Page 152 - Racing Toward Judgement
P. 152
It is not enough to "get bugged" by a sermon, to shed
a few tears, to "decide" for Christ, to say a nice little
prayer in private, to think up some good thoughts of
faith and hope when alone, to turn over a new leaf to
ease the conscience. I am going to show you—plain and
simple—how you must cooperate with God in order to
know you are saved, so that Satan cannot come to you
after your conversion to snatch away your experience.
1. First of all, let's talk about what you really are
without Christ:
Admit it! You are a sinner—a real rebel! You are a
rebel against God's rulership in your life, and you live
only to suit yourself, regardless of how it affects God or
other people. Self is "king of the hill" in your heart!
You go your own way. According to the Bible, sinners
are stubborn, disobedient, spoiled, distorted in moral
values, deceitful, wrong, and rebellious against author-
ity. Sin makes one an enemy to God.
God promised to save you from sin, but first you
must really understand what sin is. Sin is a refusal to
live intelligently or to conform our lives to the truth of
God's Word. It is not just a weakness but a state of
rebellion. You do not sin because you don't under-
stand—but because you refuse to recognize your very
clear obligations to God and man. Now God has hon-
estly promised you mercy, pardon, peace, and happi-
ness—but only on His terms.
Without Christ you have a crippled conscience. The
apostle Paul described it as "a mind and conscience that
is defiled" (Titus 1:15). The conscience is an endowed
part of your personality, given for the purpose of evalu-
ating your conduct and behavior to your own heart.
God designed it to "smile" when your conduct is right
and to "frown" when it is wrong. God intended this fac-
ulty to be an instrument of blessing, to bring tranquility
and inner composure. But sin in your life has tampered
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a few tears, to "decide" for Christ, to say a nice little
prayer in private, to think up some good thoughts of
faith and hope when alone, to turn over a new leaf to
ease the conscience. I am going to show you—plain and
simple—how you must cooperate with God in order to
know you are saved, so that Satan cannot come to you
after your conversion to snatch away your experience.
1. First of all, let's talk about what you really are
without Christ:
Admit it! You are a sinner—a real rebel! You are a
rebel against God's rulership in your life, and you live
only to suit yourself, regardless of how it affects God or
other people. Self is "king of the hill" in your heart!
You go your own way. According to the Bible, sinners
are stubborn, disobedient, spoiled, distorted in moral
values, deceitful, wrong, and rebellious against author-
ity. Sin makes one an enemy to God.
God promised to save you from sin, but first you
must really understand what sin is. Sin is a refusal to
live intelligently or to conform our lives to the truth of
God's Word. It is not just a weakness but a state of
rebellion. You do not sin because you don't under-
stand—but because you refuse to recognize your very
clear obligations to God and man. Now God has hon-
estly promised you mercy, pardon, peace, and happi-
ness—but only on His terms.
Without Christ you have a crippled conscience. The
apostle Paul described it as "a mind and conscience that
is defiled" (Titus 1:15). The conscience is an endowed
part of your personality, given for the purpose of evalu-
ating your conduct and behavior to your own heart.
God designed it to "smile" when your conduct is right
and to "frown" when it is wrong. God intended this fac-
ulty to be an instrument of blessing, to bring tranquility
and inner composure. But sin in your life has tampered
150
