Program#L17—“God’s Word To Pastor and Johnny/The SecretTo Consistent Holiness”
------------------------
Radio Show Transcript, © 2001, Persuade TheWorld Ministries, Gordon James Klingenschmitt, Servant. Copyingand distribution (without editing) is highly encouraged.
-------------------------
<Manymore transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>
-------------------------
Opening introduction by MarkMcWilliams…
Welcome and thank you for joining this radiobroadcast of Persuade The World Ministries. You’reabout to hear our radio production of the book written and taughtby Gordon James Klingenschmitt, entitled “License To Sin,The Number One Reason America Is Losing Its MoralFoundation.” If you call us in the next hour,we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’sbroadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. Justcall our toll-free phone number: 866-Obey-God. That’stoll free, 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D. Gordon JamesKlingenschmitt is a graduate of the United States Air ForceAcademy, and a seminary graduate of Regent University, holdingboth M.B.A. and Master of Divinity degrees. He’s alsothe founder and servant of Persuade The World Ministries, a501(c3) tax-exempt religious non-profit corporation in ColoradoSprings, dedicated to persuading individuals in America andthroughout the world to forsake their sins and submit theirhearts and minds to the loving rulership of our Lord, JesusChrist. And now with today’s teaching, here is GordonJames Klingenschmitt.
-------------------------------
ThanksMark. Today we’re going to reveal the secret toconsistent holiness. But before we do that, let’sbring some conclusion to the theological adventures of JohnnyLukewarm and Pastor Loophole. For the past severalbroadcasts, we’ve heard all the loopholes in Americantheology, telling us everything our itching ears want to hear,and giving us every possible excuse to keep on enjoying our sins. We learned that God’s mercy doesn’t apply to theunrepentant, and that God only forgives those sins we forsake,not the ones we continue to enjoy. And we learned that Godis love, but He’s also a God of justice and wrath towardthose who refuse to be holy. And we discussed the authorityof God’s truth. You can disagree with me, and I candisagree with you, but neither one of us has permission todisagree with God. We also learned the real meaning of theword grace—it’s not a license to sin as much as youplease, and still go to heaven. Grace doesn’t meantolerance of sin; grace means divine influence, and it’swhen God causes you to change your heart and be holy. Realgrace sets you free from your deadly sins, by truthful persuasionof your will. We also learned that faith doesn’t meanyou just believe you’re forgiven. No, real faith iswhen you submit your heart to the Lordship of Christ. Andsubmission to His rulership, and holiness, and love are requiredelements of genuine, saving faith. Without faith, it isimpossible to please God, but without holiness, no one will seethe Lord. We talked about the importance of good works, notthat they save you, but they prove whether or not your heart hasreally changed. And we talked about legalism versuslawlessness, and we renounced both legalism and lawlessness, bycommitting ourselves to God’s law of love. In fact, weread in Luke 10 that we must obey the laws of Christ to be saved: we must love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors atleast as much as we love ourselves. Jesus said in Luke 10,Love God and love your neighbor. Do this and you willinherit eternal life. Then we heard all the lies PastorLoophole preaches, telling people how holiness is optional, andyou can go to heaven without holiness. But that’s alie. The Bible says, without holiness, no one will see theLord. And we prayed together, and we dedicated our heartsto serving God. Wasn’t that a great series? Ifyou missed it, you need to write us and get those tapes.
Youknow, false prophets and false teachers like Pastor Loophole, areeasy to recognize, because they make holiness optional. Youmight even hear some on the radio, and see them preaching in yourown church, but don’t believe ‘em.
Falseteachers tell people, “you’re saved, you’resaved,” when their followers really aren’t saved,because they’ve never been saved from their sins. Theysay, “don’t worry about holiness, you’re going toheaven” but many of their listeners will be shocked on theday of judgment, when Jesus says, “I never knew you. Awayfrom me, you evildoers!”
You can always recognize a false prophet, because he says,“Peace with God, Peace with God,” when God himselfrefuses to grant peace. False teachers liberally preachforgiveness to anyone who will “Just receive it!” The crowds gather around, as he throws rose petals from hisbasket, telling them everything their itching ears want to hear. But there is no peace with God. God is not fooled. Godrebuked these liberal preachers long ago in Jeremiah 8, which isGod’s Word to America Today.
Say tothem, “This is what the LORD says:
When menfall down, do they not get up?
When a manturns away, does he not return?
Why thenhave these people turned away?
Why does[America] always turn away?
They clingto deceit; they refuse to return.
I havelistened attentively,
but they donot say what is right.
No onerepents of his wickedness, saying,
‘Whathave I done?’
Eachpursues his own course
like ahorse charging into battle.
Even thestork in the sky
knows herappointed seasons,
and thedove, the swift and the thrush
observe thetime of their migration.
But mypeople do not know the requirements of the LORD.
How can yousay,
‘Weare wise, for we have the [word] of the LORD,’
whenactually the lying pen of their [pastors]
has handledit falsely?
The wisewill be put to shame;
they willbe dismayed and trapped.
Since theyhave rejected the word of the LORD,
what kindof wisdom do they have?
Therefore Iwill give their wives to other men
and theirfields to new owners.
From theleast to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets andpriests alike, all practice deceit.
They dressthe wound of my people
as thoughit were not serious.
‘Peace,peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.
Are theyashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, theyhave no shame at all;
they do noteven know how to blush.
So theywill fall among the fallen;
they willbe brought down when they are punished,
says theLORD.
Pastor Loophole, if you’re listening out there, God hasgiven me a prophetic word for you. Hear the Word of theLord, “I have offered your people a beautiful goldentreasure, but you have hidden that treasure in your basement andgiven them a scorpion. I offer repentance, and My rulershipin their hearts, and holiness, but you’ve cast aside thesetreasures, and gave them a false gospel of forgiveness, whenthey’ve never repented of their sins. You change MyGrace into a license for immorality.
You havecompassion, and this is good. But you pass along the liesof the false teachers who taught you. Don’t justifypeople while they continue to sin. You’re not doingthem any favors. You have replaced My requirements with ashallow gospel. But your version of the gospel, void of anyrequirement for repentance, will not save them. Yourexcuses and loopholes do not make them right with Me, and theirsin is not hidden from Me, just because you pretend they’reforgiven.
Not only do you excuse My children from obedience to My laws, butyour excuses cause them to sin. Your teaching does nothingto increase My Law of Love in their hearts, rather your loopholesonly promote selfishness and lawlessness. You deceivelittle children and cause them to reject My authority. ButMy Son said, “If anyone causes one of these little oneswho believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have alarge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in thedepths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the thingsthat cause people to sin!....Woe to the man through whom theycome!”
There isonly one way to be justified: Repent. Obey My laws oflove, and persevere in holiness to the end. Only then willthe cross atone for your sins. Tell My children the truth. Erase the deception from their minds. Demand they forsaketheir sins, immediately. Demand they follow Christ with alltheir heart. Tell them, without holiness, no one will seethe Lord. Speak the truth in love, and set them free fromtheir deadly sins! Do it now, before it’s too late,and they are deceived into hell. Surely their blood will beon your hands if you keep silent for one more day.”
Johnny Lukewarm, if you’re out there listening, God hasgiven me a prophetic word for you. Hear the word of theLord, “My son, I love you deeply, and my heart breaks overthe lies you’ve been told, that holiness is optional, andyou can still go to heaven without it. But haven’t youenjoyed those lies, and sought them out? Didn’t youritching ears seek out those lies, and eagerly search for anyexcuse to avoid letting Me rule your heart? The sins youdesire have caused your love toward Me to grow cold, and yoursins are destroying the intimacy of our relationship. Iknow your deeds. They are neither hot nor cold. Andbecause you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of mymouth. You think you are rich, but you are blind, naked,pitiful, poor, and wretched. So I plead with you, to buyfrom me eye salve, so you can see.
“I love you deeply. Please don’t fool yourself. Don’t look for loopholes, and don’t trust anybody whooffers them. You have only one option: invite Me tocome and rule every part of your heart. You’ve beenhearing many voices, giving you excuse after excuse, to keep onsinning. But don’t buy their excuses. Run faraway from those liars. They’ll cause you to sin. Your sin will make you lukewarm. Your sin will cause you todie. Don’t let yourself die. Use every ounce ofstrength you have to stay alive. Fast and pray. Fervently,and voluntarily change the innermost desires of your heart. Love Me with a white-hot fervency that can never be chilled bythe lies of the devil. And you’ll live more abundantlythan you have ever known before. Listen to my words. Ioffer you a trade. Give up your sins, and I will give youeternal life.”
Takejust a moment here, to respond to the Lord in your own heart.
OK, nowlets take a short break, and hear from Mark.
-------------------------
Middle segment by Mark McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon. He’ll be back in just a moment. But first, do you knowsomebody who needs to hear today’s message? If youcall our toll-free number in the next hour, 866-Obey-God,we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’sbroadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. Allour tapes are copyable and free, but please remember we need yourdonations to stay on the air and to give away these free tapes. So please pray and obey, then send us your best possibledonation, after you receive your free cassette. (Gordon: Hey time out! If it’s your first time calling us, nodonation is required! Just call us!) Our toll freenumber is 866-Obey-God, that’s 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D. And please specify you’re requesting today’s program. Do you believe America needs to hear these messages? If so,then we need you to sponsor us, by joining the Persuader’sClub with a monthly pledge of just $15. If you join thePersuader’s Club, we’ll also send you an autographedcopy of Gordon’s book that you’ve been hearing. Justvisit our web-site at persuaders-club.com. Or call us inthe next hour at 866-Obey-God. Right now, let’s returnto Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
-------------------------
Thanksagain Mark. Now we’re finally about to reveal thesecret of consistent holiness. Now some of you havestruggled and struggled with besetting sins, and you can’tfigure out how to live in consistent holiness. “But Ijust keep failing,” you say. “It is too difficultto be holy. I have tried to repent, again and again, yet Ifall and fall and fall.” OK, so let me ask you aquestion. What are you going to do now? Are you justgonna give up, and quit trying, and wallow around in your sins? Do you think, just because you haven’t found the secret toconsistent holiness, that there is no secret, it just can’tbe done?
If that’s you, you’re probably wondering, what is thesecret? How can I be holy consistently? Now before Ianswer, you’ve got to want it. Say this out loud withme: “God, reveal in my heart the secret of consistentholiness. I will pursue you until you show it to me, and Iwon’t quit until I’m consistently holy.”
Now, if you’re determined to be holy consistently, let metell you, you’ve just declared war. You just entered abattle with the devil, that the devil is determined to win. If you’ve determined in your heart to be holy, justrecognize that the devil is going to multiply his efforts, and doeverything in his power to stop you. You may facetemptation after temptation as the enemy tries to bring you down. You may suddenly be tempted by sins you’ve never evenconsidered before. And you may even fall a few times. But don’t quit. To quit is to die. Repentquickly, get back up, and run to the finish with all yourstrength. Though a righteous man falls seven times, he getsup again. If you keep getting up and you don’t quit,but you persevere to the end, your master awaits you at thefinish line, with open arms, and he’ll say to you: “Welldone, good and faithful servant.”
Now how canyou be holy consistently? How can you love God ferventlyand without wavering? How can you love your neighborwithout subsiding? What’s the secret to consistentlove, or consistent holiness? Alright, here’s theanswer:
Think about the people you love—your family, your friends,your children. What makes you love them? Now thinkabout all the sins you’ve loved. Why did you lovemoney, sensuality, selfishness? What makes us creatureslove anything? Here’s the answer—you love what islovely to you. If you love somebody or something, it’sbecause you see them as wonderful and lovable. So if youdon’t love God, you’ve never realized how lovely Heis—you just don’t know Him. The Bible says, Whoeverdoes not love does not know God.
Knowing Godis the only answer. If you know Him intimately, you’llautomatically fall in love with Him. When you recognize Histremendous loveliness, He becomes irresistibly attractive to yourheart. It’s like your first crush. You’lltrip over yourself, running to bless Him and please Him. Hebecomes so lovely to you, your head will spin, and you fall madlyin love with Him.
Again,knowing God makes it easy to love God. Jesus said, Nowthis is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Again, whenyou realize how lovely He is, and how He first loved us,you’ll fall head over heels in love with Him. TheBible says, We love because he first loved us.
Again, knowing God makes us love God. It’s a simplecause and effect—it’s automatic. Everyone wholoves has been born of God and knows God.
Beside theBible, and Charles Finney’s, Lectures on Revival,(which is mandatory if you don’t have Lectures on Revival),I found one book to be particularly helpful in knowing JesusChrist: It’s Charles Finney’s Principles ofUnion with Christ, from Bethany House Publishers.
It ishighly recommended reading, and my personal thanks go to ReverendLouis Parkhurst and Bethany House Publishers for presentingFinney’s work in many areas. Now for the rest of thisbroadcast, and into our next broadcast, we’re going to take30 scriptures listed in that book, Principles of Union withChrist, and we’re going to meditate on the character ofChrist. As we meditate on the character of Christ, Ipromise you’ll fall in love with Him, and consistentholiness will be automatic. Let’s pray, and invite theHoly Spirit to reveal Jesus the Savior to our hearts. Jesussaid, “The Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father,he will testify about me.”
So HolySpirit, reveal in our hearts just who is Jesus Christ, so we canknow Him intimately.
1. Everybody say, Jesus is my King. The Bible says, Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace inheaven and glory in the highest!
2. Everybody say, Jesus is my Savior. The Bible says, Shewill give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.
3. Everybody say, Jesus is my God. For to us a child isborn, to us a son is given, and the government will be on hisshoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of theincrease of his government and peace there will be no end.
4. Everybody say, Jesus is my Wonderful Counselor: We have acounselor! His sheep know His voice and they follow Him. And His counsel is wise, trustworthy, and saves us from terribleerrors—in our parenting and marriages and in our careers. We have a counselor who gives us wisdom and puts us on the pathto success.
5. Everybody say, Jesus is my Prince of Peace: Jesus said, PeaceI leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to youas the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled anddo not be afraid.
6. Everybody say, Jesus is the Captain of my Salvation: TheBible says, In bringing many sons to glory, it was fittingthat God, for whom and through whom everything exists, shouldmake the [captain] of their salvation perfect through suffering.
7. Everybody say, Jesus is Head Over All. The Bible says, AndGod placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be headover everything for the church, which is his body, the fullnessof him who fills everything in every way.
8. Everybody say, Jesus is my Teacher. The Bible says, WhenJesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed athis teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and notas their teachers of the law.
9. Everybody say, Jesus is my Friend. The Bible says, Greaterlove has no one than this, that one lay down his life for hisfriends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not knowhis master’s business. Instead, I have called youfriends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have madeknown to you.
10. Everybody say, Jesus is my Brother. Jesus said to them,‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go toGalilee; there they will see me.’
11. Everybody say, Jesus is my Husband: The Bible says, I amjealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you toone husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a purevirgin to him.
12. Everybody say, Jesus is the Bread and Water of Life: Jesussaid, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me willnever go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Nowwe’re out of time for today, but in our next broadcastwe’re going to continue with 18 more of these. Isn’tthis wonderful? I can already feel my heart falling in lovewith Him, and when that happens, consistent holiness becomeseasy, because you’re falling in love. Who needs sin,when we can know the Lord Jesus Christ, and love Him! Now Ihope you’ll write to us, and get a copy of this bookyou’re hearing me teach from. And remember to tune innext time. Now I love you, and I care about you. Sohere’s Mark with more information.
-----------------------
Closing trailer by Mark McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon,and thanks everybody for listening. Do you know somebody whoneeds to hear today’s message? If you call ourtoll-free number in the next hour, 866-Obey-God, we’ll mailyou a free cassette tape of today’s broadcast, which you cancopy and give to your friends. All our tapes are copyable andfree, but please remember that we need your donations to stay onthe air and to give away these free tapes. So please prayand obey God about how much these teachings are worth to you, andreturn to us your best possible gift after you receive your freecassette. (Gordon: Hey time out! If it’syour first time contacting us, no donation is required! Justcall us!) Our toll free number is 866-Obey-God, that’s1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D, and please specify you’rerequesting today’s program. Now do you believe
--------------------
<Manymore transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>