In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of having true assurance of salvation. He uses the example of Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, who betrayed him despite being part of the inner circle. The preacher challenges the notion that assurance of salvation is based on a one-time decision or profession of faith, highlighting the need for ongoing examination of one's heart and evidence of a saving interest in Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that true assurance comes from a supernatural faith in Jesus as the Son of God, which overcomes the world. The preacher also reminds the audience of Jesus' humble origins and the rejection he faced, ultimately being crucified outside the holy city.

Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made non-effective. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us, which have seen you, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the foolish. Where is the wise? Where is the straggler? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolish disappointing, to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek as to wisdom. But we preach Christ, having been crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Upon the truth of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great truth of salvation by grace, depends. And while in the scriptures the death of Christ and the cross of Christ are never separated, in religion they always are. And I'm not speaking on the death of Christ tonight, I'm speaking on the cross of Christ. It is said that Mr. Sturgeon lived in tremendously favorable environment, and began to seek as to a vital union with God and Christ. When he was converted at the age of sixteen, he'd already mastered more theology than perhaps any seminary today's seminary gives a student. Mr. Sturgeon later years said that the problem this sixteen-year-old boy wrestled with was how can a holy God deal with me? How can a holy God deal with me? It reminds us of the query of the disciple after the Lord's encounter with the rich young ruler. And when the young man had a great procession and was very sorrowful and he went away, and the Lord watched him go away, and the Lord Jesus said, it's easier for a camel to enter into the eye of an eagle than for a rich man entering the kingdom of God. And the next question, now these men were, they weren't fools. If you study this, let your hair stand on your head. Especially in this day of easy familiarity, where we are so familiar with God. In the old days of the bewhispered patriarchs of our days, it would take an old-time Baptist about thirty minutes to properly address the deity when he approached him in prayer. Now we rush rapidly into his presence, and the vice of familiarity is the greatest advertising that this generation talks so much about God in Christ, know nothing of Him. For familiarity with God is entirely foreign to a soul who has once seen Him marred on a cross, dying for Him. And they didn't just ask questions about the difference between being a poor man and being a rich man, but having heard the Lord and watched Him deal with the rich young boy. Now you dispensationalists, I think you've got that all fixed up, so it takes all the steam out of it. You know, every time you come to a hard place in the scripture, there's two ways you can get around it. Either it is for the Jews, or it's a full penny toss. But these men solemnly, solemnized by watching the Lord Jesus Christ let an awful good prospect go. Says He left him, but He let him go. And they said, Lord, who then can be saved by a soul? I wish we could preach the cross of Christ until a holy fall would come upon us. Better run around there trying to explain how God's got to deal fairly with everybody and give everybody a chance that come upon us a holy hush. Who then can be saved? You know, the whole fabric of apostate Christianity is based upon the fact of the death of Jesus Christ. Everybody believes in the death of Christ. To save His death is owed by everybody. Muslims, Buddhists, polite Japanese who wouldn't think of rejecting the Jesus if you offered them to put Him up on the shelf for the rest of their gods. To save His death is owed as a part of this religious world's philosophy. Everybody accepts the death of Jesus. That which God never separates is death, and the cross man always separates. The death of Christ is a fact and a doctrine that human wisdom has adopted and rejoices in as the highest tribute to human worth. Wonderful men who've asked us to grow in doctrines in our so-called Christian churches, and they're growing in your fundamental churches, too, for universal salvation. And there is no hell. Man is so wonderfully made that he's too precious God. Wouldn't waste him and send him to hell. And God, strangely enough, God is sovereign. See, all modernists believe in the sovereignty of God. They believe that's one of Nell's three, believes in the sovereignty of God. God's safety cannot last in being released at the last day except in connection with the Christ living birth of Jesus for His that very day. And I have no contention about saying that you have to go back to yesterday for some evidence that you're a believer. You're a day late there. You're a day late. It must be today. Now, Christ, you're the secure believer, but I will not preach this final step. If we come close to preaching that if a man professes faith in Christ, he'll wander far away from God, but just before he dies, he'll come home. Oh, no. He'll take the death from the cross and the resurrection. Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish and have everlasting life. And then John 3.16 gives us the reason for the cross and the resurrection. Of course, it is true there isn't a word of gospel truth in John 3.16. Dear brother, Luther used up God more than all of us put together. He coined the phrase enough gospel in John 3.16, saved the world, and better gospel, and he put it there. There's no blood in John 3.16. There's no resurrection in John 3.16. I'll tell you what there is. I read John 3.16. I'll tell you why Christ hung on the cross. I'll tell you why God raised Him from the dead. Jesus one time caught God in an ocean. God was in an ocean. And God so loved. God so loved. You tell us God is love, you know, it's liable to run dry. No, He got plenty. God so loved the world that He gave. What? Love sent my Savior. Love. Love took iron cross. Love did it. Love did it. What is the gospel? The preaching of the one who was on a cross eternally in the heart of God. And in that sense will be forever there. You're silly to build your doctrines of decrees and so forth. Try to handle the element of time and eternity. He was as a lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Is that 2 million years ago or 1,500 million? Isn't that silly to talk that way? What does it mean, Brother Barnard? It means awful deep. That's what I know. You're silly to work out your doctrine of the decree of election that way. He had chosen us and Him from before the foundation of the world. When was that? 15 million years ago? When was that? You handle that. You can't, can you? We'll walk softly there. But somebody said there'll be a cross in the heart of God forever. And it's because it was in His heart forever that in due time His Son was made flesh. He was made flesh. You see, I'm preaching never forget that certainty does not make unnecessary necessity. The elect will repent, but they must repent. In the heart of God, Jesus Christ was as a lamb slain forever, but He had to be made into a tree. Oh, oh, what wondrous love He so loved that He gave. And no man is even capable of quoting the next word that's so rich and wonderful. He so loved that He gave His all begotten Son. If God's not a bunch of clay, if He has no fire, what wealth is in that expression? He gave His own begotten Son. What's the gospel? It's a cross and a resurrection that took place because God's got a heart of love. And the result of it, whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Now I ask you to bear with me tonight as I say another thing. I want to consider with you credentials of gospel faith. Bible credentials of gospel preaching. There are three mentioned in our scripture tonight. Any presentation of what you call the gospel that doesn't do three things isn't the gospel. Not the gospel of the cross. Not simply the death of Jesus, but who died there, and why He died there. That's what makes up the difference between the death of Jesus, lived by belief, and the cross of Christ. May I ask you this question? You mean to sit down and tell me that you actually believe that God made Himself, made this man himself, by being born as a baby in a castle, but that's just not coming out of the rain. He knows that's no way for God to do. And as long as you get your little theories in your systems and try to make the gospel so simple, where is the mystery of God? Let us not attempt to understand it let us simply proclaim it. God was manifest in the flesh. God, Lord. God was manifest in the flesh. Great is the mystery. Great. And the gospel is Jesus God manifest in the flesh. Let us preach to them on that cross and now on that throne. Not theorize about it. Not worry about two and two makes four. Let's preach it until the righteous people curse. It's not very snigger. And them who are called find in Him the wisdom and the power of God. For the proclamation of the cross of Christ will cause religious people to fight. Being an evangelist we always covet what we don't have. I've always wished I had a pastor's heart but I don't have it. Sometimes it bothers me how in these words you fellows preach the gospel and keep that gang of hell-raising religionites in your church in a good humor. Why, the preaching of the cross is to a Jew a scandal. And the Jew represents the religious man. Questioning himself that he is righteous. The very word sinner in the New Testament connotation doesn't mean what we call a sinner. He's just a fellow who wasn't in the crowd of the Pharisees and Scribes. He wasn't a member of their congregation. Anybody outside was a sinner. Amen? And the richest Jew there and with his successor who occupied the Amen Corner and our church is planted there by Satan. The preaching of the cross lays the axe to the root of all our claims that the difference to somebody else is offensive, it's a scandal, it's tremendously vulgar. And preached in the power of the Holy Spirit it'll cause religious people to daze to get their shotguns and try to murder the messenger. We heard a call at the fifth Sunday meeting to come out in the open and expose that horror, Roman Catholicism. If you ain't fixing to do it cause it'll fight back. I'm telling you that God's truth we've watered down the gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can still preach on the radio. Whoever got preaching the gospel on the radio would all get put off. You can't preach anything along on the radio that's offensive to anybody. And the gospel would make a religious man so mad he'd kill you if he could. The offense of the cross was that it set aside every clean and vanity ground. And he said to me, lad, you understand we don't need anybody to set us free. We'd be Abraham's children, Jesus said. If you was Abraham's children you'd have Abraham's faith and Abraham's words. The perverted doctrine of election, conception of the doctrine of election led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They said, now bless God, we've got to get rid of him or he's going to get rid of us, won't he? We have no need of anybody setting us free and we'd be undone. He said, no matter what my great-grandfather was Abraham. He said, I'm not dealing after flesh I'm dealing after the spirit. People I call Abraham's children people got his words and his faith and they killed him. God bless their heart, they'll kill us but if we ever have a baptism the Holy Ghost in my church and go preaching the gospel of God I'll let preach one sermon about the Holy Ghost and he'll tell them what happened. We can go pick up, get him arrested out of the church and that's your brain down. Oh, how relieved. You folks can cut out the liberalist martyrs I'm not worried about them I'm worried about us dead put them in a list of TV and start a religious fire because we're preaching the gospel that's what Pence said to religious people. The cross does not offer salvation to good people one place I know they can go to is to hell. The cross offers salvation to sinners and Republicans and Harlots will press in and leave the other crowd out. There's been a citywide meeting in the southern city years ago and they conceived the idea of having a preach to the Sunday morning crowd that could round it up on Saturday night off the streets and give them a night to sleep off their dope and their drink and so forth and I got the counter tech and the chief of police and the mayor of the city to go along with me and I said you sit with the other criminals and I'll preach the same gospel to them all. And I said in this matter of the cross it cuts the root from everything. Jew and Gentile rich or poor poor or slave everybody kneels at the cross or goes to hell. The offense of the cross and then gospel preaching will be foolish to the wise. Ladies and gentlemen there is Satan's master God it's the stroke that he's knocked them home on with. Listen to me the death of Christ is accepted. None but an infidel will question it but inquire in what way and the wise states say oh you're being treated badly there. And at once the harmony is broken and formed as every school has its creed and every is of its theorist and the theme is a signal for a scramble and a struggle between all the rival groups of so-called Christendom. For that which God intended should be an impossibility to the natural mind Satan has made the common creed of man. And though the very biggest sinners in your community have heard you preach enough they'll look you in the face and tell you they grieve that Jesus died for them. They will. My friends he who shall not actually believe that Jesus is the Son of God is a man of a God-given supernatural faith it's a faith that overcomes the world. In 1 John 5 in Mark whosoever believeth that Jesus that's the name of this humiliation whosoever believeth so that that Jesus that little fellow was born over there in Cal State and lived in Nazareth no good thing ever came out of Nazareth and nobody was there nobody ever had anything to do and the nice people looked him over and said he'll never do just a bunch of harlots and public and tax collectors and a few poor fish and they followed him around and he got what was coming to him they took him outside the holy city while they were observing the Passover feast and nailed him on a tree between two trees and he didn't even have a grave had somebody else's grave put him in didn't have any spices or perfume but the perfume that bought him the bar shunned him and he didn't even have any clothing the rest of his body was shrouded and they put him down in that grave and set the Roman seal on it and put some soldiers to watch and ladies and gentlemen at the last this world ever heard of Jesus nobody's ever seen him since except men and women who've been born from the dead the evidence of the new birth is that you have to believe that Jesus is the son of the living God that is absolutely impossible to the natural mind that Satan has pulled a trick and everybody swears on a stack of Bibles now he believes I say to you with this authority I know him right here if you ever find out who Jesus really is you'll never be the same again you can't be there's just one question really now seems to aim this side of eternity who is Jesus? who is he? who is he? liberals say he's a teacher Jews say he's a prophet the world says he's a good man whose son am I? what do you say about it? who is Jesus? like he has sought to see Jesus who he is man's got to see him who he is here to save him he was manifest in the world in his wealth amongst and we beheld his glory that's what the saving power could save in the days of his flesh he who believes that he's the one in whom the current life could find no beauty when he was here and so in this gospel is it proclaimed the carnal mind can see no wonders for the devil has blinded their minds lest they see the glory of God in the face of Christ I say to you that gospel preaching has to be preached in the power of the Holy Ghost for the Holy Ghost must hold the word to reveal thereby the mighty mysteries and marvels of redemption not roaring with it, humanizing it to bring it within the reach of the natural man apart from the work of the Holy Spirit if we really believe the gospel we have received a revelation from on high a revelation to which flesh and blood can never reach no matter how hard it tries but the gospel may be so sifted and simplified that none shall fail to understand it therefore none shall be saved by it the preaching that is wanted this very night is not preaching the persuasive words of man's wisdom and reasoning out salvation such statements whether it be paid for the sins of all the elect they got to be saved be careful, brethren you're not preaching salvation by grace we don't need claiming that one and two make three no, no, not reasoning out a plan just teaching the gospel to suit the condition of the hearers the gospel must be preached in the demonstration and power of the Spirit preaching that of the foolishness of them that perish but unto them do of the call preaching that'll have power and be the power and wisdom of God may I close by saying to you it's one thing to master Christianity it's another thing to be mastered by will you listen to me? it's the cross that conquered him on that cross it's not an easy, this cross of Christ it's not an easy way of pardon nor is it a plan of salvation but it's a fact and a revelation to change the heartless world in doing a boring worship to see the unseen as real and to those who believe in the cross Jesus Christ has been openly set forth, crucified before their eyes may we see that marred and agonized face may we witness to the reproach that broke his heart the scorn, the derision the hate of that that ended strong and oh, the man who's often cried when forsaken of his God, my God, my God why's thou forsaken him? when in gazing on him that almost being has sustained the mighty change and power to divorce self from self and to separate in heart from a world that killed him once and would again if it could get their hands on him for them, him hanging on that cross is where they find their deepest satisfaction and they feast on him in the blood of their own justification and see not only a holy Lord acting at vengeance but the love of God sitting captive free and they rejoice at the cross of Christ that is so preached the cross that many despise him that hung there they say it's impossible that that could be the Son of God or that men would be broken and hard and we'll have some worshipers in our churches not some reasoners they'll hear again the cry from hearts that came from Mary and John and them my God, was this for me? that he hung there and fathomed from that transtick look at him on the cross to live devoted lives for him who died and rose again that Adam was a living soul and Christ has been made a quickening spirit as he sits on the throne, the power transforms the human life comes from him as Jonathan Edwards said that he'd always think a kind providence that in the wisdom of God God allowed David Brainerd to die in Jonathan Edwards' home Mr. Edwards said I was in his room by his bedside most of the time the last 48 hours that saint of God lived and he laughed at this he said David Brainerd the saintest man perhaps America's ever known spent the last 48 hours of his life examining his own heart and mind to see if he could lay hold on any evidence any evidence that he had a saving interest in the shed blood of Jesus Christ I stop and wonder at what they call the assurance of salvation today I remember that Jesus Christ had 12 disciples and he said to them one of you will betray me and the only one who was not shaken by that statement the only one who had perfect assurance turned out to be the one that betrayed the son of God the 11 disciples when he said one of you will betray me knowing themselves they said Lord is it I I told you we were reading the passage of scripture do you think it's nihilist this no soul salvation they've been bragging about now what's it let me give you some scripture and we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end that you be not fearful of followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises for when God made promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he swore by and said so and so a blessing I'll bless thee and multiply I'll multiply thee and so after he had faith simply endured he obtained the promise for men verily swore by the greater in an oath for confirmation as to them an end of all strife wherein to accommodate himself to the women who wherein God willing more boldly show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we are in this we might have a strong consolation who have prayed for rescues to lay hold upon the Lord set before us where is that hope which for we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast and where is it thank God which entereth into that within the veil where is my hope the little carnal assurance is I know I'm true you've got your robin of bank tomorrow you better pray for rescue pray pray for mercy blessed God why the poor runner he's within the veil Jesus we know my hope's in him Satan can't get him that good my hope's in him in him all on earth now in this seeking time we pray for refuge to lay hold on the what the hope that's set before us it's within the veil thank God it's in good hands if it's not in yourself if it's uttered in him in him do you have a saving interest in the blood that Jesus Christ shed on Calvary's heart get Guthrie's book Donald and Cat in his pocket and read his saving interest and it'll create within you maybe a thirst more than you have now so to preach the cross of Christ if you could that this world it takes for granted that death of Jesus would fall prostrate before the fact that on that cross the sovereign of this world lay down his life and get up from that meeting with eyes that have seen the Lord you can sing this verse knock my home I'm just driving through mine eyes have seen the glory in the face of Jesus Christ let us stand please what can wash away my sin my sin for I had to bow to protect it for you to go from a conference like this and your assurances in the decision you made one time a profession you made and you felt better turned over a new leaf and not quite as mean as you used to be or something oh my friend there's just one safe place and that's to lay hold on him taking Christian hope within the veil my sin corrupts that I lay out to get a hold of Jesus Christ instead of a prayer for a benediction I'd love for us to sing just a verse so precious is Jesus my savior and king he's so precious to me would you sing it together brother young can you get the key to it he is so precious to me my savior and king I'll leave you with it if the time has never come when you could stand up and say what Paul told the truth that he loved me that's not gospel that's testimony tell me what happened he said he loved me and he gave himself for it don't be satisfied with anything until you can say that good night God bless you