But I wanted to thank you for being here and tell you that it is a blessing. The mission of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship stated in our magazine, stated in our directory, if you have one of those, and published widely on our website and other places, is that the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship exists to provide a rallying point for Fundamental Baptists seeking personal revival and the opportunity to work with other committed Bible believers in the uncompromising fulfillment of the Great Commission. That's who we are. We're a service organization. We're a fellowship of individuals. We are not a denomination. We do not make decisions of conscience for individual people. We seek to get together to encourage each other's hearts, and that's why we're here. I hope you've come seeking personal revival. And I hope you find it while you're here. That's what I want while I'm here. And I'm looking for the opportunity to work together with other committed Bible believers. Maybe some who are not Baptist have showed up. Maybe some who are curious about what we mean when we call ourselves fundamentalists have come. We want to work together with committed Bible believers in the uncompromising fulfillment of the Great Commission. That's what our conference is about, so I hope you'll be blessed by what you hear. I'm certainly glad that you've come. And to any who may be joining us in the regions beyond in the Internet, we wish you were here too. But wherever you are, I hope we say something that will be an edifying encouragement to your soul. God bless you. I now recognize Ken Indien. Ken, if you'll come to the platform, please. And Ken is the pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Scarborough, Maine. He's also a regional director up in the New England region. And he's going to introduce our speaker tonight. I've known Pastor Phelps for many years. I met him when I was a freshman in college. He was the hall leader on the other end of my hall. I could tell you a lot tonight, but I won't. Over the years, we've developed a friendship, and when the Lord led me to New England, one of the great joys for me was that we could renew that friendship and have that close contact. I've enjoyed the time that we've had there. He is a person of principle. I have seen that in his life in many situations. As the Lord leads and directs and moves him, that he acts on principle. I am convicted and challenged by his passion in preaching and his passion for the gospel. Each time I'm around him, I am encouraged. We have a good time together, probably because we have both both have somewhat warped senses of humor. It's his fault, but he challenges me personally to challenges me in ministry. And as he opens God's word, I am convicted and challenged that I would be faithful in my ministry. And I trust that that will be the challenge for all of us this evening, that we would be passionate for the glorious gospel. I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles this evening, please, and turn with me to the book of Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1. It is indeed a joy to gather with friends at this the 89th Convocation of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International. In many ways, our hearts ought to tremble as we think of the heritage of this blessed fellowship. Over the years, faithful men have gathered to address theological themes. They have gathered to address cultural issues, sometimes personal concerns, sometimes ecclesiastical issues that they are facing. This year, we've been invited to gather together to consider a gripping theme. We've been gathered to consider the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an appropriate theme is ours to discover during our time together this week. There are new allegiances that are forming within 20th century evangelicalism. As believers focus on nuances of the gospel, allegiances and fellowships are now forming that previously have not been known. And it's appropriate that believers would gather together to give careful consideration to the gospel. After all, from the Jerusalem Council through the Council of Dort to the forming of the National Association of Evangelicals, to our own Fundamental Baptist Fellowship, and even now the Together for the Gospel movement, there are always, and there always should be, believers who would form to give careful consideration to the pertinent facts of the gospel that we proclaim. We've opened our Bibles this evening to Philippians chapter 1. I'd like to invite you just briefly to consider some precious words Precious words of the Apostle Paul to the dear people in the church at Philippi. I find these words compelling as we seek this week to focus on the glorious gospel. Here are words that are beautifully personal. As Paul writes in verse three of chapter one, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. And then in the fifth verse, these wonderful words for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. He reminds them with these beautifully personal words of their fellowship that they've enjoyed for the purpose of furthering the Gospel. Here are words that are confidently theological. In the sixth verse, being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. He reveals great faith in the power of the Gospel to do that work of sanctification leading to that wonderful work of glorification. Here are words that are expectantly missional. The end of verse 9, the Apostle Paul says, We are working in defense and confirmation of the gospel. And as such, ye all are partakers of my grace. He is reassuring the Philippians who have provided for him in ministry that they will enjoy with him fruitfulness that will abound in eternal habitations. Let's ask the Holy Spirit of God to allow our fellowship to be sweet. that during our time together this week we would thank God upon every remembrance that our fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now has been sweetened by the presence of the Spirit of God. Let's ask the Spirit of God that our faith would be strengthened, that we'd be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in us will perform it unto the day of our redemption. Let's be praying that this week as we gather together there will be fruitfulness that will be sure For our desire is to gather both in defense and in confirmation of the Gospel. And our burden ought to be found in the 18th verse of this text. The Apostle Paul in the end of the 18th verse says, When Christ is preached, therein do I rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice. I'd like to speak to you this evening about living in the grip of the glorious Gospel. Living in the grip of the glorious Gospel. Let's stand together, please, as we ask the Lord to bless and look into His Word tonight. Father, we thank You for the song that we can sing since we've been redeemed. How our hearts are moved within us as we think of those wonderful themes of the love of God. Could we with ink the ocean fill? Were the sky of parchment made? where every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade to write the love of God would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole. Lord, we thank You for the glory of the Gospel. Help us to be able to say with the Apostle Paul of old, Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Lord, may we be humbled As we ponder the Gospel this evening, may we be challenged and may we be discerning. For we live in an age that requires boldness with discernment. So, Lord, I pray that you would help us to be ever so bold and ever so discerning that we be contending for the Gospel, but contending with grace, contending with love, contending with tears, and contending on our knees. And, O Lord, tonight may we be resolute to stand fast We thank you for the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship for nearly 90 years of faithful heritage. We thank you for friendships in this room, for our fellowship has been sweet. Thank you, Lord, that we know fruitfulness that will abound under everlasting habitations as we gather together to chisel upon one another the image of Christ, iron sharpening iron. May the message tonight meet some need, Lord. May someone be encouraged. For, Lord, our desire also in this fellowship is to know revival. Heaven-sent, Spirit-given, Book-driven revival. May that be our desire. For it's in Christ's name we pray, Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. Are you gripped by the glorious Gospel? Are you examining the circumstances in your life right now as the Apostle Paul while imprisoned? writes to the Philippians in Philippians chapter 1 and says in verse 12, the things that have happened unto me have happened unto the furtherance of the gospel. There are an ever-growing number of potholes along the pathway of those who seek to stand firm for the furtherance of the glorious gospel. While most within evangelical fundamentalism readily see the dangers of the neo-orthodox direction or the social gospel or a liberation theology, I would share with you this evening that there are a few potholes that are a bit less obvious that we need to be careful of if we would be involving ourselves in the furtherance of the glorious gospel. There is the pothole, rather, of easy-believism. It grew wide in the last century. The experience-based Pentecostal holiness movement, with a jackhammer empowered by Arminianism, opened a fairly sizable road hazard, if you weren't aware of that. The road hazard increased with the popularity of Billy Graham, as the New Evangelicals promoted a ministry based really much on pragmatism and little on principle, producing what they came to call within their own movement, worldly evangelicals. who prefer syncretism to separatism and want to be in the world and of the world. Sadly, the proponents of easy-believism have forgotten that James clearly says, faith without works is dead. And somehow they've forgotten along the pathway that James is ever so clear that true religion and undefiled before the God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit is this, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. the pothole of lordship salvation, came along seeking to somehow give balance to easy-believism. Trying to rebalance the gospel trail for those who are uneasy about the easy-believism of our day. While serving in a region much dominated by Roman Catholicism in New England, I picked up a book by a well-known evangelical. Dr. John MacArthur. Now the body of most of MacArthur's work has been to me a tremendous personal blessing. But imagine how shocked I was when I picked up his 2003 edition of Hard to Believe. I was saddened when I discovered, in an attempt it would seem to counterbalance the pothole of easy-believism, John MacArthur was writing on the 93rd page of that 2003 edition, listen carefully, Don't believe anyone who says it's easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners costs God His own Son. It costs God's Son His life. I'm fine with that. I recognize my salvation is costly. It costs the Father His Son, and it costs the Son His life. But now as I continue reading, MacArthur is saying, and it will cost you the same thing. Salvation, said MacArthur, isn't the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ, as revealed in Scripture. It's the fruit of actions, not intentions. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Such statements could well have come from the Vatican. The Word of God clearly says, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us. The Word of God is ever so clear, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And when the totally depraved sinner is asked by the proponent of lordship salvation to take up his cross and follow, he finds he has no power to respond, for he's dead in his trespasses and his sins. And we ought to be very clear that the Lord's cross challenge was delivered to those who had a spiritual standing. To the sons of Abraham. To the disciples themselves. Take up the cross as the charge given to those who would follow after, but who follow after with standing already established. And so I cringe when I read the cross challenge given to the lost. Knowing that without the power of the Holy Spirit, A natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God. Our commission is to go and tell the lost, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Along with the parallel potholes of easy-believism and lordship salvation, the pathway of those seeking to be faithful and furthering the gospel has an oft-recurring road hazard, if you will. It's been patched and repatched for nearly 600 years. In order to keep that pathway clear of the obstacles, there are those who ever so carefully seek to move this road hazard aside, but it seems to be reopening year by year. More than a few are already offended when I speak of Calvinism as a road hazard. But Calvinism must be considered in 2009. It really must. In March of 2009, Time Magazine listed ten ideas changing the world right now. Number three on Time Magazine's list was the New Calvinism. Time Magazine said, Calvinism is back. John Calvin's reply to medieval Catholicism's excesses is evangelicalism's latest success story. complete with an utterly sovereign and micromanaging deity and predestination," said Time magazine, the belief that before time's dawn, God decided whom he would save or not, unaffected by any subsequent human action or decision. The article notes that, quote, the Calvinist-flavored English Standard Version Study Bible sold out its first printing, and Reform blogs like Between Two Worlds are among cyber-Christendom's hottest links. We have to talk about it in 2009. Ted Olson, managing editor of Christianity Today, wrote, Everyone knows where the energy and passion are in the evangelical world, with the pioneering neo-Calvinist John Piper of Minneapolis, Seattle's pugnacious Mark Driscoll, and Albert Moeller, head of Southern Seminary. A study conducted in 2007 by Lifeway Research demonstrated that Calvinism is clearly on the rise within the Southern Baptist Convention. Steve Lemke, provost of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, warns, I quote, I believe, said Lemke, that Calvinism is potentially the most explosive and divisive issue facing us in the near future. It has already been an issue that split literally dozens of our churches, and it holds the potential to split the entire Southern Baptist Convention. Friends, we are warned repeatedly in the pastoral epistles to avoid doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men, of corruption. We are told in the pastoral epistles not to focus on fables and endless genealogies which minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith. Now lest you be uncomfortable with such passages being applied to the discussion of the doctrines of grace, Can all of us who are comfortable being classified as Calvinistic, can we all be honest for just a moment? Are we really all in full agreement on particular redemption or that which is commonly called limited atonement? Are we all in agreement on it? The L of the tulip? Are we really in total agreement on the doctrines of election and predestination? Hey, are you comfortable with the Westminster Confession of Faith, which of course is a Calvinistic document of great fame? Are you comfortable when the Westminster Confession says, quote, by the decree of God for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated to everlasting life and others are ordained to everlasting death? Do we commend Biza, one of the great minds of the Reformation, when he says, those who suffer for eternity in hell can at least take comfort in the fact that they are there for the greater glory of God? Are we comfortable there? Now remember that a genuine Calvinist is going to argue that all five points must stand together or fall apart together. That they form a unit of indivisible truth Lorraine Bentner would write in one of his many volumes in favor of the indivisibility of Calvinism. Bentner in his volume, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination says, these are not isolated interdependent doctrines, but are so interrelated that they form a simple, harmonious, self-consistent system. Prove any one of them false and the whole system must be abandoned. G.I. Packer concurs. The five points, those separately stated, are really inseparable. They hang together. You cannot reject one without rejecting all. There is today a cafeteria Calvinism. It is a pick-and-choose, redefined according to pop theories. Question tonight. This is all introduction. Is it possible Is it just possible that the neo-Calvinism of today is an overreaction to the easy believism of yesterday? Many neo-Calvinists look strikingly like yesteryear's worldly evangelicals. Listen, we must carefully consider where our feet will land on the pathway of the proclamation of the glorious gospel. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 14, and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. The 15th verse of chapter 1, some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then, notwithstanding, in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And therein do I rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice." I hope that we can rejoice when the gospel is effectively preached, the name of the Lord is sufficiently received, and souls are wondrously saved. Take your Bibles with you this evening and turn please to the gospel of John chapter 6. If we would live in the grip of the glorious gospel, I think it's for us to be gripped by the gospel as Jesus shared it. So we turn tonight to John chapter six, the gospel of John and the sixth chapter. When Ford Porter turned 25, 5th of February 1918. He was impressed of God to begin a habit that would be part of his life for the next 68 years. As a 25-year-old young minister, Ford Porter thought, I need to get up every morning and I need to have a time in prayer. And so pastoring in Indiana, wouldn't you know it, the 5th of February, this first day that he selects to begin this resolve, it's five degrees below zero. He takes his pillow and heads up into his attic, putting his pillow as close as he can to the chimney to stay warmed by the heat coming from the chimney from the fire below. As he kneels to pray on that pillow that day, Pastor Porter prays this prayer, Oh God, give me a ministry that will reach souls for Christ. Give me a ministry that will encircle the world. Give me a ministry, Lord, that will continue on long after I'm gone. He had no idea how God would answer that prayer. Fifteen years later, while pastoring in Princeton, Indiana, Ford Porter had a burden to share the gospel with the 2,000 households within his community. So he sat down and began to read the available literature that perhaps he could mail to the various houses. Actually, there were 1,800 houses. Not finding anything that met the need, he took out his pen and he began to write his own tract. As he finished that little tract, he took it to the standard publishing house and he said, I need 2,000 of these. And the man at the Standard Publishing House, who had been a longtime friend of Ford Porter, said, you know, it won't cost much more to print 5,000. Why don't you print 5,000? No, no, Pastor Porter said, 2,000 will do. There are only 1,800 houses in Princeton, Indiana. I just want to make sure the gospel has gone to every house. And so he printed 2,000 of those tracts, delivered them to all those houses. And with the leftovers, he sent them out to some friends in Christmas cards and greetings. And friends began to inquire, can you send us some of those tracts? We'd like to distribute them. It has such a wonderful message. These many years later, that little tract entitled God's Simple Plan of Salvation has been translated into 108 languages and has been published over 500 million times. How quaint the story of Ford Porter sounds to us today. The well-known gospel track seems almost arcane in our high-tech PowerPoint generation. How long has it been since you opened God's simple plan of salvation and read the simple words that Pastor Porter shared that the Spirit of God has now been using so effectively for so many years? Ford Porter wrote, the simple plan of salvation is You were a sinner. Because you were a sinner, you must die or else believe in Christ, who was your substitute, who died in your place and was buried and raised again. Just call upon God, realizing that you were a sinner and ask him to have mercy on you and save you for Jesus sake. The track continues. Then just take him at his word and by faith claim salvation. And you say, surely that's not all that's necessary to be saved. Yes, says Pastor Porter. It's absolutely all. It's God's plan. My friend, believe it and follow it today. I would submit to you that Pastor Porter was living in the grip of the glorious gospel of Christ. A simple pastor. A simple plea. And thousands will stand before the great judgment seat of Christ to give glory to the Lamb from nations and tongues and people. Because a man had a burden. to simply share the wonderful story of the glorious gospel. While the plan of salvation is simple, it's also complex. You see, in many ways, the doctrine of salvation is a paradoxical doctrine. It's free and it's costly. It's an earthly message, but it's an eternal mystery. And those gripped by the glorious gospel often find it difficult to fit every truth of the gospel into their theological grid. So this evening we've opened our Bibles to John chapter 6 to look at the glorious gospel. You see in Hebrews chapter 2 the author of the book of Hebrews speaks of soteriology, the gospel of salvation, in this way. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? This is a great doctrine. John chapter 6, of course, contains the bread of life discourse. Look with me, beginning in verse 53. Then Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. So eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up again at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me and I in him. As the Living Father hath sent Me and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." This discourse provides many wonderful details of the doctrine of salvation. Taught by our Savior, The Lord, of course, is speaking metaphorically. The crowd is in search of meat and missing the fact that He is the Messiah. The crowd wants to be fed rather than feeding on His flesh and following after Him. They're seeking manna. This is a text that is often turned to in the battles between those who are sacramentalists and those who are sacerdotalists. But a careful analysis of John chapter 6, I believe will help us once again be gripped by the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's no time for a complete analysis of John 6 this evening. I'd like to share just a few cursory conclusions that I've come to as I've studied this text. Would you follow along? You may even want to take a few notes. Let's listen to the gospel as Jesus preached it. This simple yet divine and wonderfully mysterious plan of salvation What is it that Jesus is teaching in this Bread of Life discourse? Look at verse 27. The Savior says to this crowd, now gathered, labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God the Father sealed. I circled in my text that little word, give. Because as I analyze John chapter 6, I come to conclude this, that Jesus clearly taught that salvation is a gift. Salvation is the gift of the Heavenly Father who sent His only begotten Son to be the Savior of the world. John's audience is the world. John's message. Salvation is a gift. John chapter 1 and verse 12, And as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God. John chapter 3 and verse 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. John chapter 6 and verse 27, the Son of Man shall give unto you. And look at verse 33 in this same bread of life discourse. For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. We glory in the Gospel for it's God's gift to lost and dying mankind. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And then in the 15th verse of Romans chapter 5 we read, But not as the offense, so also as the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many. Can we say it together? Romans 3 and verse 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. How many times as a pastor talking to someone who has walked an aisle or walked into the office or walked into our life, have I taken out a pen and turned to Romans 3 and verse 23? For the wages of sin is death. You deserve that. So do I. But the gift of God is eternal life. You know what a gift is? And holding a pen, I'll say, I'd like to give you this pen. No, I'm not really going to give it to you, because I don't know you that well. But if I want to give you this pen, what do I have to do, or what do you have to do better to receive it? I don't know. No, really. If this is a gift, what do you have to do to receive it? Oh, I just have to take it. Amen. How many times have they taken it from my hand as I've explained? God desires to give us the gift of salvation. The story is told, probably a fable, of a mother who, desiring grapes for her ill child, walked by the king's arbor. Seeing the luscious grapes within the arbor, thought how helpful they would be for her son. And so she went home and gathered money and came back and saw the vine dresser and said, how much for the grapes? And the man said, the king's grapes are not for sale. How much for the grapes? My son is ill. I'll pay anything for the grapes. They're not for sale. But the king's daughter passing by heard the plea of the mother whose child was ill, and she said, Ma'am, the king's grapes are not for sale. But you serve a very loving king, and he would give to all who ask. How thankful I am. that I serve a loving King who gives to all that ask. And throughout eternity, I intend to proclaim thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. There's a second discovery as we analyze John 6. Jesus clearly taught that salvation is a gift of God. Jesus clearly taught that salvation is received by faith. Look with me at verse 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Interesting to watch what's happening here in this Bread of Life discourse. Jesus has just challenged them in verse 27 not to labor for the meat that perishes, but for the meat which endures. Their question following, His observation in verse 28. He says, or they say rather, what shall we do? Watch it now. That we might work the works of God. Theirs was a religion of do. His is the relationship of done. Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe on Him whom He has sent. Believe. Aorist, active, subjunctive. A continued reliance on the person of Christ, the one that God sent. The purpose of the sending here displayed. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. And in Him, it's not the works that I would do, it's the work that He has done. Hey, follow along with me in John 6. When I stop, you give the next word, will you? Verse 29, Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God that you Look at verse 35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Come with me further as we work our way through this passage to verse 40. And this is the will of Him that has sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son in, believeth on Him, may have everlasting life. Look at verse 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, hath everlasting life." Ira Sankey was the song leader for D.L. Moody for so many years. But years prior to coming to a full knowledge of Christ and ministering with Brother Moody, he went through a terrible time of indecision and a terrible time of insecurity regarding matters of eternity. And then he came to John 6 and verse 47. And he read. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. And with his finger on the text, this 47th verse, Ira Psyche dared to pray, Lord, I believe. And I take thee at thy word. No offense, please, but there's no ordo salutis in John 6. But there's belief. God's simple plan of salvation. It's what springs out of the lips of the apostles when in the jail cell the inquiry comes, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved in thy house. While our discoveries are well known and while they're simple, they're nevertheless glorious. You see, Jesus clearly taught that salvation is a gift of God. Jesus clearly taught that salvation is received by faith. Aren't you thankful that Jesus clearly taught that salvation is freely offered to all? Note verse 33. For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the, say it, world. Freely available to all. Look at verse 35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst. You know, as I read that, I don't find any qualifiers. I don't find any disclaimers. I don't find any modifiers. I look at verse 37. All that the Father hath given me shall come to me, and Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Jesus clearly taught that salvation is to be freely offered to all. In the 40th verse, and this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life." Look at verse 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven, if any man, if any man, if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Lutheran theologian Lenski would write, these words are without a trace of predestinarianism or synergism. God's grace is universal. He would give all men to Jesus. The only reason that He does not do so is because so many men obdurately refuse. On the other hand, God's grace is alone efficacious, and every man who believes does so only and wholly by the virtue of His grace. The glorious gospel that we preach is to be offered to all universally, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, One day in the not so distant future, He's going to gather around the throne from those who were redeemed from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Did you ever hear the story about the old man who lived next door to the Baptist church? As the story goes, he was a crotchety old guy. His name was Klein. They'd invite him to church and give him the gospel. He didn't want to hear it. One day he was walking outside in front of the church, and the people had just stood to begin to sing, and they were singing that familiar anthem, Jesus died for all mankind. He thought they were singing, Jesus died for all mankind. And as the story goes, he trusted Christ and was saved. Would to God that the effectual call, whether through song or through sermon, would be as clear through us as it was that day through that congregation as they sang out to old man Klein. I had lunch one day with a pastor in my area. We talked of deep theological themes. He asked me where I stood on limited atonement. I went first to 1 John chapter 2 and verse 2. He is the propitiation for our sins, but not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world. At the end of the conversation, he looked at me and he said, there's probably only one difference between you and me. And He said, you'd probably get up on Sunday and say, Jesus died for your sins. He said, I have to get up on Sunday and preach, Jesus may have died for your sins. But the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let Him that heareth say, Come. That's us, if we've heard. And let Him that's athirst say, Come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. Don't you just love to sing, whosoever heareth. Shout, shout the sound. Spread the blessed tidings all the world around. Tell the blessed news wherever man is found. Whosoever will, may come. But as we go a little bit further in John chapter 6 this evening, I discover that Jesus clearly taught that salvation is the sovereign work of God. For the 37th verse, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And the 39th verse, and this is the Father's will which He hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And then the 44th verse, no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him, And I will raise him up at that last day. That beautiful word to draw in verse 44. That same word that's going to be used at Acts chapter 16 to speak of being drawn into the prison cell. That same word that's being used in John 21 to draw the fish out of the sea. Through His efficacious grace, He wonderfully produces that desired result, the Father, drawing us from darkness into light. The sovereign work of God. Accomplished through the mediatorial work of the Savior. For in John 12, Jesus says, if I be lifted up, I will draw. This is not just a mysterious, compelling no-no. It's an explained compelling. The Savior draws. And how does He draw? Romans chapter 10 clearly tells us faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. He draws through that accomplished ministry of the Word. So I love what Dr. Leon Morris had to say about this text. No man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. From first to last, our salvation is something that God brings about. That's what's in mind when Scripture refers to predestination. It's the divine activity that is the first and most significant thing. But along with this, Scripture affirms our responsibility. We're called on to believe. We're warned that those who do not put their trust in Christ will eventually perish. Nowhere do the Bible writers give the impression that the saved are just automatons, moving like puppets with strings that are pulled. We're responsible people, and we must one day give account of ourselves to God. The 39th verse. The perfect active indicative of being used, and this is the Father's will, which has sent me that of all which He has given me, in eternity past, the Father gave those who would be redeemed to the Son. And I don't care if you're super-lapsarian or sub-lapsarian. Or no-lapsarian. I'm not going to break fellowship with you on the timing of God's decrees. Rather, I would rejoice with you that we can fellowship on this. We are the Father's love gift to the Son. When we were moving from first ministry to second ministry, the pastor's wife, who was with my wife very tender, She and my wife were in the upstairs of the home. Pastor and I were in the lower level. We knew that this would be a final parting. And suddenly, as Pastor and I stood in the lower level, we heard what sounded like Middle Eastern wailing. Two women who were just bellowing it out. I mean, the windows were shaking in the house. We went upstairs and we saw these two ladies who had ceased their embrace, but not ceased to cry. Dear Mrs. Strobate went over to the coffee table and she grabbed this little candle that she probably got from the Five and Dime. It was a Walmart special. Little candle with a little lid on it. And she pressed it to my wife and she said, here, here, take this, take this. Linda took it and she carried it with her all the way to Colorado. That little ornament still adorns a room in our house. I never touch it. When Mrs. Strobane bought it, it probably cost her a buck. But when she handed it to my wife, it became priceless. It's not about me. The gift of the Father to the Son, I am. And in eternity, the angels and the principalities of heaven will be mystified by our position, Ephesians tells us. made of great value because the Word of God tells us in verse 39, this is the Father's will which is sent me that all which you have given to me. Don't you love that text in John chapter 17 when Jesus is praying in His high priestly prayer and He says, Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be where I am. That they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me For thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. For the Father which has given them to me is greater than all, and no man is able to take them out of my Father's hand. Or out of my hand, rather. The Father which gave them to me is greater than all, and nobody is able to take them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. My mother, who was Swedish, used to sing around the house in the Swedish language. More secure is no one ever than the loved ones of the Savior. It's not about my hanging on. It's not about my easy-believism. It's the sovereign work of God that ought to humble me. Our time is short, but let's glance at two more matters that a careful analysis of John 6 will reveal. Would you note with me that Jesus clearly taught that salvation is eternally secure? That I will lose nothing, He said in verse 39. And convincing us of His power, He says, I will raise Him up in the last day. And then in verse 47, Barely, barely, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. What is it that He said in verse 51? I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat this bread... Eat in the aorist. Do it now and do it once and for all. He will have Or he will rather live forevermore, and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Oh, there are many reasons that I believe in eternal security, but I can find eternal security in John chapter 6. I believe I'm eternally secure because my great high priest ever lives to make intercession for me. And when I sin, 1 John chapter 2 tells me I have an advocate there at the bench of God, who says, put that on my account, for he ever lives to make an intercession, and we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. We are baptized into his body, according to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and Ephesians 1 says we're sealed unto the day of redemption. I stopped on the highway at Interstate 50 and 79, outside of Clarksburg, West Virginia, one day to meet my dad for lunch. I hadn't lived in Clarksburg for years, decades. Just had a short time and said, Dad, let's just meet on the hill. I was standing there by the car and a man that I'd never met before came up to me and he said, why, you must be the son of Dick Feltz. I said, well, yes, I am. I'm Chuck. He said, I knew it. Man, you look just like your dad. I said, well, people have told me that before. Here was a man that had never met me before as far as I'm concerned in my life. But somehow he was able to see my father in me. And in Philippians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul said, being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it. Beloved, it does not appear what we shall be, but when he shall appear, we'll be like him. We're eternalists here. Jesus clearly taught one final thing that I'd have you consider this evening. Jesus clearly taught that salvation is the substitutionary work of the Savior. I am the living bread, verse 51, which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh. He speaks, of course, of his future work. Calvary is in mind. For the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. I am the Good Shepherd, he has said, in John chapter 10. And the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep. And the life that I and the life that you now live, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. Yes, we believe in the bloody sacrifice on a hill called Calvary. We believe in the glorious gospel of an old rugged cross where the substitutionary work of the Savior bore our sins and the sins of the whole world upon Himself. The story is told of a dear dying saint whose Bible was opened on her stomach while she lay on her deathbed, her hand on the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, when Satan began his last assault, beginning to foster doubts in her mind. And that dear old saint, with her hand on Isaiah 53, lifted her frail hand and she said, there's no nail print there. But he was wounded for my transgressions. She pointed to her head. No thorn has touched me there. that he was bruised for me. She touched her heart and she said, no spear has entered there, but he was wounded for my transgressions. And with that she had peace. May we ever be gloriously gripped by the glorious Gospel. May we be gripped enough to share it simply. It's our responsibility to begin with Scripture. Not systems. I fear that we're often so plagued by the paralysis of analysis that we're not telling the story. The real problem is not a problem of dissection. The real problem is a problem of distribution. We marvel at the complexity of the gospel, but are we willing to share it in its simplicity? Can I be confessional with you for a moment? For the past two years, I've enjoyed the wonderful privilege of being a Bible College president. In many ways, they've been very rewarding years. Many other ways, they've been years that have been filled with the barrenness of busyness. I can look back on two years cloistered in the environment of professional Christian service and confess to you that in these two years, I believe I've been responsible for personally leading one soul to Christ in two years. In a large way, I feel like a hypocrite preaching. Oh, I've seen others saved when I've had the privilege of preaching the gospel. But in two years, one person. I've been busy. I've been active. I've not been slovenly. The problem is not with understanding. The problem is a problem of obedience. Our real problems are not problems of easy believism, lordship salvation, neo-Calvinism, the ramifications of Reformed theology. Our real problems are simply problems based on our failure to hear, go into all the world and preach the gospel. I don't mean to make light of the necessity of theological training and careful theological consideration, but I don't expect that the judgment seat of Christ to be giving my analysis of superlaxarianism. But I hope at the judgment seat of Christ to have some that will be there with me. And I know at the judgment seat of Christ I'm going to give account for the command of the Savior who said, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Within the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International, there have always been those Who placed the truths of the Gospel into various grids? Some more Calvinistic, some less. This has never been a test of fellowship here. But our fellowship does exist for this. To exhort one another. So much the more as we see the day approaching. I hope you've been exhorted this evening as we've looked at the Gospel that Jesus preached. Can I ask you something this evening? I've been very confessional. Would you be confessional before the Lord? I wonder how many in this room can stand tonight and say, I've had the privilege of leading someone to Christ this week. Now, I'm not asking about you preach when someone came down the aisle. I wonder how many could say, I've led someone to the Lord this week. I had the privilege of seeing someone accept the simplicity of the gospel. Would you stand? Not to give glory to man, but just stand if you've led someone to the Lord this week. There's our problem. I wonder how many could stand and say I've led somebody to the Lord this month. Could you stand if you've led somebody to the Lord? I'm not asking that you preach and someone gets saved, but I've led somebody to the Lord this month. Now remember, where two or three have gathered, he's in our midst also. Let's be very careful. I wonder how many could say the last two months I've led somebody to the Lord. Thanking the Lord for it. This is not a pride thing. But the last two months I've had the privilege of personally leading someone to the Lord. Wonder how many around here could say in the last six months I've led somebody to the Lord, would you stand? The last six months. How about the last 12? The last 12 months I've personally had the privilege of leading someone to Christ. Folks, our problem is really not the dissection, it's the distribution. And I'm not making light of the dissection. You can stand, please stand. I'm going to ask everybody to stand if you don't mind. Can we be exhorted to be honest? Are we living in the grip of the glorious Gospel? You see, the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 1 was willing to say, whether in pretense or in truth, if Christ is preached, I rejoice. Nay, then I will rejoice. May that be the staid burden of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship. That we would simply preach Christ. We'd be committed to it. We could this moment stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And as embarrassing as it is to give an account here on earth, I think I get to know a little bit more of what it means to have the tears wiped from our eyes. What a reflect on the fact that Jesus taught that the gospel is something received by faith to be given to the world, the sovereign work of God to be believed on that makes us secure, forevermore dwelling, gives us the responsibility of going and telling, the believer is the love gift of the Father to the Son. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed and no one looking around this evening, there may be someone in this room that's not sure if they're saved. It may be necessary for you this evening to respond to what we've talked about by simply coming down one of these aisles and grabbing a pastor by the hand and saying, I want to be sure I'm saved. I'm not sure I'm going to heaven, but I want to be. If that's your burden, we'd invite you to come. But I wonder if there are those who, like me, would say, I've been convicted by the consideration of the gospel of my ineffectiveness in gospel witness. My ineffectiveness in gospel witness. Oh, I've been diverted by so many things. Perhaps I've even become apathetic. But one day I'm going to stand before the Lord to give account of the most glorious message the world has ever known and eternity has ever pondered, that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. In a moment, as our instruments play number 393, they play a song of consecration. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Perhaps you just need to slip out from your seat this evening and come down here and say, Lord, I want to be serious about giving the gospel. I don't want to be caught up in an age that's conflicted about the gospel. I simply want to be serious about giving the gospel. Let me be gripped by the gospel that I might give it to others. As the instruments play, if that's your need, won't you come? Father, thank you tonight for the Word of God. Thank you for the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. May it mean to us as much tonight as that day we first believed. In Jesus name, Amen. Be seated if you would. I want to share something personal with you for a moment. Sixteen years ago, right down there on about the sixth or seventh row, I gave my wife a gift. We were supposed to go on a cruise that night on some body of water near here. And it got rained out. So I gave her the gift in this auditorium rather than on the boat. It was a new diamond ring to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Tomorrow is a very special day. Wonderful, wonderful day. It's our 41st anniversary. I had lost her first time. And the Lord made it possible for me to give her another. And when she saw it, She rejoiced from every facet of that diamond. The lights of this auditorium gleamed. Tonight, the light of the glorious gospel gleamed from this text. There will be other texts preached this week as our preachers stand forth and cause us to see that light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's never allow ourselves as a fellowship to seek a one-facet diamond. We have not divided over the issue that has been so much discussed in the last month. By the grace of God, we shall not divide over that issue. We shall speak in a Christlike way. We shall unfold the Word of God. We shall respect each other as separatist, Baptist fundamentalists. You heard from a separatist, Baptist fundamentalist tonight. You will hear from other separatist, Baptist fundamentalists tomorrow. We agree, I believe, that we are separatists, that we are Baptists, and that we are fundamentalists. Benjamin Franklin is a great source of helpful quotations at times. He said, if we do not all hang together, we shall all hang separately. We have something very much in common, and we should be driven by it. I was deeply convicted tonight. I hope you were. The word will dismiss shortly and go and take care of business matters, mundane things, and then get down to the serious business of eating pie. But this afternoon, we were of the consensus after much open discussion of both agreements and points of difference, frankly, that it is time for us to declare as a fellowship, the board speaking, that we are together for the gospel only with those who are separated unto the gospel.