The Cross-Centered Life, Part 3 — Paul Washer

Praise the Lord, that was a tremendous blessing, the worship, it's a tremendous blessing for me to be here with you. Let's open up our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2. Now, I'm going to go to different texts tonight, glance at them and maybe get to my primary text.

I don't know if I'll be able to do that tonight. Let me share with you what my purpose is before we even start. There is a great deal of very dangerous teaching within the evangelical community, the Baptist community, Southern Baptist, on and on, regarding salvation by faith, salvation by faith.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith Alone

Of course, our text is going to we're going to at least start off in Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9 that talks about salvation by faith. Well, to start off, let me say this, if anyone ever even begins to hint that salvation requires something more than faith, you need to run.

You need to realize that is not true. That is the greatest of heresy. It is the greatest of false teaching. Salvation is by faith alone. It begins with faith. It ends with faith and nothing added to it.

But now here's what I want you to see. Many people believe that that means that you believe in Jesus. You believe that he's the son of God or you at least acknowledge that he's the son of God and you acknowledge that he died on the cross and you acknowledge you're a sinner.

And maybe even you, you pray a prayer and you ask him to come into your heart. And in that way, you are told that you received him and then it's done. And it doesn't matter if after that you're not changed at all, you live like the devil, you return to the world.

I've even heard some people say that a person can trust in Christ, later become an atheist. And it's still going to heaven. Now, there's a second group that says something like this. No, all of that's not true, because James teaches us that if you believe, you will also have works.

And there's truth in what they're saying. But they say this, if you truly believe, it means that you have made a firm decision and you have exercised your will and you are determined. And therefore, because you are determined and with the strength of your will, you truly have believed.

Therefore, you're going to go ahead and do good works. And so good works are the evidence of salvation. But that's not true either. What is true? Well, let's look at our passage here in Ephesians chapter two, for by grace.

You have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works so that no one may boast. Now, here when Paul begins to talk about faith or he begins to talk about grace, he almost becomes redundant.

It seems like he just goes at length to say the same thing over and over again. We are justified by faith and not by works because it's not by works that we're justified, but by faith. He seems to repeat it over and over.

Why? It is so important that we are saved by grace. It is grace. It is God's gift. And that gift is received by faith, by believing in Christ, by looking to Christ, by trusting in Christ alone. And trusting in Christ alone is often explained this way.

I have thrown myself upon Christ, nothing in my hands. I bring simply to the cross. I cling. I claim no glory, no merit, no virtue of my own. But I trust in Christ. I abandon all hope in everything else.

And I trust in Christ like one old farmer one time told me, very godly man. He said, I was raised in the church as a young boy. I was always considered a good man, but my soul was troubled. I knew that I was not Christian.

But I could not get my my mind around what it meant to believe. And he said, I went into the barn and I went up to the hayloft and I was pacing back and forth trying to wrestle this thing out. And he said, I walked to the edge of the hayloft and I stood with my toes hanging over the edge.

And I said this to God, God, I am going to trust only, only in who your son is and what he has done for me. And if that is not enough to save me, then I am going to hell because I refuse to trust in anything else.

Faith is not only involves repenting from sin, it involves repenting from your good works, repenting from any trust in any virtue or any merit and trusting exclusively, only in the virtue and merit of the person of Christ and his work.

In order to believe in Christ, you must literally become destitute of all hope in yourself as a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. A man or a young person filled with self-righteousness cannot get into heaven.

It is an emptying, we could say. You look at the scriptures, the spirit of God illuminating your mind and you realize something of the holiness of God and you see something of your radical depravity and you realize that if salvation is ninety nine point nine nine nine nine nine percent God and the rest of it's you, you're going to hell.

Because you can't fulfill perfectly even that last part. You see, it's not just sort of good people that get to heaven, it's absolutely perfectly righteous people. Now, I learned this from a friend, but I love doing it on the airplane.

I'll pull out my Bible and be reading it, maybe start a discussion with someone. And, you know, sometimes they ask me the question, well, you know, I'll be reading and they'll go, well, what do I have to do to go to heaven?

And I'll look up and I'll go, oh, that's easy. You just have to be absolutely, perfectly righteous from the moment of birth to death. And then I just go back reading and they'll go, you know, they'll go, what, what did you say?

And I say, oh, I'm sorry, did I not explain myself? Impeccability is a good word. You have to be absolutely without sin in person and deed from the moment of birth until the moment you die. Go back to reading and you'll see the person they're kind of sitting there for a minute, you know, looking out the window and then they tap you on the shoulder.

Hey, yes. Well, what do you mean? Well, I'm not like that. You got a real problem, don't you? What am I supposed to do? That's just it. You can't do anything. Would you pass me the peanuts? The stewardess didn't give me any.

I mean, the guy gets beside himself. You know, that'd be a good lesson for preachers. People only get saved after they get beside themselves. When they have their emptied of all hope. They have nothing and they fall upon Christ.

They fall upon Christ. They collapse upon Christ. They believe not of works. It is a gift. They believe. And they are justified. They are saved. They are pardoned. The perfect righteousness of Christ is placed in their account because they believe.

But now here's the problem. You've got all kinds of people out there, don't you? Running around saying they believe. I mean, I could. Well, I wouldn't dismiss you, but some of the older pastors could go with me tonight and we could all just visit all the bars in town.

We would find that most of the people in there believe we go to the prisons. They believe we could go to people who haven't darkened the doors of a church in 10 years. They believe so many people believe.

And if you question them, you will feel their rage. And their judgment against you. So what is it? I mean, is it true that you just believe and live like the devil and you go to heaven? Or is it true that if you really believe, then by the strength of your will, you will do things.

And by doing those things, you will prove you believe? Absolutely not. Then what is it? It's a doctrine that has been completely lost in our time. It's called the doctrine of regeneration, being born again.

Regeneration and the New Birth

Do you know what it really means? Well, before I tell you, let me tell you what it's been interpreted to mean. Basically, you made a decision, hour of decision. Did you make your decision? If you made your decision, you're born again.

And we've equated this magnificent work of God with just a person making a decision. And that's not what it is at all. Regeneration. Means this, that you have a dead sinner. A sinner with a heart of a stone that can not respond to God, can a dead man respond to my voice?

Absolutely not. So you have a sinner who can not respond to God, and now the philosopher tells me and even some of my Christian brethren tell me, well, if he can't respond to God, he's not guilty. That's absurd.

I mean, you're not going to judge a blind man because he can't read a book. No, I would never judge a blind man because he can't read a book. But that's not what I'm talking about. Now, listen to me very carefully.

When the Bible says and preachers say that a man can not a sinful, unregenerate man can not respond to God. This is what we mean. He can not respond to God because he will not respond to God and he will not respond to God because he hates him so much.

It's not that you have people there going, oh, I would love to respond, but I can't. They cannot because they will not and they will not because they hate God and they hate God because their heart is corrupt and God is good.

They will not come to the light because their deeds are evil. Let me give you an example. Do you know Joseph in the Bible and his brothers? Brothers were always very angry with him. Well, it says in the scriptures that Joseph's brothers could not speak a kind or peaceful word to him.

Now, listen, listen to the language. Joseph's brothers could not speak a kind word to him. Now, obviously, they all spoke the same language. The brothers, none of them were were were dumb in the sense that they could not speak.

Joseph could hear. So how can the Bible say that Joseph's brothers could not speak a peaceful or kind word to him? Well, it tells us because they hated him. Man is born radically depraved. He is born hating God, hating righteousness.

Now, because of that man, his moral corruption. He will not come to God. He will not because he hates him so much. We give you an example, a king comes down into the dungeon where there is a political prisoner who has done all sorts of horrible things.

And the king looks at him and says, I am a merciful king. I am a compassionate king. Throw open the doors of the cell and they throw the doors open and he tells the political prisoner, come out. You don't have to be in this prison.

You do not have to die here. I will set you free. Come out of the prison. All you have to do is acknowledge my sovereignty. Come out of the prison. And the prisoner, even though he is in torment, even though he is in chains, even though he is being fed horrible food.

He musters up all his strength, goes to the door, grabs the bars and slams the door shut and says, I would rather rot in hell. Then bow my knee to you. That's what we mean when we say men cannot come to God.

They cannot come. Because they will not come and they will not come because they hate him and they hate him because he is good and they are not. Let's bring it into a modern illustration. Have you in my counseling?

I have come across men and women. Maybe older in their years, in their 70s, and they haven't spoken to their spouse in 15 years. And I go to the woman, I say, you must forgive him. And what is the response?

I can not really cannot. But it's not because she has some physical inability. She cannot because of the hatred in her heart against him. So when Jesus says no man can come to me. He's not saying that men are victims who want to come to God, but for some reason they just don't have the ability to do so.

He's saying they will not come to the light because their deeds are evil. So our question is, how is it that some of you are sitting here right now, very interested in the things of Christ, taking notes, studying your Bible?

How is it the power of God came into your life? The power of God, the spirit of God in the work of regeneration, and he made you alive and he took out your heart of stone. That cannot, that will not respond to God, and he replaced it with a fleshly heart, a living heart.

He gave you a new heart with new affections. And when he opened up your eyes and for the first time in your life, you looked at Christ. Those new new affections in you, that new heart recreated in the likeness of God and true righteousness and true holiness, saw Jesus Christ and fell irresistibly in love with him.

Has that happened to you? Has that happened to you? Now, here's what happens. The believer, the true believer demonstrates, proves that he or she is truly a believer by their works. But it's not because they have this strength of will to produce works.

No, it's because they have been turned into new creatures by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is all of God. It is all of God. Look what it says in eight and nine. It says, for by grace, you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

It is gift of God, not of not as a result of work so that no one may boast. You cannot boast in your salvation. But guess what? If you truly have been saved, you're going to grow in holiness. You're going to grow in righteousness.

You're going to grow in maturity and you're going to have good works. And you can't boast in that either. Why? The reason you're acting differently, talking differently, thinking differently is because God has done a work in you.

The reason why you continue to grow and continue to mature is he who began a good work in you continues it and he will continue it until he perfects it on the day of Christ Jesus. You know, it's amazing that most people who believe something like this.

Well, I believe in Jesus and I live like the devil, but I believe in Jesus and I'm saved. They forget that after verses eight and nine comes verse 10. Those who have been changed by grace, those who have been saved by grace, those who have believed, look what it says.

They have become God's workmanship. Now, it isn't just that at the moment you believe God begins to work in, you know. God, if you have believed, God has re-created you. Remember what it says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

New Creation and Good Works

Now, listen to me. Listen to me, young people. That is not exaggerated metaphor. That is not hyperbole. That is not some beautiful poetic statement that has no meaning. It is literal, literal. Any person who is truly in Christ, who has truly believed in Jesus Christ unto salvation, they have become a new creation, a new creature.

They have been born of God after his kind. You know, in Genesis, it says there were cattle and they gave birth to things after their kind and plants with seed after their kind. When God works the new birth in a person, they become a new creation after his kind, remade in his likeness.

And they live a different way, not out of the strength of their will or the force of some discipline. They live a different way simply because they really are a new creature. They've been recreated in Christ.

And as a new creature, God now begins to work in them with his providence all the days of their life. Look what it says, for we are his workmanship. God does not save someone and then leave them to themselves.

Absolutely not. Now, no one would probably teach that, but most evangelicals practice that, that God can save a person and that person never changes and that person can live in sin all the days of their life.

And God really does nothing. And in the end, they go to heaven. That is as far from the New Testament as you can possibly get. If God has saved you, he has he has recreated you, and if he has recreated you, you have become his workmanship.

And look what it says, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk in them. This is absolutely astounding. God takes a sinner who, according to Romans chapter three, is useless.

He has someone preach the gospel to that sinner, even though he is dead and God hating and would resist every attempt of God to save him. The Spirit of God comes and alivens that sinner, recreates that sinner, changes that sinner's heart, gives that sinner new affections and those new affections draw that sinner to Christ.

And that sinner repents and believes and is justified. And God begins to work and work and work all the days of that new believer's life before the foundation of the world. God determined to call for himself a people.

Before the foundation of the world, he even prepared the works that he wanted them to do, not just as a collective church, but as individuals. If you're a believer before the foundation of the world, God prepared works for you.

That's exciting. And then he is going to continue working in you all the days of your life to see that those works become a reality in you. Now, here's the question. Does this describe your Christianity?

Does this describe your Christianity? Can you say, Brother Paul, on that day, I don't really know exactly everything that happened, but I knew I was different and I have continued in that since that day.

The New Nature and Persevering Growth

I kind of want to give a lesson on in ontology right now, but I don't think it would work. Ontology deals with nature, the nature of a thing. If a thing has a certain nature, he will act according to that nature.

A pig has the nature of a pig and does the things of a pig. A man has the nature of a man and does the things of a man. An apple tree has the nature of an apple tree and bears the fruit of an apple tree.

The sinner has the nature of a sinner and resists God on all counts. The believer has been given a new nature. And although that believer must struggle against the flesh, that unredeemed aspect of himself, and although that believer may will have to struggle against the world and will have to struggle against the temptations of the evil one.

And all that believers, although that believers progress may be slow and that it'll be three steps forward, two steps back. Although that believer may fall, that believer will rise and that believer will grow and that believer will bear fruit and that believer will be transformed throughout the years of his life.

Is that you, is that you, does that describe your life? Not only inwardly, the believer is different, but the believer has a new relationship with God in this God takes paternal care of that believer.

Do you know God's discipline? Do you know when you walk outside his will, have you experienced his discipline, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, him dealing with your mind, him dealing with your heart, bringing individuals to rebuke you, putting things in front of you to stop you, turning you back around?

Or can you just run wildly and freely into sin and God does nothing? If that is true, then God is not your father. The point that I want to make with this text before I go on is this. Throughout all of Scripture, faith is evidenced by a changed life.

We can also say it this way, faith is evidenced by good works. We can also say it this way, and this is my favorite way to say it, faith is evidenced by a changing life. It doesn't mean that the moment you believe in the salvation, that you are completely changed in all your activities and all your works and thoughts and deeds.

You have been changed in your nature, but it takes a long time for that to become a reality in every aspect of your life. So one of the greatest evidence is that you are truly converted, that you have become his workmanship.

It's not that you're transformed in a moment, but that there is a noticeable, observable work of God in you transforming you. Can you say that about yourself now? I want us to look just quickly. Go over to 2nd Corinthians, chapter five, 2nd Corinthians, chapter five, verse 17.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is what a new creature, a new creature. Someone asked me to share my testimony and I shared my testimony today about how I was in the library and I was invited to a party and I said I wasn't going to go.

And all of a sudden the person asked me why. And I said, well, I'm going to follow Jesus Christ. And and right then it's like a light turned on in my head and I realized, yes, that's what I must do. I must follow Jesus Christ.

And when I walked out of there, when I walked out of that library, I was a new person. It wasn't that I sat there and went, OK, now I'm going to have to. OK, I need to I need to stop doing this and I need to start doing the other thing.

And no, I can't do this anymore, but I can do this. No, that didn't even come into play. What came into play was my affections were different. I wasn't longing to go out and party that night. I wasn't longing to go out and get drunk.

I wasn't longing to go out and get in a fight or do something like that. It wasn't that I was trying to force myself to do good. It's just that I was a new creature. When you go to an apple orchard, you don't go out there and see all these apple trees groaning, trying to bear fruit and trying to avoid bearing pears.

They want to bear apples. You don't see that, do you? No, because they're giving birth to fruit that's according to their nature. When you trusted in Christ, was there was there any realization in your heart that you had become different, that you had become a new creature?

And as you begin to supposedly walk with Christ, was there any evidence of new fruit bearing and new affections and new desires? Because he says here clearly, if any, if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature.

And new creatures do new things. Let me give you an example from Spurgeon. Let's say that I have a great big 500 pound pig in the back of the auditorium and I put a big plate of food, finest food you can possibly find in the world over here.

And I put a big bucket of garbage over here and I tell the man holding the pig, I say, loose him and let him go. The pig takes off running straight down the aisle. Now, you don't have to be an Illinois farm boy like me to know where that pig is going to go.

Is he going to go over here to this fine plate of food? Absolutely not. Where's he going? He's going to go to the garbage. Why? He's a pig. That's what pigs do. He has the nature of a pig. Pigs eat garbage.

He's going to stick his head in that bucket. It's going to bury his face in that garbage. He is going to eat. He's going to wiggle his tail. He's going to be happy. But let's say that in one moment I have the power in one second to transform that pig while he's got his head buried in that can.

I've got the power to transform him into a man. I give him the nature of a man. What's going to happen? I'll tell you what's going to happen. He's going to throw his head out of that bucket. Why is that?

Because there are certain things a man can not eat. The creature of a man can not eat those things. So the very things that he was delighting in when I change his nature and make it different and change his affections, not only does he not delight in it, he can't stand it.

The things he was gulping down, he's now vomiting up. And not only that, when he turns around the pig, he was never ashamed. But when this man turns around and sees you looking at him, he's ashamed. What's happened?

Did the pig take up a new set of rules? Did he find a better diet on Food Network? None of that. What happened? I changed his nature. And when I changed his nature, his affections, his desires changed.

He no longer wanted what he wanted before. Now he wants new things. If you're converted, I just described your conversion. I did. All of us were sinners who desired the garbage and the filth of this world.

Relished it, loved it, gulped it down, like it says in Job, we drank down iniquity like it was water. But then God extended his hand and transformed our nature. That's the new birth. That's regeneration.

That's what it means to be born again. And with that new nature, our desires change. Do you see that? And we begin to do new things. Look over it at let's just go on. Let's look at Galatians. Look at chapter six, verse 15.

Paul says this for neither is circumcision anything or uncircumcision, but a new creation. He's saying some religious ritual. You prayed a prayer and asked Jesus came in to come in is not evidence that you're converted.

Do you know the great majority of evangelicals are not trusting in Christ? They're trusting in the sincerity of a decision they made. And they're not looking unto Jesus. It's in their vocabulary. If you ask them on the street, how do you know you're saved?

They say, well, you know, 15 years ago, I prayed and asked Jesus to come in. Do you know what a sound, mature, theologically correct Christian would say? How do I know I'm saved? I am looking unto Christ.

It's not just a past tense thing. It is a present tense ongoing thing. They may tell you, oh, 10 years ago, I was lost in my sin and someone preached the gospel to me and I saw Christ as the Savior. I saw my sin is filthy.

I began to look upon Christ and Christ saved me. And I continue looking on Christ to this day. Nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cling. But, sir, you're telling me that you believed in Christ and you were saved and your life was never changed.

No, of course my life was changed. I can't explain it. I became a new creature with new desires. And yes, I struggle with sin, but it's not like before. Before I could I could fall into sin and love it.

Now, if I fall into sin, I hate it and I hate myself. And I must come back to God. Is that a reality in your life, young person? You can fool your parents, you can play a religious game. But not with God.

Has your heart been changed? Are you bearing the fruit of repentance and faith? Are you a new creature who lives a different way? Paul says a religious ritual doesn't mean anything. Are you a new creation?

Can you honestly say to me tonight, Brother Paul, it's not just that, you know, I preached the gospel. I prayed a prayer one time. It's not just that, you know, I go to youth group. It's not just that I'm here, Brother Paul.

I know. I know I'm a new creature. I know it. Not just I know it in my heart of hearts. It's obvious in my life. I can't drink down sin like before when I do sin for all Christians stumble in many ways.

Brother Paul, I loathe it. I don't know what's happened to me. I just know I have a different relationship with God. I have a different relationship with sin. I'm not the same person I was before. Can you say that a new creation?

I believe that's why the gospel of John begins within the beginning. I believe there's a hint there of going back to Genesis. Genesis and John is talking about the coming Christ who will begin a new creation, a new people, not people who live for him by the force of their will.

But people who have been changed in their nature so that both their will and their desires are also changed. Is that you, young person, is that you ask yourself, are you a wolf? Just trying to look like a sheep.

Are you? Is it against your nature to read the Bible? Is it against your nature to pray? Is it against your nature to talk about Christ? Then your nature has not been changed. Now, please understand at times it's hard for me to pray.

At times it's hard for me to read the Bible and things like that. We all struggle. But if the Christian life is something that you must make yourself do all the time and when you get it done, you're relieved, you have not been changed.

If the Christian life is you just giving God his day or his hour or his Wednesday, you have not been changed. Let's let's go on. Let's look in First Thessalonians for a second. First Thessalonians, chapter one, listen to what Paul said in verse four about the church and Thessalonica, the believers.

He said, knowing, brethren, knowing, not guessing, knowing, brethren, beloved by God, his choice of you. I know that God has chosen you. I know that you are God's people. Now, that's a pretty amazing statement.

He's talking to a group of people who have confessed Christ and he says, I know God's choice of you. Wow. Now, notice he doesn't say, I know God's choice of you, because two years ago when I was here, you prayed and asked Jesus to come into your heart.

Let me stop there and share with you something that a pastor did, a conservative Southern Baptist pastor. And this will tell you it happens everywhere. Evangelical. It doesn't matter. There was a person in my town, I went to school with him, never knew him to confess Christ.

I was a rather wicked rascal and and I was even afraid of him. He was bad news, bad news. Later on in life, he graduated from high school, he got into drugs, big time, horrible immorality. Stealing everything and it went on all his life, he's one or two years older than me.

I heard one day from a dear friend of mine that he died. And his funeral was in the First Baptist Church, and this is what the preacher did. Now, the whole church was filled up with people who hadn't graced the doors of that church in twenty five, any church.

Almost all their life, they filled up with his friends, drug addicts, thieves, drunkards, promiscuous, immoral. And this is what that pastor said, we have before us today a wayward sheep that has finally gone home.

Now, some of you would disagree with me and your judgment, your self-righteousness saying, how could he be a Christian? Well, folks, he didn't live like one. But I can tell you this. I was there when he was nine years old.

I was his pastor when he opened up his little heart and asked Jesus to come in. People ask me sometimes when you preach, why are you so mad? So every person in that church, thieves, immoral, promiscuous, drug addicts, on and on, walked out of there saying, well, I am saved, too.

That's what kind of theology is going around today, and I do not want that kind of theology to damn your soul. There is no evidence of Christianity. There is no Christianity. Listen to what Paul says, knowing brethren, beloved by God, his choice of you.

I mean, this is a big thing. How does Paul know that? He goes on in verse five, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Now, Paul isn't saying that three years ago or so I preached to you and you all started weeping and you made commitments and things happen.

You burned magic books and everything else. And because of that moment, I know you're saved. No, he's not talking about just what happened at their conversion. He's talking about what continued on after their conversion.

He knew they were converted, not merely because of the day of their conversion and his observance of it. He knew of their conversion because they continued on in the Christian faith. They continued giving evidence that they had been transformed into new creatures.

Look what he says. First of all, go down to verse nine. How does he know? How does he know? Because he observed with his own eyes that they turned to God from idols, that the idols in their life had been smashed and the remaining the remnants of idolatry that was in their life.

Was being crushed day by day because God in the New Covenant and the Old Testament promises said this, I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. He knew they were truly converted because God had set them free from their idolatry.

Let me ask you a question. God set you free from your idolatry. Is he setting you free from your idolatry? Does he continue working in your life, pointing out things that you have made more important than him?

Does he go on crushing them and removing them from your life? And he said, you turned to God. They didn't just smash all their idols and they didn't just leave a lot of bad things behind. They turned to God.