Do You Know God? Have You Put Away Your Idols? — Rolfe Barnard

My brother came to me on the side one day, and he said to the preacher, could I say something to you? I said, sure. He said, I've been serving the Lord a long time, and I'm an old man now, and you're young.

He said, I just want to drop you a hint. He said, you can catch more flies with molasses than you can with vinegar. And I said to him, but brother, I'm not trying to catch flies, I'm trying to kill sinners and bring them to the end of themselves and shut them up to Christ.

Prayer as the Ground of Gospel Preaching

You see, you have to die in order to be saved. You have to die in order to be saved. Now, if that's true, then the greatest need of our churches today is for the news to get out that God's people are waiting upon God in prayer that will not take no for an answer.

And I'm not amused to try to advertise the preaching. People have heard about that before, but it certainly would be something strange if people all over this community got afraid because they heard that God's people were on their knees.

You see, in order to get anybody saved, you have to preach a message that makes religious people mad, that makes wise people laugh, that says it's crazy, for the preaching of the cross is a scandal to religious people, and it's foolish to world-wise people, but it's the power of God to those who are saved, and the wisdom of God.

We have to preach a message that kills people, and that's not nice to hear. And if that message goes forth on the ground that hasn't been watered by the prayers of God's people, it burns instead of blesses.

If I knew how, I would say another word to encourage every child of God, we've had meetings and meetings and programs and programs, and we're getting worse in the ditch all the time. You know I'm telling the truth, your own loved ones won't pay much attention to you when you talk to them about the soul.

Your own neighbors don't want you to talk to them much, we're in a desperate state, and there's just one remedy, and that's prayer, an answer to prayer. And the victory will be decided in the battle won or lost, in the place of prayer.

Amen? That's right. I wish I could encourage all of you to see that. Now tonight, if you have your Bible, the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, is our first scripture. And I'm asking you tonight this question, do you know God?

The True God Versus Man-Made Idols

Do you know that God, in purpose, in provision, enters in this blessed book, to have a God? A man has to have a God. All men have a God. You boys and girls have a God. You worship some sort of a God. You've got a God.

You serve it, or Him. The business of getting men to the true God is a terrible business, because you've got to kill a man's God before he'll find the true God. Now if you start killing a man's God, he'll fight you.

Some of us have made a God out of doctrine. Some of us have made a God out of tradition. Some of us have made a God out of our own denomination. Some of us have made a God out of money. Some a God out of pleasure.

Some of us have taken our own little pocket knives and whittled us out of God. God will enable us to be religious and still live in sin. You either know the true God, or a God of your own imagination.

This generation is like the people who were God's covenant people, God's elect nation, a few of whom were saved. The whole nation, the Jewish nation, was elected as a nation, but only a few of them knew the law and were saved.

There was a remnant, even out of God's chosen nation, and it's said in the Old Testament of Zion, that they feared God and served their own idols. And that's the true picture of many today. They fear God and serve their own idols.

Do you know the God of this book? I'm supposed to ask that over and over again tonight, because when I read the text, you'll find the quotes. In the 17th chapter of John, beginning with verse 1, follow me now, these words speak Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, thou has come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee.

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Eternal. Now watch. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God.

Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. No man knows the Father but me. When he gets acquainted with God, I'll have to introduce him. Here the Lord says that he's the one that gives eternal life to men and women.

He's the only one that has the power to do it. He's the giver of eternal life to men and women. And then the Lord Jesus tells us what eternal life is. This may shock you, but hold on till you see it. Eternal life doesn't have anything to say about how long the life lasts.

Eternal life is talking about what the life is. A man who has eternal life is a man that knows God. That's what eternal life is. A man that doesn't know God is in a state of eternal death. And a man who knows God has eternal life.

We Baptists had better watch this now. Eternal life in the scriptures is not talking about how long something will last. It's talking about the quality of it. And eternal life is simply to know God. Him, but know him.

This is life eternal, to know God. That's what Jesus said, isn't it? That says it then, don't it? Now I hear about this. People say, well, Brother Bynum, I don't agree with you on such and such thing.

That's your privilege. I'm not very smart. I'm pretty dumb. You may be smarter than I am. And you may be right and I may be wrong. But Jesus is not wrong. And he says eternal life is to know God. It's to know God.

A man then is a man who lives with the living God. That's eternal life. That's eternal life. We Baptists wish our cure to back us from one jaw to the other. And I argue about once saved, always saved.

That's not what the scripture emphasizes. It's the quality of it. Ladies and gentlemen, that's enough to make our hair stand on our head in this day. It's bound to turn to death. In the olden days when men didn't like the knowledge they had of the true God, they said, boy, that's eternal life.

He doesn't have eternal life, but that's what it is. Eternal life is something floating around up in the sky to theorize about eternal life to know God. But Jesus said, do you know God? I was in a meeting in Tulsa in my hometown, Winston-Salem.

The Reality of Divine Judgment

And on Wednesday night, in the first meeting, I announced that tomorrow night the Lord willing, I'd preach on the subject why God sends men to hell. Back to the service, there was a great big fellow. I remember him because his stomach advertised him.

It came along way ahead of him. It looked like the past. He came up to me there, pompously, told me what his name was. Didn't mean anything to me. I had met him before. He said, I'll be back tomorrow night.

Well, I said, I'm sorry that you cannot come. Oh, he said, I could come, but said I don't want to. He had met somebody. I knew it was. Found out later. Well, I said, I'm sorry you don't want to come. I heard you announce the subject.

Send anybody to hell. I said, I guess you're right, my friend. Send anybody to hell. I said, the God of the Bible will. The God of the Bible will send people to hell. Made him mad. That lady is a high monkey to mark.

Name, Piston Rock. It was a trick. He got mad. Didn't come back. The God of the Bible, or did you riddle one out? Ask yourself. This is a serious question, folks. Are you acquainted with God? Do you know him by experience?

That God whom you cannot find by searching? Has he made himself known to you? Do you know? There are two Greek words used in the New Testament for know. One of them is to know by experience. My soul, my brother man.

Do you by experience know the true God? I wrote Bristol, Tennessee some years ago. We had lots of stirs. And I remember Pastor took me out one day into the country. To have dinner with one of his deacons who lived in the country.

I'm telling you the truth. I ain't preaching now. I'm telling the truth. They had four different kinds of meat. Many kinds of vegetables. Two big kinds of cheese. Three, four kinds of pie. Buttermilk came from a cow.

Not from a bottle. And it was a sight. There was a lot of beef and chicken and pie and cake and beans. They had a divinity to that day. I sat at this end of the table and the deacon sat down there. And I could tell during the service that he imagined somebody.

And who it was. He had a great big Adam's apple. It was a big one. It looked like a turkey goblet Adam's apple. He was saying the same thing. He'd take a bite of the chicken. And that little Adam's apple would bob up and down.

It was red in the face. And luckily he said, Preacher! He said, I began to smell him out. He was mad at somebody. More chicken than the minister before I got thrown out. I kept on eating. And yesterday he said, Preacher!

I said, yes sir. I said, yes sir. I didn't want to start a fight. But he's bigger now. I saw I couldn't get out of it. And I said, I'm sure you're telling the truth. The God you worship. The God of the Bible.

Ladies and gentlemen. You'll not do. Sir, thanks. By creating a God. That does like you want God to do. Beware of creating your own God. Because the only eternal life in for sinful men. Is to know the true God.

And I think. That nowhere. Is the issue joined. About. The God that men and women know. Whether he's the true God. Or the God that men have created out of their own imagination. I think the issue is joined.

More. On the matter of what your God. What his attitude towards sin is. What is your God's attitude towards sin. I was in Texas. The other day. And a deacon told me. He said, preacher. As far as I know.

There's just one sin in my life. But he said, I'm saved. I can't be lost. And he said, I get a lot of pleasure out of that sin. And I said, brother. I hope you have a good time. Because you are sure to burn in hell as I'm preaching to you.

Because any man. Who worships a God. That lets you rest. Know the sin in your life. You've got the wrong God. Amen. You know a God that you sunk of. And yet that's the common conception today. This is wrong.

But I'm going to have you in there. Know you ain't. Not with that attitude. Not with that attitude. Oh, beloved. Do you know the true God? That eye is so pure that it cannot look on sin. By behold. You must save you from all iniquity.

Or send you to hell. Do you know that God? And there's any God you worship. God you worship. Add to it sin. I've never seen. Much of the breath of revival. Once in a while. God has been good. And it seemed he opened the windows of heaven.

Brought the spirit of prayer and confession. Making things right on the part of his people. The spirit of God was outpoured. And then it's wonderful to be around. Makes you hungry. To see real revival.

Revival, Conviction, and the Fear of God

And I went one time some years ago. To hold a meeting of the re-circumvention. I'd been in the town in a church meeting. God was pleased to bless. And no small stir in the city. On Tuesday night of the first week.

They had started a petition. Down at the big mill where everybody worked. They had several hundred people sign it by Tuesday, by Wednesday. And the petition was to run me out of town. Wednesday night.

They said I was radical. Why they said that fellow believes in holy religion. That fellow preaches that unless you try and act with perfection you're not saved. That fellow preaches that you can't have any sin.

But if you can be content to indulge in any sin, you're lost. That any sin come to your knowledge if it doesn't break your heart. Told you to turn forsaken, you're lost. You do not know God. Why they said that fellow's a holy man.

Isn't that awful that Baptists who in all their creeds say they believe in Bible salvation. And yet they're making fun of holiness. And they're going to run me out of town. And God came to the rescue.

He turned defeat into victory. I've never seen anything that tasted like revival. Until God's people got out on the lam. For they'd be disgraced if God had come to the rescue. I've never seen revival yet until people got to praying definite so they'd know whether God listened to them.

Asking God for something definite. And the whole city was stirred. And when the meetings were over, pastors of the town asked me to meet with them. Imagine this. Never happened but once in my little ministry.

And they said, we'd like to talk to you about coming back to our city. In a citywide meeting. Most citywide meetings are jokes. So I said, well what about it? And they said, well we'd rent the city off touring and we'd buy you an hour's time on the radio.

And we'd promise to pack the thing out and we'd get our people behind it. And we'd be on our pieces before God. If you'd come for a month. But they said, now we want to make two requests of you before we agree on this meeting.

And they said, the chairman said to one of the spokesmen said, we're not trying to tell you how to run your business but this is out of deep conviction. They said, would you come to our city and agree before you got here that you'd preach three weeks on one subject and not give any kind of an invitation?

Now that's so unusual. And I said, what is the subject? They said, would you come for the time on the radio every day? Night in the auditorium. Would you preach on one subject? What is it? The subject.

The God of the Bible and His faith. Don't anybody believe they will now? We've whittled us out a little God that won't punish sin. And nobody's screaming for mercy now because they don't believe God hates sin.

They said, no use for us trying to get men to be saved. They ain't got nothing to be saved from. They don't think that God will punish sin. If God won't punish sin, I see no use of men having a Savior.

For the Savior came to save men, S-R-O-M, from sins. And if God won't punish sin, I don't see where we need to be saved from. These preachers said, we're preaching our hearts out here, and nobody wants to be saved.

Nobody wants to be done with sinning. Nobody wants to be turned to righteousness. Nobody much believes that God will punish sin. Instead of trying to get people to accept Jesus as Savior when they don't feel like they need it, if you come and preach three weeks on the radio and in the auditorium on the subject, Will God Punish Sin?

We pray for you. And day on our faces that God almighty take the truth over the radio and in the auditorium. Men and women will go to their place of business and back to their homes and get to where they couldn't sleep for good, facing the awful fact that the God who revealed himself in the pages of this book that our mothers stained with our tears and some of our forefathers gave their life.

Lord took a fan. They said those preachers said they believed somebody would feel the need of being saved. Being saved. And I went. And one time in my life, I saw a Holy Ghost conviction. I saw men who could not go to their place of business.

I saw people have to go to the hospital so stricken with the fear of God. They said the people went crazy. One young woman was sent to their asylum and got through customary exit. But conviction seized that town.

Businessmen were saved. Church members were saved. Young people were saved. People everywhere were saved. We never did give an invitation in that revival. We never did get a chance. We never did get a chance.

As long as you have to invite people to come where God wants us to be. Amen. If you have heard have towards sin. Is it holy? That the God you know. That the God you know. That the God of the Bible will punish.

Repentance, Faith, and Salvation from Sin

That this generation now. Might have said. Is told of a country community filled with God. With God-fearing people. Right next to the little church where the people worshiped. And this man was an unbeliever.

And he'd work all week. Worked day and night. A tractor. And he'd plow around his land. Right close to the church. So that the noise of the tractor would interfere with the worship. Oh, he was a tough on man.

So nothing took place. Finally the crops were gathered. And this man made a bunker crop. Bunker crop. And he wrote a letter to the editor of the little weekly newspaper. And he said, I violated your Sabbath day.

And I plowed my fields on Sunday. While y 'all was in church. And he said, I've made more per acre than anybody in this country. He said, I've proved to you. That you don't have to pay any attention to this gospel.

He had to publish the letter. Without comment. Except down at the bottom of the letter. He said, my friend. God don't settle accounts in the month of October. This whole little world. God don't always settle accounts in the month of October.

But it is appointed. On demand. And after that the judgment. And after that the judgment. May not be in October. But it'll come. And God deals with men and women. About the sin question. The God of the Bible.

Is against sin. The God of the Bible said to punish sin. And the God of the Bible proposes to send men to hell. For their sins. Their father's sins. But their. Not for society's sins. But their. The God of the Bible.

Hates sin. I wouldn't be critical. But I heard a young preacher. Who had been listening to some older preacher. Try to apologize for God. And this young preacher had copied a statement. I've heard many times.

That God. Does not send people to hell. They send themselves. Why it's just as silly as to say. I break the law. I punish myself. I put myself in jail. I go out and form a jury. And sentence myself. Execute myself.

Let's not try to apologize. The God of the Bible. Sends people to hell. Does your. Does your. Attitude. Does your God. Take towards sin. Do you have a God. That enables you. To treat the Lord's day. Can you please.

Ladies and gentlemen. Listen to me. The God. That America worships. That lets them turn Sunday into a holiday. And the God of this Bible. Two different people. The God. That America serves. That lets them to have some sin.

And quit others. The most church members. All on earth. That ever happened to them. They quit some of the sins. And will go to hell. Defending others. The God of the Bible. Send the. Theologians. Approach this question.

From two different directions. And said the same thing. They said first of all. That God. Will send nobody to hell. When you can wisely say. Listen to me. There are some things. That God cannot do. And stay God.

Worse would it be. For God to cease to be God. Than for you to be sent to hell. I'd rather for you to spend eternity in hell. Than for God to put out of business. I'm not involved in this God business.

My first born child. Been dead for. These many years. And I'd rather for you to go to hell. Than to put God out of business. Because if you put God out of business. I've got no hope for my baby. I'll never see her again.

And I'd rather see you go to hell. Than to have to do away with God. You can put it that way. That God's going to save everybody he can. Stay God. But he's not going to save anybody. At the expense of his.

Character. He's not going to cease to be holy. Before he'll do that. He will send the last one of us to hell. There are a lot of things worse. Than to see sinners sent to hell. Now this may sound strange.

But God Almighty. In this Bible. He's going to save everybody from hell. That he can. Using all the means. At his disposal. That he's God. He's going to keep. And stay God. It's on his terms. Unless he lays down.

Be my judge. For the good of mankind. If he stays God. He'll save men on his own terms. And before God will change his terms. He'll send men to hell. Send men to hell. That's an awful thought. The terms upon which God proposes to save men.

Are repentance. And faith. And faith. That has been at the quality of perseverance. And victory. That God saves men on the terms of repentance. And faith. And perseverance. We think it a little better now.

To save saved men. On terms of repentance. A whole hatred of. And forsaking of all faith. All along Jesus Christ. In such a way. As never. Being wrong. To turn and lose. Listen to me. Do not misunderstand.

Salvation isn't like this. That God's sitting over here. And the sinner's sitting over here. And they're playing checkers. And God makes his move. And then it's up to the sinner to make his move. And when the sinner's made his move.

Then God steps in and saves. No, no. God doesn't save men. If they repent. God doesn't save men. If they have faith. God saves men. Through repentance and faith. That's the only way God can save anybody.

Through that sinner. Turning from his sin. To the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what salvation is. No, no, no. I am talking about. God does his part. Then the sinner's got to do his part. But the Bible says.

That salvation's God's part. I listened to Brother Barnes preach tonight. Listen to me now. God doesn't save people. If they're willing to be saved. Listen. God doesn't save people. If they're willing to be saved.

Did you get that? God doesn't save people. If they're not willing to be saved. By bringing them to the place they're willing to be saved. You see that you are sure to go to hell. If I'm preaching to you.

As long as you think it's in your power. To do something that will fix it. So God will say to you. You'll never be saved. You are in the hands of God. You can change your ways. But you can't change your mind.

You can change some of your activities. But you can't change this thing in here. That makes you wrong. God looks at the heart. He brought the repentance. Just as long as he quit some of his sinful ways.

A man's been brought to repentance. Until he abhors himself. And turns from himself. Another hatred. Not only of his act. But of his self. His self. But he doesn't. And people say. Well I'm going to say sometime.

No you ain't. Back in hell. Hearts breaking and bleeding. Something for you. And I said. Well I believe that. I told my mind to God. I can't save myself. I mean. To go to heaven. I don't think you have much kick.

At the judgment of God. Sent him to hell. I'll tell you something else honey. As long as you got your sleeve. Hold up spitting on your hands. Doing your best to go to hell. I don't think you have much.

Hard enough with God. If you land there. I tell you men and women. Who want to go to heaven. But are using. All of their strength to go to hell. That ain't the way to get saved. That's equal to what I've done.

I didn't want to be saved. But I didn't want to be done with sinning. Didn't want to be done with sinning. And that's what salvation is. To be done with sinning. Out of the drawers. It's in the door. In your case.

I'm sure. And you have it in your door. People willing. To be saved on God's terms. If you're willing yes. Folks who haven't been willing. They're doing everything they know to go to hell. He may drop on it willing.

All the glory goes to him. I come back to tell you. That you keep telling me. We can't go on much longer like that. That's right. We don't need some more conversions. Like a lot we've had in the past.

We need somebody. Name willing. To be saved on God's terms. Christians who are trying to find out. How much sinning they can have. And still go to hell. At the places of prayer. And walk over the floor.

With the stain and tears of your agony. Amen. Praying to God. That he'd do for others what he did for you. He'd make them willing. To be saved on God's terms. Everybody whom God. Doing the best he can.

Using all the means at his disposal. God. Whether it'll be your boy. Or your husband. In the truth. Look down this country. And have a hundred professions. Or have one now. And that's your evangelism of the day.

Because the lead out to sin Christians. But you say. How many of you want to be saved from hell? Everybody wants to be saved from hell. Well if you walk down this aisle. And repeat this prayer. God have mercy on me a sinner.

I guarantee you'll sing. And you'll never be lost. He wouldn't take up a proposition like that. And then they go right on out. To the same hot pen they've been in all the time. Trying to dine and go to hell.

Because salvation's not from hell. That's incidental. Salvation's from sin. From sin. You ain't never been saved my friend. Unless you wanted to be saved from sin. If all you ever experienced. Was you decided you didn't want to go to hell.

You don't know my Lord. We came to save people from the sin. That's right with us. And unless he can do that. He'll have to send you to hell. If he stays God. Why? Why will he? Two reasons. God sends people to hell first.

To keep them from doing any more damage. What about you my friend? I don't believe Hitler. Who took the bodies of six million Jews. And burned them. And used the ashes from them. To make soap. To wash the bodies of German people.

I don't believe he's in heaven. Heaven be my strange place. If that butcher's there. Thank you very much that this fellow Hall. And whoever that woman was. That took that little green leased boy out. And killed him.

And then got six hundred thousand dollar ransom money. And went on to take it from him. I don't think they'd fix him to go to heaven. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me. God almighty. People who are happy in the presence of God.

And they don't have to have anybody. As policemen up there. Send men to go to punish them for their sins. God won't punish me. How can we make our life to believe the Bible. Until we go to action. As we would if we did.

Hell as Punishment for Sin

I was down in the city of Mobile, Alabama. On the radio. Had thirty minutes on the radio. To preach on judgment. Hell. And for three solid weeks I did on the radio. People came to the tent. Under conviction.

Whittled down by God. Through the message of the radio. And then the phones began to ring. The religious people of Mobile were angry. People being saved in the stowage. About things of God on the street.

The religious people were getting angry about it. And they began to phone in to the manager. And said you must take that fellow off there. He said we. We can't stand it any longer. He said he got everybody disturbed.

All that hell. He said if you don't take him off there. We're going to quit advertising with you. Some said if you don't put him off there. We're going to write the federal commission. And have your license taken away.

And he came told me all about it. And I said we're behind the time. And I certainly don't want to cause you any. Embarrassment. We'll just. Go off there. He said no you won't. He said this is the first time I ever saw anybody in this town.

Interested in escaping the judgment of God. And he said if it breaks me. You're going to stay on there. Bless his heart. And so I did. For my friend. And in his letter. He showed that my message hadn't got over to him.

He said young man I've been listening to you preach. And I want to differ with you. He said I do not believe. That it would do a sinner any good. For God to send him to hell. I don't understand how he missed my message as much as he did what he did.

I do not believe. He said. That it do a sinner any good. For God to send him to hell. And the next day I made that my sermon. I didn't call him by name. I just said a friend writes. And I think he's missed my message altogether.

I said his position is that he does not believe. It would do a sinner any good. For God to send him to hell. And I said that man's exactly right. It won't do a sinner any good. For God to send him to hell.

For God don't send people to hell to do them good. God send people to hell to punish them. For the sin. That's why God send men to hell. To punish. This is awful. But it's so. You see what I'm trying to get you to.

God won't punish them. That's for sure. The very presence. Wrath. Must hold. God of the Bible. Who sins.

Worship According to God's Word

Or by mail. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Kelvin. In defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship. Or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship.

Commenting on the words of God. Which I commanded them not. Neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731. Writes. God here. Cuts off from men. Every occasion for making evasions. Since he condemns by this one phrase.

I have not commanded them. Whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions. Than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies.

And attend not to his commands. They pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists. All those fictitious modes of worship. In which they absurdly exercise themselves. Would fall to the ground.

It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists. To seek to discharge their duties towards God. By performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them. As it is well known. And as it manifestly appears.

Were they to admit this principle. That we cannot rightly worship God. Except by obeying his word. They would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophets words then are very important. When he says.

That God had commanded no such thing. And that it never came to his mind. As though he had said. That men assume too much wisdom. When they devise what he never required. Nay, what he never knew.