Agony (Compilation)

We have never seen the agonizing death of a man on a cross. Immediately a man was nailed to the cross, he lost all his rights. And if you ever get nailed to the cross, you'll lose all yours too.

Paul says, don't trouble me, I'm branded. I bear the marks of a slave, I'm a bond slave of Jesus Christ. I've no will of my own, I've no rights of my own.

There's an old hymn established on that very theme. Let my hands perform his bidding. Let my feet run in his way.

Let my eyes see Jesus only. Let my lips speak forth his praise. All for Jesus.

All my being's ransom powers. All my thoughts and words and doings. All my days and all my hours.

This man is no professional preacher. Preaching is not a profession, it's a passion. A man can't preach with passion, he shouldn't preach at all.

There's no breath of professionalism anywhere in the ministry of Paul. And thank God there's no breath of commercialism either. Paul has no fear.

Do you know what he did? I would to God some of you fellows would do it. Do you know what he once did? He said, I bow the knee to the Father. And because he bowed the knee to the Father, he never bowed the knee to anybody else.

Neither demons or politicians or kings. He stood there, regal. I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

In America alone right now we have, I dare to say this before God. I believe we have hundreds of millions of gospel cassettes. And we have millions of gospel books.

And we have hundreds of bible schools. And we have hundreds, over the year, we have hundreds of seminars. And we have people memorizing the scriptures.

And we have about 5,000 radio stations who every day give some part of the scripture. And yet with all this stuff to feed on. Dear God, where are we with all this stuff to feed on? 95% of us are spiritual cripples.

Spiritual infants. Spiritual babes. Children.

Full of self-pity, self-interest, self-seeking. Self-concern. Me first.

And some people love God because He gives. We've got this wretched prosperity stuff. Paul's very clear, isn't he? Doesn't he say, right into Timothy there.

That you'll come a day when people think that gain is godliness. Some of God's choicest saints don't have the most shirt to change. Peter said in his day that some will make merchandise of you.

That couldn't be more true than the day in which we're living. To a friend of mine recently who might be doing some building for God. He said, listen, let me give you a word of advice.

Don't build anything that will embarrass you in a few years. That's a very good point. I see God's money going in state with buildings and swimming pools and tennis courts.

And I want to vomit. With the world starving. With the mission field needing money.

Paul never glamorized the gospel. It's a very gory gospel. It's a bloody gospel.

It's a sacrificial gospel. I believe the cardinal ethic of Christianity is sacrifice. Not success, sacrifice.

The most precious thing we ever handle is the human soul. There is only one way to heaven. There are a million ways to hell.

What do you do to go to hell? Nothing. Just do nothing, that's all. You don't have to thumb your nose at God.

You don't have to blaspheme the name of Jesus. You don't have to be adulterer. Just coast on.

For the greatest sin in the world is not adultery. For the greatest sin in the world is I can manage my life without God. That's the greatest thing.

There is only one way to heaven. There are a million ways to hell. Just coast on.

For the greatest sin in the world is not adultery. For the greatest sin in the world is I can manage my life without God. That's the greatest thing.

You say sometimes, I wonder God doesn't burden me. Do you know why? Because he can't trust you, that's why. You're not strong enough to carry the burden.

A lot of you here this morning, you don't need more lies. This will only make it worse for you at the judgment. What you need is more obedience.

Some of you have known for years what you should do. Hold that. Do you remember some of those awesome words Jesus said to the disciples? I have many things to tell you but you cannot bear them.

I say reverend the almighty God, don't say that to me at the judgment seat. Don't let me stand before John Wesley and Finian. And say, I have many things to tell you.

You're so preoccupied with this. I couldn't get through to you. And if I could, you weren't mature enough to handle it.

Five minutes inside eternity. I believe every one of us will have wished that we'd sacrificed more. Prayed more, loved more, sweated more, grieved more, wept more.

95% of Christians in the nation are weak. God can't trust them with vision. He can't trust them with burden.

You can't trust children with jewels. You can't trust them with something that needs bravery. They're too timid.

You can't trust them with the burden. You'll break them. Five minutes inside eternity.

I believe every one of us will have wished that we'd sacrificed more. Prayed more, loved more, sweated more, grieved more, wept more.