Welcome to Truth Time, where you'll get a shot of the truth with no chaser.
It's odd but some people don't like it when you tell them that salvation is a present possession.
You get it at the moment you believe.
Some can't stand to hear that.
But guess what?
That's what God said.
God says it.
God says after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you believed and you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:13.
You're sealed.
You're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of redemption, not until the next time you sin, Ephesians 4:30.
So who do you believe, God or man?
The other day I was listening to a man teaching on salvation.
It was a 30-minute radio program, and this man preached grace about as good as anyone until oh, about the 20-minute mark.
And then he drove it off a cliff by inserting self-effort.
Hey, that's what the devil likes to hear.
Listen, some of his best work is done through subtlety.
He's mastered the art of subtlety.
Be careful or he'll use you like a puppet.
You'll speak grace one minute and works the next.
A message of grace with a subtle insertion of self-effort.
Listen, if you mix your self-effort, just one work, no matter how small you might think it is, you'll remain lost.
That's a perverted gospel.
It's either all God and none of you or it's hell.
Grace is pure.
It's unadulterated.
It's unperverted.
It's untainted.
And you know what?
It's unmerited.
Nothing you can do for it.
It's undeserved.
That's it.
That's the long and the short of it.
God does not offer tainted love.
One of the major issues we see today with those who desire to have a relationship with God, is they don't know where to go for their instructions.
They open up the Bible.
They have good intentions, but they don't know where to go for their marching orders.
All of this Bible is profitable, but the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation must be rightly divided.
If it's not, you'll be left trusting in the wrong gospel for your salvation.
At one time, there was a gospel being preached for salvation that no longer saves today.
Peter preached it, John preached it, and James preached it.
It was a gospel that mixed God's grace with self-effort, grace and works.
But Paul was later given a different gospel to give to us, one that you can't find back in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, or the early Acts period.
Matthew 15:24, But he answered and said, I am not sent but into the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10, verses 5 and 6, These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans, enter ye not.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And the Apostle Paul reinforces what we just read when he said, Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, Romans 15, verse 8.
Now, just what is it that Paul is trying to say here?
Minister to who?
The circumcision.
Who was the circumcision?
The Jews of that day.
And the rest of the verse says to confirm promises made unto the fathers.
What promises?
The promises you'll find in the Old Testament.
And who are the fathers Paul mentions in the verse?
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
So, let's recap what we've read so far.
In Matthew chapter 15, the Lord said that at that time he wasn't sent to us.
In chapter 10, he made sure that the twelve didn't go to us.
And in Paul's letter to Rome, he confirms that Jesus was in fact not sent to give us our instructions in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
And amazingly enough, people today still won't believe this.
They continue to falsely teach that this is about us.
But just because you've been taught that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is about you, well that don't make it so.
Turn off your tradition for a moment and let's just explore God's Word.
Now, neither Matthew, Mark, Luke, John or the early chapters of the book of Acts have anything to do with you.
If you're a Bible believer, you understand that it hasn't always been about you.
So here's a question.
Why did God send Jesus to the nation Israel?
Because He loved the world.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
You see, back here during the time of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, if you were to get everlasting
life you would have had to have gone through Israel, God's chosen nation.
That's how God could have saved you at that time, through his nation.
His nation is not the world.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to his nation.
Why?
So that they could go about and proclaim Him as the Messiah.
And then the Gentiles could come to salvation through the nation Israel.
Listen to the prophet Isaiah.
Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.
But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Interesting, huh?
That sounds like Acts 3:25.
There's where Peter, while addressing Israel, says this, Ye are the children of the prophets.
Okay, stop right there.
How is it, just how is it, that you can go to a church this Sunday and hear that the church, the body of Christ, started in Acts chapter 2?
Huh?
Just how is that?
How is it possible that the church, the body of Christ, started in Acts 2, when here we are in Acts 3, and the Gentiles are nowhere in sight?
Listen, the church, the body of Christ, hasn't been called out yet.
It started with Paul, and you can take that to the bank.
Let's keep reading.
And the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Verse 26, Unto you, first God, having raised up his Son, Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Now, it's evident that the three times the word you is being used here, it's always referring to Israel, and never you.
The you here is Israel.
And you'll finally begin to understand this book when you honor the context, allowing things to unfold as God meant for them to.
You see, during Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the early chapters of the book of Acts, at that time, Israel was enjoying their risen status.
They hadn't fallen yet.
It's not until Romans chapter 11 verse 11, that Paul reveals that God no longer recognizes Israel as being the light unto the world.
They had served as having preeminence over the world, and this continued until Acts chapter 7.
But it was there that Israel said, No.
They murdered Stephen and said, We reject Christ as being our Messiah.
And it was then, now listen closely, it was then that the body of Christ's church began.
God temporarily set aside Israel, and is now operating through the church, which is his
body.
One of the best ways to see the differences in Scripture is to compare them.
Who inspired the Scriptures?
God did.
2 Timothy 3:16.
And Paul said the things He spoke were not the words taught by man's wisdom, but words taught by the Holy Ghost.
And those words are to be compared.
And when you compare the words that Paul wrote with the words found elsewhere in the Bible, you'll begin to see the contrast.
For example, Luke 16:16, listen to this, The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Now listen to Paul, Colossians 1:13, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
So is it, quote, presseth, or is it translated?
Can't be both.
Presseth is a work, but being translated by Christ, well, that's grace.
It's time you believe God.
It's time you believe God, and not what your church says.
If your church says what God says, then that's fine, but if not, you've got a problem.
It's not about what your denomination says.
It's not about what a family member says.
It's about what God says.
Isn't that your final authority?
Well you say it is, but you act as if it's not.
Maybe you thought it was, but now since finding truth time, you're beginning to see that his word has not been your final authority.
Jesus was commissioned by God the Father to come to earth for Israel.
He then sent out his twelve apostles to who?
To Israel.
To Israel as well.
And prior to Paul, it was not about Jews and Gentiles dying and going to heaven.
It was about Israel and their kingdom here on earth.
In Acts 1, verses 6 through 8, we see where they ask Jesus, just when is it that you plan to give us the kingdom?
When do you plan to give the kingdom to Israel?
And He said, It's not for you to know the times or the seasons.
You need to witness of me first in Jerusalem, next in all Judea, then in Samaria, and finally into all the earth.
Did you catch that?
It was mandatory that Israel be saved first.
And by the way, where was the temple?
Where was the temple located?
In Jerusalem.
The temple was there, and at this time, Israel had to have the temple in order to worship God.
So, they were commanded to begin in Jerusalem, but what happened?
Jesus was rejected there.
And this is why they never took that earthly kingdom gospel to the world as they were commissioned
to do.
Israel had to accept him and be saved first, and then, and then they were to go to the uttermost parts of the earth, Acts 1:8.
But they didn't.
Jesus was rejected.
Again, Paul said the things he spoke were not the words taught by man's wisdom, but the words taught by the Holy Ghost.
And those words are to be compared, 1 Corinthians 2:13.
If you want to better understand your Bible, compare words with words.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
We know that Israel needed a temple to worship God.
Not so for us.
We learned something very different from Paul.
Acts 17:24, God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
We no longer need a temple made with hands.
God is not there regardless of what religion says.
I've heard people, and you have too, say, oh, I could really feel God's presence in church the other night.
Listen, if you felt the presence of God in a building, you did not feel the big G.
It's, it's Satan.
Satan is the God of this world.
It's his spirit that shows up in buildings.
Brick and mortar buildings made by men.
If you're a saved member of the body of Christ's church, you're the temple of God, and his spirit dwells within you, 1 Corinthians 3:16.
Now, in church this Sunday, you're likely to hear Luke 24:49, and or Acts 1:8, preached as if it were instructions meant for you.
Well, let's see.
If it's instructions written down to be followed by you, then it'll surely withstand the test of scrutiny, correct?
Paul credited those Jews of Berea for testing him for what he said.
And in 1 Thessalonians, we're told to prove, to prove all things.
So let's see if those instructions are meant for us to follow.
Jesus speaking says, And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.
And in Acts 1:8, he tells them that, They shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon them.
And there'll be witnesses unto him in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
When did you go to Jerusalem and preach?
Have you preached in all Judea or Samaria?
How about every part of the earth?
You have to totally disregard and abandon the context to make this about you.
Today, we don't start anything in Jerusalem.
As ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors for Christ, the harvest is plenty throughout the whole world, the entire world.
Nothing starts in Jerusalem.
Stop playing with the verses and realize, this simply wasn't written to you.
Is it sound doctrine for someone to start their ministry first in Jerusalem?
Yes, it is.
It's just not your sound doctrine.
Is it Bible truth?
Yes, it is.
But it's not Bible truth that was meant for you to read and follow.
Do you own a map?
Okay, there's your mission field.
Get in your car, hop a plane, buy some radio time, teach it through social media, or whatever.
Your instructions are not found in Acts 1.
And it doesn't have to be you going all around the globe either.
Your next door neighbor needs to hear the good news.
That's about like sending money to starving people overseas when we haven't even helped those in our own neighborhood.
Paul, who is your apostle, by the way, Romans 11:13, has yet to be saved when this is going on in the early Acts period.
And he tells us in plain simple words in 1 Timothy 1:16, that he is the first member of the body of Christ's church.
So just how hard is it to get your Bible down off the shelf, find out where Paul gets saved, and start from there.
Not hard.
It reminds me of those who like to play with scriptures.
Like a kid with a toy, they just play around with the verses.
There are those today that claim that the book of John contains doctrine for the body of Christ church.
Again, if it's written to be followed by us, it'll surely withstand the test of scrutiny.
Okay, in John chapter 9, verse 39, the Lord said this, For judgment I am coming to this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be blind.
Now don't miss it.
He said he came into the world for the sake of judging people.
You can read it again in John chapter 5, verses 28 and 29.
Here we read, For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth.
They that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
Back here at this time, it's pretty plain to see that the do-gooders are the ones who inherit life, while those that have done bad and have not measured up get damnation.
Now surely you're seeing that back here at this point in time, and do note that this is prior to the cross.
At this time, salvation had nothing whatsoever to do with By grace through faith in the finished
cross work of Christ.
Not even one mention of the death, burial and resurrection.
Grace is what?
Unmerited, undeserved.
Well, clearly as we just read, just believe the Bible, John is speaking of a resurrection of everlasting life that is earned.
That's why he plainly said that they that have done good are the ones who get the resurrection of life.
And by now you do know that when you're attempting to follow Jesus in the red letters, you're following him at a time when he came not but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24.
You do get that, correct?
Great, let's move on.
Another important piece of scripture concerning the book of John is found in chapter 20 verse
9.
Here we see that the twelve still did not understand that Christ would rise from the grave.
20 chapters folks, 20 chapters into a book that only has 21.
And these men after the death, burial, and resurrection still do not understand the cross
work of Christ.
Yet you've been taught that chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on.
You've been taught that this is a book that has your salvation doctrine in it.
No Gentile justification by faith alone, no imputed righteousness.
And in John chapter 4 verse 22 we learn that at this time no one could have gotten saved without Israel acting as their mediator.
Sooner or later you're going to have to get this.
Paul's gospel is different than the twelve.
On a future program I'll try to go verse by verse through the book of John and we'll hammer in and drill down and try to make this as simple as possible.
There's really no reason for anyone not to get it.
Listen to me.
The twelve received their gospel from Christ while on earth.
By contrast, Paul received his gospel from Christ while in heaven.
Earth, heaven.
They're different, not the same.
No wonder Israel is promised physical earthly blessings and are going to receive an inheritance
of the earthly kingdom following their resurrection and their enduring into the end, Matthew 10:22.
But we are promised a spiritual inheritance in heaven because they, Israel, shall inherit the earth, Matthew 5:5.
Israel in the future will reign with Christ on earth, Luke 22:30.
But our conversation is in heaven, Philippians 3:20.
And our hope is in heaven, Colossians 1:5.
Our destiny is not here on earth.
It's in heaven, 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Paul said that it's his gospel that makes you stable, Romans 16:25.
He said that it's his gospel you're judged by, Romans 2:16.
It's Paul's epistles where you'll find a wealth of unsearchable information.
Listen to the words of Paul, Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, in this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
What did he mean when he said unsearchable?
That Christ had gave him information that previously had been hid and kept secret.
A wealth of information that had never before been revealed to anyone.
And when you latch on to this, I'm telling you, it will free you.
Hey, it's like hitting the spiritual lotto.
You're rich.
You can search the scriptures day and night, from now until you die, and you'll never be able to find these unsearchable riches Paul is speaking of.
They're found in his 13 epistles and nowhere else in the Bible.
Our gospel deals with obedience to faith alone.
Israel's gospel, it dealt with obedience to faith plus works.
Our salvation comes by faith apart from works.
Israel's salvation came by faith plus their works.
Their works proved their faith.
Our works prove our lack of faith.
You say, wait a minute, now you, you've gone too far.
I don't believe that.
Well, let's let God's word and not your belief be the final authority.
Romans chapter 4, verse 5 says, to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Did you get that?
A saved person is someone who does not work for it.
They don't confess their sins to get forgiveness.
They don't turn from their sin expecting to be saved.
They don't ask Jesus to come into their heart.
They don't do anything in their flesh expecting to be saved.
It's their obedience to faith.
Get that today.
Latch onto this truth.
When you mix just one human work with God's pure grace, you've poisoned it.
You've diluted it.
It's tainted.
It becomes of no value at all.
It demonstrates your lack of faith.
You're actually calling God a liar by refusing to believe that Christ fully and completely finished the work on your behalf without your help.
It's all or nothing with God.
Ninety-nine and a half just won't do.
You must, by faith, completely surrender your salvation to the Lord.
In other words, if I go to hell, it's Christ's fault.
That's the testimony of someone who has totally committed their salvation to the Lord.
Now, I realize just how much faith this takes.
Most are not comfortable turning over anything to someone else, especially their salvation.
To some, this can be quite the gamble, to turn over their salvation to the Lord.
You see, some of us are kind of what you call control freaks.
We want to do everything ourselves.
As the old saying goes, if you want it done right, do it yourself.
Hey, I'm guilty of this very thing.
We want to take control of the situation and do it ourselves.
Make sure it's done right, as if no one else can do it.
Well, do that if you want to when it comes to things that pertain to this life, the here and now life, but you better let go and let God.
You better let go and let God take care of your eternal life, the life hereafter.
For those of you who have fallen for the works-based salvation plan, the faith plus works, the part you, part God deal, let me ask you this.
Who has a better chance at being a productive member of society, a slave or a free man?
A free man, of course.
A slave is only allowed to be productive to his master.
He's confined.
He's bound.
He's under bondage.
However, a free man has full range of motion and is able to go out and serve and be productive to all society.
Friends, this is what happens when you wrap your brain around the grace message.
The gospel of the grace of God is your emancipation proclamation.
It'll set you free.
Some say it's a license to sin, but the Bible says it's a license to serve.
To get this, you need to study.
Let us help you with that by showing you how the Bible is meant to be studied.
Visit us today at truthtimeradio.com.
We'll help get you established in God's Word.
I'm Trey Searcy.
And now, you know the truth.
Thank you for listening to Truthtime Radio, I'm Trey Searcy, and I'll see you next time.
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