All right, I'm up. Thank you so much for coming back on a Thursday night. I know it's not typical that we are in church on a Thursday night. Last evening, Wednesday, probably would have been, you know, more normal or midweek service. And how many of you were here with us last evening? Let me see your hand. All right. How many of you have returned for the Thursday night service? Can I see your hands, please? All right, that should be everybody in the crowd here tonight, all right. And how many of you plan to be here, Lord willing, tomorrow evening as well? Can I see your hand? All right, let's get a picture of all of that and make sure everybody is where they need to be. I love Missions Conference. I know it's a long week. I understand you've probably been at work today and had to maybe rush home, get a bite of supper and get here to the house of the Lord. But I promise you, the investment is worth it. I promise you that. And just the unity, that it brings for the church family to come together. And looking forward to this thing building all the way till Sunday. And thank you for allowing me to be here. We really enjoyed being with some of the school kids today. Boy, I really enjoyed that school elementary ensemble. I think those were just little kids. And I even got a little bit of a video, a portion of their song. And they were singing parts. and had some repeating in it there. And so you all are doing a great job here with your young people. They have such a wonderful spirit, except those girls that were sitting behind me over there. They're kind of the troublemakers, I think. How many would agree they're the troublemakers? Are they about ready to get expelled, even the senior girl there on the end? There we go, all right. Hang tough, all right? It's the end of October. You can do this till May, all right? All right? But I love that you invest in the next generation. Well, I'm gonna ask you to take your Bibles and let's go together to 2 Corinthians, please. Chapter number five, and enjoy. playing a little bit of disc golf that is not to be compared with real golf today. But we did enjoy the fellowship certainly. And Brother Israel was trying to show me how to throw that thing, you know, the right way. And then I had to watch Layla do it correctly. But we had a great time. How many of you believe that story right there? All right, yeah, that's what I thought. All right. 2 Corinthians, please, chapter number 5. Thank you for allowing me to be here to be your preacher for the week. I do not take that privilege lightly. And I love to preach the Word of God. And tonight I'm going to give you a very different type of a missions conference message. In fact, you're going to have to kind of hang with me at the beginning of the sermon. I'm going to give you a foundation and then As we get into the text and to the end of the sermon tonight, I will give you the missionary application. I really asked the Lord, is this really the message that I was supposed to go in a direction really a couple of weeks ago when I was doing some preparation? I also understand that when a new preacher to you comes to the church and you've never heard me other than last evening, you don't know a lot about me. I feel that it's important, Brother Hanks, that for us to continue the relationship that we're going to have for the rest of our week, that you get to know a little bit of my story. And I believe that the story that I'm going to tell you is going to dovetail then with the application of how Jesus Christ salvation can absolutely change a life. How many of you believe that that is true biblically? We are going to read about it here in 2 Corinthians. Follow with me please, chapter number 5, verse number 9, Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, and according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. But we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead. And that he died for all, and that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh, yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Read together with me if you don't mind, verse number 17. Ready? Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things Father, I pray that you'll add your blessing now to the reading of the Word of God tonight. Lord, verse 17 is one of the most famous verses in all the Bible. And Lord, tonight, as we study this passage, I pray that you as you have led me to this passage and to this message. God, I pray that it'd be exactly what this church needs on night number two of our missions conference. God, I wanna thank you for salvation tonight. I wanna thank you for what you did in my life, what you did in my mom and dad's life. Lord, what change that has made, made an eternal difference, Lord, in what we have done with our lives and what we'll continue to do. And Lord, we just read it a moment ago, we're all gonna stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We're going to give account for what we've done. So God, I pray that you would help us this evening, please, to understand what conversion truly means. And then, Lord, as we have these missionaries go to the foreign field, for them to understand that the power of the gospel can convert those lives as well. God, I pray that you'll bless as only you can. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You heard it a moment ago, one of the questions was asked about the age that I was when I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. And to most of you that would hear just a little bit of my story, you may think, well, Pastor Baines just had this amazing, wonderful, generational story of Christianity. And yes, yes, I have. I had a great-grandfather. His name was Sap. Last name was Sap. He grew up in the hills of northern West Virginia. in the late 1890s, was born as a little boy and grew up in a great home and began going to a Baptist church and himself got saved at a very young age. He then had many, many children, one of which was a daughter named Anna Lee. Anna Lee became my grandmother. My grandmother actually is still living. She's 99 years of age. We have a big celebration planned next March the 8th when she turns 100. My grandmother, she moved from the hills of West Virginia, northern part, down to Charleston area, probably in the 1940s, early 50s. She and her husband, my granddad, my granddad passed away when I was only about five years of age and I just have vague memories of him. But my grandmother, a very godly, godly lady, my grandmother lives one mile from the Spring Hill Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church, and she has gone to that church for 68 years. Same church. She has sung in the choir, she sings special music, and just has been a wonderful, wonderful godly Christian lady. My granny had two children, one of which was my dad. My dad's name is Gary, and then his sibling, two years younger, Bonnie. And Bonnie goes to the same church that my grandmother does. They live just two blocks apart, and they've been dedicated Christians for a long time. My father grew up in a great Christian home and made a public profession early on in his life, went up through the Sunday school program and through the kids' junior churches and all of it. They didn't have Christian schools in those days. But my dad made a public profession of salvation early in life, but it never really truly was real. My dad actually went to the same church that my future mother would also attend. They were teenagers in the Spring Hill Baptist Church and so mom and dad began to date and maybe a little bit too early and actually my mother likewise had made a profession of salvation but really were just playing games as it related to true Christianity. My mom and dad ended up marrying. They eloped, actually, in 1967. My dad entered into his military career, of which he was in the Air Force for about 12 years. Mom and dad kind of started their life. I came along in December of 1968. They were just living their life. I was a little baby. I didn't understand, really, all that was going on. Mom and dad had gotten out of church. They had really broken some relationships with their parents even though mom and dad and all of that were great godly people and tried to love them even through some of the mistakes that they had made. Mom and dad got to be the age of 23 and 21 and they had moved just down the river about 7 miles to Crosslanes, West Virginia. There was a church, Crosslanes Bible Church, pastored by a Bob Jones University graduate from the 1950s, and his name was Dr. Jim Efall. Dr. Jim Efall was building a great church in Crosslanes. He was a great Bible preacher, a great Bible teacher. He had started a brand new Christian day school, and he believed in soul winning. And there were soul winners that every Thursday night for many, many weeks came knocking on Swiss Drive in Crosslanes, West Virginia, on my mom and dad's home. My mom and dad, they had enough brains to know, they had enough knowledge of church and soul winners and Bible believers that probably these were church folks that were trying to come and get them to come to their church. What they didn't understand was they didn't really care as much about them coming to church as they cared about whether they trusted Christ as their Savior. And so every Thursday they continued coming and knocking on those doors and finally mom and dad let them in and a couple of Thursday nights of faithful visitation and soul winning, my mom and dad at the age of 23 and 21 bowed their head and trusted Jesus Christ finally as their savior. I was only three years old at the time. You know, when I look back on that story, and even though I had grandparents and great-grandparents that knew the gospel and loved the Lord Jesus, and even though my mom and dad had grown up in that kind of a church, and let me just say to the children here and to the teenagers here, it takes more than you just sitting on a pew of an independent Baptist church to be saved. It takes more than you just being a student at the Christian school here that Heritage Baptist Church has. That doesn't make you a Christian. It means that there is a personal relationship that you have understood your sin nature before God. that you understand Jesus was the very son of God and that Jesus died on a cross for you. Jesus was not just some historical figure. Jesus was not just some good man. Jesus was not just some character we read about in the Bible, but he was the very mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And until you choose to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you may die and go to hell right off the pew of an independent fundamental Baptist church. You see, and had it not been for my mom and dad in their early 20s coming to an understanding of true, here's the word, conversion, and what it means to truly be saved, I might not be standing here with you in front of you this evening. I was three. I didn't have an understanding of knowledge of salvation at that point. But when my dad and mom got saved, their life, changed. In fact, my dad's life verse is 2 Corinthians 5, 17. We just read it. Look at it again. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a, talk to me church, a new creature. All things are passed away and behold, all things are become new. And I thank God that at the age of five, because my mom and daddy got me in Sunday school, and church, and Wednesday night, Awanas, and Christian school. Christian school was a brand new concept at that point, and I was just a little kindergarten boy. And I remember thinking back of all of the Bible verses that were placed into my heart and into my life and all the chapel services that I sat in and all the sermons that I heard and how God took the precious word of God and began to work on my heart as a five-year-old little boy that I knew my need of a savior and I got gloriously saved. Aren't you glad to know that salvation is simple enough for a little child to understand it and believe it? Well, you know, God blessed my heart and my life, and at age 13, called to preach, and off to Bible college, and my wife and I marry, and we have our children, and my girls both got saved at the age of five, and now I got two grandbabies. You see, I've got six generations of Bible-believing people, but that all would have changed had my mom and dad not gloriously been converted. There's something very special that happens at salvation. You see, the word conversion means a turning or a change from one state to another. But when we begin to define it in a theological sense, it even has a deeper meaning. When you talk about conversion, and didn't Jesus say, except ye be converted and become as a little child, you shall not see the kingdom of heaven. There's got to be an understanding that when you meet Jesus, things change. We're not adding works to salvation. We're not saying you have to change this and this and this. We understand that once you get saved, we still have an old sin nature and that sin nature still has to to be reigned in. We understand the old things have to be passed away and the spirit of God has to bring all things to become new. But when that happens, friend, when the word of God comes into your life, there will be changes that can happen no other way. We're not talking about a 12-step program. We're not just talking about turning over a new leaf. We're talking about being a new creature in Jesus Christ. Now I'm just bringing the missions here for just a moment and then we'll get to it at the end of the message. And isn't that what every missionary desires to have? We said last night, we're not wanting these missionaries to go and Americanize them or Westernize them, but what we would love to see happen is true conversion takes place. We saw it tonight. Someone that used to believe in a million gods in the Hindu religion now believes there's only one God and he had a son named Jesus Christ that died on the cross for their sin. And when they understand that, salvation begins to take place from the inside to the outside. So what does it mean, theologically speaking, to be converted? Let me define the word for you. It's not just a turning or a change from one state to another. And we understand that a lot of that is repentance. Repentance is a change of mind, a change of heart. I thought I could get to heaven with my own good works, but I repented, and I believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation. When that happens, theologically, conversion is this. Let me define it. It's a change of heart or a disposition. in which the enmity of the heart towards God. And let me just stop and say, in our natural state, we are enemies of God. We don't want to know God. That's why the world today is wanting to get as far away from God or some knowledge of God as they can. Why? They don't want the conviction that comes with having to look at a face-to-face with their Creator God, with the one that loves them so much, with the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit of God, through the preaching of the Word of God. That's why unsaved people, the Bible says it's foolishness unto them. Why? They've not been converted. There's not been a change of heart and mind. There's still an enmity that they have, an obstinacy in their heart towards God. So the enmity of the heart towards God and His law and the obstinacy of His will are subdued. and are succeeded by a supreme love for God. How many of you remember that day when you truly got saved, you fell in love with that Savior? Amen. He became the love of your life, or he should have. And the Bible says in verse number 14, look at our text here tonight. Let me kind of bring in this passage. The Bible says this, for the love of Christ constraineth us. Now let me just say, a little later in the message we're going to talk about what the love of Christ does for us in conversion. Am I a little too deep tonight? Is everybody tracking with me this evening here? I know it's a Thursday evening, but I'm laying a biblical foundation for you to understand, and then we're gonna get to some very practical mission points, all right? So can everybody hang with me during the introduction, all right? I've been preaching long enough to know sometimes the eyes start glazing over, all right? I'm giving you some doctrine tonight. I'm giving you some theology tonight. How many of you know, even in our independent Baptist churches, we need to dig deep into the Word of God So we know where we're standing. Alright, is everybody with me here? So the Bible here says the love of Christ constraineth us. Now I said later in the message we're going to talk about when the love of Christ propels me to serve the Lord Jesus. But can I look at the other side of that as well? That the love of Christ constraineth me. It was the love of Jesus that brought me to a knowledge that he would be willing to save my soul if I would just but let him. Isn't that what John 3, 16 is all about? For God so what, church? Loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Aren't you glad for the love of God tonight? So the love of God can constrain me to bring me from a state of obstinacy or enmity towards God to a state of where He is my best friend, where He is the love of my life. And I am in love with Him so much that I would be willing to even go to the foreign field if He called me to do so. because the love of Christ constrains or pulls me. Why? Because there has been true conversion through Jesus Christ. And so I told you a little bit of my story tonight to just allow you to know that, yes, I had the privilege of growing up in a great Christian home, but I didn't give you the rest of that story. You see, once my dad at the age of 23 got saved, he started growing. How many of you know that that is what is supposed to happen when somebody gets saved? We believe in discipleship around here, right? You take that little baby, that spiritual baby that has now been born, and you begin not to just feed them the milk of the word, but you begin to feed them the meat of the word as well. right? And you begin to grow them and you begin to get them to be faithful in Sunday school and church and discipleship and soul winning and all of these things. Why? Because that is what's going to continue to bring true conversion. How many of you know that conversion really is a process that should never end until we get to the other side? Amen, there's justification then there's sanctification then there's glorification Until we get to the other side, we will not be perfect. We got this body to deal with right? We have this sinfulness and this sin nature to deal with and that is why the conversion process needs to continue Can I ask you a question on how converted are you? How converted are you? Look, salvation is a one-time event, but conversion is a lifetime journey. It's a continual change of my heart, of my life, of my thought processes, of my philosophies, of why I do what I do. God doesn't want you to stay a baby Christian, right? Remember, he talked to the Corinthians. I wanted to talk to you as a carnal, but I couldn't do that. I had to speak to you as babes in Christ, right? He says, look, what I need you to do is grow up. And church, can I say to you, what God wants you to do is to continue the process of conversion, of the conversion of Christianity, of the change because of a relationship with Jesus Christ. So let me tell you, as Paul Harvey used to say, what's the rest of the story? My dad became a lay preacher, and my dad started going to the rescue missions. My dad started going to the nursing homes. My dad started going to the county jail. My dad started preaching everywhere he could. He was still working his job and building his career. Got to be an E6 sergeant in the United States Air Force, and I'm proud of my dad for that. But after 12 years, he was like, I'm done. I've got to give in to the Lord. At the age of 30, my dad picked up our little family. I had two other siblings. Praise God, I didn't have nine other siblings. Three of us. Mom and three kids and my dad. turned his resignation papers in, honorably discharged. My dad moved his little family down to Lynchburg, Virginia. I was talking to the gentleman at the dinner tonight down at what is now Liberty University, what was then, back in the 1970s, Thomas Road Bible Institute. And my dad got his education. At the age of 32, my dad went and started his first church. My dad's pastored for over 40 years now. You see, all of that happened because there was a conversion. My life is not what it would be had there not been a true conversion in my father's life and in my mom's life, and for them to not only just get saved, but for there to truly be a change of life. You see, Christianity ought to become a lifestyle. Who would agree with that? Once we put on Christ, the Bible says in the book of Ephesians, go ahead and turn over there real quick. You're in 2 Corinthians. Go to Ephesians chapter number 4, just real quick. The Bible says that when you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, verse 20, chapter number 4 of Ephesians, talks about that you have not so learned Christ, if so be, verse 21, that ye have heard of him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. Now watch verse 22, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man. Okay, didn't we just read about the old man in 2 Corinthians 5? put off the conversation, the lifestyle of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. What I'm saying to you tonight, church, is when the love of Christ becomes such a propulsion in your heart and in your life, a propelling, a constraining of life, it will change every part of your life. You see, We're not just talking about going into the ministry here. We're talking about every believer tonight I'm talking about the layman that you worked in the factory today and you you you got home quickly at Dinnertime and and threw something quick down and changed your clothes or maybe just came on to church tonight But there was a propulsion that you had to get here even on a Thursday night. You see that's conversion That's taking place in your life You want to be more like God. You want to do the things of God. It's Faith Promise Missions Conference. When you start having a true heart and a love for the world, like God loves the world, even to the point where you'll pull your wallet out and be willing to give by faith as to what God would lay upon your heart so that the gospel could go to the rest of the world. What is it? That's conversion. That's a change. Look, we by nature are selfish. We, by nature, want to do our own thing. By nature, we don't want to have to exert any energy to do something for God. But when God changes your heart, it is a natural progression of conversion. Is everybody with me tonight? And that may be a conversion that maybe someone in this room, God's calling you during this missions conference, maybe to pick up your family like my daddy did. Get your training and get your preparation and maybe go to the field of God's choosing. That would be a total conversion process in your life. So what? What does that look like in the life that we now live? I'm gonna ask you to take your Bible and go to Titus chapter number two with me. Titus chapter number two. Stay with me. We're gonna come back to the text. I'm gonna give you a couple of missions thoughts and we're gonna be done with the message tonight. Titus chapter number two. You know the passage. It's very, very familiar. Verse number 11. The Bible says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation. Oh, I love that. Thank God for the grace that he bestowed upon us in giving us salvation. It hath appeared to all men. But notice there's a comma after verse 11. The thought continues. What is that salvation? What does that grace continue to do? Teaching us. How many of you know salvation is not the end? It's the beginning. There's that conversion, right? We're supposed to take what has been given. How many of you know grace is unmerited favor? For by grace are you saved through faith. Not because of anything we've done. It's a gift of God, right? So God bestows grace upon us. And in that grace, one of the parts of grace is salvation that comes and it begins to teach us. To do what? Teach us. that to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Look at me, church. God cares about what you're doing right now. God didn't just save you just to take you to heaven one day. Would you logic with me just a moment? If the only reason for getting saved was to go to heaven, now that's a wonderful benefit, we all agree about that. But if that was the only reason that God saved us, the moment you said the sinner's prayer and got saved, you'd die and go to heaven. If that was the only reason was just to get you to the other side. But how many of you know when you get saved, God leaves us here for usually a long time? To do what? To find this conversion of life. To understand that there's more to this life that we're living. Hey, you know why the world is so unhappy? Because they don't know that Jesus is the joy of living. Jesus is the happiness of life. It's Jesus that can help us with all of the difficulties and trials and problems. And Brother Deaton, a great message today about trials and the testing of our faith. But we as believers know it's a part of the patience. God is working on us. He's converting us. He's bringing change. He's allowing us to go through things in this present world. Go back to the text there, verse 12. He says, look, the grace of God is to teach you to say no to ungodliness, to deny ungodliness, and worldly lust, live soberly, live righteously, live godly right now in this present world, then looking for that blessed hope. Did you see that? That's on the other side. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and our savior, Jesus Christ. You see, God cares about what you do right now from the moment of your salvation until you take your last breath. or until the rapture takes place, and that's going to get us to the text. Go ahead and turn back to 2 Corinthians chapter number 5, because there is a judgment seat of Christ that is coming. Back to our text, 2 Corinthians please, chapter number 5. Does God care about how you live now? Absolutely He does. Does God care about your standards of conviction? Does God care about your philosophy of life? Does God care about your schedule? Does God care about what you do with your finances? Does God care about your marriage? Does God care about your parenting? The answer to all of that is absolutely yes. He does care. And he wants you to be a converted Christian, where the conversion of salvation has been so overwhelming in your life, it has touched every area of your life. Preacher, you would say this, being a preacher, being a missionary, it affects every area of your life. You can't just give God a little bit and think that he is going to bless you in this calling to the ministry. It is a lifetime. It's a lifestyle. Preaching is not just what I do, it's who I am, right? And the same is true with every believer. There's a conversion experience that God takes where you are to put you then where you need to be if you will allow him to truly convert you. So as we come back to the text, let me give you a few thoughts, and we're gonna really make these applications then to missions as we come to the end of the message tonight. So look with me back at verse number nine. All right, 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse number nine. And Paul says this, wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. If you're a note taker tonight, I want you just to begin to write these few phrases down. So what does this total conversion process calls me to do. Number one, the present causes the future to be considered. The present. Remember we just read in Titus 2, in this present world, God wants you to live soberly, righteously, and godly right now. Why? Because there's a future judgment that is coming. Now, look at me, church, and your pastor's taught you this, you know this. There are two end of time judgments. We are not talking about the great white throne judgment. That is the judgment for the unsaved, right? That is where if your name is not found written in the book of life, they're cast into the lake of fire. That is the judgment that we are not speaking of to Christians tonight. We are speaking rather of the judgment seat of Christ. Because when I got saved, Christ began to live in me. In fact, he is in me, the hope of glory, the Bible says. The power of the Spirit of God begins to take from the inside and begin to work out. We just saw it. When you put on Christ, you take some of the old off so you can put the new man on. Why? It's the present that is causing the future to be considered. Look at me. I want to do all that God wants me to do because one day I'm going to stay and I'm going to give account for every single day that I've lived and every single moment that I've lived and every single Activity that I have have been involved in and every single dollar that I've spent every day of my life is going to be given account of the Bible says at the judgment seat of Christ and So we're looking at missions. Let's think about it tonight. Have we all been the soul winners that we should have been? I wonder if there are opportunities that we're gonna give account at the judgment seat of Christ for opportunities that we squandered, opportunities we did not take. I wonder if maybe some of the dollars that we spent on other things that should have maybe by faith been given to missions and to the gospel of Jesus. I wonder if there's an accounting that's going to be given Look at me, church. The part of the conversion is my day. My present life is to be viewed in eyes of eternity. The future is to be considered and the present life needs to change so that when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, I will not have to stand and be ashamed at that judgment. Oh, I wonder how many of us, and I think all of us, we all have things that we've done or did not do. And I'm not trying to put a guilt trip on any of us tonight. But can I also say as a secondary note here, thank God for the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, that forgives us of all sin. And aren't you glad when the sin is covered, it's forgiven, it's forgotten, and thank God for it. But this verse here says, the things done in our body, whether they be good or bad, there's gonna be an accounting. And so we're bringing this to a missions conference tonight. Maybe a conversion of your finances needs to take place during this conference to make sure you're giving God by faith what he has laid upon your heart to do so that you can have your eyes on the future. to live in the present and we'll talk about that a little bit I think on Sunday as the Lord may lead us there just about the the giving portion of missions conference it's a taking out of what you have right now a performance out of already what has had to give by faith knowing that God will is able and will continue to take care of all of your needs. There's always, watch this, there's always a decision in the present so that the future can one day be cared for. And so tonight we're thinking about the judgment seat of Christ. The second thing that I want to give you is found in verse number 11. Look at it. Okay, we're back in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number 11. Boy, if this isn't a missions Portion of verses right here. I don't know what is Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord. Would you read the next three words church we? persuade men Here's my second point I said number one the present causes the future to be considered secondly my position causes persuasion My position, where I stand in Christ, where I stand. Excuse me. There's that cough, man, we were talking about there. I've been fighting a cold for about three weeks. I got it up in New England. I just can't get over this raspiness. I'm sorry if it sounds that way. But my position in Christ, my present position in this present world, I presently understand that the terror of the Lord should cause me to persuade men. How many of you know that the terror of the Lord is a thought there about the end time judgment that an unsaved person would go through? that a Christian is going to go through. I think we could make the applications to all of them. How many of you know there's a day of judgment coming to this old world? There's a day of judgment, and maybe sooner than later, friends. So what should that cause us to do? Persuade people to come to Christ. Isn't that a soul winning thought? Hey, on Saturday morning, why don't we all go out and do some persuading? We don't do the saving, but we take the gospel. And we're not talking about strong-arming someone into a decision. We're not saying that. It's a free will choice. You understand that. But my friends, if they don't even know the gospel, how are they going to receive the gospel? So we go and we give it, we use the power of God upon our lives and the conviction from the word of God to bring a persuasion that they would trust Christ as well. Can I go back to my mom and dad's story just a moment? I'm really glad that there were some soul winners that came multiple Thursday nights to persuade my mom and dad to open that door. You see what I'm saying? There's sometimes it's incumbent upon us as believers to bring a little persuasion The position that I find myself in, in my present life, causes there to be a persuasion. And what does that persuasion do? That leads me to my third point, that the pressure of reality causes soberness. The pressure of reality causes soberness. Look at verse number 13 in our text. He says, for whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be, next word church, sober, watch the next phrase, it is for your cause. Paul said, look, okay, let me ask you a question. Was Paul pretty persuasive in his preaching? Sure he was. When he preached in the power of God, when God used him by inspiration to write the epistles to the churches of Asia Minor, boy, there were some times. Remember 1 Corinthians? Boy, he had to bring a lot of correction, did he not? He was bringing, by inspiration, a persuasion. Hey, get right with God. Hey, this is what you're doing wrong. This is what you need to do to get it right, you see. Paul was saying, it's for your cause that sometimes I'm very sober minded. And can I just say, and I'm all for having a good time and I like to have a good time as much as anybody and the joy of the Lord and all of that. But my friend is a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the last 40 plus years. I am probably more sober minded, a little more grave in my thinking, realizing not how many days that I have left. I don't know how much longer I have to serve Jesus Christ. We all ought to live with a soberness in our mind for the sake of others. And can I just say, that's what a lot of these missionaries, that's why they go to the foreign field. There's a soberness, a conversion of life that has caused them to say, for your cause, for your sake, I will allow this soberness to come upon me. It's the pressure of reality. Look at me, friends. You understand, real people are gonna die and go to a real hell. That's reality. That's Bible. That's not some fiction story. That's not some figment of someone's imagination. If heaven is real, hell is also real. And we must understand that. And it causes us by conversion to say, I'm going to do my part to persuade men to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to live in such a way that my life is a shining example of what God can do in a life if we will just but let him. And that brings me to the fourth point, and that is that the profession of love causes action. The profession of love. Remember I said we're gonna come back to verse 14? So look at it right now. We read it a moment ago. For the love of Christ constraineth us. We talked about it on one side, that it's the love that Jesus has for me that constrains me to know salvation and to want to be converted. But now let's look at it on the other side. He says, for the love of Christ constraineth, or the love of Christ causes an action. He propels me. He makes me want to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Tonight, can I ask you, are you living a life? Are we living a life? Are we making a profession of love? We're all glad that Jesus loves us, right? But what has the love of Christ done to you, not just for you? Think about that. What the love of Christ can do for me is save me. What the love of Christ does to me is propels me. It causes me to say, I'm gonna live a sober life. I'm gonna live a life of reality. And sometimes that reality is gonna cause me to come to a place where I'm persuading men because it is so important. You see the profession of love, it causes action. It's one thing to say that we love the Lord, it's another thing to prove that we love the Lord. Can I bring missions giving into this? Over in 2 Corinthians, the Bible talks about faith promise giving, the kind of giving that we're talking about with missions. And it says that we do this because of our love, to show the sincerity of our love. Did you hear that? God was amening that point right there. Did y'all hear that thunder? The rain is falling out there. I see the lightning flashing out there. Write a song about that, right? I think there's a song about that, the lightning flashing and the storms of life coming. Listen to me, church, the profession of love causes action on all of our parts. Number five, and then the priority of life causes a change in our lifestyle. That's what verse 15 is teaching us. Look at verse 15, church, we're almost done. And then he died for all. that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. Boy, that's a good statement. Hey church, don't live unto yourself. Don't live for yourself. Don't live just for what appeals to you, what sounds good to you, what feels good to you. That's what the world does. Let's live a life that is not unto ourselves, but rather that we would live it unto him which died for us and rose again. Aren't you glad tonight that Jesus Christ gives us the reason for living tonight? He is the reason that we do what we do. And so the conversion process is, it's going to change my lifestyle. Can I just say, when you get saved, your schedule ought to change. Church ought to be a part of your schedule. It ought to be when the doors are opened, you're here. You've built your life around the word of God and the house of God and the people of God. It doesn't mean that we don't have lives to live and careers and occupations. Yes, I get all of that. But my friend, all of that is centered around one person, Jesus Christ. The Bible is very clear in Matthew 6, 33, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. And so when that happens, verse 17 becomes a reality. Remember we read verse 17, therefore, if any man be in Christ, my dad's life verse, he is a new creature. All things are passed away and behold, all things are become new. That priority of life causes a change. in our lifestyle. Can I give you the last point, and we're going to be done tonight, and this is really where the missions application is going to wrap up. We didn't read verses 18 through 20, so follow along with me as we close with scripture. And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath, watch this church, given to us the ministry of reconciliation. That's soul winning. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, Read verse 20, church. Ready? Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Here's the last point, the power of reconciliation. the power of reconciliation. Hey, everybody knows what reconciliation is, right? It's to bring two parties that were at odds together again. Isn't that what Jesus did when God the Father in all of his holiness was on this side and sinful man and all of his sinfulness was on this side? Jesus Christ stepped in and he became the mediator between God and man, the man. He took upon himself all of the sins of the world. He died so that I don't have to die. He reconciled me. And he says, now, when you get truly converted, you are given the ministry of reconciliation. You are given the ministry of soul winning, of going and taking the gospel and the love of Jesus from the father over here to this sinner that needs it. That's what the missionary does. The missionary goes to the foreign field and says, let me tell you a story you've never heard. Let me read to you from a book that you've never seen but it is the Holy Word of God and the power of the scripture and the power of the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and changes that person's life. You know why? The power of reconciliation. That's why. And that's why we do what we do. I'm moving around here way too much, I guess, amen? But I'm just saying to us tonight that whether we be soul winners or whether we be missionaries, a part of the conversion of our Christianity is that we become reconcilers. We become ambassadors for Jesus Christ, whether that be right here in Lawrence, Kansas, or through your missions program to the uttermost parts of this world. And so tonight, as we've closed, here's my question to you. How converted are you? Where are you in the conversion process? Number one, are you saved? Are you truly even saved? Hey, you teenagers, did you hear what I said? My mom and dad grew up in a church just like this, heard the gospel every Sunday of his life, and it never was real till he was 23. And I'm not trying to make anybody doubt their salvation, but I know that was a story of someone that I know and love. And my father did not let the gospel story change his life. And he lost so many of those years of his teenage, made so many mistakes. And thank God for the mercy and grace of God and the forgiveness of the blood of Christ. But when my dad got saved at 23, things changed. And can I just ask you tonight, have things changed for you? And are they continuing to change? Are we continuing to let the love of Christ constrain us to be who God wants us and who he's made us to be? For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which before God hath ordained that you should walk in them. We're not talking about works to salvation, but because of our salvation that we work till Jesus comes, as the song says. Let's stand together, please. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. Father, Lord, tonight, I know we've had some weather and we've had some PA issues, but Lord, I pray tonight that the word of God would have come forth powerfully and strong about this conversion of Christianity, the change that needs to happen in all of our lives. God, I pray you'll change me tonight. Lord I pray you'll change this church tonight and because of this missions conference that wouldn't just be another set of meetings, just another few nights of coming together, but Lord it would truly be a change, a conversion of our attitude to get the gospel to the world. Oh God help us tonight, I pray in this invitation to do what we should, work in our hearts the spirit of God and let us submit. I pray in Jesus' name. Heads are bowed and eyes are closed tonight. The invitation is open. These altars are open. I don't know what you need to do or if you need to do tonight, but I'm asking you to listen to Him. Listen to Him. Are you saved tonight? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior 100%? No doubt. No doubt. No pretense, no just a prayer that was prayed, but there never really has been a life change. Are all things become new? And can I ask you this tonight, church, are you continuing to let Him change you? As the Holy Spirit of God brings that sweet conviction that we submit that we say, yes, Lord. We talked last night about the Apostle Paul, right? Saul on the road to Damascus. Lord, what will you have me to do? He said, who art thou, Lord? Second question, what should I do? What's my job? What's my assignment? All of us have an assignment, church. All of us have a life to live. Your life is not my life. Your race is not mine. Mine is not yours. But you and I are all gonna stand before the judgment seat of Christ and we're gonna give a count. Are you ready? If that were to be tonight. Last stanza of the invitation will be done this evening, preacher.