because salvation is in Christ alone. 81 00:03:47,844 --> 00:03:51,074 The Gospel is exclusive.