What a Sinner Can Do to Be Saved — Rolfe Barnard

The Sinner's Spiritual Death and Need for Grace

To be saved. There are so many deacons and so many good men that the people I preach to, 60 ,000 marines right out there and you can never spit on them, you could just spend one day a week out there and sat down with those soldiers and they're all dead.

Repentance Requires Divine Operation

In sin we're born, in sin we're born, a poor old man's in sin, the reason I say you can't repent, repentance is turning to dark, a bargain with God, you'll never be saved. An operation from God Almighty through the Holy Spirit has got to happen to you.

Nicodemus and the Need for New Birth

Now the second thing the Lord said to Nicodemus, he said, first you can't see, you can't understand, something's got to happen to illumine your mind, do something to your will and your heart, before you can understand what I'm talking about.

Birth by Water and Spirit Enables Entrance into God's Kingdom

And the second thing he said, he said, except you're born with the water and spirit you cannot walk, you cannot enter, that is activity, isn't it? Man stands still and look, and there's nothing keeping him from looking.

Man stands still and understand, if he can understand anything, something's got to happen before he can understand, something's got to happen before he can know what he's talking about. He's got to be born with the spirit, and then something's got to happen before he can go in somewhere, and go into the kingdom of God that's through the door of repentance and faith.

Being Born from Above to Do What God Requires

So what the Lord's saying, you've got to be born from above so that you can do what God requires, what God requires, what God requires. Now let's get this other thought right quickly, there's nothing on earth, there's nothing on earth you can do that's difficult in you, there's nothing on earth you can do that makes you deserving.

Salvation Is Mercy, Not a Bargain with God

As we come on to the ground of our subject, God, and while God is with everybody, he says that he'll show mercy, that he ought to do, the probabilities are, it usually happens this way, that if the sinner will wisely do what he can, he'll not deserve God's work and the miracle in him, but the probabilities are that God Almighty in grace, there are these six things, never to be afraid to press these on every sinner we have an opportunity.

God's safe there, one is your witness, don't proposition the sinner, say, sinner, I guarantee if you'll do so and so, God will do so and so, don't invade the fact that mercy must be optional. You see, if you don't, you're not telling that sinner the truth, because he liable to get the impression that he makes a bargain, swaps something for salvation.

But he liable to get the impression that he's got a right to demand salvation from God, and we all know that salvation is an act of mercy, God's showing mercy to a sinner. But here are six things, that if you're without God, I don't guarantee if you do them you'll be saved, but I guarantee that you can do them, and that the probabilities are that God, as you faithfully use the means of common grace that he gives to sinners, the probabilities are that you'll be overcome and God will show you, by calling you, that you're one of his own.

Reading God's Word as a Means of Grace

And I mention them very quickly first, God's Word. Can and ought to read God's Word, talk and pray, talk like that a whole lot, a sinner needs to read, buy him a Bible, church members now don't search the scriptures, I'm telling you right now, everybody better get him a Bible, a sinner can't do anything, well he can dead sure do this, can't he?

Reading Scripture Does Not Earn Salvation

He can't save himself, he can't change himself, but he can read the Bible, can't he? And you know the Bible says, if you buy your Bible stuff, you'll never be saved, sinner, you may never know how to spell the word solitude, you'll never be saved, I know if you'll have or some sin ain't gonna, you dead sure can if you will do it, and I got no claim on it, I scream like putting a knife in my heart when I listen to the public preaching and they say, sinner if you do so and so and so, I guarantee that God will do that, he said I'll show mercy, he'll show mercy to you and I, and I won't tell you about so and so, show mercy to them, I will testify, show mercy to me, that's encouraging isn't it?

If I hear of a judge that's showing mercy to guilty criminals, be in his court, I say well maybe show mercy to me, ain't there a good place for a sinner to quit demanding so much of God, then I'll order him, show yourself Christian, think you have eternal life just cause you read the Bible, trust you read your Bible wrong, when you miss the.