In this sermon, the preacher shares two stories to emphasize the importance of prioritizing our eternal relationship with God. The first story is about a man who desired to become a millionaire and followed the advice of Napoleon Hill's book. However, he realized that the least thing he wanted to do was to become a Christian, which ultimately led him to salvation. The preacher then emphasizes that no matter what worldly accomplishments we achieve, we will all eventually die and spend eternity somewhere. Therefore, he urges the audience to make their calling and election sure, seek the Lord while He may be found, and examine themselves to ensure they have genuine saving faith.

Norman Vincent Peale, the editor of Guidepost Magazine, said, Any faith is better than no faith. You're better to be a Buddhist than nothing. Any faith is better than no faith. You're better to be a Buddhist than nothing. I heard Eldridge Cleaver, former Black Panther, give his testimony on one occasion. As he stood before a crowd of thousands of people, he was up there to give his testimony of how he'd come to know the Lord, and his testimony was this. He said that, I was out one night and I looked up in the moon and saw the face of Jesus. He looked up in the moon and saw the face of Jesus. That was his testimony. And then the pastor came running up and said, Well, brother, you did believe on Jesus Christ and tried to cover up this obvious, obvious, dubious attempt to talk about a salvation testimony. But he saw the face of Jesus in the moon. I also heard a millionaire one time, a self-professed millionaire, give his testimony. He was up before this vast throng of people and he told us how he came to know the Lord. He, as a young person, decided that he wanted to be a millionaire. He wanted to be extremely wealthy. He got Napoleon Hill's book on Think and Grow Rich. Napoleon Hill gave four things that you must do in order to accomplish your goal. And one of the things that he recommended that you must do in order to accomplish your goal is you have to be willing to do the thing that you want to do the least. Well, this man stood before the congregation and said that he had a mother-in-law who was a Christian. And the thing he wanted to do the least was to become a Christian. That's the thing he wanted to do the least. But in order to accomplish his goal of becoming an extremely wealthy man, he went ahead and did the thing that he wanted to do the least, and that was to become a Christian. Now, let me say, my friend, there are a lot of dubious testimonies that we have heard in our day. Do I have a witness on that point right there? And there is so much false doctrine today that it's just about running out of our ears, as it were. And when it comes to the nature of saving faith, I don't think there's any doubt about it, that we have very muddy waters in America today when it comes to defining the nature of saving faith. James chapter 2. Take your Bible this morning and turn with me if you would, please. James chapter 2 and verse 14. The book of James chapter 2 and verse 14. What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith and have not works? Can faith save him? What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith and has not works? Can that kind of faith, can that kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body, what does it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone. Yea, a man may say thou hast faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way? For is the body without the spirit dead? So faith without works is dead also. Now I want you to notice verse 19. This is what we're going to talk about here this morning. The subject of demon faith. Verse 19. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou doest well. This is kind of sarcastically given here. You say you believe in God. You're doing tremendous. James says the devils, the demons believe and tremble. Now James says that the demons, the devils believe and tremble, but Baptists in America only believe. Could it be possible? Could it be possible that demon faith is superior, superior to the faith of many people that attend a lot of our churches today in the United States of America? Now notice what the Bible says. The Bible says that the demons believe. They're enlightened in their minds. The Bible says that the demons even tremble. They are stirred in their emotions. The spiritual reality is so great that it causes a tremendous emotional upheaval. They tremble. And the Bible says that these demons, they confess with their mouth that there is one God. Demon faith. Demons are affected mentally. They are shaken emotionally, but yet they are unchanged spiritually. You see, demons are informed, but not transformed. Demons are convinced, but they're not converted. Demons recognize Christ, but they did not repent. Demons give mental assent to the facts of the gospel, but not heart surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that demons believe. Did you know that there is not a devil in hell who is an atheist? There are no atheist demons. I'm telling you, they all believe, yet the scripture says that they are still lost. Now I want to talk to you this morning for a few moments, first of all, about what I'm calling the disturbing faith of demons. The disturbing faith of demons. I believe that the type of faith that James is talking about here in chapter 2 and verse 19 is disturbing. Number one, it's disturbing because it so closely resembles the kind of faith that the average church member has today. It's disturbing because it's almost identical to the type of faith displayed in popular Christianity. I say it's disturbing because it's orthodox, but dead. This demon faith is disturbing because it holds to every fundamental tenet of Bible Christianity. Now listen, the Bible says that demons believe. Do you understand this morning that demons believe in the deity of Jesus Christ? That's better than the liberals. The demons have no questions about the authenticity of the sonship of Jesus Christ. It says in Mark chapter 1 that there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out when Jesus came in and he said, leave us alone. What do we have to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. He said, this demon said to Christ, I know who you are, the Holy One of God, the perfect and righteous one without sin. In Mark chapter 7, there was another demon-possessed man and he cried with a loud voice and said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? The Son of the Most High God. Friend, there are no liberal demons. There are no neo-orthodox demons. I'm here to tell you this morning, my friend, that these demons are just as certain that Jesus is God as the Apostle Paul. And I cannot find in any of the gospel accounts where any demon denied the deity of Jesus Christ. Don't you find that disturbing this morning, that demons believe in the deity of Jesus Christ? I'll tell you, demons also believe that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. They believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's better than the major denominations that we've got today. They believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Mark chapter 3. And an unclean spirit, when they saw him, fell down before him and cried, saying, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the Son of God. Do you understand that's the redemptive title of Jesus Christ? The Son of God? In John 3.16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. My brethren, they believe that Christ is the way of salvation. This demon in Mark chapter 3, he openly confessed Jesus to be the Son of God. It's the same confession that Peter made when Jesus said to them, who do you say that I am? And Peter came forth and said, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Look, in Acts chapter 16, the Bible says that He came to pass. Paul was there. He said, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination that is a fortune-telling spirit. The Bible says that the same followed Paul and us and cried, saying, these men are the servants of the Most High God which show us the way of salvation. I say that demon faith is disturbing because they believe that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. Number three, demons believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. Demons believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. That's better than most pastors in America. I'm telling you, they've got no questions about the authority of the Word of God. When it comes to the inerrancy of the Bible, I can find no doubting Thomas' demons. You understand, demons are fundamentalists. Theologically, you know. They really are. And just like the devil, they are all Bible believers, but they are not Bible obeyers. I asked you this morning, how many cults have been founded by men and women who at first, at least claimed to believe the Bible was the Word of God? Do you remember in the wilderness temptation when Satan took our Lord out into the wilderness and put Him on the pinnacle of the temple and He said unto them, just jump off, take a leap, take a flying leap, and then He quoted a Bible verse where He said, for it is written that He shall give His angels charge over thee and in their hands they shall bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Do you understand that the devil knows the Bible? The demons believe the Bible. It says in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 12, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Now how does the devil know that he has a short time? Because the devil knows Bible prophecy. He's an eschatological genius. He knows this Bible better than you and I and I believe that next to the Spirit-filled Christian, perhaps the devil is the most masterful user of Scripture in all the world. I'll tell you what's disturbing about this, folks, is that demons will subscribe to every doctrinal point on our doctrinal statement at Shenandoah Baptist Church. Every one of them. They go along with every one of them. They have no question marks. But understand, demon faith is intellectual assent to certain facts without any heartfelt submission to the Savior. I'll tell you, demons believe in hell. This is disturbing. Demons believe in hell. This is better than most Protestants, I would say. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 8, and we was coming to the other side of the country. There met him too possessed with devils coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass that way. And notice what these demons said. And behold, they cried out saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time when the Son of God, when Jesus Christ encountered these demons? What did they do? They were snarling and growling and griping. And said, What are you doing? Have you come here to torment us before the time? Contrast that. Contrast that with the Apostle Paul, solitarious on the Damascus Road, when he saw the Lord Jesus Christ revealed brighter than the noonday sun, and he said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Notice the submission there. Notice the surrender there, my friend. Compare that to the demons who said, Are you come to torment us before the time? Demons believe that Christ is the judge. They believe that their eternal destiny is in his hands. Demons believe in a set time and a set place of torment when many ministers today are denied. My friend, I'm telling you, in listening to popular teaching today, you would think that hell has disappeared from the faces of the Bible. But I'm telling you, my friend, demons believe in hell. I'll tell you what else is disturbing about demon faith, is demon faith has even produced answers to prayer. Demon faith has even produced answers to prayer. Don't misunderstand me. Demons never pray unless they're forced to. They never cry out to God voluntarily. But do you remember that demoniac that was possessed by that legion of evil spirits? And when Jesus came into contact with this man, do you remember what those spirits said? Do you remember what they said? They said, Cast us into the swine. And what did Jesus do? He gave them their request. He answered their prayer and he cast them into the swine. I'll tell you, demon faith is disturbing because it produced, it has produced answers to prayer. It's disturbing because demons believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. Demon faith is disturbing because they believe in the blood atonement. Demon faith is disturbing because they believe in hell and yet they are still damned. Now let me talk to you very candidly here this morning. That's not going to be unusual to talk to you very candidly here this morning about the deficiency of demon faith. You say, well good night. They've got all of this going for them. Could there be anything lacking in a faith like that? Can that kind of faith, the faith that does not produce any works, can it save anybody? I want to talk to you this morning about the deficiency of demon faith. And point number one, demon faith exhibits no enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. Demon faith exhibits no enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. You'll never find a demon singing what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. You'll never hear a demon singing that song. They're not excited about Jesus Christ. Demons do not deny the fact of the cross. The problem is they don't celebrate it. You'll never find a demon singing that hymn. Oh, that old rugged cross so despised by the world has a wondrous attraction to me. I want to ask you something, friend. Is there something magnetic about the cross of Christ in your heart here this morning? You know, I have a pastor friend, Brother Ed Moore. Some of you know him. Comes to the prayer advance all the time. You know what he said to me? He said, Brother Harold, when we stand up and sing that song, the old rugged cross has a wondrous attraction to me. He said, Harold, I'll tell you. There is no wondrous attraction to multitudes of people in our churches. There is no wondrous attraction. Their hearts are not drawn out to him. You know what those demons said when Jesus showed up? They were not drawn out. They were not just drawn to him and attracted him and excited about it. You know what they said? They said, Are you come to torment us before the time? They have no enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. Far from delight, these demons are disturbed when they contemplate the victory of Calvary. How many of you remember after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene and Peter making a streak off to the tomb to see perhaps if Jesus has risen from the dead. And when they get there, who's whose lady? Who knows who was there? It was an angel, was it not? There weren't any demons hanging around the tomb, friend. It was an angel there. You see, demons have no enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. You see, if you have never seen yourself as a sinner, there's really no use to get too excited about a savior. You see, you will never weep over somebody else's sins until you've wept over your own. You'll never weep over somebody else's soul until you've wept over your own. And my brethren, you will... Spurgeon, let me give you a quote by Spurgeon. Spurgeon said, if you have no wish for others to be saved, then you are not saved yourself. If you have no wish for others to be saved, then you are not saved yourself. You see, my friend, if there's no desire and no effort to bring others to Christ, then you have every reason to doubt whether you've ever come to Christ yourself. I was at a meeting. There was this lady that came and trusted the Lord. You know, the first thing that came out of her mouth, the first thing that came out of her mouth, she said, now we've got to get my husband saved. First thing that came out of her mouth. Why? Because she had found and laid hold of Christ and Christ had laid hold of her. And brother, she wanted to get her husband. She wanted to get everybody else in on this great thing. I asked you this morning, are you enthusiastic about Jesus Christ? Do you desire to bring others to Jesus Christ? Do you make attempts to bring others to Christ? Is your heart ever drawn out to Jesus? Does your heart, heart, heart ever run hard after him? You said, well, brother, Harold, I believe the Bible. I believe in Christ. Well, the Bible says that demons believe and even tremble. You know, I think we've come to a point in America right now where some, let me qualify this, where some crusade evangelists are nothing more than ecumenical bureaucrats. Ecumenical bureaucrats. And the goal today in evangelism so often is to replicate demon faith. All they want to accomplish is to get somebody's name on a card, get them down the aisle and send them back to their parish, God forbid, or send them back to the church of their choice. How many of you think it's about time we got in the church of God's choice for a change? There is such a thing as separation in the word of God, you know, but it's come to the point where in this country that the goal is just to get people to make a decision, to give mental assent to the fact that God exists and leave the people precisely where they are. My brethren, that's demon faith. I want to ask you a question. Is your faith any different from the faith of demons? Are you excited about the person of Jesus Christ? Oh, let me tell you a second thing about the deficiency of demon faith. If the demon faith does not lead to repentance, demon faith does not lead to repentance. Jesus said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus said, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Jesus said that after his resurrection that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name. Paul said he preached repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 17 and verse 30 and the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commanded all men everywhere to repent. Romans chapter 2 and verse 4, it's the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance. Do you see it? It's the goodness of God that leads thee to repentance. How many of you think that perhaps repentance is the missing ingredient in evangelism in the land of the free and the home of the brave? We're so confused and we've gone off the deep end and we've so redefined terms that we've left out the essential ingredient. Jesus said, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in 1937 described the heresy of cheap grace and he called it the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance. My friend, the Bible says that faith without worse is dead. I'll tell you, faith without repentance is dead also. The word repent means to change the mind. It means to change your attitude. And when you repent, you change your attitude, you change your mind, which leads to a change of heart, which produces a divine change of life. Ernest Clark is going to be preaching next Sunday morning. I'm going to let the cat out of the bag here, brother Ernest. He's preaching on this great subject of repentance and you know what he said to me? He said the only demon, the only difference between a demon and a Christian is that demons have never repented. They believe everything we do, but they've never experienced God-given repentance. I asked you this morning, how many people today want heaven without holiness? How many people today want consolation without consecration? How many people today want blessing without brokenness? How many people today want grace without government? The demons believe and tremble, but they never confess and forsake their sin. Demons believe and tremble, but they never humble themselves on the mighty hand of God. Demons believe and tremble, but they never mourn and grieve over their rebellion against God. They never seek God's forgiveness and cry out to God for mercy. You see, their essential character remains unchanged. They're not changed in their hearts. Their mind is persuaded. They are convinced, but they've never... It's kind of like in the book of Acts when Paul was preaching to Felix concerning judgment and self-control and righteousness and judgment to come. And the Bible says that Felix trembled, but he never repented. I want to ask you a question this morning, friend. Have you ever repented in the presence of God? You say, what do I need to repent from? You need to repent from being self-centered and sin-centered. And my friend, we need to get to the point where we have turned ourselves a clear around and done a U-turn and gone the other way. You know what repentance is? Repentance... We're all born on the broad road, you know? And we're headed down the broad road that leads to destruction just like this. Repentance, my friend, is not when you put up a yield sign and say, yeah, I'm going to believe in Jesus and keep on heading down the same road. Repentance is when you put up a stop sign when God flashes the red light and you turn around. Instead of walking on the broad road, you turn around and swing all the way around, take a U-turn on the narrow road that leads to life and you start going for God. Are you with me here this morning, people? This is repentance, you see. I ask you this morning, have you ever repented? Have you ever repented? I'll tell you another deficiency of demon faith. Demon faith is deficient in good works. It's deficient in good works. A lot of confusion today. I'm not talking about salvation by works. I'm talking about a salvation that works. And James, this morning, in the text that we read, he reiterated three times. In verse 17, faith without works is dead. In verse 20, faith without works is dead. In verse 26, faith without works is dead. John Calvin said, you're saved by faith alone. But the faith that saves is never alone. It's always accompanied by good works. Yes, praise God, you are saved by faith alone. But the faith that saves is never alone. It's always accompanied by good works. You know what the scripture says in Matthew chapter 7? Jesus said, not everyone that saith unto thee, Lord, Lord, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. But he which doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. And Jesus went on to say that many will say to me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied, taught, preached in thy name? Have we not cast out devils in your name and done many wonderful works in your name? And you know what Jesus is going to say to that crowd? He will, and then will I profess unto you, Jesus said, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. You know what this verse is telling us? Good works do not prove that you are saved. Don't misunderstand. Good works do not prove that you are saved, but the absence of good works prove that you are not saved. Good works don't prove that you're saved, but the absence of good works prove absolutely that you are not saved because the scripture says here in Matthew chapter 7. These people said, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works in your name? You see, good works do not prove that a person is a Christian, but the absence of good works prove that he is not. Judas Iscariot was baptized by John the Baptist. Judas Iscariot called Jesus Master performed miracles. He even kissed the door of heaven, but he fell headlong into hell. You know why? You know why? My friend, his heart was never changed. He was never transformed. He was never converted. He even kissed the son of God and he fell headlong into hell. I'll tell you, my friend, this is disturbing. It says in Ephesians chapter 2 that we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. You know, folks, faith without works is dead. I'll tell you another thing. Faith without fruit is dead. Also, faith without fruit is dead where there is no fruit. There is no root. Oh, brethren, Jesus said, I am the vine. You are the branches. He said that if he that abides in me, he will bring forth much fruit. Oh, friend, there's going to be some that have thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold, but there must be something. And Jesus said every branch that beareth not fruit is cut off and cast into the fire. You know what the scripture says? The fruit of the spirit is what? Love, joy, peace, gentleness, patience, goodness, meekness. That's the fruit of the spirit. But the fruit of a Christian is another Christian. And Jesus did speak of a fruit that would remain. I say this morning. I say this morning that demon faith is deficient in the area of good works. But let me give you a fourth thing. Demon faith does not affect behavior. Demon faith does not affect behavior. You see, demons are informed, but they're not transformed. Demons are enlightened, but they're not enlivened. Ian Thomas, Ian Thomas, who wrote The Saving Life of Christ. He said the greatest mistake that we could ever make is to mistake soul enlightenment for soul enlivenment. The greatest mistake we could ever make is to mistake soul enlightenment for soul enlivenment. You see, it's one thing to be enlightened. It's another thing to be enlivened by the spirit of God. Have we not witnessed, have we not witnessed in our lifetime people who hold to a belief system that doesn't affect the way they live their life? Have we not seen that? How many of you seen that bumper sticker combo going around the Roanoke Valley now? K92 FM on one side and Jesus is Lord over Roanoke on the other side. How many of you think there's a little inconsistency there? Give me a witness on that one. Can you believe it? Can you believe it? Let me tell you something, friends. The reason some of you have no discernment on right and wrong is because you don't have the spirit of God on the inside of you. And I'm telling you, when you get converted, you'll not be perfect, but at least you'll be different and you'll be changed. And it will affect the way you live your life. My Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. All things are passing away. Behold, all things have become new. J.C. Riles said, where there's no holy living, there's no holy ghost. I'm telling you this morning, my friend, you're hooked on your HBO television. You're hooked on your R-rated movies. You claim to be right with God. And I want to tell you this morning as a friend in the Lord that you need to be converted because when you get saved, you can't get away with that junk anymore. I'll tell you, we just about lost what it means to be saved anymore. It says in Romans 8, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. It says in Romans 8, 14, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. I want to ask you this morning, are you led by the Spirit of God? Say that you're not led by the Spirit of God. You're not a child of God. It says in 2 Corinthians 3, 18, that we all, with an open face, an unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even by the Spirit of God. You see, demons are not changed because they do not have the Spirit of God. And friend, if you're not being changed or chastened, neither do you. I'm telling you, demon faith is deficient because it doesn't affect behavior. And salvation is not just a matter of correct information, it's a matter of transformation that's wrought by the miraculous Spirit of God. You know what it says in James 2, 14? What does it profit brethren? Though a man say he has faith and has no works, can that kind of faith save him? Can that kind of faith save him? James said, you believe in God, you're doing tremendous. The devils believe and tremble. People, it's possible to cross all the T's, intellectually, and got all the I's, theologically, and still go to hell. Demons believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. Demons believe in the authority of the Bible. Demons believe in eternal damnation. Demons believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation. But if that's all you've got, I say it as kindness, I know how this morning. If that's all you've got, you're still in league with demons. What kind of faith do you have this morning? Is it saving faith, or is it the same thing as demon faith? You say, Brother Harold, how can I evaluate the kind of faith that I have? Well, what kind of faith is it? Is it a faith that produces good works? Is it a faith that produces good works? You know what James said? He said, Pure religion before God the Father, pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. I want to ask you this morning, what kind of works? What kind of works? What kind of fruit come out of your life naturally? You know, you really don't have to try to work up the fruit of the spirit of God. You just need to get in tune with him and abide in the vine, and the fruit kind of comes out all by itself. Do you have fruit? Do you have works this morning? Number two, is it a faith that leads you to repentance? I want to ask you, has your faith ever led you to repent? Have you ever changed your mind? Have you ever changed your ways by the grace of God? Have you ever repented? I want to ask you another question. Are you still repenting? You know, the best way you can tell that you've ever repented is that you're still at it. Because Corinthians talks about a repentance never to be repented of. Friend, I'm telling you, you can't get over eternal salvation. You can't get over it. And if God ever takes up his habitation in you, the life of God and the soul of man, I'm telling you, friend, you are marked for time and eternity. You can make a mess out of it. You can get off the narrow way. We all know it's the truth. But brother, you can't stay there without inflicting some chastisement from a loving Heavenly Father. He's committed to us, and it's the goodness of God that leads us to repent. You know, some people talk about I don't like to go to that church because they step on my toes all the time. That always bothers me. Friend, if you don't like for the spirit of God to come and show you some things and you just like the demons that's snarling and growling, are you coming to torments before the time? Are you going to get on a case again today? Are you going to bother us again? And you see, this whole thing of holiness is a burden and a duty rather than a joy and a delight. I'm telling you, when you get converted, my friend, you love to have dealings from a holy God. You love to be led of the spirit of God. You didn't like it when the spirit of God convicts you. Why? Because it brings you back in the right relationship with him. Have you ever repented? Oh, let me ask you this. Is it a faith that affects your behavior? Now, let me ask you, does your life back up? Does your life back up what you say you believe? What governs the way you live? Is it the Bible, the final authority, or popular, psychological, or religious opinion? Friend, I'm here to tell you, man, we're so far off the mark in our churches today that if we really come clean with God, we're going to have to throw out so much of the junk that we've sucked up from the world if we're ever going to have a Bible in the local church. Do I have a witness this morning? It's wrong. It's flat out wrong. And I'm telling you, God can't have fellowship with the devil. Light cannot have fellowship with darkness. There's such a thing as the secular, and there's such a thing as profane, and there's such a thing as the sacred and the holy. Let me ask you, is your type of faith the type of faith that causes you to be excited about Jesus Christ? I was listening to BBN on the radio the other day that came out with this song, My Heart is Stirred Whenever I Think of Jesus. You ever heard that? My heart is stirred whenever I think of Jesus. And I just sit there and listen to that. I thought, boy, boy, this is tremendous. Does your heart ever get stirred when you think of him? Friend, are you enthusiastic this morning about Jesus Christ? Not as a historical figure, not as a great religious teacher, but as your personal Savior that redeemed your soul from hell and saved you from your sin and set your feet on the solid rock. Are you excited this morning about Jesus Christ? I'll tell you, that's the kind of faith that saves, man. It's the kind of faith that does something for you. And brother, I'll tell you, in these days of sophistication where we've gotten so... I don't even know what to call it anymore. We've gotten so refined that very seldom do people get saved in our kind of churches anymore. Very seldom. And if nobody's getting saved, we've got every reason to ask ourselves, what in the world is the problem because the last time I checked, the Roanoke Valley was full of sinners on the broad road hitting the wrong way. God needs to break some of our stony hearts here this morning. Oh brethren, what about it? Is your type of faith the type of faith that causes you to be excited about Jesus Christ? You see, believing and trembling are not conversion. You can believe and you can even tremble and still not be saved because the demons are in that lead. You say, brother Harold, what can I do? What can I do? This is disturbing when I think about the faith of demons. Well, number one, you can ask God to reveal to you the state of your own heart. You can ask God to reveal to you the state of your own heart. Would you honestly do it this morning, young people? Would you honestly be willing to do it? God, what is the state of my heart? Have I passed from death into life? Have I really been changed on the inside out? Has God done something for me? Has the son of God come in to take up residence in my heart? That's the thing. Ask God to reveal to you the state of your own heart. Number two, you need to narrow your interest to life's ultimate priority. You need to narrow your interest. You see, we're so broad. We're shotgunning today. We need some rifle shots and we need to narrow it down to our eternal relationship with our God. Listen, friend, I don't care if you make a million dollars. I don't care what you accomplish in this life. You're going to die. Sure, you're going to die. And you're going to spend eternity somewhere. You need to make your calling election sure. You need to seek the Lord while he may be found. You need to call upon him while he is near. You need to examine yourself and see if you can be found in the faith. And, brothers and sisters, we need to bring forth fruit, meat for repentance. What kind of faith do you have, friend? Is it demon faith or saving faith? Is it faith or friend? Examine yourself. Ask God to reveal to you to save your own heart. Narrow your interest. Seek the Lord. Let God do that miraculous work. And by the grace of God, repent of your sin and flee to Christ as your Savior. Isn't it good news this morning for sinners that God's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to forgiveness? Oh, yes, but it's good news that they should come to repentance and God can change us. And he can do it. The disturbing faith of demons, I'll tell you, it's disturbing because it's so orthodox, but it's dead. It's deficient of good works. They had no enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. I'll tell you, these demons, it does not lead to repentance. It does not affect their behavior. Oh, my brethren, they have no fruit. All the brethren, God this morning in his mercy wants to give us genuine saving faith. The demons believe and tremble, but the Bible says there's something beyond belief. There's something beyond trembling and being stirred. There's that heart change that comes when God comes to take up residence in a human heart. Do you have saving faith? Heavenly Father, I pray this morning that you would reveal to the hearts of everyone present here this morning the state of their own souls. Dear God, be merciful and draw men and women and young people and children. Draw people to yourself. God, don't let anybody be conned this morning with a substitute, a demon faith. Lord, God, don't let anybody be deceived and miss heaven by 18 inches. They got it all in their head, but they don't have Christ in their heart. God, don't let anybody miss it this morning. Father, I pray that you'd take the invitation this morning and Lord, repentance would take place here and the new birth and saving faith. Now, this morning we've had a moment of prayer. We're going to have an invitation here this morning and I'm thoroughly convinced that there's some sitting here today and you know in your heart of hearts, you've known it for a long time, that all you got is the type of faith that demons have. It doesn't say, but God's talking to you and you've opened your heart this morning and you're asking God to reveal to you the state of your own heart and you're open to the Lord and some of you here this morning may be so convinced that you're lost, that you want this morning to take a stand and you want to publicly and openly repent and you want to follow the Lord with all of your heart. I'm going to ask you to get out of your seat this morning. I'm going to ask you to come down these aisles while the choir sings in a moment and give your heart to the Lord. You know, Christian, God might be calling on you to repent of specific sins. Lost friends, God's calling on you to repent of all sin and I'm telling you, it's the goodness of God that leads you to repent. You can't quit your bad habits and your own strength. You can't turn your life around in your own strength, but you can surrender your heart to Jesus Christ and you can get off the throne and you can get out of the driver's seat and you can give yourself to God and God can do something for you. Let's stand this morning. This morning, we're going to have a moment of prayer. Don Diven's is going to be down here at the altar. God's spoken to your heart. Why don't you come this morning and why don't you, why don't you get out in the open and get out of the closet and get real with God and give your heart to the Lord this morning. Would you do it this morning? Christian friends, let's pray. Father, have thy way this morning. God help men and women and young people to locate themselves. Dear God, I pray that people that have that demon faith, that kind of faith that doesn't save. I pray, God, they would chuck it this morning. They would turn from it. Lord, we're not looking for recommitments and rededications. Lord, we're looking for conversions here this morning. And father, I pray that the goodness of God would lead people to repent. Lord, perhaps some are confused here this morning. Lord, I pray you give them the courage and the grace to respond openly, unashamedly, in common. Get help in time of need. Father, may some people this morning call upon you while you're near and seek the Lord while he may be found. Have thy way this morning. Believers praying, choir singing, invitation is open. You feel free to respond now as we wait in God's presence.