Hello, here we are with another program in our series on facing the facts. The fact is we have no choice but to choose. We will either face the facts or we will not. It's a choice. Well, we've been in this series concerning facing the facts and facing the future, and the truth is we have no choice but to choose. We're either going to stand up, as the Bible says, in this age in which we are living. We're living in an age of apostasy. We are either going to confront the issues as they come along, contend for the faith as we are commanded to do, or we are going to compromise. Everybody chooses. We have no choice but to choose. Well, when Paul the Apostle was giving his final farewell to the people at the church there at Ephesus, he called the pastors together in Acts chapter 20, and that is basically, if you read that chapter, what he dealt with. Are you going to confront? The issues, are you going to contend for the faith or are you going to compromise? They ended up compromising. We see in Revelation where Jesus wrote the church at Ephesus and he said, you better repent or else. Well, in this age of fundamentalism, we have changed completely from where we used to be when we first started out with what we called the fundamental movement. And we used to confront the issues, we used to contend for the faith, but not anymore. Today, if you're going to stand up and face the facts, you're going to be written off as someone with a bad spirit, and that's unfortunate, but that's where we are today. The issue today is that fundamentalism is an apostasy and compromise. Why do I say that? Well, because the Bible says we should preach the whole counsel of God, and what we have decided to do is what they did back in Isaiah's day, where we read in Isaiah 30, Then verse number eight, that God's people will not hear the law of the Lord, which they say to the seers and to the prophets, prophesied not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesied deceits. Well, we want to have you preach all right, but no demands, no changes required. Just give us some of this politically correct fundamentalism, which does not offend anybody. Well, that's not what you find in the Bible. When we saw last broadcast, when it comes to people in the Bible preaching, that's just not what they did. But that's what the people want, and that's what the people want today. No, don't preach the whole Council of God. That word smooth things in Isaiah chapter 30 and verse number 10, that word smooth in Psalm 12 and verse number 2 has been translated flattering lips, flattering lips. Now to flatter is to give a favorable impression, usually to further one's own interests. Well, you're going to preach the whole counsel of God. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 4, 4, they will turn their ears from the truth, they will find somebody else who will tickle their ears, and that does not further the pastor's own personal interest. He said, no, no, I need to get a nice big church here with a nice big auditorium and lots of people to talk to. So I guess I better just preach the smooth things. Well, John the Baptist didn't preach smooth things. He saw them come out to his meeting. He said, what are you generation of vipers? What are you snakes coming out here for? Well, that's not a very nice way to preach, John. What did Jesus say about John? He said, not a greater prophet is born of a woman than John the Baptist. How did Paul handle the smooth things? No such thing. Galatians, he says, are you so foolish? Galatians 3.3, he said, you think yourself to be something when you're nothing. Chapter 6 and verse number 3 in the book of Galatians. Yeah, that kind of preaching. get you down to a smaller church. What about 1st Timothy chapter 2 and Romans chapter 12 where Paul talked about women and modest apparel? And how about Peter in 1st Peter 3 1 through 5 where he talked about women and modest apparel? You're gonna hear too many sermons on that. You get the women upset and you're gonna have a, you know, they're gonna influence their husbands. They're all gonna go find somebody who won't preach on standards and Yeah, we don't do that much anymore either because we are compromisers. Did Jesus just stay with the smooth things? Well, we found in our last program he rebuked Peter and he rebuked his disciples. Remember, he rebuked James and John. The Bible tells us John was that beloved disciple. Why did he rebuke them? Because Revelation 3.19 says, as many as I love, I rebuke. Paul rebuked Peter in Galatians chapter 2 before everybody because he was to be blamed. Well, we're living in this age of apostasy when the fact is, and we don't like to face the fact, but the fact is the plan of salvation has been changed And it has been changed by those who call themselves Fundamental Independent Baptists. Now, the plan of salvation was changed before today. It's not the first time that it happened. It's the first time that it happened that somebody didn't deal with it. That's just the difference between when it happened before. When it happened before, we find in Galatians chapter one, verses six through nine, that Paul the apostle dealt with this problem. He said, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Now that word accursed is anathema. It doesn't mean go to hell. It means it was an Old Testament type in the temple where someone who is going against the doctrines that they were teaching, their names were put on a in a place that was obviously everybody could see, usually the pillars, they were tacked up there, and they were exposed for who they were and what they were doing. It's kind of like Old Testament type of what the Bible talks about in this New Testament age. the local church age of church discipline well Paul dealt with it he said there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel and if he's going to do that let him be exposed he needs to be exposed if you're going to pervert the gospel well Jude Jude had the problem and Jude dealt with the problem unlike today we don't want to deal with the problem Jude said beloved In chapter 1 and verse 3, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Now, we've said before, Jude did not decide to change his mind. He said, well, I wanted to write to you about salvation, but I have to write to you about the apostasy. No, he said, I'm going to write to you about this common salvation. That word common has been translated defiled in Mark chapter 7 and verse 2. In Romans 14 and verse 14, it has been translated unclean three times. And in Hebrews 10 and verse 29, it's translated unholy thing. Jude was dealing with the fact that somebody was coming in with a defiled, unclean, unholy type of plan of salvation, and he said it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. And the thing he was talking about contending here was that somebody was destroying the plan of salvation, and you need to earnestly contend for the faith. How did it happen? Well, he said in verse 4, for there are certain men crept in unaware, they came in unaware, while the leadership was asleep, they came in and sowed these seeds that there's some kind of new plan of salvation. Well, what does the Bible say about salvation? Jesus said this 2,000 years ago, Luke chapter 13, verse number 3, He said, I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. What part of that's too difficult to understand? What did Paul say? Paul said 2,000 years ago in Acts chapter 17 and verse number 30, and the time of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Is that too difficult to understand? In the 1800s, D.L. Moody said this, and I quote, He went on to say, ìFor the last few years I have been a good deal more anxious for a deep and true work in professing converts than I have for great numbers. If a man professes to be converted without realizing the heinousness of his sin, he is likely to be one of those stony ground hearers I believe we are making a woeful mistake in taking so many people into the church who have never been truly convicted of sin. D.L. Moody in the 1800s. What about 1905 when Gypsy Smith said, the great doctrine of repentance occupies a very prominent place in the teaching of Jesus Christ and his apostles. All the epistles were written to show men how to do it. because there is no such thing as a vital communion and fellowship with God without it, referring to repentance. He went on to say, In order to capture we have compromised and lost, we have been more concerned about filling our church registers than we have about the kingdom." So, in the 1800s, D.L. Moody understood what repentance was all about. In 1905, Gypsy Smith understood what repentance was all about. In 1937, Harry Ironside said, �Shallow preaching that does not grapple with the terrible fact of man�s sinfulness and guilt, calling on all men everywhere to repent, results in shallow conversions, and so we have a myriad of glib-tongued professors today who give no evidence of regeneration whatsoever.� Well, again, Paul the Apostle had it figured out. Jesus said you needed to repent. D.L. Moody said, yep, that's what we need to do. Gypsy Smith said that. Harry Ironside said that. And everyone else who was true to the Word of God for the last 2,000 years said that. until we get down to Hammond, Indiana, when Jack Hiles decided that Jesus and his disciples and those trustworthy preachers for the past 2,000 years did not know what they were talking about when it came to this subject of repentance. And so Hiles came up with this distorted plan that we simply need to pray a prayer. He said repentance is just simply believing. He said repentance, as it has been taught, is an enemy of soul winning. Well, yeah, all right. And so Jesus and Paul and Moody and Gypsy Smith and Harry Ironside and these great men of God of the past, yep, they didn't know what they were talking about. They are enemies of soul winning. And so the new common salvation was introduced that said all that's necessary to be saved is to believe. Well, the Bible says the devil believes and trembles as he's saved. 2,000 years ago, when this repentance issue became an issue, Jesus faced the fact. He said, I tell you, nay, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Paul faced the facts and he says all men everywhere need to repent. All down through the ages, when the issue came up in the 1800s, Moody faced it. Gypsy Smith faced it. Harry Ironside faced it in 1937. The difference today, though, is everybody remaining strangely quiet as a bunch of puppet preachers who call themselves fundamentalists said, well, if Jack Hiles said it, it must be so. And not only that, he's not the only one that said it. The Sword of the Lord, when Curtis Hudson was in charge, he supported his buddy Jack Hiles by writing a booklet that he called Repentance, What Does the Bible Say?, which is still available at The Sword. And the last time I checked, if you buy enough of them, you could buy this little pamphlet for 38 cents apiece. And then Hudson, he took out any references to repentance in their new hymn book that they came out with, in the 1989 edition of their Souls Stirring Songs and Hymns. It included a song, the old account was settled, it was written by F.M. Graham, which says, O sinner, seek the Lord, repent of all your sin, for thus he hath commanded, if you would enter in. Well, Hudson decided he wanted to support his buddy Jack Hiles, so he changed the words in the hymns in their new edition of Soul-Stirring Songs and Hymns. And the new edition says, O sinner, trust the Lord, be cleansed of all your sins, he took repentance out of there, for thus he hath provided, he took the word commanded out of there, thus he has provided if you would enter in. Well, we're going to have an uprising about that, right? Everybody's going to write in and cancel their subscription to the sword of the Lord. as they present this damnable heresy, this defiled, unclean, unholy, common plan of salvation, we're going to have an uprising, right? No, our fundamentalist pastors, just strangely silent, and as I said, If you do say anything, you're written off as someone with a bad spirit. Are we ready to face the facts? Are we ready to confront the issues? Are we ready to deal with the issues in this age in which we're living, or just accept them? Well, silence gives consent. Now again, we have no choice but to choose. You will either confront, that is to deal with the situation in an aggressive way, You will earnestly contend for the faith as we are commanded to, or you will compromise, and that is to make concessions. Just keep quiet. Don't rock the boat. We don't want people leaving. We just don't want to preach anymore. You know the word preach in the Bible? We've said that word many times. That word means to herald The herald came in on his horse, he said, here ye, here ye, thus saith the king. He didn't soft-pedal it, he didn't leave some parts out in case some people might move out of town and they won't get their tax money anymore. He just said, here ye, here ye, thus saith the king. That's what preaching is, and that's what we need today. We need some prophets of God who will come in and say, this is what the Bible says, regardless of whether they leave town or not. and whether they quit putting their tithe money on the offering plate. We're not here to build buildings. We're here to build people. We're here to give the truth. And it's time we got back to the old-fashioned preaching of the Word of God, the whole counsel of God, to confront and deal with the situations in an aggressive way, to contend earnestly for the faith. We have no choice but to choose. Choose one or the other. Stand up for the Lord or compromise.