Are You Walking the Walk or Talking the Walk - Part 5

You see, a foolish mouth religion will always show itself for what it really is. You can call yourself born again, but sooner or later, if you're not, you'll be shown for what you really are. A fool feeds on foolishness.

If you go to a bar, you walk out in five minutes, you smell of smoke. Sociology will tell you that your atmosphere affects you greatly, whether you like it or not. And if you constantly mess about with foolishness, then foolishness is what will come out of you.

But if you've been born again, if you're a sheep of the Lord, you will walk in the ways of the Lord. Now, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not here preaching some type of perfect Christianity, where we're never going to fail.

Of course, we're going to be fighting against this Adamic nature until our death. We're in that constant conflict between flesh and spirit. But the difference between the sheep of the Lord and the goat is that the sheep hates sin, but the goat delights in sin.

If you have a pool of mud and you throw a sheep into the mud, the first instinct of the sheep is to get out. He doesn't want to stay there. It's not its nature.

But if you throw a pig into that same pool of mud, he loves it. He turns over. He wallows in it.

He rejoices in the mud. Why? Because it's his nature. Hebrews talks to us about certain people who participated with the people of God.

They've been baptized. They made a profession in the name of the Lord. They've been in the church for years, but they've never been regenerated.

They've never been born again. Their inner spring was corrupt, was defiled, and sinful. Dirty water makes you sick, but the reprobate are pleased to drink it in and fill up the cup of sinful pleasure.

The soul that has not been born again doesn't live for the glory of God, but lives for his own pleasure, his own interests, his own concern in life. As I go around Spain and Europe preaching the word of God, many pastors and leaders ask me, why is it, William? Why is it that I can't get the people to come to a prayer meeting? Why is it that I can't get the people to read the Bible? Why is it that I can't get the people to congregate on a Sunday? I say to the pastors, to the leader, because more than likely, they're not born again. It's not their nature.

It's not their desire. You see, when you're born again, things that before were a boredom to you become your delight. Before I was saved, the worst thing you could do with me was to put me in a church to listen to a sermon.

As dry as drivel, it sent me up the wall. The only thing it was good for was for sending me to sleep. But when I was born again, by the power of the Spirit, sermons became a very life.

I jumped as I heard the preaching of the word. Prayer became a delight. The word of God became a delight.

Preaching became a delight. There was a change, a transformation. There was a new birth.

And if you are truly born again in this place, you will love to pray. You will love to study the word. You will love to hear the preaching of the word of God.

But if you're not born again, you're going to spend your free time occupying yourself with self-gratification and pleasing your flesh. I want to be very, very serious on this point. I can't beat about the bush.

A fool is known by his foolishness. If you had complete liberty, if you had total control over your life, and you could do anything you wanted, and no one would ever find out about it, what would you do? What would you do? There's the test to see if you're really born again. Would you use that time of liberty to fill yourself up to the brim with sin, like a dirty beast that's only born to be destroyed? Would you draw near to God and seek him and preach Christ and him crucified to all creatures? I conclude this message by reading the text.

The heart of him that has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds unfoolishness. It's that simple. It's that simple.

What I've told you here tonight is no new revelation. I've no new vision to tell you. I'm just telling you the word that God's been saying for the past few thousand years, but many times we forget these lessons.

So which of these two people are you? Examine yourself to see if you're in the faith. If you love God and serve him, if you have a heart of understanding that seeks knowledge, God will be glorified in you. And if you're a fool whose mouth feeds off foolishness, God will also be glorified in you.

The good news is that Jesus Christ is coming soon. And the bad news is that Jesus Christ is coming soon. Are you a vessel of mercy? Are you a vessel of wrath? Have you been born again from above? Does your life prove that you're walking the walk? Or do you merely talk the talk? The fact that the Almighty has allowed you to hear this exposition of the word of God is by his pure grace and mercy.

And to every person in this place, every person that has a heart of understanding that seeks knowledge, I say unto you, keep pressing on. Keep being faithful to the Lord. Keep fighting the good fight.

Keep pressing on for a great recompense is soon to come. But to those of you that the scripture designates as fools, I have only one word for you. And I say it with all the authority that God can give to a man that's preaching his word.

I say it with labor pains. I say it with much pain in my heart and tears in my eyes. I say it with all the strength that can muster up within me.

If you're not saved, if you're not born again, I can say one thing to you. Repent! Repent! Repent! Be ye reconciled to God. Make peace with God.

I know I can't make you be born again. I know I can't make you repent. I can only prophesy as Ezekiel did.

But may God, the Holy Spirit, so come and so move among the dead bones and cause there to be muscles and a mighty army that marches in his power and in his glory. And to those of you that are cold, that you know God, but you're not seeking him as you should do, stir up the fire within. Get back to God.

Get back to the secret closet. Start to pray. If you have to pray hours on end, day on end, do the thing.

But get back to God. It's time to seek the Lord. Many people have never heard the gospel once.

Do you deserve to hear it twice? So I'll finish everything that I've preached to you this evening with a question. Only you can answer it. And you don't have to say anything out loud.

Let your heart answer this question. Are you a man or a woman, a young person whose heart has understanding and seeks knowledge? Is that you? Or are you a fool that feeds on foolishness, the dirt of this world? I'm not asking the person that's sitting beside you. I'm asking you, is your heart one that has understanding and seeks knowledge, that grows in the grace of God? Or are you a fool that feeds on foolishness? It's time to seek God.

Today is the day of salvation. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Let us pray together.