- Well, I'm going to
preach about something, teach about something tonight, that we all could praise the Lord about. And that is the doctrine of salvation. Everyone here that's saved,
and knows Christ is savior, whether you do it on
the outside or inside, you can't but praise God
for what he done for you. Amen. How many got your handouts tonight? Raise your hand if you got them, if you didn't get them, raise
your so I can bring you one. All right, most of you. Anybody did not get a handout? Some of you. Coming your way. Give me some help here, Denny. I want you to have this handout. Now I'm going to let you take this home. It'll be a study guide. You can go over these verses. Now you're going to help me tonight. You don't have to put
the PowerPoint on yet, but just a minute. That's what I want on there, right moment. I'm going to talk tonight on this subject, salvation 101. By the way, you could be
wrong about a lot of things. You can and get by, and be
okay maybe in the future, you may have ended up with the wrong job, but later on, God gave you a good one and another one and you were fine. But there's one thing
that you can't get wrong because see, heaven and hell, it's all about heaven and
hell and that salvation. You can get everything else wrong, but if you get that wrong, then your attorney is wrong
and you're without help and without hope, eternally lost. Now you noticed the title, salvation 101. And then I got a parentheses that destroys Armenianism and Calvinism. Now let me give you this sign. I'm a go slow. I'm a really try to put myself at a bridle that I just don't go too
fast to preach too hard. I really want to teach
tonight. I really do. I'm desperate to just teach. Now, there's two groups that
tried to claim territory or the territory of salvation
and they're both wrong. I don't think you got it. There's two groups that
try to get the market to corner salvation
and they're both wrong. And that is the Armenian, and I'll explain what that is in a moment, and the Calvinist. Now in short, the Armenians
are work salvation people, people believe in baptismal regeneration, people that believe in church membership essential for salvation. People believe you got to have your good works outweigh
your bad works to be saved and et cetera, and et
cetera and et cetera. But I want you to know
that's a false doctrine. And then the other doctrine is Calvinism. And the doctrine of Calvinism
is a false doctrine. And you say, why are you teaching this? Number one, I want you to
know what salvation is. And I definitely don't
want you to follow in with either one of those groups, because if you do, you'll be an error. Somebody help me. Now you said, what is... I want you to know whether
they won't agree with this, but there's a lot of similarities in Calvinists and Armenians. Because if a Calvinist is really honest and a lot of them are not,
that's hard preaching. They believe in the works, salvation. Here's what they believe. They believe that, boy
this is a sad doctrine that God chose some of you to be saved and some of you to be lost, or what it means is that God determined some people to be saved, but he determines others to be lost. And I want to ask the question,
what kind of love is this? Is that a loving God that would say, I'm going to determine you to be saved and you be lost. And by the way, you're not even knowing that you're saved or lost
until you endure to the end and persevere to the end. And if you did persevere to the end, that means you were God's elect. That's false doctrine. Now I'll deal with a lot
more of this as we go. And I don't want to get
in the weeds with them. I'm going to give you an
odd verse of scripture to start with. I want you to go in your Bibles to Isaiah, and it's going to be seem like, what in the world is he using that verse? But honestly, once I get into that verse, you're going to say, well, that makes all the sense in the world. But I want you to go to Isaiah 28:20. Honestly, you're going to look at this and you're going to say, what? Isaiah, are you there, say amen. 28:20, for the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it. Now, you know what that means. And it's covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in. Now what I'm saying there there's a bed there that's
too short for you, tall man. And also it's too big for sheets because every time you put
the sheet on, they pop off. What does that have to do with salvation. Oh, you're going to get it in a moment. Stay with that thought. Let me still stay in the introduction. I'll come back to that
thought in a moment. Recently, anybody watched Ben Shapiro. Ben Shapiro is a
politician. He's not saved. He's a Jewish man, but
he did have an interview with a strict Calvinist
and some people lie. And by the way, I've got
this guy's book to my, I got some of this guy's
books in my library, so don't paint me anything. He had a conversation with John MacArthur. Anybody know John MacArthur? John MacArthur is a Calvinist,
unapologetic about it. And he also is a Lordship salvation guy. There was so much dust that
came up from that interview that the headline from it was this, "did John MacArthur lie about salvation." That was the big fuss. Did he lie about salvation? Well, I'm not gonna call anybody a liar, but I will say, what John
MacArthur said in that interview, is what John MacArthur believes. Cause he showed a
universalism to salvation, which I believe God so
loved the whole world. How about you? And God's not willing
that any should perish. How about you? Now, there was so much controversy on it and I didn't get involved
in it, I just read it, that one of John MacArthur's surrogates got up and made a statement. If you do not believe, now listen, in election and predestination
and limited atonement, you do not believe in the Bible. That was his statement. Let me give you the Bible
statement or my statement. Hear me out. Understanding how the scripture uses the term election and predestination doesn't mean we don't believe in them. We just believe in the biblical usage and not the Calvinistic narstic
ways the terms are used. Woo. See, I want everybody in
this church to look at me. I believe in predestination
and I believe in the election. Now tell you what I don't believe. I do not believe in limited atonement, but see, I believe in predestination and I believe in election, but I believe it the way
the Bible teaches it. And it is totally opposite
of what the Calvinist teach and the Armenians teach. Out of that interview with MacArthur, then this boy got a little nasty and somebody come up with this question, are Calvinists saved? I'm not judging by salvation. I don't think that's my point. I don't think it's important to, but I will say this and mark this down, and you may not even agree with me, but I can prove what I'm about to say, and I'll later on show you. I want you hear this. I'm gonna go slow. There is no gospel in Calvinism, not one ounce, not one ounce, not to say somebody born to be
a hostile, born to be saved, and not to say that somebody
can't know they're saved, unless they persevere,
somebody help me preach. There's not one ounce of gospel in it. Now I am not... Don't go out there saying I
said every Calvinist is lost. I didn't say that. They may have cut out of the gospel and heard it from somebody else. But they did not get it from
that tulip that they believe in total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. They didn't get it from that. So what happened when that happened? Boy, I'm not going to
get very far tonight. That is a Calvinist jumped up real mean. He said, you sadly don't
know what Calvinists believe. Also if Christ died, listen to this, also if Christ died for
all, as you continually say, why is there a lake of fire? And then the Calvinist follows up. You'll probably say, cause
men do not accept him, that's why they go to the lake of fire. Yes, that's what I'm saying. If you do not accept Christ,
do not receive Christ, do not repent of sin, you
end up in the lake of fire and then here's the last statement. So if that be the case, who is depending on the work of the flesh? Look at me. How many y'all know what salvation is? Come on, now. Let me quote a verse, tell
me if I'm right or not. I'll just quote a verse, by grace are you saved through faith and that not of your
sales it's a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. But we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. We don't work to be saved, but we do work because we are saved. Am I all right? Now, hold on a minute, hold on a minute. Here's what happens, when I say to you, you must trust Christ and place
faith in Christ to be saved. And anyone that reads the Bible has to come up with that conclusion. You know what the Calvinists say? Now that's the work of the flesh. They say that faith is
a work of the flesh. Come on now. And I'm going to get
messed up with the word. You might help me in a minute. What they call me basically
is a semi Pelagian. You say, what does that mean? They say that I believe in works and faith because they believe
that faith isn't work. Now get your Bibles. I am not going to get all
this done tonight. Okay? I'm taking my time. You know, I'm not going
to get 35 points down. Turn to Romans, I want
to show y'all something. I just want to ask the
class something, as I teach. Turn to Romans, they say faith is work. And if accept Christ as my savior, then that's the flesh and that's work. See what they believe
that we are totally unable or total inability and that we
cannot respond to the gospel unless we're born again
before we play straight. How ignorant is that? Come on now. Turn to Romans 4. You tell me, you tell me. And I'm trying to get out
of the introduction tonight. If you're at Romans 4 say amen. And look at verse four and verse five. Slow with me. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. If I could work for salvation, then God owes me something. Now look at the next verse. And you tell me if faith
is work, listen to this. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifies the ungodly, Notice, his faith is
counted for righteousness. Why is that good? You know why I'm righteous? Because I have personally
placed faith in Christ. The Calvinists say you
can't place faith in Christ until you're born again first. Oh, it's what they believe. You gotta be born again
and then you place faith. But ladies and gentlemen, that's not true. And I'll show you that in a few moments. We placed faith and when you place faith in the shed blood of Christ
and the resurrection of Christ then you are born again. Who is with me? Now back to the bed verse. I'm sure some of you probably wondering is he going to tie that in tonight? And who would use that in this study? Now here's why I say that, when you take an Armenian
and you take account, and here's what you do, you start giving them each
truth about salvation. Y'all with me. You give them each truth about salvation. Now here's what happens. Explaining scripture to
a Calvinist or Armenian issue by issue is like making
a bed with fitted sheets that are too small. What happens? You give one scripture
and they get one corner and the other three corners pop off and that's semi Pelagianism. Or you show them how it
is true in another place. And they say it's open theism. And then you show them in another place and they say that universalism. And here's what happens
with the Calvinists. Listen to me carefully,
listen to me carefully. If you take the Bible plan of salvation and the truth I shall giving you tonight, they can't cope with it. The Armenians can't cope with because when they're putting
one inch of the bed up and because the bed's too short and because their doctrine is wrong, then the other side pops off. How many of you ladies
ever had that in your bed? Put one on real tight on him. Anybody ever done that? See what I'm trying to say? Now, listen carefully and
I'm going to the points. Listen carefully. I want you to hear this. I'm going to go real slow. You cannot get Calvinism out of the Bible, neither can you get
Arminianism out of the Bible. What you got to do is fit it in the Bible and try to take this
scripture, that scripture, and the context, and fit it in the Bible. But what happens when you start learning all the biblical truth about salvation, your sheet pops off. But listen, what we believe, every step that I'll give
you in the next few weeks, what we believe, that
sheet fits perfectly. Because we're in every
time, cause we're in total, total, totally dependent on
what the word of God says. See, I want all y'all look at me. I am not following the system. I'm not a Calvinist. I'm not following the tulip system. I'm not an Armenian. I don't believe in work salvation. But Ray, I tell you what I am. I'm a biblicus and (indistinct) and scripture on scripture,
and interpret the word of God and don't try to fit the
word of God into my system. But me fit myself into the word of God, are y'all with me. So I'm going to do tonight. Start you on this adventure. I want you to look, we'll get
our PowerPoint up tonight. I'm going to give you,
it may end up 40 of them, but I'll try at least 35 truths tonight. And there'll be up on PowerPoint. And they're also on your document tonight. And I want you to look
at scripture number one, get it up there for me my brother, Josh. There we are. I hope everybody can see that, scripture number one
principle is from God. And how many of you all agree
with me, God cannot lie. So if my life and my salvation
is based upon scripture, when we get to the end of all this, I'm going to be all right. But if my system is absent from scripture and doesn't line up with scripture, then the end you won't be so all right. Now let's look what the Bible says. You can look on the chart. I've got these scriptures for you, but you can look on a PowerPoint. Now I'm going to ask this question. This shouldn't even be a hard question. How many of y'all believe this? That this Bible is the final authority? It's not what the Baptists say. It's not what the Methodists says. It's not even what I
say, it's what this says. This is the final 40. How many agree with me? I mean, if you're right on this, then you're right about salvation. You're wrong on this, then
you're wrong about salvation. So our authority tonight on
salvation is a scripture, not a tulip religion, not a work religion, not a save the lost,
save the lost religion. No, a eternal plan that God has for us that's found in the scripture. Bible says this, do you believe this, all scriptures given by
the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. How many believe that? How about this, in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie. Can God lie? Promised before the world began. How about this, for the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but by holy men of God that were moved on the holy spirit. How about this? That by two immutable things in which is impossible for God to lie, we have a strong consolation. Listen to me, listen to me,
look at me, answer this. Is this a strong consolation? Maybe you're elect, or maybe you're not. And maybe you can persevere,
and maybe you can't. Come on, help me. I want you to know something. God did not predestinate one
person to be saved or lost. God allowed the gospel
to go to every creature. And every creature has an
opportunity to accept Christ and that's not works,
and that is not wrong. That's scripture. Y'all with me? You say you've been dogmatic tonight. I want you to know something. You better be dogmatic about salvation. I mean, I'm not going to be
dogmatic about what you believe about the millennial (indistinct) going beyond sacrifices in the millennial. I'm not dogmatic about that, but I am dogmatic about
the way of salvation. The Bible just says this, let God be true and every man lie. If this Bible is true and it is, the Bible says, the word is
navvy even the word of faith. That if I should confess with
our mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe it not that God
raised him from the dead thou shall be saved. How many of y'all believe that's it? Calvinists, they don't
believe you received Christ and accept Christ. Armenians believe you work for it. What a feudal fang. Number two, look at the chart. Or I really want you to check this out. I want y'all to hear me tonight. Chad asked me this question. Do you believe in predestination? Say it. Yes I do. Y'all hear me? Yes, I do. Now listen carefully. It's defined on your notes. Predestination is of
existing saints, listen, to adoption, glorification, and it's not for sinners to conversion. What it means (indistinct) You say what, five years old, that God didn't
predestinate you to be safe. Even as a little girl, you
realize you were a sinner. Your dad was a preacher,
he preached to you and in your adolescent life, simply trusted Christ as savior. And you're old as I am almost, has it worked since then? Somebody help me. Now, listen, Jeff, this is good. Let me give you several places
predestination is mentioned, and you tell me if he's talking about predestine somebody be saved. You tell me this. I'll show them to you. Look at your chart. Ephesians 1:5. I'm gonna read it to you. Having predestined made it us on to the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will. He didn't say he
predestinated us to be saved. What he said was everyone that gets saved is predestined to be adopted
into the family of God and be glorified even
the moment you got saved. Is that good preaching? Now look, Ephesians 1:11, in whom also, another
use of predestination, in whom also we obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of his will. What was predestinated you? No. Your inheritance. When you place faith,
you know what God says? The moment you place faith, that means that you can
never be lost again. And you have an inheritance in heaven. The inheritance was
predestinated, but you were not. Does that make sense? So why did they go this way? Where you're predestined to be saved and you're predestined be lost and you're predestined be saved, but your wife's predestinated to be lost. What a false concept. Somebody help me. Now, let me give you another verse. Romans 8:23, and not only they, but ourselves, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves growing with ourself, waiting for the adoption
to the redemption the body. Now notice in Romans 8:29, for whom he did foreknow he,
listen, he did predestinate. Now, if it had stopped there, I saw what he predestined
me to heaven or hell, but it ain't what he's saying. He said he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. Now, by the way, if God
said before the world began, if you trust Christ, you're
going to be like my son in heaven, does that guarantee you that you're going to heaven? Sure enough. That's why we believe in eternal security. Because once you place faith, you are predestined to
become in the image of God. Am I teaching? Is this clear? I'll tell you what's not clear. I like for you to be
saved but you to be lost. I only died for just you, but not you. And you got to pressure filled in to find out if you're really saved. God, mercy. Or you got to go and have your good works outweigh your bad works. How many believe that's confusing? Let me go on. Let me say this, in the scripture, no lost person are ever
predestinated to be converted and only saved people are predestined. And the predestination doesn't
start until they're saved. Post-conversion believers are predestined to three future things, to be conformed to the image of Christ, the redemption of the body called adoption and inheritance in heaven. How many of y'all, that makes sense? Amen. I tell you what's happening? The Armenians, the
Calvinists, what they did, well, I'm going to fit
my doctrine in the Bible. They say they're getting it
from the Bible, they're not. They're trying to fit it in. But once they kind of feel it in, they get one corner right
but the other one pops off because the Bible contradicts
what they believe. Number three, this may
be close to (indistinct). I wanted to get to five, but
I don't know if that's... Let's talk her about the third thing. This is important. Election is to service,
calling and to purpose, but not to salvation. Now let me illustrate, Isaiah 42:1 behold my servant, whom I uphold my elect
and whom my soul delights he's talking about Christ. Yes, he was predestined. Luke 6:13. When it was day, he
called unto his disciples. And of them he chose 12 whom
also were named apostles. Service, purpose. Nowhere in there does it say
you're elected to be saved, elected to be lost. Somebody help me preach. So why is it that folks
can just twist the Bible to try to make it say whatever they want? And you know, I'm getting old. I've off of Facebook and
I'm almost off Twitter, but I did something a little bit honorary. How many y'all know your
preacher can be honorary? did something on wrong on purpose
before it got on Facebook. Then when I caused such a stir, I got off. I made this, I said,
isn't it kind of weird that all the Calvinists
children are all elect. I'm a Calvinist and got six kids. They're all the elect, but they can say some of your kids ain't. Somebody help. Son, it blew Facebook right off of mat. Ladies and gentlemen,
what a false teaching. Amen. Now let me go on. Go to number four, I got five minutes. No this is important. I'll end here tonight. I wanted to end number five real bad, but I just don't know if I get to. How many is number four, adoption? This is important, it's the
future redemption of the body not conversion. At conversion, the sinner
gets the spirit of adoption, the promise of glorification
or the redemption of the body, which is the fulfillment of adoption. Somebody say, amen. And not only they, but ourselves, which had the first fruits of the spirit. Even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to
wit the redemption of the body. Hey Roger. Everybody look at me. How many of you know you're saved? Raise your hands. How many know you got the holy spirit? Now let me ask you, do you
know what the holy spirit is from God's point of view? He's your down payment, your earnest money to assure
you are the finished product. So when God saved you,
he didn't save your body, but he put his earnest in you, and sealed till the day of redemption. He said, I thought I was already redeemed. No, no, no. You were redeemed inwardly. You're being redeemed outwardly. But one day you'll be redeemed
from all the presence of sin. Am I preaching? How many of y'all can understand? Am I too deep for you? Let me, three minutes, I'm
going to do the last one Cause I won't give the
invitation from the last one. John 1:12-13, and I'll close. Sinners become the sons of
God through the new birth and not through adoption. Listen to what the Bible says. But as many as received
him to them gave he power, to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, listen to this, which
were born, not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh, nor the will of man, but of what, God. Now write this down in
your notes if you can. Let me show you the process. Number one, you receive Jesus. Number two, by receiving
Jesus you're given power to become the son of God. Number three, you're born again. Number four, you will become a son of God. And number five, you'll
have the manifestation of the son of God when you get a new body, when you're adopted, your
adoption is fulfilled and you have a new body. Where does it start? (indistinct) To many as received him, gave him power, to become the sons of God. It starts with receiving Christ. Now here's what the Calvinists say. They say it starts with
you being born again. And then you place faith. That's totally opposite. What do the Armenian say, well you can trust Christ, but
you got to work to stay safe. They're both wrong. But here's what the Bible says, to many as received him, gave them power to be the sons of God. Bow your heads with me. I hope you got some education tonight. How many right now can say preacher Smith, I know there was a day in my life. I know there was a day in
my life I received Christ. If you know that, raise your hand. If you don't, don't raise them. Thank you. How many in this room had
never received Christ? You don't want to doubt and go to hell. You know you need him. How many of you right now
and say preacher Smith, before I die, before the Lord comes, I want to know I'm going to heaven. You raise your hand if you're not saved, just say pray for me. Pray for me. Preacher, I don't know for sure I'm saved. Young lady, young man, mom and dad. I'm not sure I'm saved. Just lift your hand up
and say pray for me. I need to be saved. God, bless that hand. Somebody else. God bless you. Stand with me. As we close, if you want
to be saved, come up here, but take a Bible let me show you. Father bless this invitation we pray, in Jesus name, amen.
