Going Forward, Remember the Past!

Introduction

Indeed. The Lord live. Blessed be the rock. God of my salvation be exalted. So good to be. Be with you this morning and to see each and every one. And we’re grateful for those who may be visiting with us. It was about three months ago that I received a call from Brother Don Truex, who is the evangelist of the Temple Terrace Church that meets in Tampa. Congregation of some five to six hundred people, and with thirteen elders as overseers of that flock. And the call was an invitation for me to come to Temple Terrace to speak on a Sunday. And with a specific theme involved. He said the elders were asking some older preachers to come and to speak about things to expect looking forward in the future.

Well, they’d already had Brother Sewell Hall come and speak, and they said later Brother Paul Earnhardt would be coming to speak.

And I knew I probably qualified being the older preacher.

And none of us really can say we know exactly what to expect going forward.

1. Charge Some That They Teach No Other Doctrine

History has a way of repeating itself, and we really want to know what to expect in the future. We owe it even to the past, what to expect. And frankly, the more I thought about that, I thought, well, I could just preach from 1st and 2 Timothy and the book of Titus. Three letters written by the Apostle Paul. Only about thirty years after the church had been established. And yet, even by that point in time, the apostle wrote to these young preachers, charge some that they teach no other doctrine. And as you go through these two or three letters, really, you find that the word doctrine is used some seventeen times. You mean within a space of 30 years there were already some in the first century who were teaching other doctrines, that is other teaching than that of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And the answer is yes. When you study through those books, in fact, some doctrines that were false were identified. And therefore it was important that the apostle would warn, charge some that they teach no other doctrine. In fact, there was this message in 1 Timothy 4. The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. There are many times, in fact, when I would teach people who would ask the question, well, where did all the churches come from? This would be a passage I would often refer to. That even the apostle said there would be a falling away. The devil has been very busy, even though through the sacrifice of Christ he is overcome and he enables us to overcome him, to be forgiven of sin and not to be bound by the devil himself in the bondage of sin, but rather to be free from it.

And yet, the devil hadn’t quit working. He’s working on you. He’s working on this as a church. In fact, he would have all who have come to the know of the Christ to turn back unto the work of the devil. He doesn’t want you to be the disciple of Christ. And so you can count on it the fact that there are some who will depart. And really, when you look at history, looking forward and remember the past, not only can we say, well, here’s the trace of Catholicism happening not many years really after the gospel was first preached in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. But particularly talking about the many different denominations, we often refer to the 1500s and when we call it the Protestant Reformation in history.

When men like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others.

2. Recent History: The Issues That Divided Brethren

And some of them would say, Well, you mean in churches of Christ, you hadn’t had any of that problem. And I have to say, well, I’d have to admit among my brethren there are different churches of Christ today. And there’s some differences between us. And how’d all this come about? And so I began by saying, Well, let’s take a look at recent history, even. I’m talking about history with within the scope of our generation. It was really in 1952. I was 13 years of age. When I remember coming from the building that was across the street from where my parents and I lived, running home to turn on the radio to hear a national radio broadcast called Herald of Truth. Sponsored by a church in Abilene, Texas, called Highland Avenue.

It was a great day. You see, up until that point in time, churches of Christ were one of the fastest growing churches in the nation. The reason probably had been because there had been leading up in the turn of the 20th century, there were men who would debate the gospel. What was truth? And there were people in denominations, preachers who would debate, you know, maybe we would debate the question: is baptism essential for the remission of sins, or are we saved by faith only? That’s a debate. Or debate the question of what about once saved? Is a person once saved, always saved, or could a man who is a Christian so sin as to be lost? And what happened during that period of time when there were debates and people didn’t have cars going everywhere and TV and every home, and and they would come out to hear these debates and hear his truth presented side by side of other doctrines, and there were many who saw the truth, understood it, obeyed it, and were baptized.

Great period of time.

What a wonderful day to look forward to. Herald of Truth. Could anything be wrong with that? All it was is going to be sponsored by the church in Abilene, its elders would be overseers of it, that program, and other churches throughout the nation would send their funds to the Highland Avenue Church, and they in turn would oversee the program. What could be wrong with that? It was three years later, in about 1955, when I went to attend one of the first debates held between brethren. And the question was, what about programs like Herald of Truth? The arrangement for it, not what was being preached at that point in time, but but is it right for churches all to work through the eldership and under sight under the oversight of the elders at Highland?

It was a sad time. I’m only 16, and I had just begun to try to want to preach. And I’m surely I did not understand all that was debated through that week. Lufkin was only 20 miles from my home, so I was able to attend rather easily. But I did witness some attitude, some older preachers who had once been great friends who were arguing with each other, and some even with tears. And I will remember one night after in our home and with some preachers, and I wasn’t permitted really to be in that particular discussion, but I heard from my bedroom some weeping among some men who understood we’re about to have a division. There’s going to be trouble. And really what later I began to understand what were commonly called the issues.

And one of the issues was can the work of many churches be centralized under the oversight of one church? Is it really possible that all churches throughout the nation could send their funds to the Highland Avenue, and those elders have complete oversight of that program? And it’s a brotherhood work, and they’re overseeing it. I mean, I think most of us today who understand passages like 1 Peter 5 and verse 2, where Peter as an apostle addressed elders and told them to tend to the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. And in fact, we we today, therefore we’re elders in this congregation, and we do not try to oversee any other congregation.

We believe this is an autonomous church, independent, self-governing, under the authority of Jesus Christ with the Bible as our creed. In fact, you would probably understand if I were to say, Well, how about this South Bumble church being in charge of Bible class literature for all the churches, let’s just say Orlando area. And so we tell Altamont Springs and Cassimme and Claremont and so forth, we say now, all you need to do is send your money to us, and we will purchase the we’ll first of all decide what’s the best Bible class literature. Not only what we’re using here, but but we see that you use the same material. You just send your money to us, and we’ll buy all the literature and we’ll take care of the oversight of Bible class teaching in this city.

You say, wait a minute, that’s just not a Bible way. We could see how that just won’t work, even in a local type of situation. But what about when it includes throughout the nation? That’s what the debate was about. And many said, wait a minute, even though the end, uh the seeks to preach the gospel, radio, see, at that time every home didn’t have a TV in it, and radio was the main means of broadcasting, and so what a wonderful, what a wonderful project. But can we go along with a way that’s an unscriptural arrangement? In fact, what later happened, and I’ll tell you this, that it did come to pass that later, a few years after that, that some of the preaching on the on the Herald of Truth became non-distinctive.

And there were some churches who had been supporting it and said, Wait a minute, we don’t like the preaching. We want some, and they didn’t have any control over it. And it eventually the program ceased to be because they saw the uh the era of that kind of an arrangement. Another issue or question was can churches build and support a different institution to accomplish its work? In other words, the question came to say, Well, can’t can we really build and maintain a separate institution? If you did not hear Brother Adam’s lesson to nine o’clock hour, I urge you to please listen to it. Where he talked about an attitude, an attitude of liberalism, but it went into many other things about attitudes toward the word of God.

And the two lessons really go together in the sense that what does it really mean that we don’t want to add to or subtract from God’s word? Is the church sufficient to do the work God gave it? Ephesians chapter 4, verses 11 and 12, the scripture speaks how that the Lord gave some to be apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. I believe when the Lord planned the church with its elders and deacons and gave the New Testament that He made the church sufficient to do its work. It’s work of evangelism, preaching the gospel throughout the world. It’s work of edification, Bible class literature or whatever, to help build us up in the faith.

For the work of benevolence. Already a hundred years prior to that, there had been division, and what we now know as the Christian church or even the disciples of Christ church had a similar heritage. But the first division came over. Can the church build a missionary society? And let the missionary society be people selected. They’re not a church, but they have their own treasure and their own president, and they will oversee the work of preaching throughout the world. You just send the money to the missionary society, and they will endure and in in turn select the preachers. Brethren said, that’s not a scriptural arrangement. Let the church be the church and do its work without building a separate institution. And whether it be in evangelism or edification, do we need to build a seminary to train preachers?

Or can local churches help do that? Do we need a central organization to oversee it that’s really not a church or under the oversight of elders? And with that came the subject of what about benevolent institutions, whether it be old folks’ homes or for that matter, orphans’ homes. Bang, right there became an emotional issue. And some said, Oh, if you don’t agree with this, then you must not believe in taking care of orphans. And that was not the issue. That was not at all the issue. Rather than believing and caring for orphans, but let’s do it in the way God arranged it. Let’s not build a separate institution and demand that all churches send to that institution, let that institution to do the work for the church.

Those were the basic of the issues. And what really happened, though, is that pressure was exerted then for preachers and churches to line up. If you’re not sending the Highland, if you’re not sending to churches, then boy, something’s wrong with you. And there were some preachers who got fired. And some pressure was put on. Not only was radio in 52 the only means, really, you might say, of preaching throughout a nation, because TV wasn’t everywhere. There was also during that period of time of debates and all one basic type of material that was being sent, a paper that was sent out uh on a regular basis into homes of brethren who wanted to read, you know, we’ve we’ve had biblical insights here for some time, and there have been other papers that brethren, many today, but there was one single paper called the Gospel Advocate, was the paper.

If you were a Christian in the 1950s, you wanted the gospel advocate to come in your home. But when the issues, as we say, began to raise to rise among brethren, there came a problem about if you don’t line up, then you may be tagged. Brother B. C. Good pastor was the editor of the advocate. And he indeed said, in fact, he put a what is called a yellow tag quarantine. And preachers were named. If you didn’t support the Herald of Truth and other these other institutions, then you may be fired. Now, by that point in time in 1959, Arlene and I got married, and I was preaching, and we were going still finishing university, getting our education, and yet I was preaching for a congregation of about 65 or 70, and about 20 miles from uh my East Texas town of Nacadoches.

And it came that uh during the Christmas holidays, we go up to Illinois to visit her family, and as we come back that first Sunday back, it is announced they put the Herald of Truth in their budget. It shocked me. But I later learned there was a widow in the congregation who had some oil wells on her property, and she just told the the men of the congregation, they’d add this to the budget, she’d make sure they had the extra money to do it. Well, the one of the older men, they didn’t have elders yet at that point in time, but he had known me since I was a child. I well remember standing out on the front lawn after the service was dismissed, and I told Brother Pardon, I said, you know, I I conscientiously, I do not believe that’s a scriptural arrangement.

He put his arm around me, I never will forget. He said, Robert, if you keep preaching like this one day, you won’t have a place you can preach. I thought, wow, that’s pretty good pressure. I am married, but I don’t have any children. I’m I’m not concerned that much like some of these preachers who had families and they’re going to get fired if they don’t, and you talk about pressure. That’s the kind of pressure that it’s not what it ought to be. I’d say to you that are there differences today. Most people today and what we might know as preachers would say, well, most people in what we may call institutional churches or non-institutional churches do not know the issues that I just stated. Times have passed.

And the issues today that separate us are more over what I’d say the social gospel. And can the church instead of letting the word of God be the appeal to draw the crowd, let’s let’s provide activities of recreation and fun and food, and and we’ll get people in and we offer the social things that really are not under the authority of Jesus Christ for churches to do. Certainly as individuals, we we ought to engage in activities and we ought to be close with one another. And I’d say this church is a family that is close to one another without a special basketball program or some kind of recreational folk program. But again, I really wanted to go back, and this is what I really did in our lesson.

3. Be on Guard: Some Have Strayed Concerning the Faith

To read what did Tim, what did Paul write to Timothy? Charge some that they teach no other doctrine. In fact, in verses 18 through 20, he said, some, having rejected concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck. They’ve made shipwreck of the faith. In chapter 4, he said, some will depart from the faith, as we’ve already read. In chapter 6, he said, if anyone teaches otherwise, withdraw yourself. In chapter 6, verses 20 and 21, he said, some have strayed concerning the faith. Even in 2 Timothy. Chapter 2, verses 16 and 18, he spoke about Hymeneus and Philetus, have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already passed. And they overthrow the faith of some. In chapter 2, 23, avoid foolish and ignorant disputes. Chapter 3, 1 through 5, having a form of godliness, but denying its power from such people, turn away.

In chapter 4, 2 through 4, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn away from the truth and be turned to fables.

Look how many things are said. It’s not just one scripture out here by itself, but how many times, even when he wrote to Titus, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. In chapter 3, he rejected divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is walking and sinning, being self-condemned. I would say when you look at all of these, it’s simply to say, hey, let’s be on guard, brethren. Let’s not just say, oh, okay, I believe in Christ, and I’m going to just that’s all there is. We need to constantly be thinking about what we believe and why we believe it. I would say to you frankly, hypostasy is always only one generation away. You cannot inherit faith. If you’re a member of the church today because your parents were, if that’s the reason, then you need to re examine yourself and your faith.

You can’t inherit faith. And in fact, I would have to say I’m glad my parents were members of the church, and there’s a sense in which that’s the reason I am a Christian, but they taught me to look and learn and read for myself and build faith upon hearing the word of God. Not because, not just because they are members of the church, or my grandpappy was a preacher. That’s not the reason. In fact, do we have any issues today? I’d say yes, that there are some issues even in churches of Christ today that we have to be on guard for.

4. Issues Today: All Prophecies Fulfilled

They start by saying all the prophecies of the scripture have been fulfilled by then. And that the Bible, what we have today, has really all been fulfilled, and just of how much use it is for us today is under some question. Without going into great detail, I simply want you to know this is a this is a question that we need to be on guard for. In fact, you may remember one of the verses we read a while ago from 2 Timothy, Imanus and Alexander, had caused some to depart from the faith, to make shipwreck, because they taught the resurrection had already occurred even back then. First of all, they make the era when they say all prophecies fulfilled. Daniel chapter 9 is told a vision that Daniel had to call the 70 weeks.

And without going into all the detail, I simply say when you come to the last verse of that passage, it speaks about a destruction of Jerusalem. The sacrifice and oblation shall cease, which is no doubt referring to the 70 AD occurrence when Jerusalem was destroyed. But what it goes on to say is the very last phrase of it is the one who destroyed shall be destroyed. One who caused destruction shall be destroyed. The scripture was not completed in AD 70. The book of Revelation is the fulfillment of that statement, because in Revelation is now told the destroyer, Rome, had its false religion, its Caesar claiming to be Lord God Caesar, and his false religion, which would be the false prophet in Revelation, it was foretelling the downfall of the destroyer.

That’s the fulfillment of Daniel 9 27. And that was well after AD 70. But not only that, why is there no record of the church beginning again? If in 8070 the church was all caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and there were no saints really left on earth, surely there’d be some record, something in history that the church had another beginning. Or that something happened all of a sudden and all of a sudden they’re all gone, as even the primable enemies today want to say, you know, in time of rapture, this car would be left driverless. You’d think something like that would be out. But you just don’t read about anything like that way back in AD 70. Actually, there’s another doctrine. And this probably even more threatening to some, the faith of many today, because there’s some who, I would say I’ve seen it among some younger preachers who begun to question traditionalism.

5. Bible Authority: Command, Example, Necessary Inference

And we may say the question of the debate is over progressiveness versus traditionalism. Now, if you were in the 9 o’clock hour, you had references from 2 Timothy chapter 2 that Brother Willingham read. There’s some traditions where it’s keep. They’re the commandments from the Lord, and the word tradition is found. But as I made the comment a moment ago, if if you’re just doing what you are because, well, that’s what my parents did, or people I like do, that’s the wrong reason. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. There are those who have said, well, you know, these traditionalists, they they talk about authority, and they say that it takes command, example, and necessary inference. And then there comes some ridicule.

In fact, today there are some who talk about the C E N I people. Does that mean anything to you? Probably not to most here. But to these young men of preachers, I will say, the C stands for command, the E, for example, and the NI for necessary inference. And, oh, if you believe it, we establish Bible authority by command, example, and necessary inference, they want to mock you and ridicule you. And while they’re ten in many places is we want to have the feelings of rejoicing in the Lord. Well, I do too. And in fact, there are some who say, you know, when we take the Lord’s Supper, let’s be in homes, even. Some of them get to that, and we hold hands as we partake of the Lord’s Supper.

We did this morning. I hope you had your heart involved as we partook of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, and that there’s a sense of rejoicing because Christ died for our sins, paid the penalty that we deserve to pay. But on the other hand, just because there may be some who’ve gotten old hat with the Lord’s Supper and they don’t really think about what they ought to think about, that doesn’t make us say, well, it’s wrong to do. We don’t need to let feelings be substituted for faith. We need to establish a basis of what we believe by command, example, necessary inference. In fact, the distinctive message in a divided religious world is to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.

That’s something we offer today to the to the religious world. Let’s come back and let’s be united on the basis of what saith the Lord. And indeed, Jesus said that as much, didn’t he, in Matthew 7 21, when he said, Not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. He that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. He set the standard by which to be united. And therefore we really come to the question how is Bible authority established? Is it old hacked? Can we find in the Bible that we have direct command and express statement? That’s how we establish commandments of the Lord. Or that also there’s some examples approved under the under the direction of the apostles who were inspired, and we follow those examples.

And that sometimes there is an inference that we conclude, a necessary inference. And some of us say, well, where do you find that in the Bible? Well, let me show you. If you have your Bibles, you might open to Acts chapter 15. For in Acts chapter 15, you may recall it was at a time that they had a question over doctrine. In Acts 15 and in verse 1, in fact, there were some who taught the brethren, unless you’re circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. You talk about doctrine, whether or not a Gentile is saved, depending on whether or not he was circumcised. That’s what was going on in the early church. How did they determine the answer to that question? Well, here’s how, when you read through Acts 15, you’ll learn first of all that the apostle Peter, in really trying to explain why he had gone to the house of Cornelius, and in fact had baptized Cornelius and his household, first Gentiles, and he didn’t demand circumcision.

Why’d you do this, Peter? Well, in Acts 15, verses 7 through 11, at this assembly in Jerusalem, Peter stood up and in fact he explained why. He was he went because the Lord taught him to go. He said, Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentile should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And really, when you go back to Acts chapter 10, where the story is first told, the scripture in Acts 10 and verse 20, the angel of the Spirit of the Lord said to Peter, Arise, therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them. These men at your door, you go with them, Peter. I’ve often remarked, if you’re reading Acts 10, and we’ve been that in our auditorium class, in Acts 10 and verse 29, when Peter got to the house of Cornelius, he went because God told him to, but when he got there, and he learned from Cornelius that Cornelius also had had a vision, sending to send to Peter.

But Peter said, You know it’s unlawful for a Jew to be in the home of a Gentile. Tell me, why am I here? You mean Peter didn’t know why he’s there. Well, he hadn’t yet figured it out. He had to be taught himself that God is not a respecter of persons. Why did he go? Even though it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with the Gentile? He went because God commanded him to, and he understood that. But not only that, in the same meeting in Acts 15, there was Paul and Barnabas that sent up, and it’s a rather short statement. It just says all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

Now you surely know in the Bible the miracles and the wonders were in that period of time to confirm when men were really preaching the truth. In Mark 10 and uh Mark 16 and verse 20, they went forth confirming the word with signs following. So when when Paul and Barnabas stood up and talked about the wonders, it was to say, What we did was by the authority of Christ. Here’s the example that shows that preaching the Gentiles without commanding circumcision was the will of God. In Acts 14 and verse 3, therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. That’s why. When they when uh even they raised the lame man, and people thought they were gods, but they did it as a confirmation they were preaching truth.

But then there was also necessary inference. Following what Peter had said and what Paul and Barabas did, then stood up James. And in Acts chapter 15, verses 13 through 17, he quotes from the Old Testament prophet of Amos, a prophecy in which Amos, through the inspiration of God, the scripture says, after this, I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and I will set it up so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things. It was a prophecy that the time would come when Gentiles should hear the gospel and be saved. The Old Testament was full of passages like that.

But for James to quote it now, there was an inference, a necessary inference. The fact is that when the tabernacle of David, that is the house of David, the family of David is re-established. If you believe that Jesus Christ was raised to sit on David’s throne, as Acts 2 and verse 30 says, then it’s time for the Gentiles to hear the gospel. And if you deny that the Gentiles can hear the gospel and be saved by it, then you are also denying Christ is on David’s throne. Those who are listening now to James have a choice to make. It’s a necessary conclusion to draw that it is right to preach to the Gentiles because Christ is on David’s throne. It’s an inescapable conclusion. It’s not just my wish about it or an inference, it is a necessary entrance.

You know, that may seem a little complex to some, but I want you to see that in the early church, they use these three methods to determine. Hey, go preach to the Gentiles. And they are not commanded to be circumcised in order to be saved. We use these same applications when we talk about the Lord’s Supper. Maybe a little more simpler to apply. Direct command. Why today did we say, eat this bread and drink this cup? Because the Lord said, do this in remembrance of me. We’re commanded what is to be. It’s a memorial feast. And frankly, we did it today because Sunday is the first day of the week. And we know an example in Acts 20 and 7. It was upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread.

A common experience. When they came together to break bread emphasizes that it was a usual experience. Why did we do this last Sunday? And why will we do it next Sunday if the Lord gives us time? It’s by necessary inference. It was to be on done on the first day, then it ought to be done on whenever the first day comes, and that’s every first day.

But whenever the Sabbath day came. And so today and every Lord’s day, we would take of the Lord’s Supper. Three ways of establishing commandments of God. Now, in carrying out the commandments, they they are they are universal in the sense they can be obeyed anywhere in any point in time. Somebody said, wait a minute. You you you you know, where do you find authority for those plastic cups you had the fruit of the vine in, those those metal plates for the Lord’s bread? And I say, it didn’t change the command. Those things that help obey commandments, allow even process of time as we have new things brought into our society. They didn’t in the first century have electric lights and a building like this to sit in, comfortably controlled climate-wise.

6. Does It Really Make Any Difference?

But they came together to worship, and by having a building hasn’t changed the command. Having classic cups still hasn’t changed the command of fruit of the vine and unleavened bread. But I’ll tell you what would change it. If next Sunday we come in and we have um chocolate chip cookies and milk, you’d say, Hey, wait a minute, something’s wrong here. Why? Because that’s an addition. What changes the command is what is forbidden. But learn the commands, first of all, either by express statement or direct command, approved example, or necessary inference. Does it make any difference? Does it really make any difference? Why are you going all this way, Bob and Adam and other brethren here? Why? Well, look at Matthew 7 21 through 23 again. When Jesus clearly said, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. But not only that passage, others like it, Matthew 15, where Jesus said, These people draw near to me with their mouth, honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. What can happen if we go what men say rather than what we read in the Word of God? We may worship, but it can be in vain. Not only when Jesus made that statement, he was quoted from Isaiah, so that was true in Isaiah’s day as it was in the days of the Lord.

Conclusion

I hope you’ll think seriously about these things. Indeed, that each of us will know why we believe what we believe. We study the Word of God. And that we also be on guard that the devil not take us into false doctrine. That we speak the things that befit sound doctrine. May the Lord help us. That’s our goal. And if you find that we’re doing something that’s not in the Word of God, then we’ll try to quit doing it. Or something that’s in the Word of God that we’re not doing, we’ll start doing it. We ought to always say that and believe that be our goal. May God help us to that end. Well, one of the things we do usually when we conclude a sermon is extend what we call an invitation.

You know, the Lord said, He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. He who believes not shall be condemned. Pretty simple message. But I know in audiences like this, there usually are some who would say, I believe Jesus is the Son of God, but they’ve never been immersed for the remission of sins. And therefore we hold for you an opportunity, an invitation, even this day, to be immersed into the death of Christ for the remission of sins. Or if you’ve fallen away in a way and you’ve gone into apostasy, and you need to come back, and you need to be encouraged and you want others to encourage others. You need the prayers of brethren, we’re glad to pray with you and pray for you. God will restore you.

If you’re subject to that invitation. If you are, then why not come right now, while together we stand while we sing.