Program #L17—“God’s Word To Pastor and Johnny/The Secret To Consistent Holiness”
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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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Thanks
Mark. Today we’re going to reveal the secret to
consistent holiness. But before we do that, let’s
bring some conclusion to the theological adventures of Johnny
Lukewarm and Pastor Loophole. For the past several
broadcasts, we’ve heard all the loopholes in American
theology, 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 the
unrepentant, and that God only forgives those sins we forsake,
not the ones we continue to enjoy. And we learned that God
is love, but He’s also a God of justice and wrath toward
those who refuse to be holy. And we discussed the authority
of God’s truth. You can disagree with me, and I can
disagree with you, but neither one of us has permission to
disagree with God. We also learned the real meaning of the
word grace—it’s not a license to sin as much as you
please, and still go to heaven. Grace doesn’t mean
tolerance of sin; grace means divine influence, and it’s
when God causes you to change your heart and be holy. Real
grace sets you free from your deadly sins, by truthful persuasion
of your will. We also learned that faith doesn’t mean
you just believe you’re forgiven. No, real faith is
when you submit your heart to the Lordship of Christ. And
submission to His rulership, and holiness, and love are required
elements of genuine, saving faith. Without faith, it is
impossible to please God, but without holiness, no one will see
the Lord. We talked about the importance of good works, not
that they save you, but they prove whether or not your heart has
really changed. And we talked about legalism versus
lawlessness, and we renounced both legalism and lawlessness, by
committing ourselves to God’s law of love. In fact, we
read 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 at
least as much as we love ourselves. Jesus said in Luke 10,
Love God and love your neighbor. Do this and you will
inherit eternal life. Then we heard all the lies Pastor
Loophole preaches, telling people how holiness is optional, and
you can go to heaven without holiness. But that’s a
lie. The Bible says, without holiness, no one will see the
Lord. And we prayed together, and we dedicated our hearts
to serving God. Wasn’t that a great series? If
you missed it, you need to write us and get those tapes.
You
know, false prophets and false teachers like Pastor Loophole, are
easy to recognize, because they make holiness optional. You
might even hear some on the radio, and see them preaching in your
own church, but don’t believe ‘em.
False
teachers tell people, “you’re saved, you’re
saved,” when their followers really aren’t saved,
because they’ve never been saved from their sins. They
say, “don’t worry about holiness, you’re going to
heaven” but many of their listeners will be shocked on the
day of judgment, when Jesus says, “I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!”[1] They say, “the
cross atones for your sins, even while you continue to enjoy
those sins!” while their followers make a mockery of the
cross with their sinful actions. They say,
“you’re forgiven,” while God refuses to forgive
until you repent. They say, “God will have mercy on
you,” when God says, “without holiness, no one will see
the Lord.”
You can always recognize a false prophet, because he says,
“Peace with God, Peace with God,” when God himself
refuses to grant peace. False teachers liberally preach
forgiveness to anyone who will “Just receive it!”
The crowds gather around, as he throws rose petals from his
basket, telling them everything their itching ears want to hear.
But there is no peace with God. God is not fooled. God
rebuked these liberal preachers long ago in Jeremiah 8, which is
God’s Word to America Today.
Say to
them, “This is what the LORD says:
When men
fall down, do they not get up?
When a man
turns away, does he not return?
Why then
have these people turned away?
Why does
[America] always turn away?
They cling
to deceit; they refuse to return.
I have
listened attentively,
but they do
not say what is right.
No one
repents of his wickedness, saying,
‘What
have I done?’
Each
pursues his own course
like a
horse charging into battle.
Even the
stork in the sky
knows her
appointed seasons,
and the
dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the
time of their migration.
But my
people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
How can you
say,
‘We
are wise, for we have the [word] of the LORD,’
when
actually the lying pen of their [pastors]
has handled
it falsely?
The wise
will be put to shame;
they will
be dismayed and trapped.
Since they
have rejected the word of the LORD,
what kind
of wisdom do they have?
Therefore I
will give their wives to other men
and their
fields to new owners.
From the
least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and
priests alike, all practice deceit.
They dress
the wound of my people
as though
it were not serious.
‘Peace,
peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.
Are they
ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they
have no shame at all;
they do not
even know how to blush.
So they
will fall among the fallen;
they will
be brought down when they are punished,
says the
LORD.
Pastor Loophole, if you’re listening out there, God has
given me a prophetic word for you. Hear the Word of the
Lord, “I have offered your people a beautiful golden
treasure, but you have hidden that treasure in your basement and
given them a scorpion. I offer repentance, and My rulership
in their hearts, and holiness, but you’ve cast aside these
treasures, and gave them a false gospel of forgiveness, when
they’ve never repented of their sins. You change My
Grace into a license for immorality.
You have
compassion, and this is good. But you pass along the lies
of the false teachers who taught you. Don’t justify
people while they continue to sin. You’re not doing
them any favors. You have replaced My requirements with a
shallow gospel. But your version of the gospel, void of any
requirement for repentance, will not save them. Your
excuses and loopholes do not make them right with Me, and their
sin is not hidden from Me, just because you pretend they’re
forgiven.
Not only do you excuse My children from obedience to My laws, but
your excuses cause them to sin. Your teaching does nothing
to increase My Law of Love in their hearts, rather your loopholes
only promote selfishness and lawlessness. You deceive
little children and cause them to reject My authority. But
My Son said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones
who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a
large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the
depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things
that cause people to sin!....Woe to the man through whom they
come!”[2] Woe to you, if you
teach them that holiness is optional, and they can still go to
heaven without holiness.
There is
only one way to be justified: Repent. Obey My laws of
love, and persevere in holiness to the end. Only then will
the cross atone for your sins. Tell My children the truth.
Erase the deception from their minds. Demand they forsake
their sins, immediately. Demand they follow Christ with all
their heart. Tell them, without holiness, no one will see
the Lord. Speak the truth in love, and set them free from
their deadly sins! Do it now, before it’s too late,
and they are deceived into hell. Surely their blood will be
on your hands if you keep silent for one more day.”
Johnny Lukewarm, if you’re out there listening, God has
given me a prophetic word for you. Hear the word of the
Lord, “My son, I love you deeply, and my heart breaks over
the lies you’ve been told, that holiness is optional, and
you can still go to heaven without it. But haven’t you
enjoyed those lies, and sought them out? Didn’t your
itching ears seek out those lies, and eagerly search for any
excuse to avoid letting Me rule your heart? The sins you
desire have caused your love toward Me to grow cold, and your
sins are destroying the intimacy of our relationship. I
know your deeds. They are neither hot nor cold. And
because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my
mouth. You think you are rich, but you are blind, naked,
pitiful, poor, and wretched. So I plead with you, to buy
from 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 who
offers them. You have only one option: invite Me to
come and rule every part of your heart. You’ve been
hearing many voices, giving you excuse after excuse, to keep on
sinning. But don’t buy their excuses. Run far
away from those liars. They’ll cause you to sin.
Your sin will make you lukewarm. Your sin will cause you to
die. Don’t let yourself die. Use every ounce of
strength 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 by
the lies of the devil. And you’ll live more abundantly
than you have ever known before. Listen to my words. I
offer you a trade. Give up your sins, and I will give you
eternal life.”
Take
just a moment here, to respond to the Lord in your own heart.
OK, now
lets take a short break, and hear from Mark.
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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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Thanks
again Mark. Now we’re finally about to reveal the
secret of consistent holiness. Now some of you have
struggled and struggled with besetting sins, and you can’t
figure out how to live in consistent holiness. “But I
just keep failing,” you say. “It is too difficult
to be holy. I have tried to repent, again and again, yet I
fall and fall and fall.” OK, so let me ask you a
question. What are you going to do now? Are you just
gonna give up, and quit trying, and wallow around in your sins?
Do you think, just because you haven’t found the secret to
consistent holiness, that there is no secret, it just can’t
be done?
If that’s you, you’re probably wondering, what is the
secret? How can I be holy consistently? Now before I
answer, you’ve got to want it. Say this out loud with
me: “God, reveal in my heart the secret of consistent
holiness. I will pursue you until you show it to me, and I
won’t quit until I’m consistently holy.”
Now, if you’re determined to be holy consistently, let me
tell you, you’ve just declared war. You just entered a
battle with the devil, that the devil is determined to win.
If you’ve determined in your heart to be holy, just
recognize that the devil is going to multiply his efforts, and do
everything in his power to stop you. You may face
temptation after temptation as the enemy tries to bring you down.
You may suddenly be tempted by sins you’ve never even
considered before. And you may even fall a few times.
But don’t quit. To quit is to die. Repent
quickly, get back up, and run to the finish with all your
strength. Though a righteous man falls seven times, he gets
up again. If you keep getting up and you don’t quit,
but you persevere to the end, your master awaits you at the
finish line, with open arms, and he’ll say to you: “Well
done, good and faithful servant.” [3]
Now how can
you be holy consistently? How can you love God fervently
and without wavering? How can you love your neighbor
without subsiding? What’s the secret to consistent
love, or consistent holiness? Alright, here’s the
answer:
Think about the people you love—your family, your friends,
your children. What makes you love them? Now think
about all the sins you’ve loved. Why did you love
money, sensuality, selfishness? What makes us creatures
love anything? Here’s the answer—you love what is
lovely to you. If you love somebody or something, it’s
because you see them as wonderful and lovable. So if you
don’t love God, you’ve never realized how lovely He
is—you just don’t know Him. The Bible says, Whoever
does not love does not know God.[4]
Knowing God
is the only answer. If you know Him intimately, you’ll
automatically fall in love with Him. When you recognize His
tremendous loveliness, He becomes irresistibly attractive to your
heart. It’s like your first crush. You’ll
trip over yourself, running to bless Him and please Him. He
becomes so lovely to you, your head will spin, and you fall madly
in love with Him.
Again,
knowing God makes it easy to love God. Jesus said, Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.[5]
Again, when
you realize how lovely He is, and how He first loved us,
you’ll fall head over heels in love with Him. The
Bible says, We love because he first loved us.[6]
Again, knowing God makes us love God. It’s a simple
cause and effect—it’s automatic. Everyone who
loves has been born of God and knows God.[7]
Know God. Invite Him to rule your heart and reveal Himself
to you. If you know Him, your heart will flood with love,
and it’ll come naturally and easily and consistently. You
love whatever becomes lovely to you. So whatever is
true, whatever is noble,…right…pure…lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.[8]
Meditate on the character of God. Get to know Him, and
you’ll fall in love with Him, consistently. That’s
the secret to consistent holiness.
Beside the
Bible, 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 Jesus
Christ: It’s Charles Finney’s Principles of
Union with Christ, from Bethany House Publishers.
It is
highly recommended reading, and my personal thanks go to Reverend
Louis Parkhurst and Bethany House Publishers for presenting
Finney’s work in many areas. Now for the rest of this
broadcast, and into our next broadcast, we’re going to take
30 scriptures listed in that book, Principles of Union with
Christ, and we’re going to meditate on the character of
Christ. As we meditate on the character of Christ, I
promise you’ll fall in love with Him, and consistent
holiness will be automatic. Let’s pray, and invite the
Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus the Savior to our hearts. Jesus
said, “The Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father,
he will testify about me.” [9]
So Holy
Spirit, reveal in our hearts just who is Jesus Christ, so we can
know Him intimately.
1.
Everybody say, Jesus is my King. The Bible says, Blessed
is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest![10] Jesus is sovereign and governor of the
universe. As King, He has unlimited power over all
creation—over me, over my will, over truth, over my mind.
He can rule my heart freely as He wills. Jesus is my King.
2.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Savior. The Bible says, She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.[11] Surely this
mighty conqueror has come to rescue me from the prison of sin
which held me captive. There is no sin strong enough that
He cannot save me from it. I rest in His ability to save
and deliver me from sin.
3.
Everybody say, Jesus is my God. For to us a child is
born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the
increase of his government and peace there will be no end.[12] Jesus Christ is
our Mighty God, the second person of the trinity, whose
government can never be overthrown. He is God over all the
universe.
4.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Wonderful Counselor: We have a
counselor! His sheep know His voice and they follow Him.
And His counsel is wise, trustworthy, and saves us from terrible
errors—in our parenting and marriages and in our careers.
We have a counselor who gives us wisdom and puts us on the path
to success.
5.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Prince of Peace: Jesus said, Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.[13] He doesn’t just bring peace; He is
peace. He leads us beside still waters, and restores our
soul. Every fear and anxiety must evaporate in His
presence. Just being near Him brings peace to my soul.
6.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Captain of my Salvation: The
Bible says, In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting
that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should
make the [captain] of their salvation perfect through suffering.[14] He is our
captain, the leader of our army. He knows how to lead the
battle, and command the fight. We trust and obey his
orders, and He conquers sin and temptation and the devil.
7.
Everybody say, Jesus is Head Over All. The Bible says, And
God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head
over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness
of him who fills everything in every way.[15] There is nothing higher than Christ,
and all creation is under Him. He rules over all things for
the sake of His church, His bride, His body. He is our
headship and our covering and our Lord.
8.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Teacher. The Bible says, When
Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at
his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not
as their teachers of the law.[16] Jesus is the source of all
knowledge—for who can teach God? No, He teaches us
about everything we need to know. And he knows how we need
to be taught. I humble myself to be teachable, and open my
heart to His instruction.
9.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Friend. The Bible says, Greater
love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his
friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know
his master’s business. Instead, I have called you
friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made
known to you.[17] As we know and
obey Christ, he calls us friend. He trusts us with
knowledge of His business. He takes us into His confidence.
He opens His heart to share secrets with us. He offers us
His friendship. And He lays down His life for us, His
friends.
10.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Brother. Jesus said to them,
‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to
Galilee; there they will see me.’ [18] As our Father in
heaven adopts us into His family, we become Christ’s
brothers and sisters. He’s more than just a business
partner, he’s family. He’s even closer than a
friend, He’s a brother.
11.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Husband: The Bible says, I am
jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to
one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure
virgin to him.[19] Jesus will be our
husband. Let’s look forward to the time when
we’ll marry Him, and enjoy a honeymoon, and live the rest of
our lives in partnership, and commitment, and support to Him, and
devote our love to Him.
12.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Bread and Water of Life: Jesus
said, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will
never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.[20] When our soul is
hungry and thirsty, nothing else can satisfy us. Only the
bread and water of life can fill our empty soul. He is the
bread of life. He is the living water. Amen? Amen.
Now
we’re out of time for today, but in our next broadcast
we’re going to continue with 18 more of these. Isn’t
this wonderful? I can already feel my heart falling in love
with Him, and when that happens, consistent holiness becomes
easy, because you’re falling in love. Who needs sin,
when we can know the Lord Jesus Christ, and love Him! Now I
hope you’ll write to us, and get a copy of this book
you’re hearing me teach from. And remember to 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] Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
[2] Matthew 18:6-7 (NIV)
[3] Matt 25:21, 23 (NIV)
[4] I Jn 4:8 (NIV)
[5] John 17:3 (NIV)
[6] I Jn 4:19 (NIV)
[7] I Jn 4:7 (NIV)
[8] Phil 4:8 (NIV)
[9] John 15:26 (NIV)
[10] Luke 19:38 (NIV)
[11] Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
[12] Isa 9:6-7 (NIV)
[13] John 14:27 (NIV)
[14] Heb 2:10 (NIV, KJV uses “captain”)
[15] Eph 1:22,23 (NIV)
[16] Matthew 7:28-29 (NIV)
[17] John 15:13-15 (NIV)
[18] Matthew 28:10 (NIV)
[19] 2 Cor 11:2 (NIV)
[20] John 6:32-35 (NIV)