Romans chapter 5, verse 1, Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but with glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Let's pray. Father, help us this morning to be sensitive to You. I plead the blood, asking Your will be done. I pray You'll forgive me for I've sinned against You and just help us in every way, Lord. I plead the blood and ask that You'd form a vacuum cast aside every demon of hell that would hinder this morning, give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive, and understand something that will help us today. Lord, we are a needy people. Help us, just meet with us and let no one quench your spirit. I pray that you just, Lord, just hover over us, just help us, Lord. The lost, I pray you'll convict and draw and save. Nothing short of a miracle will do in those areas. Give us the understanding we need. I want to say I love you, help me to love you more day by day, help me to walk in your will and way, and we'll thank you for what you do and praise you for it. But we ask it all in Jesus' name, for His sake we do pray. Amen. You may be seated. We're dealing with the principle of salvation in the book of Romans. We've dealt with the principle of sin in the first three chapters, or at least down to verse 20. Paul concluded all under sin, whether it was the hypocrite, the heathen or the Hebrew, it didn't matter, they was all proved that they were under sin and we all have to get to that place and then after he proves you under sin, God gives you a way out. He shows you the door and of course there is the principle of salvation here in the book of Romans in chapter 3 verse 21 down through chapter 5 as we see here we are dealing with the principle of salvation Now we've said that he's laid down the groundwork especially to the Romans and to us, it's for us, that man's saved not by works, he's not saved by, he's not saved by rites or by rituals or by baptism if you please, or circumcision, either one. You're not saved by law, you're not saved by any of those things, it's by grace through faith that you're saved. He uses Abraham to prove that. Abraham was before the law. and Abraham was the head of the Hebrew family and he used him to prove that you're saved by faith and faith alone as far as salvation is concerned. Now I know it talks about Abraham and James where that he was justified by his works but that was before man. Man can't see your faith. Man can only see what's on the outside and if you've got faith inside there'll be something outside that will go along with it. There's proof in the pudding, amen, is what it amounts to and so therefore there'll be something outside that will show forth of those things and that therefore man can say I can see his faith by his works is what it amounts to but it's by faith that you're saved. He used the Hebrew head of the Hebrew family used also the head of the Hebrew royal family. David to prove that you're justified by faith and faith alone. Chapter number 4 he deals with that. In other words it's not by rights, it's not by law, it's not by works, it's by faith and faith alone. Now when we get to chapter 5 he gives us the results of being justified. Remember justification is what we usually call salvation or being saved. That's the first part, that's Salvation in three parts, remember there's justification where the spirit is saved from the penalty of sin. There's sanctification which is where the soul is being saved day by day from the power of sin. And one day there will be a glorification where the body will be saved from the presence of sin forevermore. So but we talk about being saved, we're talking about justification. And there's seven results of justification given here in chapter 5. And I said, for those who are not saved, may God salt you down and make you thirsty for that in your life. Because if you have, if you get thirsty, the Bible said He'll pour water on the thirsty. And that's what we need more than anything. And you can't make yourself thirsty, amen. You can't work it up. We've tried, we've tried, and people are trying, still trying. And there's some preachers that preach that you've got to do this, you've got to do that. I'm going to tell you what, salvation's of the Lord. And if you try to touch it in any way, you're not going to come through. It's going to take the work of God to be complete in your life. And so therefore these things are a result of His completed work in your heart justified. Now the first thing we said, you have peace with God. We were broken in Adam. We all were sinned in Adam. When Adam sinned in the garden, we were separated from God. We were born that way. We were born separated from God. Thank God it's safe to reach a knowledge of accountability, but we're separated from God, lost, and don't know it until God brings us to that place. until we get to the place of the knowledge of accountability, then we're safe until that time. But we are separated from God, but it takes a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction in all three areas of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment for you to come to the place that you might be safe. Too many people today just say, well, I don't want to go to hell, and they turn and they say some little old prayer. That's not salvation. And, and God don't save you to keep you out of hell. He saves you for His glory. He saves you from your sin and it takes that work, completed work for that to be done. And at that point you're made one with God again, peace with God. And now that's not talking about the peace of God. That depends upon your actions day by day, your closeness, your intertwining with the Lord. But you have peace with God, but if you're justified in that peace, we'll never leave. In fact, the verbs there are a continuous action verb. They will never leave. You'll still have that from now on. You're in the hand of God and nothing can pluck you out. Eternal security is what it amounts to, made one with God. That's the first thing there. Then verse 2 said, and I'm just recapping a little bit of what we've already dealt with. the, the result of being justified is that you've got, you've got not only peace with God, but verse 2 said, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. When you're saved, you're in an ocean of grace. You're in a vault of grace. And there's grace and grace and grace and more. We got, along John Silvers and Captain Deasby, They talk about fishing more, but it's grace and more, and it's yours. By faith, if we're standing on grace on every side, I have a feeling that one day God's going to open up His storehouse of grace and show us what we could have had, but we didn't claim it by faith. And I know God's got to grant you faith. Any kind of faith you've got, He's got to give you. But I'll tell you there's many things that God wants you to have if you'll just walk in faith He said you can claim it. You've got a way into that grace and have a storehouse of great. That's the result of being justified more than enough. He's able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we think or ask. Then verse number 2, the third thing we dealt with last week, I believe it was, is we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in the expectation of what God's going to do. He taught us that the Holy Ghost will set up a classroom in our heart. and teach us to look for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior. So we got an expectation, our Lord's coming one day. And it's going to be soon. I believe we're living in the last days of the last days. I really do. Time is showing us those things. If we look around and wake up, we can see the handwriting on the wall, so as to say, It's not long till our Lord's coming, but we've got to hope that steadfast and sure, an expectation of Him coming. And He said we can rejoice in that, in the fact of what He's done in our life. Then the next thing, result of justification is found in verse number 3, where it says, And not only so, but we glory in tribulation. Now, we could have left that out, couldn't we? That's the result of being justified. We glory, we glory in the hope, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, but also, not only in that, but we also can give a shout of victory, a shout of triumph in tribulations when they come our way, persecution and those things that come. Folks, we're going to have tribulation. The Bible said in I Timothy, II Timothy 3, 12, he said, Yea, in all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall, shall, shall suffer persecution Acts 14 22 we must with much tribulation enter in to the kingdom of God we're going to be we're going to suffer in these days in which we live Paul said all that I might know him and the power of his resurrection Philippians 310 and the fellowship of his suffering that didn't mean going to the cross It just simply means that we're going to suffer for the cause of Christ in this world. There's going to be tribulation. Even for those who have identified for, I guess we could call them for the word's sake, they've made a false profession, come stony ground. Here's the Bible said, when tribulation arises, You're going to be tribulation just for identifying with its local New Testament church even if you're not saved. There's going to be some tribulation even if you are, are, are claimed to be saved for the Word's sake. There's going to be some tribulation. But if you're saved, if you've been justified, there's going to come tribulation. He said you can give a shout of triumph in that tribulation because tribulation fulfills the purpose of God in your life. Now what's it, what's it for? Well, he said in Romans 8, 29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. Now, don't get upset about that word. That just simply means that God predestinated you. When you're saved, He predetermined that you're going to be conformed to the image of His Son. He's going to make you like His Son. God never used the word predestination to talk about a lost man. He talks about those in Jesus Christ are predestinated to be conformed to the image. And how does He do that? He said in Romans 8, 28, We know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. It may not be good. Tribulation's not good. But He said in that tribulation, He's working His purpose in your life to conform you to the image of His dear Son. And He works it all together for good. So therefore, he said, we can give a shout of triumph. We can glory in tribulation. Why? Well, he said, we can do that because of the fact we know that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed. In other words, tribulation will bring out your true character. It'll bring out those things in your life, conforming you to the image of your son. Well, you say, but I don't need, I need patience, but I don't want to pray for it, because I know tribulation's going to work it. Lord help me. Lord help us. Amen. We, we need, need that. We need this in our life. And He said He brings it because these things show our true character and make us, conform us to the image of His dear Son, the result of justification. But you know what happens When tribulation comes, what we usually sometimes experience, we experience fear. I'm talking about fear of the outcome, fear from the family. We experience discouragement and despondency. We experience frustration. Oh, you never did that, did you? Did we? Well, yes, I have to plead guilty today. frustration comes, misunderstanding by others, they don't understand why we're going through loneliness because you're all alone sometimes. But remember one thing, even these things as they come on your life, remember there's one who understands, that's the Lord, He set where we set, He knows all about us and we have access into this grace and therefore we can realize the Lord is working His predetermined purpose in our life. us to the image of his Son. So therefore we glory, he said, in tribulation, because tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope that maketh not ashamed. In other words, the reason that hope is never put to shame is because we've got the promises of God, and He always does what He says. Do you know that? Whatever God shows you, whatever God quickens to you, that doesn't mean you can take the book and open it and say, there it is, I'm gonna name it and claim it. That's not, that's, we talk about the group, the health and wealth crowd that do that, that's wrong. And it's wrong for you to take a verse and put your finger on it and say, I claim it. You can say, God quickened that to me. Give me that promise, make it real to me. And when he does, then that builds faith in you. Did you know faith come up by hearing? Hearing by the word of God, the word for word is harima, which means utterance. God's got the quicken anything to you. Now there's some preachers trying to tell you, I can tell you this, and it's okay. It may be right, but if God doesn't quicken it to you, you can't believe it. You can't muster it up. You can't work it out. It's got to be Him. It's going to be all of Him, and He's going to get all the glory and everything. You're not going to touch it, amen, in any form. So therefore, He promises us some things, and may God give us some more promises and quicken something to you. It'll build your faith. and you can walk with God in that. So there's the benefits of justification, have peace with God. We've got access into the grace wherein we stand. We've got, we can glory and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God and we'll rejoice in tribulation. Now number five today is what I want to deal with. It's found in verse verse number 5 where he said, And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. The fifth thing here, the benefit, is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. He's talking to the saints of God, those who've been saved. the love of God in Romans chapter 5 verse number 5 what he says there, mark it down, underline it, he said the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us, the moment you are saved the Holy Ghost comes to live inside you, he guides you into all truth, John 16, 13 said, but he also, here, he is God and God is love and he comes to live inside you. And it's going to cause you to love, going to cause you to love, not just those who love you. And you see, in fact, this is what our hope or expectation rests upon, an assurance of the love of God. And that speaks of assurance of salvation, by the way, as well. He said it's shed abroad. That means to gush out, means to pour out. And notice it said this is the love of God. That's God's love for us, not our love for Him. In fact, the business, 1 John 4, 19, he said this, he said, we love him because he first loved us. I'm glad God loved us, amen. And by the way, he loved you before you even knew him, even knew anything about him. He's loved you. He went to the cross of Calvary and died in your place. He loves you today. And there's some people try to tell you he doesn't love you, but you need to experience the love of God because the love of God is there. You see, it's good when God puts his long arms of love around you and hugs you up next to himself. It's good when he touches you on the shoulder. It's good whatever, wherever He touches you, you see. It's just good to have a touch from Him. It's His love. That'll keep you going for Him or even going to Him if you're not saved as He demonstrates His love to you. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse number 14, He said, For the love of Christ constraineth us. In other words, He's not talking about our love for Him. He's talking about His love constrain us. Did you know love motivates you? Love constrains you? You'll do something for your wife if you love her you wouldn't do for anybody else. You'll do something for your husband that you wouldn't do for anybody else if you love them. You'll do something for your children that you wouldn't do for just anybody's children if you really love them, you see. Love motivates you. Love will cause you to do something. Amen? Love will motivate you, and His love will motivate you. You see, in fact, our assurance is strengthened by His generous love to us. But folks, I want to tell you, His assurance even to you that God's dealing with, His love, His touch help draw you. But He said the result of being justified is that He sends His love on us. He's shed it abroad in our heart. That doesn't mean it comes in like dew drops. I mean, if you walked out in the morning, there's a little dew out on the grass. I want to tell you, it won't grow a crop. A dew won't grow a crop. It's not like a little light shower as a rain, but he said it shed abroad. It come in like a flood. Anybody seen a flood lately? I was in the field the other day, and I'll tell you what, it washed the hay out of the field. It washed the fence down. Come to find out they got nearly three inches of rain over there and we got about three-tenths here. Amen. And I knew it was a lot because it actually took the windrows and washed them out of the field. Gushed out. He said that's what the Holy Ghost does to you when you're saved. That's justified. He pours that love in you like a flood. Not like a dew drop or not like a few drops. It's shed abroad. Pour in like a flood in your heart. And that word heart denotes the center of moral and spiritual understanding of your emotion, your will, and your activity, you see. Therefore his love is poured in like a flood upon a thirsty believer. Even an unbeliever, if he gets thirsty, God said, when I save you, I'll pour it in like a flood. And he said it's shed abroad by the Holy Ghost. And which? Well, the Holy Ghost is a person, so it's a who. in our modern day English, amen, who is given unto us at the instant of salvation or at the instant of justification. He is our seal. He is the love, but he's our seal. Ephesians 1, 13, he said in whom, talking about Jesus there, ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, whom also after that you believe you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise that's the one that was promised who's the Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost of God but he's also the earnest of our inheritance the Bible said in Ephesians 1 14 which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory listen he's just give us a little bit of a whole lot more to come now if you're buying property you got to put down earnest money brother amen And I remember the first time I ever bought a house, they said, gotta have earnest money. And I didn't have a clue what they was talking about, amen. I made a bid and they took me. They said, well give me some earnest money where I can say, you're earnest about this bid. I can go to the one that's selling it and say that they're expecting a whole lot more to come. And a whole lot more, back then it wasn't as much as it is now, amen. but the thing about there they're looking for and he said you've got a touch you've got a few just an earnest you've got a little bit of a whole lot more to come but he's still shed in like a shed abroad like a flood in your heart the Holy Ghost and so the Holy Ghost pours in our heart the love of God which is gives us greater assurance which in turn causes our hope never to be ashamed never to be disappointed you'll not be disappointed with him now look what he said in verse number six we're talking about the love of God the result of justification the love of God being shed abroad in their heart he said verse 6 for when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died on for the ungodly. Now, this verse points to the proof and demonstration of the love of God for us, God's love for us. You see, and by the way, I know that Jesus died on the cross for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. But it proves, His death proves He loves us. But you see, He refers to us when we were lost as without strength. He said when you were without strength, That's when we're lost, without strength. That word, without strength, it means weak ones, powerless ones, without ability. It signifies the disease-ridden ones that have no hope of life. It denotes spiritual impotence. from willful indulgence in sin. In other words, it's a word that's kin to anesthesia. You go to the hospital, they put you on anesthesia, and as a result, you have no consciousness with this world. At least you're not supposed to, amen? I mean, you lose your senses in the body, five senses in that body. But I want to tell you what, it's the same way that we were. We had no consciousness toward God. We were dead in trespasses and sin. But God, listen, if God hadn't come and made a move on you, you'd never move toward Him. It's God's move, amen? He's the one that stirred you. He's the one that awakened you. He's the one that, and why did He do that? Because He hated you? No, because He loves you. Amen. He loves you. You, you experienced that love? You experienced that love? Have you seen, if you've been saved, can you look back and testify? As the band said, I have a witness. Amen. In other words, did you experience that love at that time? How God in our ignorance and our depravity and our, and our willful sin against God and our religious activity that was really dead works against God and God came and, and we, we, we kicked and spurned the Holy Spirit's work and, and you know what, what He did? He didn't mark us off. I, this time and time again I sit there and the preacher would preach and that little boy would say, that's just the devil making you doubt. No, it's the Holy Ghost of God trying to tell me that I wasn't saved at that ten year old experience when nothing happened. but I was holding on to something where nothing happened and, and as a result, a result of that, that was God's love, that long-suffering Romans 2, 4, forbearance, holding back the wrath off of me, giving me a space of repentance. Listen, the goodness of God leads thee to repentance. It's a, mind you, if you ever one time preach on hell, that's what we got to preach on, that'll cause people to repent. No, it won't. people make a false profession, amen. I know we've got to preach on hell, you understand what I'm saying, but that people who hammer that all the time are going to have people who make false profession after false profession after false profession. I can show you some who've made more than one. Every time they preach on hell, he makes another, makes another, makes another. And you see, you need to see the love of God, you need to see the goodness of God, the long suffering with God. He suffered long with me. I spurned that and didn't know that in ignorance and yet God still came back in love drawing. Y'all know what I'm talking about? Y'all experiencing what I'm talking about? Amen. Have a witness on that, okay? I mean, he does that. That's God's goodness to you, you see. And in other words, but you were without strength under the anesthesia of sin, no consciousness toward God. In my spirit, there's no fear, there's no reverence. In other words, there's no love, there's no hope, there's no worship, and there's no faith. involved. There are five senses of the Spirit and you don't have that toward God until God comes and awakens that Spirit. You ought to thank God for that. Amen. He also called the sinner before he saved not only without strength but ungodly, ungodly. That means a lack of reverence toward God. It's the word for impiety. which means a lack of respect. It means one who actively practices the opposite of what the fear of God demands. In other words, every sinner is strong for evil and weak for good. Without strength he has no ability to get up and do what's right, and yet he's always doing what's wrong. And yet God loved us during that time. Amen. And then he also says here in verse number 8, look what he says about that, but God commended His love toward us. in that while we are yet sinners Christ died for us. Look at that little word, commendeth. That word E-T-H in your King James Bible means a continuous action verb. In other words, commendeth. It means he commends it and commends it. He still, he commends it toward us. You see, he keeps on. He doesn't just do it one time. He doesn't do it after you save. He does it before a continuous action and he doesn't do it any less after you're saved than he did before. Oh, the Lord is good. I'll get something out of you one way or another, amen. He's good to us in those times, but he said, and while we were yet sinners, that word for sinners means corrupt nature and the source of transgression. It means that we willfully, not only we have the sin nature that come from Adam, but we willfully by deliberate choice make a choice and choose to sin against the Holy God. And yet God loved us, amen. Boy, somebody just get the fact And I know some people try to tell you that. I'm just trying to override that. Trying to cancel that. Amen. You need to realize. Yeah, I understand from God's standpoint, he's wicked, angry with the wicked every day. I understand that. But I want to tell you what, that man has got a heart for God. It's because God's word, because God loves you. And he longs, suffering, holds back that wrath. He said there in verse number nine, he said, we shall be saved from the wrath through him. He's holding it back. He wants you to have a space of repentance. He wants you to come in. He never made hell for you. He made it for the devil and his angels. and therefore he loves you, he's not willing that you perish, but all come to repentance, and his long-suffering and his love works in your life. While we were yet sinners, while we were without strength, while we were weak for good and strong for evil, ungodly, and then not only that, but enemies. Verse number 10 says this, he said, for when, if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son. Somebody said, well, God only saves his friends. I want to tell you what, he don't have any friends. in the natural self. You're not a friend of God. You may have a heart for God because God's put that there, but I'll tell you if God could ever let us see what we're capable of doing. See, we're pretty, I guess you'd call it goody-goody two-shoes sometimes. You know what I'm saying to that? We wouldn't dare do something some of this other crowd out there does. It would cause us to turn up our nose. It's because we had a standard. Our standard in our homes was a little bit better than they have. And they think nothing about it sometimes, but we are so caught in that that we're propped on that many times. We ought to thank God for that standard, but I'll tell you what, we realize we're depraved to the core, we're without strength, we're ungodly, we're a sinner, and we're an enemy of God. You ever had something come up inside and you say, where'd that come from? Just come up inside. Where'd that come from? I tell you, it came from the old man down in the old inside. I'm talking about the lost man. But we're enemies. That means adversary, one who opposes and fights against God. And we kick against the pricks. We resist somebody talking, well, it's irresistible grace. I don't tell you what, every man resists the grace of God. Amen. Thank God it's enabling grace. I mean he, he keeps coming back with enabling grace, but you see we oppose God, but even though we're without strength, even though we're ungodly and sinners and enemies, still in due time Christ died for us, he said. Look at what it said in verse 6 again, he said in due time Christ died for the ungodly. That word due time means a strategic time, a time determined by the act of circumstances which make that particular point of time, part of the efficient working of an action or a set of actions. In other words, Christ was born right on time. Christ died right on time. Christ arose right on time. Christ will come again right on time. Amen? And His working in your life is according to His schedule. Not some preachers. You might say, well, you need to get saved today. Well, I won't tell you what. Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart. But if you don't hear his voice, you can't do anything else. You can't do a thing, you see. Oh, today is the day of salvation. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible said now is the day. It means we're in the period of grace on this side of the cross, amen. He will work in your heart right on time, amen. Miss Wanda, could you have been saved one day earlier? She went through how many years of turmoil? I'm talking about from the time you really got pricked in your heart. Four years. and she wasn't no spring chicken. Brother Cheryl said amen to that. He ain't gonna say that, I put him in trouble. But what I'm saying, it's right on time. Miss Wilma, was he right on time? He's right on time, wasn't he? Now we don't understand that on the other side of that, but God's got to bring you to the end of yourself. I had somebody say one time, well, if you've got to beat the end of yourself, I'm not saved. Well, they're not saved. You've got to get to the end of yourself. And you may not call it that, but it's God's work, and He'll do that right on time. Why? Because He loves you. but we're talking about the, I want you to get thirsty for it, what I want you to get thirsty, in due time, right on time, and we're talking about a set of actions here, all that fit together and He'll work in your life according to schedule on time. In other words, His time. And in other words, He said, what did He say in verse number six? He said, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. That little word for in the Greek means for the sake of, in behalf of, or instead of. John chapter 11 verse number 50, the words used here, he said, Nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perisheth not. And of course that Pilate was talking about that and those things and the high priest and all that back then. crucifixion but the word for means instead of Galatians 313 they said Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us instead of us he went to the cross in my place is what it amounts to in verse 6 we see that the Lord died instead of us and that taking our penalty And in behalf of us, that his death was in our interest. Jesus had us on his mind when he's on the cross. Why? Because he loves us. And when we're saved, that love will be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who comes to take up his abode. Verse number 7, He said, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. So Paul is using an illustration here from human experience comparing this human experience to what Christ has done for us. And so he uses two type of men to prove his point. First he used a righteous man, then he uses a good man. Now, the righteous man here means a just one, a devout. It denotes the law-abiding person, and it's not speaking of somebody who's in the right standing with God. It's just talking about somebody who's right standing, in a sense, with the law. In other words, the man lived lawfully and just in the eyes of the court and the law. And in other words, that man may be subject to the law, and yet he can have a rebellious spirit. Amen. Anybody ever, well I'm going to, it was like a little boy standing up in the seat of the car and mama said, sit down son, sit down son, sit down son, about two, three or four times too many, you know. And he finally just popped down in that seat and looked at her as if to say, I'm a sitting down on the outside but inside I'm a still standing up. And you say, why you say it? Because I see some of you young people that's doing the same thing right now. You're here, but you're not here. Your mind's somewhere else. You don't want to listen to what I'm saying. You don't want to listen to what mom and dad tell you what to do, huh? In other words, you don't want that. You want to do what you want to do. And so if we're not careful, we can be subject to the law and yet still have a rebellious spirit about it, and a rotten attitude. Amen? That's what legalism does to you. Legalism makes you, well, I've got to do it because the preacher said I've got to do it, or I've got to do it because mom and daddy said I've got to do it. And man, we strutted and strained and strived and tried to do those things back in the legalistic days. And you know, time to go on visitation. Hated every minute of it. Huh? Because it was doing it in the energy of the flesh. In the energy of the flesh, you see. you see and so Paul said for this type of man he's talking about a righteous man who's in other words try and stay right with all he said scarcely this type of man scarcely in that word scarcely means it would be difficult to find someone to be a substitute in death for a man who whose righteousness barely escaped the penalties of the law he said you might be hard difficult to find somebody like that now the second man He talked about there, yet peradventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. The word good man there means the man who has moral qualities in addition to quantities conforming to the law. In other words, that would be the best man outwardly and inwardly that you know. and he probably would be lacking in many areas. But the best man you know. In the Greek, really there's an article, a definite article with a Greek word for good. In other words, that's left off, in other words, the word for righteous. It's not the righteous, but it's the good man is what it means in the Greek. This means that for one to find the good man would be a rare and a special exception. Romans chapter three, verse number 12, what did it say about man? They're all gone out of the way. They're together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good, no, not one. Paul said for this type of man you might just perhaps find someone who would dare, who would be courageous enough to die for him. But if a human being was found that would give his life for someone else, then that person would be either a friend or at least someone who had done, that person had not done the person wrong, nor is not his enemy. But Jesus died for his enemies. Think about that. You know, you've got some, it's pretty easy to do some for some people, isn't it? You know, you've got some kinfolk, you say, I can do pretty good for my kinfolk, some kinfolk, I can do pretty good for them because they're my friend. I love them. I care for them. I don't mind spending time. Well, will you help someone? No. Why? Because you don't care anything about them, you know. And, but, you know, it's easy to do for a friend, easier. But he said even if you could find one to do for a friend, Jesus did it for his enemy. Have you ever seen yourself an enemy of God? Have you ever seen yourself separated from God? Without strength, strong for, weak for good and strong for evil, ungodly? actively engaged in sin against the Holy God. If you have, He said the Holy Ghost is coming, and that work's been complete. Holy Ghost coming and shed love abroad in your heart because it's the love of God, you see. But the Lord Jesus did that for us. And Paul says in verse number 8 then, But God, you see, what man would not do, Christ did. But God commended this love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, not friends, not good people, not loving, not done something good for, but we were actually an enemy of God. He commendeth, which means to prove, to exhibit a love that is beyond human love. That was exhibited in Christ dying on the cross of Calvary for corrupt humanity. Oh, He exhibited that. beyond human love. Why? Because those for whom Christ died and whom God's love are both ungodly in practice and corrupt in nature, that's us. And yet He did it for us. He died for us. You can make it personal. He died for me. Have you ever seen the fact that He died for you individually? Have you recognized the fact that He died for your sins in your place? Was it intellect or in the heart? Did you have it up here or did you have it down here? Many people have it here and not have it in the heart. They've not had a work of God done. They've thought it. They've inductive and deductive reasoning and it's not come down. I was a member of the Baptist Church from 1955. to 1973 before I ever got enough light to see myself, and then I wouldn't get honest and went for several years that way. In other words, the way I taught, I thought, I believed it, I believed it was right, and I did what I thought was right according to what I was taught, but I was wrong. What are you going to do when you find out you're right was wrong? Paul did, he thought he was right, he said he was right, but boy one day he found out he was wrong and he traded it off and got the real right, amen. That may be double talk, may not sound right, but may God help us to see that, get honest about it. The devil will carry you to the extreme and anything, even a little truth and anything carried to the extremes will be error and he don't care how close you get to real salvation, if he can keep you one step short, he'll do it. See, we've got this crowd today that's in easy believism. Raise your hand, repeat after me. And yet, I was against that. And in the years I've practiced another form of easy believism. But I want to tell you what, there's some people who've got word only. Well, this is the Word, and it's equivalent to the Spirit of God, and all you've got to do is believe it. Well, you muster up all faith you want, but until God does something in your heart, it's not word only. How does the Gospel got to come? He said, 1 Thessalonians 1, 5, Our Gospel came not in word only. It means you've got to have the Word, but it didn't come in Word only, it came in power and the Holy Ghost and much assurance. And that's not just because the preacher raised his voice, it means the Holy Ghost sharpened that Word and went down in your heart. Otherwise it's just ink on paper, it's just words that's said, unless the Holy Ghost gets on it in that sense. So that's Word only, but that's not what we need. We don't need that kind of experience. You know what I'm afraid of that's happening in our our strict Baptist churches and I don't, legalistic Baptist churches today, I'm speaking of those who preach hard against sin and they'll say, boy, we've got a hammer on sin and they're talking about things and they've never dealt with a sin of unbelief, the root problem. We're pulling fruit off a tree and, and trying to get people to live right, never had a liver transplant, amen? Boy, you pull a peach, you can take a limb and go out and beat all the buds and the peaches and the leaves off a tree and make that tree look dead, but you let the conditions get just right next spring and you know what? It's going to bud again. It's going to bring forth peaches or leaves or something, you understand? It's going to bring forth evidence of life. Why? The roots still connected. And whenever you, many of our churches today have come and made professions of faith and we try to spend our time trying to get them to live right and dress right and walk right Spit what his expression is and you know what we can't do it and it's been The devil's clapping in his boots because he's caused him to come one step short of salvation Word only, word only, it's got to come, God's Holy Spirit's got to make that word powerful, come down inside, but I'm afraid that also what happened in a lot of churches today is not only word only, but they, what happens is they, when you talk about the, they have the basic, these who have the preach against sin and have basic truth, a word only about salvation, I'm afraid that sometime it's not just word only, but it's experience only. You see, either one's wrong. You need to have an experience, but it's got to match the book. And it's got to be from the Lord, not from me. You understand? And yet we've got some that's got experience only. You see, we've learned the terms. I remember dealing with somebody years ago and talking to them, and I knew they wasn't saved by the way they was acting, the way they was living, what was going on. But whenever I asked them something about it, then they said, well, I was lost, I was convicted, and I believed. That's salvation, if it's real work. And what can you do with somebody like that? You see, they've been taught that. They, what they thought was conviction, what they thought they believed. They believed facts, but they had an experience of something transpired. The devil will give you an experience if you're looking for one. And sometimes it's a, that hinders us because we won't, don't want the experience from the devil. We have a tendency to push off the light God gives us. Amen. But it's not word only. It's not experience only, you see. We've learned the terms and all those things. I did this and I did that, and you did what you thought you were supposed to do, and the devil slipped you a counterfeit. That's happened. You have the terms, but what about the much assurance? You see, these benefits or the results of justification are present in your life if you're saved. In other words, they're there. The peace with God, the access into the grace wherein we stand by faith. You can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. You can glory or give a shout of victory in tribulation, knowing that God is working all things together for good. But most of all, we have this field thing, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Do you have that? You see, when He's present, the Holy Ghost is present, there's a fruit of the Spirit. Amen? And you know what the fruit of the Spirit is. By your fruit, you're known. Somebody said, well, I know that. I dress right and do that. Listen, you'll dress right. If you've got the inside right, the outside will cause you to dress right. But if all you're dealing with is the outside, there'll be nothing happening on the inside. But the fruit of the Spirit is what you're known by. It's not how many times you read your Bible through. It's not how many times you pray. It's not how many times you sow when and so-called visit and this type thing and that type thing. It's the love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. What's the first one? And by the way, that's ninefold. That's like a pie. You cut nine pieces, amen? Like a pizza, you cut in nine pieces. Most of you understand that better, amen? Cut pizza in nine pieces. It's all one big thing, and it's cut up in nine. And that's what the fruit of the Spirit is inside. Singular fruit, but you got all of them in some degree, but the basis of it is love, because He is love. God is love. Holy Spirit is God, and He's shed abroad in your heart that love, the result of justification. Love, love. Agape kind of love is shed abroad in your heart there by the Holy Ghost. And you know something that love will show, show in your life. It'll get out on you. In other words, that you love. If you have love, it'll get out on you. And it'll also get out on you if you don't have love. Have you ever seen anybody that claimed to be saved? And boy, they got an old rotten attitude, just an old attitude. No name. We won't call no names, OK? But been there, done that, right? Thought that was the way to do it. Well, if you'd ask me, you love? Sure, I love. I'll prove it to them, you know. Like the young preacher called me that day and said, you love people that love you, but you think you love people, but you really don't. You love only those that love you, and when they don't love you, you mark them off your little black book. And I assured him, boy, I love people. I do, I love people. And when he hung up, I marked him off my little black book. You know what I'm saying? You get the point. Love shed abroad will cause even when people do you wrong. Doesn't mean that you might not kick up the old flesh inside. That don't mean that you never have any feelings about it. I mean, you see, some people, they, I mean, I never have any bad, listen, the fire darts may come. But you've got some victory, gentleness, long suffering. You suffer along with those who mistreat you because of love inside, the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, I'm speaking about the love of God shed abroad in your heart. 1 John 3, 14, what did it say? We know that we pass from death unto life. Why? Because we love the brethren. Love them. Now, love doesn't be a doormat to be trumped over. Love, love corrects. Love disciplines. Love, you love your children, you'll discipline them, amen? You say, I love my children too much to discipline. No, you don't love them. If you love them, you'll discipline them, amen? Because you've got to do that, amen? I'm not talking about child abuse. I'm talking about if you love your children, you'll correct them. I love you too much to let you get by with this. I told Andy that a few times. I said, well, I love you too much to let you get by with this. And then I pick up a, well, I better not say it on tape. Well, I do. But love disciplines, love corrects, love cares. And he said, we'll love the brethren if we've been saved. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. What the Bible says. He said, we know that. You see, we know that. That's very plain. Love, love is the result of justification. Boy, I won't tell you what a lot of badness. I know it's not much love in them. Amen Not much love not much loving because it's not been shed abroad in their heart by your fruit. You're known the benefits of justification Well, it's all those things. But the fifth one is that love shed abroad in her heart. You know what? That order calls you to take inventory. Do you have the love of God? Can you love those who? Not just your friend, not just those that's close to you, not just those who treat you right, but can you love those who mistreat you? Do you hold a bitterness against them? Do you hold a grudge against them? When somebody does you wrong, and they're going to do you wrong, you'll do yourself wrong. Amen? You think about it a minute, that'll sink in after a while, but if you've got ought to cause you to take inventory, ought to cause you to check up, check up, in other words, get honest with yourself about this thing. This is the result of justification. And Paul's writing it so that we can see, this is what you have, peace with God, access in the grace wherein we stand, rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, glory in tribulation, and have the love of God shed abroad in our heart. Doesn't mean you always be perfect, no. Because you still got this old flesh to contend with. But you see, whenever it's wrong, you will come back. And there'll be that confession. And he said, if you'll confess your sin, I'm faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you. He said abroad, do you love people? That's not just your brethren. That's those that's out there in the world. That's those that stay with these people that's mixed up. You ever get more confused than a termite in a yo-yo? Don't you need somebody to stay with you when you're that way? When you're unlovable, Jesus did. Was we all lovable? No. I know some people's easier to love than others, I understand that. But I will tell you what, the Lord loved me when I was unlovable. You know what, he loved you and he is loving you. And you're unlovable when you're in the old natural self. We don't deserve, said this morning, we don't deserve what the Lord's done for us, amen. But, you say, I'm not saved. It's not shed abroad in my heart yet. Did you know the woman that washed Jesus' feet? You know what Jesus said about that woman? That might have been Mary Magdalene who had seven demons in her. I don't know for sure who it was. She was a sinner anyway, the Pharisees. The Bible said Jesus said this Himself. That's God's Word. That's God Himself. The Lord Himself said, She hath loved much and she wasn't even saved. Agape love. Boy, blow your mind. Oh, God doesn't do that for a sinner. He awoken her. And she was awakened, and as a result, he planted something down inside of desire. God can even put some desire for you loving him to get to him, desiring him. And he's done that in his lives, and he's doing that. And yet there'll be some old preacher that's supposed to have the love of God shed abroad. God doesn't do that. It don't work that way. Listen, I found out God worked everywhere but in my little box. Y'all finding that out? God's God, and he's good. all the time. He's good and he wants to do exceedingly abundantly above what you think or ask. I pray you get thirsty for that love to be shed abroad in your heart. It's different now since Jesus came in my heart. That's what the song says. May the Lord help us to see this, the principle of salvation. Father, I pray that you'd help us. Paul said he had to buffet his body daily. for fear of being a castaway. It wasn't that he'd be lost after he's saved, but he knew he had this old flesh to contend with, and he had to mortify the deeds of the flesh every day. And Lord, we're gonna have to do that. I know old flesh sticks its head up, and the fire darts of the devil comes, temptation comes, but help us to realize temptation's not sin. It's when we yield to temptation that sin enters. But may we exercise and exhibit the love of God and loving others, where they are, and staying with them, not condemning them, but just staying with them and loving them and seeing you bring them through to victory in their lives, to where they, too, can get thirsty for that real salvation and be justified and have the love of God shed abroad in their heart. Do something in our midst that you might get glory. Bind us together, purge us, cleanse us, solidify our nucleus at a stand in these last days, and we'll praise you for what's done, for we ask it in Jesus' name, for his sake. We pray, heads bowed, eyes closed,