Christ the Lord — Rolfe Barnard

Now I hope that this week, I'm here as your guest, will be pleasing to the Lord. I have to answer to God, my ministry here, this, for the evangelist, is the choicest season of the year. And I'm happy for the privilege of being here.

And you'll have to answer to God, your contribution to this week. I'll find out whether I'm here or not through things about you. You're not particularly interested in me, but I am you. I'll find out whether you've got dead organizations or not, whether you have a single organization at this church that isn't geared to get the gospel to men and women.

Reaching the Blinded with the Word of Life

I want to be a favorable report because God's interested. It means at our disposal to creep up on the blinded minds and eyes and sides of men and women and get the word of life. So I challenge every Sunday school teacher, everybody that has a place in leadership, I'd hate to be a Sunday school teacher, not have enough influence on my class, to get that class out after so.

Amen. Say, is it against the law to say amen at the end? God bless you, dear heart. She returns tonight to the same passage of scripture we used this morning. And I wish to read the last verse of the third chapter, 2 Corinthians, and down through the sixth verse of the fourth chapter.

I believe that we're there in the morning hour, beginning at verse 1 of chapter 4. But tonight I wish to read beginning at verse 18, down through chapter 4, verse 6. And I wish to use verse 5 of the fourth chapter as a text, that's a good word, for the word of the message tonight.

And I'll read the text first and then read it in the context and the light of the verses above and the one verse below. And the apostle Paul says in verse 5,. Not ourselves, Christ ourselves, your bond slaves, your servants, your bond slaves,.

That verse of scripture divides, or in the 18th verse of the third chapter, we start off with the occupation of people, spend most of their time doing it. And when we get to verse, to the next chapter, we're amazed as we read what the Holy Spirit has to say about the condition of people.

Then in verse 6, we have the testimony of the man who was rescued from his blinded condition and was given to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Our text tonight is the Holy Spirit's holy remedy to change blinded men who cannot see the glory of God in Jesus Christ into men and women who spend at least some part of every day doing what Paul says all of God's people do, as recorded here in the 18th verse of the third chapter.

You can put it down that God's people do what this verse of scripture says. But we all, old word, but we all, Contrasting the old Jewish people who read the scriptures with blinded eyes and with a veil not on the scriptures but on their eyes and thus searched the scriptures every day of their life and rejected the one the scriptures talk about when he appeared.

And in contrast to those people, and they still do it, they read the scripture with blinded eyes and miss the Christ, the apostle Paul describes that occupation, the preoccupation of all of God's people.

Beholding the Glory of the Lord and Becoming Like Christ

If we're there, this is likely how a child of God spends his days and nights reading. We all, with open peace, beholding as in a glass,.

The glory of the Lord, something happens to us,.

Into the same electric glow, by the Spirit of the Lord. King to some couple who lived in the state of matrimony say 40, 50 years. That's why they begin to look alike, begin to think alike. So God's truth.

And that's the reason there's no such animal as a person who's a Christian that isn't becoming more like Christ, day by day. Because if you're a Christian, you've seen the glory of Christ. One rope ruins you.

You couldn't possibly go a single day without spending some time as the old Bible teachers called it, feasting on the blood of your justification and just looking as in a glass with a dim view yet. One day you'll be with an undimmed view.

For one day I'll see him, and when we see him as he is, we shall be like him. But now, with a dim view, but it's a view. He's a person who's seen the glory of God in Christ. That look can never leave him.

And he spends his days. Don't tell me he doesn't. Paul said all of God's people do this. With open face like in a glass. Why are you looking at it? That's done. Read it there. They are what? They are changed into what?

The same image from what? All I've been able to tell, scriptures just tell us two things about what God's people do in the glory land. Maybe you know it, but this is all I've been able to get, and this is no.

And strangely enough, we'll do in the glory land exactly what we've done down here. The scriptures tell us that God's people, what we call heaven, will serve him if we change just a little bit from day to day as looking through a glass with dim views, with eyes that can see as clearly as they ought.

It's just that dim look of heaven. Imagine spend a few billion years in glory looking with envy and dire in glory. Get along just fine, thank you. That's a wonderful prospect. Then the scene changes. And in verse 1 of chapter 4, that we're seeing we have this ministry.

The Gospel Hidden from Those Who Are Lost

What a ministry it is. Not doing, but looking. At this ministry, praise the Lord, we receive mercy. We never lose hope. We think not. It's the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness or handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. It is the most terrible verse of scripture in all of the Bible. Lost people. The most terrible thing about lost people is the devil has blinded their minds.

They cannot see of the gospel of the glory of Christ who can't shine under them. The God of this world has blinded them which believe not and fixed them. He blinded them. He had to. If he didn't, just preach one gospel sermon into anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit would take the simple words of the gospel and men and women would see the glory of Christ. See it? And if you ever see the glory of Christ, you'll be his forever. Thanks be unto God. Men's eyes and minds are blinded by faith.

And he's done it deliberately under the permission of almighty God. That's too deep for me, I know it so. Men are blind. Do not see the glory of Christ or the glory of Christ. Get King James Version there, please.

It says the glorious gospel. I don't mean much. But it's the gospel of the glory of Christ. The glory of Christ. That's it. There's a child of God. He spends a lot of his time doing harm. And as he does it, it gets gooder and gooder.

Changed and changed and changed and changed. See the glory of Christ. You talk about God reigning from the cross.

On a glory tree.

Lost men don't see the glory of God there. The gospel of the glory of Christ. And then verse 6. Our text this morning. A man's feeble attempt to discuss when a person gets what we call S-A-V-E-D. What a contrast.

Verse 4. The devil blinded people's minds. The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Whose very image of God shine upon them. But Paul said praise God. Something happened. He said there's a difference between me when I was killing Christians and when I'm preaching to you.

God Shines the Light of the Gospel into the Heart

Something happened. What happened? I made the decision to accept Jesus. No, no. God handed to shine in the darkness a shine in our hearts. What for? What did you turn on the light for, Lord? To give of the knowledge of the glory of Christ.

The difference between a saved man and a lost man since the days. If a man ever gets saved, he'll get saved. When almighty God as it pleases him turns the light on the light of the gospel and the darkness goes, lost man finds his way.

Believe what I'm telling you. As I was walking down the country give a nickel and a half to a cow and a calf I could find the church, the praise, and the light of glory. A nation going to go to hell. Unwept over, intercession is.

They're just two things that God uses in this matter of the difference between a blinded mind cannot see the glory of Christ, beholding the glory of Christ. Head over heels in love with the lover of his soul.

They're just two things. God uses the foolishness in his son. God uses the intercession of the saints of God. We walk to. But there's never been any way to improve on God's message. And the dock. If there's a dock,.

The poor people and their churches of the living God. Not open.

And the man who stands behind the sacred dish in a bout. When they say, no crying, the limited gospel. This is a man who cannot see the glory of God.

The only way by God.

To turn the life of the gospel into a man's soul is by the faithful proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ says, we preach not ourselves. Says, God, well, I can't bear the wall on my shoulders.

Too big for me. And Paul said, if anyone can do, we can't. We can't unblind people. But they can do. We can preach Christ the Lord. And there never has been. And there never will be. Any movement of God.

Stopping the waxed ears of men and women. And opening the blinded minds of men and women. Never has been in a way. The proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ. May I say three things right quickly? I seek not your own.

Preaching Christ Rather Than Ourselves

It's my great privilege to go from place to place. I've done it many years. I'm just as much a member of this congregation as I am the one I'm supposed to be a member of Winston-Salem. I've been brought with a price.

Not my own. I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. I've been baptized into his precious body. Yes, I have. Yes, I have. Every blood-bought child of God is my brother, sister, and the Lord. And I am going up and down the country doing my little best to scream out that the time has come when we must preach the whole gospel once again.

And the whole gospel is just to preach the whole Christ. Jesus Christ. God's anointed Lord. Into whose hands in virtue of his death on the cross Almighty God has given every human being. And to whom God Almighty has promised that everything that breathes will bring glory to his precious name.

The initial confession of the early church was that Jesus Christ is Lord. Romans 10 and 9. This is the word of faith which we preach unto you. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.

The early church the ones nearest the Lord went up and down the country and didn't try their dead little best to poke somebody into accepting Jesus as the Savior. They went up and down the country and proclaimed that God Almighty had exalted him and had declared him to be Lord over all.

And the watchword and the battle cry of the early church they went everywhere and said hasten, look curious and demanded that men and women bow down to Jesus Christ. Ladies and gentlemen your churches in America are fixing to go out of business unless there's enough people in them and men demand the pulpits and teach the Sunday school classes that will come back to preaching Jesus where he is now.

He's on a throne and if you want to have anything to do with him you'll have to approach him on the throne and the subject bows to the Sovereign and surrenders his rights and becomes a loyal subject. Christ has been declared Almighty God to be Lord over all.

One of the most damnable things been preached in America just about turned our churches I hope there isn't company accepted I don't know you it just about turned our churches into where they are just nearly as nice as the average colonial rotary or some kind of club like that.

They haven't got as much influence as those clubs and I don't want to do much good or not but they've gone all over this country and filled our church walls full of people who think that they in their wonderful generous hearts have made Jesus Christ the Absolute Lord.

But I tell you that's a lie thrown in hell. No one has the option.

Or the privilege of making Jesus Christ the Lord. God made him your Lord.

Whether you're in rebellion or in subjection.

You can bow to him you can recognize him you can see him at home you can be glad he's exalted.

You can rejoice in his glory or you can butcher him but God Almighty.

Has decreed and declared it and ordained that because Jesus Christ poured out his blood we just have to have our our annual encampments and summer Bible conferences. And I think you have some of them up here that's to give the unseen church members a chance to walk down one more time and surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

They say wait a second. I took him as my Savior and now I'm going to let him. Well bless your sweet little heart. I think that's nice of you to permit the Lord of Glory to do something. So nice to the low, bitter, consummate Christ that you have to permit to do something.

Ladies and gentlemen you better listen to me. Jesus Christ is your ordained Lord. It doesn't seem the man who's saved the man who ain't the man who's saved is this ticker of a death that Jesus is on the throne.

And the fellow that's not saved he wants to push Jesus off so he can run things he's mad. I'm going to tell you right now my friends in the early days.

They went everywhere and said is the coming of Jesus Christ as Lord by now.

And people didn't do it lest they meant business because to call Jesus Lord for a Jew meant to actually believe that Jesus was God. And a Jew believes that one God and he lets you pull his tongue out at once before he'd worship anybody except God.

And for a Jew to call Jesus Lord that he had to say goodbye to the synagogue and the temple and mom and papa and everybody else. And for a Gentile to call Jesus Lord in the early days meant that if Caesar found it out for Caesar was the curios he was Lord in Japan it's getting back that way during MacArthur's reign for a little while over there it was eased somewhat but before the Second World War the Emperor of Japan was the God of Japan and you could believe anything on God's edge.

You wanted to in Japan as long as when the time came you called him your Lord. And a lot of preachers went over from the United States they're youthful Christ preachers they about got everybody in Japan converted one night the Japanese are mighty, mighty courteous they won't think of refusing you anything.

And they went over and said wouldn't you please take Jesus. They said well we'd be glad to. And they took him put him up on the shelf with the rest of their Gods. But they kept on worshiping the Emperor.

And I was sitting in Chicago at a Christian businessmen's meeting and some folks had been over there they were criticizing some of the Christians who weren't sent to consecration camps when the Second World War broke out because they compromised a little bit and when they came to arrest them the man that they give their worship to the Emperor they crossed their hearts crossed their fingers knocked on wood and wasn't going to do it in the heart but the wiggle of the head.

And this missionary is criticizing. He said no not today. And I said put it safe said oh we had a nice place in Chicago on State Street and Victory Center around the elaborate dinner with Christian fellowship and talk about what we wouldn't do put it safe around there.

But when they come to you like they did many missionaries and people in Japan and said it's worship it's fall down to here either as your Lord or through the concentration camp. I'd be a white horse for different colors.

But brother when the Apostle Paul said that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth stand upon your hind legs let this world know it here is one person who recognizes Jesus Christ as God and Jesus Christ he's in his hands.

Stand up be counted brother when Paul preached that if the emperor found it out it was cursed you can still go and see where thousands of Christians were fed to the lions because they would not deny Christ and call Caesar Lord.

And the battle still goes on and this world still has it's Caesar and this book still presents Jesus Christ the Lord and it's still Caesar or Christ. But it's never Christ. And Caesar for so hurtful a man cannot hold.

But one word at a time.

And the choice is still to be made by men and women now. And the church of Jesus Christ must ring with no uncertain trumpet. Call and say Jesus Christ is God Lord. Bow down to him. You didn't become a member of the New Testament church unless before this world by your actions by your manner of living.

You said look at me. He's my Lord he's my Lord he's my Lord. In the second place the only authentic confession of Jesus Christ is his Lordship. In 1 Corinthians 12 verse 3. You've quoted it many times.

I believe I'll read it so I'll be sure to get it right. There are two dynamic statements that we need to give heed to. Often verse 3 of chapter 12 1 Corinthians. Where for he makes two statements. He said I'm going to tell you something no man can do.

I give you to understand that no man look at who he is. No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus a mantram, a curse by the Spirit. Not in a man that calls Jesus a curse a curse from God. Then he makes another statement.

And that no man can say no man not willed or ever can no man Jesus is Lord. You can call him Savior till you're good in the flesh. But no man ever yet been able to stand up and tell him the truth and say Jesus is Lord but not a Holy Spirit can't be done.

Did I was it too plain to you to think I was meddling when I asked this church. Do you know what intercessory prayer is. Don't you tell anybody. But down our way we have to have a Bible study on prayer meeting night.

We can't even meet together one night a week just to join hands and hearts about ten minutes of it. And we'd all go crazy. God help us. You know a man can't call Jesus Lord except in the power of the Holy Ghost.

That's what's said. Don't it. You know what's said. Anybody can say yeah. I think Jesus is my Savior. If you can cut him up that way no man can call him Lord. That's what God calls him. Says this same Jesus whom you crucified God has raised and made to be both Lord and Messiah.

Discipleship Requires Total Surrender

Now listen. The one thing that'll do the latter over the other is in the power of the Holy Spirit to call him Lord. In the 14th chapter of Luke three different times my Lord used the expression cannot cannot.

If a man doesn't do this my disciple. If a man doesn't do this he cannot be my disciple. And the third time if a man doesn't do so and so he cannot be my disciple. I cannot be my disciple. That you can deceive not be a disciple but can't be.

You can pretend to make a profession. Be serious about it. Jesus says if a man don't be business don't mean business. He doesn't see. He can't be a good disciple. He can't be a disciple at all. I think we'll read it verse 26 of the 14th chapter of Luke.

It's familiar. I trust. But I'll read it again. My Lord said ain't a man come to me. Ain't not his mother his father wife children brothers and sisters give his own life. He cannot be my disciple. I'll separate men from boys.

That's what Jesus said. And verse 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot. You can do all those things. But you can't be a disciple of me said the Lord. And then verse 33. So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my disciple.

There's about a million questions I'd like to ask the Lord about those. And I don't expect I could answer them. But I got sense enough to know this brother man if you don't mean business about this business.

If this isn't wholehearted you just well forget this stage business. You can't be any kind of a disciple unless it's all out. And it goes against the grain to surrender yourself and your family and your money and everything about it to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And just be a good steward just a good handler for something he owns. You ain't gonna do that bud without the Holy Spirit. You know that? You're not gonna do that. Don't tell me. I cut out the same course you are.

I'm a member of Adam's run foreign race. Give me a nice little free ticket to heaven. Don't have to follow Jesus. Don't love him. Nothing else. Let me talk about how much money I give and how much money I do.

It's all or nothing. Sure. But come around and let the Lord say bud. It's all or nothing. It's all or nothing. I'll be ahead of your papa and your mother and your brothers and sisters. I'll be first. I won't play.

When I was a kid we played choose em up. You know one eyed cat. I think we called it and the boys had the ball. He's the hero. And the fellas had the bat. He's second to man. And we choose sides see who's bat first.

And the fellas had the bat. He didn't get the bat first. He owned it. He'd take his bat and go home. The Lord said if you won't play with me I'm going bat first. Amen. He got a right to do it. Nobody else has.

The Universal Confession That Jesus Christ Is Lord

Ladies and gentlemen went out from the church doors one more time walked men and women with the mark of discipleship to the rule of him whose right it is to reign. That'll be a glorious day a glorious day.

And then there's the last thing the only remedy changed by men and the men who see the glory of Christ. This don't work. This nothing will just keep on proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only way into his body into his salvation.

It's the only authentic confession. Jesus is Lord. God made him Lord. I sure am glad he did. I bow at his Savior divine my wonderful wonderful Lord. But thank God there's one last word the confession of the Lordship of him this world with his precious blood.

That'll be the ultimate confession of all mankind. You know I like people to agree with me. Don't you kind of like people to agree with you. I've been going up and down this country and not everybody agrees with me.

But one day every human being going to say oh Rothbard is right. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. I've been telling this generation of people if they preach it. I trust in my Savior. And I go up and down the country.

And people say well I never heard about him being Lord. Well I said it's been in the book all time. And God says he's Lord. And God says that he's turned everybody over to him. And God says that as your Lord he'll be your Savior or your Judge.

So you're going to be one or the other. And the book says that one day everybody is going to stand up and confess that Jesus Christ is a Lordy Lord. Yes. I'm going to do that one day. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself made himself of no reputation.

And took upon him the form of a servant. And was made the.