Program #L10—“What Must I Do To Inherit Eternal Life? (Cont’d)”
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Radio Show Transcript, ©
2001, Persuade The World Ministries, Gordon James Klingenschmitt,
Servant. Copying and distribution (without editing) is
highly encouraged.
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<Many more transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>
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Opening introduction by
Mark McWilliams…
Welcome and thank you for
joining this radio broadcast of Persuade The World Ministries.
You’re about to hear our radio production of the book
written and taught by Gordon James Klingenschmitt, entitled
“License To Sin, The Number One Reason America Is Losing Its
Moral Foundation.” If you call us in the next hour,
we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’s
broadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. Just
call our toll-free phone number: 866-Obey-God. That’s
toll free, 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D. Gordon James Klingenschmitt
is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and a
seminary graduate of Regent University, holding both M.B.A. and
Master of Divinity degrees. He’s also the founder and
servant of Persuade The World Ministries, a 501(c3) tax-exempt
religious non-profit corporation in Colorado Springs, dedicated
to persuading individuals in America and throughout the world to
forsake their sins and submit their hearts and minds to the
loving rulership of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And now with
today’s teaching, here is Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
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(Start) Thanks Mark. Today we’re going to continue our previous teaching, entitled, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Now if there’s one question you really have to figure out before you die, it’s this one: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Well, if there’s one person in all history who can answer that question, it’s Jesus Christ.
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” I want you to read this for yourself, in Luke chapter 10. This is what I call Luke 10 soteriology, or salvation theology according to Jesus.
Now listen carefully.
The man asked Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied.
“How do you read it?”
The man answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do
this and you will live.” [1]
Oh my. Did you hear
what Jesus said? Love God and love your neighbor. Do
this and you’ll inherit eternal life! Now it’s
true that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sins, but
according to Luke chapter 10, if you don’t love God and love
your neighbor, then what Jesus did on the cross doesn’t
apply to you! This is the law of Christ. Love God and
love your neighbor. Do this and you will live.
(Higher) So are you saying,” asks Johnny Lukewarm,
“that if I don’t love God with all my heart and love my
neighbor as myself, then I’m going to hell?” What
if it were true, Johnny, would it change your behavior? The
Bible says this: through love and faithfulness sin is
atoned for…[2] and We know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love
remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.[3] And the
Bible also says, everyone who loves has been born of God and
knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God.[4]
So
if Jesus said in Luke 10 that you have to love God and love your
neighbor to be saved, then we’ve got to ask: who’s God
going to condemn to hell?
Before we try to answer that question let me say again that I am
not any man’s judge. I don’t have authority over
you. I am your equal, your peer, a member of your
generation, and I am not your judge. But I am called to be
a messenger sent from the One who will judge you someday soon.
And here is God’s message to you: Love God and love your
neighbor. Do this and you will live.
Did you know people who get
drunk, and people who eat like gluttons, are going to hell?
The Bible says, Do not be
deceived: …drunkards…will not inherit the kingdom of
God.[5]
“But there’s nothing wrong with eating good food,”
says Johnny Lukewarm. “Food was made for the stomach, and
the stomach was made for food.” Yes, that’s true.
But God will destroy them both.[9] America leads the world
in food production, but instead of feeding poor people in
starving third world nations, we glutton ourselves into obesity.
Americans eat and eat and eat as if food was their god, because
they love sensual tastes more than they love God. We sing “Let
us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” [10] Now
can you enjoy gluttony, and call yourself a Christian at the same
time? Or does your gluttony make you an enemy of the cross?
The Bible says many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach.[11]
Some of you listening are so
proud and insecure you can’t even examine your own heart to
forsake your sins. Do you search your heart and confess
your sins, or do you pretend your sins don’t exist? When
you say your prayers, do you say, ‘God, I thank you that
I am not a sinner like other men. Or do you pray
‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’[15]
You
know, If you confess your sins to God, He’ll forgive you and
cleanse you from all unrighteousness. But if you’re
too proud to confess your sins, or you claim to be without sin,
you deceive yourself. Can any man go to heaven without
being humble enough to confess his sins and repent to God? Don’t
be proud, be humble.
Did you know those who
practice magic arts or pray to false gods will spend eternity in
hell? Now many Americans play with
horoscopes, Ouija boards, tarot cards, crystals, Dungeons and
Dragons, they listen to fortune tellers, psychics, conjure up the
dead, talk with spirit guides and demons, cast spells, practice
telekinesis, mind-reading, white witchcraft or black witchcraft,
they’re both condemned in the Bible, Satanism, Mormon or
Masonic cult rituals, occult practices, sacrifices, saying
prayers to false gods, praying to angels, praying to saints,
praying to anybody except Almighty God through his son Jesus
Christ [16], bowing down to idols and
images of Ancestral gods, Animist gods, Buddhist, Confucian,
Hindu, Martial Art gods, Shinto, Taoist, Tribal, Zoroastrian
gods, etc. etc. Many Americans do these things.
Now, do them or don’t do them. That’s up to you.
Just don’t hope to be saved from hell while you do these
things. The Bible says Those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters…their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur.[17] The Bible says Let no one be found among
you…who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens,
engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist
or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is
detestable to the LORD. [18] If you
have occultic materials, like books, music, artwork, figurines,
or whatever, destroy them immediately, no matter how much you
paid for them. In the book of Acts, people who practiced
sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to
over 3 million dollars in today’s wages.[19] So
have a public bonfire and destroy your occultic materials. Otherwise,
you’ll be disinherited from God’s kingdom. The
Bible says, idolatry and witchcraft…I warn you…those
who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.[20]
Did you know thieves and
swindlers will spend eternity in hell? You might think a
thief is somebody like a bank-robber or a burglar, but how many
times have you cheated on your taxes or failed to pay your debts?
You know only 5 percent of all Americans pay a tithe (a tenth) of
their gross income to a religious center,[21] in
accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.[22] So
95 percent of all Americans are thieves who rob God, by refusing
to pay their tithes and offerings. But the God of the Bible
asks, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask,
‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.
You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because
you are robbing me...” says the LORD Almighty.[23]
Do
you claim to love God while you steal from God, spending
God’s tithe money on your selfish pleasures? The Wall
Street Journal reports that middle-class Americans spend eight
times as much on leisure pursuits as they do in giving to
charity.[24] Do you love pleasure eight times more than you
love God? Look around at your possessions. How many
of your toys were paid for with money that you stole from God?
Sell them all and give that money back to God.
(Higher) “Hold on a minute,” says Johnny Lukewarm.
“Are you saying that if I don’t pay my tithes, then
I’m robbing God and I’m going to hell?” While
the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 6, neither
thieves…nor swindlers…will inherit the kingdom of God,[25] I’ll
just say this: Love God and love your neighbor. Do this
and you will live. Think about that for a moment,
while we take this short break.
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Middle segment by Mark
McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon. He’ll be back in just a moment. But first, do you know somebody who needs to hear today’s message? If you call our toll-free number in the next hour, 866-Obey-God, we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’s broadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. All our tapes are copyable and free, but please remember we need your donations to stay on the air and to give away these free tapes. So please pray and obey, then send us your best possible donation, after you receive your free cassette. (Gordon: Hey time out! If it’s your first time calling us, no donation is required! Just call us!) Our toll free number 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’s Club with a monthly pledge of just $15. If you join the Persuader’s Club, we’ll also send you an autographed copy of Gordon’s book that you’ve been hearing. Just visit our web-site at persuaders-club.com. Or call us in the next hour at 866-Obey-God. Right now, let’s return to Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
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A Rutgers University study found that 71 percent of all American
college students admit to cheating on tests, exams, papers, and
other graded materials.[26] In other words, 71 percent of you college
students out there lie to your professors, representing somebody
else’s work to be your own, trying to get a higher grade
than you deserve. Then you lie a second time by taking your
inflated GPA into a job interview and telling your employer that
you’re smarter than you really are. Then when you get
hired, you steal a job away from somebody who didn’t
cheat, who also applied for that job, and then for the rest of
your life you steal a bigger paycheck than you deserve
from your company. If you cheat in college, it makes you a
liar and a thief for the rest of your life. And if you call
yourself a Christian, that makes you a liar yet again. The
Bible says, if we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk
in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.[27]
“Are you saying” asks Johnny Lukewarm, “that if I
tell a little white lie, or cheat on a quiz, God will hate me and
cast me into eternal fire?” Well, the Bible says, the
LORD hates...a lying tongue.[28] And in
Revelation 21, it says all liars— their place will be in
the fiery lake of burning sulfur.[29]
Did you know that slanderers
will spend eternity in hell?
Some people wonder what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said,“Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”[30] Now
if you think you’ve blasphemed the Holy Spirit and
you’ll never be forgiven, don’t worry. If
you’re still breathing, it’s not too late to repent for
whatever you think you’ve done.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is when you say to him,
“you’re not the Holy Spirit, you’re an evil
spirit.”[31] In other words, you hear the voice of the Holy
Spirit calling you to repent, but by refusing to repent, you
state with your actions that repenting is evil, and delaying
repentance is good. Woe to those who call evil good and
good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who
put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.[32] When
you resist the Holy Spirit, you’re saying with your actions,
“you are an evil spirit.” You grieve Him away,
and he may never return to convict you again. And if you
die while resisting repentance, or calling Him evil with your
actions, then you are guilty of an eternal sin which can
never be forgiven. But while you’re still alive, you
can repent, no matter what you’ve done. When the Holy
Spirit convicts you, and you repent, your repentance says to the
Holy Spirit, “you are a good spirit.” This brings
great honor to Him, and your sins are forgiven. You know,
there’s only one unforgivable sin, and that’s not
repenting before you die. The only sins that can send
you to hell are the ones you don’t forsake. So
whatever you do, don’t die with unconfessed sin in your
life. Confess all your sins to God now, while you’re
still breathing, and forsake all your known sins before you die.
People who gossip, rumor mongers, back-biters, and people who
can’t control their tongue have slandered God’s
prophets and teachers throughout history. People even
slandered Jesus, and some of you listening may want to slander me
and slander these teachings. It doesn’t hurt my
feelings, because I’m only trying to please God, not win a
popularity contest. But if you want to slander my
teachings, you’d better make sure my teachings aren’t
even just a little bit inspired by the Holy Spirit. Everyone
who slanders me will be forgiven,[33] but
whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be
forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.[34] The
Bible says slanderers will not inherit the kingdom of God.[35]
Did you know that unbelievers
and cowards will spend eternity in hell? Do you have the
courage required for salvation? Are you brave enough to
repent, and wholeheartedly submit to God’s rulership? Or
are you a coward? Are you afraid to love God with all your
heart? The Bible says, the cowardly, the
unbelieving… their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur.[36]
Now some of you might ask if I’m guilty of these sins. Oh, how I am guilty. With my own voice, right here before the entire world, I, Gordon James Klingenschmitt, confess to you, before Jesus came to rule my heart I was a slave to lust, drunkenness, pride, greed, anger, unforgiveness, and the list grows longer than this radio program. God, I plead with you, have mercy on me, a sinner.
But
then, because of God’s gracious influence on my heart, I
repented and confessed my known sins to God. And he gave me
a new new heart, and he cleansed my conscience, and Jesus moved
in and took over my life, and He is able to keep me from falling
into sin, and he’s forgiven me and granted me eternal life.
But if I hadn’t repented of my sins, and invited Him to come
and rule my heart, I too would be spending eternity in hell.
(Higher)
“But if all those people you listed are going to hell,”
asks Johnny Lukewarm, “then how can anybody be saved?”
They asked Jesus that same question: the
disciples…were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then
can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible.” [39]
Don’t be afraid, Johnny Lukewarm, if you’re out there
listening. When you invite God to come and rule your heart,
He will. God will come and rule your heart, but you’ve
got to invite Him to do it. Love God with all your heart,
love your neighbor as yourself. Change the priorities of
your heart, and God will do the rest.
“Oh,
I already love God,” says Johnny Lukewarm, “I just
don’t want to obey His commands.” No, Johnny
Lukewarm, if you’re out there listening, you don’t love
God. This is love for God: to obey his commands.[40] Jesus said, If you love me, you will obey what I
command…Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the
one who loves me…If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching…He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
[41] Do you claim to love God, but you don’t want
to obey God’s commands? Invite God to come rule your
heart. Love God wholeheartedly, and love your neighbor as
yourself. Do this and you will live.
“Are you saying” asks Johnny Lukewarm, “that if I
don’t love God with all my heart, and love my neighbor as
myself, then I’m going to hell?”
Yes, Johnny, that’s exactly what I’m saying.
Now
before we pray, I want to encourage everybody listening:
don’t think that other people’s sins are worse than
your own. The sins I have committed, and the sins you have
committed, are just as bad as the sins we’ve mentioned
today. And apart from God’s mercy, none of us deserves to go
to heaven.
But
Jesus died on the cross to forgive all of our sins, if we’ll
just turn to him and repent and change our hearts. Love God
with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Do
this, and no matter what you’ve done, God will forgive you
and give you eternal life. Let’s look to Jesus
together, and pray for his forgiveness. Would you pray
these words with me to God? Wherever you are, just stop
what you’re doing for a moment and pray with me to God.
“Father in heaven,
I’m so sorry for my sins. I confess all my sins to you
right now. I confess drunkenness, and gluttony. I’m
sorry for eating and drinking to excess. I confess envy and
jealousy. I’ve pursued materialistic, selfish things.
I confess pride. I’ve never humbled myself to you and
confessed my sins to you. God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
I confess participating in magic arts and consulting psychics,
and praying to false gods and participating in occultic rituals.
I forsake these sins, God. I confess that I have stolen
from you, God, by not paying my tithes and not giving to the
poor. I confess lying and cheating, God, and I’ll
never lie or cheat again. I’ll even go back and
apologize to those I’ve lied to and cheated. I confess
that I have slandered people who teach the Bible, and made them
ineffective by mocking them. I confess the sin of unbelief,
God, that I’ve not submitted my heart and mind to your
truth. I’ve been a coward, Lord, and I’ve been
afraid to love you with all my heart. But right now, I
repent. I turn away from all my known sins. I choose
to love God with all my heart, and to love my neighbor as myself.
I ask you to forgive me for my sins, Lord Jesus. I trust in
your atoning sacrifice on the cross, and right now, and I invite
you to come and rule my heart forever. In your name I pray,
Amen.”
Did you just pray with me? If you prayed with me, would you
say Amen? Go ahead, say it out loud. Amen, Lord
Jesus. Some of you are receiving a physical healing in your
bodies right now, as God’s forgiveness takes over in your
heart. But if you said Amen just now, I hope you’ll
write to us and get a copy of this book you’re hearing me
teach from. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to
have this book read and endorsed by people like C. Peter Wagner,
and professors Tony Campolo and Jon Mark Ruthven, Pastors Ted
Haggard and Floyd McClung, and Joy Dawson and Bill Hamon. So
you know it’s trustworthy. In our book and in our
future broadcasts, we’ll answer the questions you may have
about faith versus works or eternal security, and you’ll
hear more theological adventures of Johnny Lukewarm and Pastor
Loophole. So I hope you’ll write us and tune in next
time. Now I love you, and I care about you. So
here’s Mark with more information.
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Closing trailer by Mark
McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon, and thanks
everybody for listening. Do you know somebody who needs to hear
today’s message? If you call our toll-free number in
the next hour, 866-Obey-God, we’ll mail you a free cassette
tape of today’s broadcast, which you can copy and give to
your friends. All our tapes are copyable and free, but please
remember that we need your donations to stay on the air and to
give away these free tapes. So please pray and obey God
about how much these teachings are worth to you, and return to us
your best possible gift after you receive your free cassette.
(Gordon: Hey time out! If it’s your first time
contacting us, no donation is required! Just call us!)
Our toll free number is 866-Obey-God, that’s 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D,
and please specify you’re requesting today’s program.
Now do you believe
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<Many more transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>
[1] Luke 10:25-28 (NIV)
[2] Prov 16:6 (NIV)
[3] 1 John 3:14-15 (NIV)
[4] 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)
[5] 1 Cor 6:9-10 (NIV)
[6] Eph 5:18 (NIV)
[7] Isa 5:22 (NIV)
[8] Gal 5:19-21 (NIV)
[9] 1 Cor 6:13 (NIV)
[10] 1 Cor 15:32 (NIV)
[11] Phil 3:18-19 (NIV)
[12] Gal 5:19-21 (NIV)
[13] Prov 16:5 (NIV)
[14] Gal 5:19-21 (NIV)
[15] Luke 18:10-14 (NIV)
[16] See 1 Tim 2:5
[17] Rev 21:8 (NIV)
[18] Deut 18:10-12 (NIV)
[19] Acts 19:19 (NIV)
[20] Gal 5:19-21 (NIV)
[21] Barna, Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators, p. 111.
[22] See Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42
[23] Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
[24] Those who earn between $50,000 and $75,000 per year give an average of 1.5% to charity, religious or otherwise, and spend 12% on leisure pursuits. William D. Hendricks, “What’s Wrong with This Picture?” Wall Street Journal, 6 Aug 91
[25] 1 Cor 6:9-10 (NIV)
[26] Study cited by The American Times television news program, broadcast 29 Apr 96.
[27] I John 1:6 (NIV)
[28] Prov 6:16-17 (NIV)
[29] Rev 21:8 (NIV)
[30] Mark 3:29 (NIV)
[31] Mark 3:30 (NIV)
[32] Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)
[33] Luke 12:10 (NIV)
[34] Mark 3:29 (NIV)
[35] 1 Cor 6:9-10 (NIV)
[36] Rev 21:8 (NIV)
[37] Isa 55:9 (NIV)
[38] Ps 119:159-160 (NIV)
[39] Matt 19:25-26 (NIV)
[40] 1 John 5:3 (NIV)
[41] John 14:15-24 (NIV)