Program #L18—“The Secret To Consistent Holiness/The Glorious Bride”
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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 continuing our teaching on 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.”
You know
the secret to consistent holiness? It’s knowing God
intimately. The Bible says, Whoever does not love does
not know God.[1] So if you
don’t love God consistently, it’s only because you
don’t really know Him. But if you know Him intimately,
you’ll fall in love with Him, and consistent holiness will
follow automatically. So get to know Him! Meditate on
His character. Today we’re continuing our study on
Christ’s character, and I promise it’ll help you fall
in love with Him.
13.
Everybody say Jesus is the Holy One of God: Simon Peter
answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the
Holy One of God.’[2]
He is the only one with words of life. Where else can we
go? He’s the Holy One of God.
14.
Everybody say Jesus is My All in All: There is no Greek
or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised…slave or free, but
Christ is all, and is in all.[3]
He doesn’t play favorites, he doesn’t prefer race or
wealth, He fills everything and everyone who comes to Him and
asks for help.
15.
Everybody say, Jesus is The Word of Life: This we
proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we
have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.[4] Jesus is The Word
that brings life to us from the Father.
16.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life: He
said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives
and believes in me will never die.[5]
He is our resurrection, our life after death, he came to raise us
and redeem us from our deadly sins and from death.
17.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Shepherd: He said, I am the
good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as
the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my
life for the sheep.[6]
Jesus is our shepherd, who protects us and leads us into green
pastures. When we stray, he comes after us and returns us
to His fold. He gives His life to ensure our safety.
18.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Gateway to Salvation: He said, I
am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He
will come in and go out, and find pasture.[7]
Jesus is the gateway to green pasture, and to safety and rest,
and the gateway to salvation.
19.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Way of Salvation: He said, I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.[8] Christ is the way to salvation. There
is no other person, no other way, by which you can reach His
Father. Jesus is the way.
20.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Truth: He said, You will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free…If the Son sets
you free, you will be free indeed.[9]
He is Truth and He can sway your heart and mind over to
consistent holiness. He sets us free from our deadly sins,
and we are free indeed.
21.
Everybody say, Jesus is The True Light: In him was life,
and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the
darkness.[10] When darkness
fills my heart and mind, the light of Christ is brilliant. He
shines His bright lamp of truth everywhere He looks. And
darkness must flee.
22.
Everybody say, Christ in Me: You…are controlled not
by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God
lives in you…And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who
lives in you.[11] When He lives in
you, He conquers the selfish desires of the flesh, and He lives
His holy life through you.
23.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Strength: I love you, O Lord,
my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my
deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I
call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my
enemies.[12]
24.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Keeper of My Soul: The Lord
will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and
forevermore.[13] He keeps us from
all harm. He leads us not into temptation.
25.
Everybody say, Jesus is The True Vine: Jesus said, I
am the true vine and my Father is the gardener…Remain in me,
and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by
itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear
fruit unless you remain in me.[14] Just as the vine provides life to the
branches, Jesus provides and sustains life in us.
26.
Everybody say, Jesus is my Shield and my Reward: He said to
Abraham, Do not be afraid…I am your shield, your very
great reward.[15] Jesus shields us
from our enemies, and protects us from every form of evil. He
is our great treasure, He is the great reward that we seek.
27.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Hope: By the command of God
our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.[16] What do we have to look forward to?
Why do we endure this hardship and live for God? For
Christ. He is our hope and our future is with Him.
28.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Salvation: The Lord is my
strength and my song. He has become my salvation.[17] He is salvation.
He is deliverance and freedom. He is our rescuer and our
eternal life.
29.
Everybody say, Jesus is My Rock: O Lord, my Rock and my
Redeemer.[18] All other ground
is sinking sand. Christ cannot be moved, He is reliable and
steady. He is my rock.
30.
Everybody say, Jesus is the Strength of My Heart: God is
our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.[19] When we’re
weak, He is made strong in us. When we’re about to
fail, He is the Strength of our hearts. He enables us and
gives us strength to stand firm.
Now
doesn’t that encourage and strengthen your heart? I
can already feel myself falling in love with Him. You know,
the more I know Him, the more I love Him. And the more I
love Him, the easier it is to love Him consistently, and knowing
Him is the secret to consistent holiness. Now I’m not
saying you have to know Jesus in all these ways before you can
repent—repentance and holiness must be immediate, for without
holiness, no one will see the Lord. But the better you
know the Lord, the more consistent you can be in holiness, and
you won’t fall into sin nearly as often. He is able
to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious
presence without fault. [20]
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will
be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.[21]
I want
to give you one more secret to consistent holiness, and
that’s reading your Bible. Do you remember how Jesus
fought temptation when He was out there in the desert? The
devil tempted Him three times, and every time he said, away from
me Satan, for it is written. It is written. It is
written. That’s how Jesus consistently defeated
temptation. He loved God with all His heart, but then He
quoted God’s word.
Some people
think Jesus had some special ability to resist temptation, but He
only had the same ability that you and I have. The Bible
says He was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was
without sin.[22] So he
couldn’t have had special powers to fight sin, that you and
I can’t have. Jesus was tempted in the same way you
are, and whatever tools He used to resist temptation are the same
tools you and I can use.
So when
the devil tempted Him to tell these stones to become
bread,Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.’” He quoted God’s Word. And
when the devil said, “If you are the Son of
God,…throw yourself down [from this temple], but Jesus
answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord
your God to the test.’” And when the devil said, bow
down and worship me. Jesus said… “Away from me,
Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and
serve him only.’” Now Jesus fought temptation
and won, because he knew God’s word and spoke it out loud
when he was being tempted. It is written, it is written, it
is written. Notice for every different temptation, Jesus
quoted a different scripture. I believe there’s a
different scripture we can
use
against every different kind of temptation—God will always
give you with a scripture that you can use to escape your
temptation. For no temptation has seized you except what
is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he
will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
[23]
There’s always a scripture God can strengthen your heart
with, and give you a way out, but only if you know God’s
Word. Now I commit you to God and to the word of his
grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among
all those who are sanctified. [24]
So those
are the secrets to consistent holiness: know God
intimately, and know the Bible so well you can quote it out loud
when you’re being tempted. So remember those later on,
when you’re being tempted. Now think about that, 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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Thanks
again, Mark. Revelation 19 says, The wedding of the Lamb
has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen,
bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of the saints.)
As I was
praying one day and worshipping the Lord, the eyes of my heart
were opened, and I had a vision, and I saw Jesus the Christ,
standing gloriously in heaven. He was beautifully dressed
as a groom, patiently waiting for the day of His wedding. And
I saw the angels running back and forth, making a wedding dress
for the bride, or the church. The angels had measuring
tapes and chalk, and patterns for making the wedding dress.
And they brought a bolt of fine linen before the Lord, for his
inspection [this linen represents the deeds of Christian people].
But the look on the Lord’s face revealed something
wasn’t right.
“This
cloth is gray,” said the Lord, to His angels. “It’s
not white like a wedding dress should be. This linen’s
not pure, it’s not fit for my beautiful bride to wear on her
wedding day.” The angels looked down, with no answer
to give.
“This
is what I shall do,” said the Lord, “I’ll send my
living and active word, sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.” [25]
And the Lord spoke a word toward the cloth. His word came
out of His mouth, and became like razor-sharp shears, swiftly
cutting the length of the cloth, until the entire cloth fell in
two pieces. Half of the cloth changed from gray into pure
white. The other half of the cloth changed from gray to
pitch black. [This cutting of the cloth represents the
decisions of all people, who get off the fence, and go radically
into holiness and love, or radically into sin and selfishness.]
The Lord pointed to the black cloth. “This cloth is
only fit to be burned and destroyed.” And the angels
took the black cloth away and cast it into the lake of fire.
Then the Lord pointed to the white cloth. “This cloth
is suitable for my bride to wear. It is pure and spotless,
without blemish, without stain or wrinkle. Put it on my
beautiful bride.” And the angels took the white cloth,
and made the most beautiful wedding dress the universe has ever
seen.
And so, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to
make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through
the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless.[26] And the day of
the wedding came quickly.
That’s the vision I saw. Now the words of this vision,
indeed the words of this entire 18 part teaching series, are
highly divisive, and intentionally so. Christ is coming
with vengeance, out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with
which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an
iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the
wrath of God Almighty.[27]
And despite everybody who wants cultural tolerance, and political
inclusiveness, and ecumenical unity between denominations, in the
end there’ll be one great division between the saved and the
damned. In the end, people will either submit to God’s
loving rulership and be holy, or reject God’s rulership and
die in their sins.
Jesus Christ
is divisive. Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I
have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man
against his father, a daughter against her mother…—a
man's enemies will be the members of his own
household.’” [28]
I’ve said some hard things in this series, not to hurt
peoples feelings, but to prepare them for the day of judgment.
In the end, Jesus will return, not to unify, but to separate. All
the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate
the people one from another as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats.[29] He will separate the faithful servants
from the unfaithful,[30]
the virgins whose lamps are full of oil from those who
aren’t ready,[31]
the trees that bear fruit from the trees with no fruit,[32] and he’ll separate
people wearing wedding clothes from those who are shabbily
dressed.[33] Two men will be in the field; one
will be taken and the other left...Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know on what day your Lord will come.[34] Be ready. Get
off the fence and be holy. Come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord…and I
will receive you.[35]
Now in the
19th century we got a lot of good teaching on baptism
in water, and in the 20th century we got a lot of good
teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but now in the 21st
century we’re finally going to understand the Baptism in
fire. John said, I baptize you with water for
repentance…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. [36] What is this baptism in fire? Isn’t
it the fire of judgment, that will tests the deeds of the saints?
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will…gather
his wheat into the barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire.[37] And again, will your works survive the
test of God’s all-consuming fire? If any man builds
on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay
or straw, his work will be shown for what it is…It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each
man's work.[38] Will your work be shown for what it is?
Are your works gold, silver and costly stones that will last
forever, or wood, hay and stubble that will be destroyed in the
fire? Your works will be judged. The Bible says, And
another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead
were judged according to their works, by the things which were
written in the books…they were judged, each one according to
his works…and anyone not found written in the Book of Life
was cast into the lake of fire.[39] This baptism by fire is God’s
final divisive judgment. And His baptism in fire will
divide the flammable from the flame-proof.
I see a holy divisiveness coming to the Church in American.
There will be no lukewarm believers. People will get off
the fence and radically choose holiness, or radically choose sin.
God’s
people will live in consistent holiness, empowered by the Spirit
of God and by His influential grace. I see Christians
loving their enemies, even those who mock and persecute them.
I see God’s people talking about Jesus openly without shame,
and boldly proclaiming His truth to the nations. I see them
loving their neighbors, and I see Christian charities taking care
of the poor, filled with volunteers and donors, stepping up to
relieve the government of any such burden. I see American
Christians radically forsaking their sins, and consecrating
themselves entirely to God alone. I see homes, schools,
businesses, courts and congresses, filled with people who love
God—doing everything possible to glorify Him. I see
radio and television and church pulpits filled with truth-sayers,
telling nobody what their itching ears want to hear, but speaking
God’s truth in love. I see holiness churches full, and
liberal churches empty where false teachers once stood. I
see a radical reformation of holiness, not just a revival but a
great awakening, marching across America, as the pounding
footsteps of God’s authority take hold in the hearts of men.
But at the same time, I see a great rebellion against Almighty
God. As the purest white becomes brilliant, the blackest
pitch grows darker still. Millions of Americans, slaves to
their lusts, will get off the fence and rush into their sins.
Pleasure is their first love, sensual gratification is their
highest aim. Pride is their motivation, they join Satan in
serving no god higher than themselves. As the weeds are
pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the
age.[40]
False teachers will hate this holiness reformation, finding every
argument to remain in their sins, promoting every excuse, every
loophole to avoid submitting to the rulership of God. If
you’re a liberal pastor who says holiness is optional, and
you can go to heaven without holiness,
I
declare war against your ideas and I’ll fight them with
every ounce of strength God gives me until I die. You and
all your lies will be destroyed in eternal fire. The Son
of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of
his kingdom everything that causes sin
and all who do evil. They will throw
them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.[41]
So I
plead with you one last time, for join with me, arm in arm,
brother and sister in Christ—let’s forsake all our
known sins and submit our hearts and minds to the loving
rulership of our Lord Jesus Christ. And let’s run
together into our brightest future. I see the bride of
Christ, shining in the sun, brilliant and radiant, loving God
with all our hearts, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Can you see it? Will you be there? The righteous will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who
has ears, let him hear. [42]
Let’s
pray together. Would you pray these words along with me, to
God? Go ahead and say them out loud with me. “Father
in heaven, prepare your church for the glorious wedding to
Christ, and prepare me too. Let your kingdom come, and let
your will be done on earth and in my heart, in the same way you
already rule up in heaven. Help me walk blamelessly, the
way you deserve, and help me love You supremely and love my
neighbors as myself. I reject sin and every false teacher
who allows sin, and I embrace holiness and every teaching which
requires holiness. I know holiness isn’t optional, and
I invite you to come and rule my heart, now and forever, in Jesus
name. Amen.”
Did you pray with me just now? 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 loving rulership takes over in
your heart. I hope you’ll write to us and tell us
about that. But if you said Amen just now, whoever you are,
can I ask you to 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, and Pastors Ted Haggard and Floyd McClung, and Joy
Dawson and Bill Hamon. So you know it’s trustworthy.
If you missed any parts of this series, write to us and get the
book or the tapes. And stay tuned, because we’re going
to play it again. 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] I Jn 4:8 (NIV)
[2] John 6:68-69 (NIV)
[3] Colossians 3:11 (NIV)
[4] 1 John 1:1-2 (NIV)
[5] John 11:25-27 (NIV)
[6] John 10:14-15 (NIV)
[7] John 10:9-10 (NIV)
[8] John 14:6 (NIV)
[9] John 8:31-36 (NIV)
[10] John 1:3-5 (NIV)
[11] Romans 8:9-11 (NIV)
[12] Psalm 18:1-3 (NIV)
[13] Psalm 121 (NIV)
[14] John 15:1-4 (NIV)
[15] Genesis 15:1 (NIV)
[16] 1 Tim 1:1 (NIV)
[17] Exodus 15:1-2 (NIV)
[18] Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
[19] Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
[20] Jude 1:24 (NIV)
[21] 1 Cor 1:8 (NIV)
[22] Heb 4:15 (NIV)
[23] 1 Cor 10:13 (NIV)
[24] Acts 20:32 (NIV)
[25] Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
[26] Eph 5:25-27 (NIV)
[27] Rev 19:15 (NIV)
[28] Matthew 10:34-36 (NIV)
[29] Matthew 25:32 (NIV)
[30] See Matthew 24:44-51
[31] See Matthew 25:1-13
[32] Matt 3:10-11 (NIV)
[33] See Matthew 22:11-14
[34] Matt 24:40-42 (NIV)
[35] 2 Cor 6:17 (KJV)
[36] Matthew 3:11 (NIV)
[37] Matthew 3:12 (NIV)
[38] 1 Cor 3:12-13 (NIV)
[39] Rev 20:12-15 (NKJ)
[40] Matt 13:40-43 (NIV)
[41] Matt 13:40-43 (NIV)
[42] Matt 13:40-43 (NIV)