The old way is the bible
Category: Bible Study & Scripture
Key Passage: John 12:47-48
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: October 9, 2024
Turn your Bibles to John chapter number 12. I forgot to mention to our media men, we do have one slide to show towards the end of the message. It’s on the Google Drive there, and we might want to just drop that screen. We’ll show that at the very end of the message. We’ll be ready for that right towards the end of it, probably around 9:30 or so, as we get towards the end of the message tonight.
John chapter number 12. Some of you laughed and some of you growled. Hey man, I don’t know about all that. But John chapter number 12. And just for a bit tonight, it’s kind of fitting with the instruments tonight, why I am an old-fashioned Christian. Why I’m an old-fashioned Christian. Let me just say this: we could have titled several different things, but I’m a Christian first, then a Baptist.
Being a Baptist doesn’t save you. Jesus saves you. So I’m a born-again Christian. I’m a Jesus first, if you will. But I’m a Baptist because it’s the closest thing I can find to the Bible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s the closest thing I can find to the Bible. If I can find something a little bit closer, I can go there, but I can’t find it. There’s nothing there, if you will. And so that’s why I’m a Baptist. We’ve titled this, “Why I’m an Old-Fashioned Christian.”
For just a bit tonight, the world is always trying to conform you to its image. It’s trying to make you more like the world. They push their agenda, especially on young people. They’re pushing, pushing, pushing. Everyone’s not just good in the house of God to kind of push God’s agenda, if you will, a little bit, and just talk about why I’m an old-fashioned Christian for just a bit tonight.
We’re going to start over in John chapter number 12 of God’s word tonight. John chapter number 12. We’re going to start in verse number 47, John 12 and verse number 47. If you’d please stand tonight, if you’re able, just to show the word of God respect. John chapter 12. This is Jesus speaking here. These verses we’ll read; it’s getting closer to him going to the cross.
I want you to see what it says. Verse number 47, John 12:47. He says, “And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” By the way, I’m thankful for that right there. Praise the Lord, he didn’t come to condemn. If I am Christ-like, I’m not here to condemn either; I’m here to save.
But notice what it says in verse number 48: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in that last day.” Now, the word could be several things, but one thing for sure, it can be the Word.
He said in that last day, that’s the Word that will judge. That’s the standard, if you will. For just a bit tonight, why I’m an old-fashioned Christian: would you pray with me that God would encourage us to stay right even during these last days?
Father, Lord, we come to you. Would you do that? Lord, would you encourage us, challenge us, Lord? Father, would you shine light on the trickery and the subtle, sly changes of Satan and people that are following him, Lord? Father, help us stay true to you and stay true to your word even in our day and time. We’ll thank you that we can do that through your power and your might and through your promises. Bless tonight, Father. We’ll thank you for what you do. We ask for these things in the name of Jesus. We’re praying and believing, Father. Amen. Thank you so much for staying. You may be seated.
Every morning, that stinking, sorry, good-for-nothing alarm clock goes off. Anybody agree with this? Is that good preaching? Now, I mean, that stinking and sorry, and if you don’t do anything about it, it gets louder. You want to get a bigger hammer every time. It goes off, and you grumble a little bit and everything.
One of the first things I do, there’s this little square thing in the restroom, and you have to tap it, and then this little blue light comes on. It takes a minute or two to calculate, and then it says zero.
Sometimes you just want to put a big toe or something on it. You don’t want to put everything on there. Anybody can relate to all this now?
So sometimes, well, that’s cheating to have one foot on it, so you put both feet halfway on it. And you’re like, well, if I’m going to really… The thing is, it’s kind of judging. For me, it’s amazing how my body quickly tells me what I did or didn’t do yesterday.
I’ve been doing fairly good, but we had a fellowship at our house last night, and there were good desserts there. That’s never good for me. It’s never good at the time, amen. But the next morning is judgment day, you know. And you’re like, “Do I really have to step all the way on this thing?”
Finally, it takes a while to build the courage up, but you get all the way on that thing. I’ve already made 10,000 excuses, but man, that thing, it just cuts through all the excuses. It gets right to the heart of the matter: How good did I really do yesterday or not? And when it says “tilt,” you’re like, “Oh, man, I didn’t do good at all.”
One day, one day, even a more severe judgment than that will be, if you will, we’re going to stand before Jesus Christ. Every person in the universe will stand before him at one of two judgments. If they’re not saved, if they’re lost, they’ll stand before him at the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation chapter number 20 gives good details about that. We won’t look it up. It’ll be a very, very sad time. They’ll be weeping and wailing. They’ll be begging. They’ll be pleading. And God said, “No. If your name’s not found written in the Lamb’s book of life, they shall be cast into outer darkness.” It’ll be a sad, sad time.
By the way, after that is when all the tears are wiped from our eyes. You said, “There’ll be no tears in heaven.” Well, actually, friend, that’s not necessarily true, because you can’t wipe away something that’s not there. After that is when he wipes away the tears from our eyes. That’s when the former things are no more. I think it is a little bit of a delete because how in the world can we have rejoicing for all eternity when we know of the ones, people we loved, in the Lake of Fire?
But that’s an awesome judgment. But even for us Christians, if you’re born again, a Christian, we will stand before Jesus, not for our sins—that judgment has already been poured out on Jesus on the cross of Calvary, who took the judgment of our sins, amen? Boy, you can say amen. He took the judgment of our sins, amen. I’ll never give the account of my sins again. Never will. Jesus gave the account for my sins.
But I will, on that judgment seat of Christ, I will give an account of my works. 1 Corinthians 3 gives me a bunch of details about that. Someone that’s gotten saved but they never live for the Lord Jesus Christ, they’ll suffer loss. They will not get the rewards God wanted them to have. And it’ll be a sad day in some ways for those folks because they’ve not lived for Jesus the way they ought to, and they would like to receive some crowns that they can give back to Jesus. He’s worthy of them all. Will we have any crowns to lay at his feet? The song says, “When that day comes.”
But there will be a judgment day for every person. Here’s what I’m trying to get to, here’s the thing: the thing that will be judged by is not by what the polls say out there. We will not be judged by what the newscasters say. We won’t be judged by what they say on YouTube or TikTok or Instagram. We won’t be judged by Facebook. We will be judged by this book right here. That will be the standard that God holds up to.
You say, “Why are you an old-fashioned Christian?” Because that is what I’ll have to answer to one day. I won’t have to answer those people that are popular, those people that like me or don’t like me, those people that talk about me or don’t talk about me, those people that are trying to get me to go their way or not. I won’t have to answer to anybody about any of those things. I will have to answer to the Lord Jesus Christ according to that book right there.
Friend, if somebody can change God’s words, I might change a little bit, but the best I can, he’s not going to change his words, so the best I can, I’m going to do my best not to change, friend. You say, “Well, things aren’t like they used to be.” I know they’re not like they used to be, but God’s word has not changed. It’s always the same. That’s why the Bible says, “Preach the word. Be instant in season.” By the way, it doesn’t just say that. Sometimes I want to say, finish the verse. It does say, “reprove and rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering.” And that’s part of preaching the word.
Friend, there’s the Bible. That’s what we’re going to stand before God one day. The sower and the seed—the thing that he was sowing was not opinions, not false philosophies, not politicians, not all the rest of that. The thing that he was sowing was the word of God. John 17, he says, “The word is truth.” We have absolute truth, friend. I don’t have to worry about what everybody else thinks and get all their opinions. All I really need at the end of the day is God’s opinion: the Bible. Why do we try to be an old-fashioned Christian? Because of the Bible.
Luke 16:17: “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail.” That’s kind of like on your eyes, that little dot. Hey, if you say, “Well, you know the polls about abortion,” friend, I don’t care a whole lot about the polls here on earth. I care about the polls in heaven. No matter what the polls said, God says, “Hey, that’s a baby, and that’s murder,” friend.
Hey, you say, “Well, what about the polls about transgender?” Friend, how about the polls in heaven? What does heaven say about that? God made them male and female. Don’t mess with what God’s done, friend.
You say, “Well, what about the polls and the popularity about what we’re supposed to wear?” Hey, friend, they’re going to change all that for as long as they’re always going to be changing, but the Bible doesn’t change. The Bible talks about modest dress, modest apparel. That’s in the Bible, friend. And you say, “Well, that’s a little old-fashioned.” I hope it is—about 2,000 years old-fashioned, amen.
Friend, why try to fit in with this world? By the way, if you fit in too much with this world, you’re liable to not fit in real good when you get up to heaven. Yeah, we want to try to be old-fashioned Christians. Why? Because of the Bible. You say, “Well, it’s popular to drink a little bit in our day and time.” Friend, there are 75 verses in that book that speak of drink in a negative way. I think I’ll just go by the book, amen. Sure, well, you know, it’s popular, a little social drinking here. Sin’s always been popular since Adam and Eve. Doesn’t make it right.
It’s an old-fashioned Christian. A man walked into a blacksmith shop back in the day, horses and all those things. You could tell he had probably put shoes on a horse. By the way, isn’t it easier to play horseshoes when the horse is not attached? Isn’t that easier? We had that at our house last night. I think it’s just a little bit easier like that. But anyway.
You could tell he had probably shoed hundreds of horses. Many of the old shoes, horseshoes, were laying around all over, bent up and whatnot. You could tell that he had just—the blacksmith had taken many of them and reworked them and bent them to fit that horse and all different sides, just probably thousands over the years. But there’s only one anvil, just one anvil there.
Now, that anvil, it had held up to all those probably thousands of horseshoes getting beat on and bent and heated up—just one anvil. You know, through time, this world is going to beat on you and try to change you, try to mold you into their image. But this book right here, it’s the anvil. You just put yourself right on the anvil right there. Say, “I don’t want the world to change me. I want the Word and the Spirit of God to change me.” I’ll just stand as an old-fashioned Christian, amen.
I’d have to be popular in heaven, after being popular in the world, amen. Why am I an old-fashioned Christian? Because I’m going to be judged by the Bible one day, not by my society or people—that book right there.
Look, if you will, over in Jeremiah chapter number six. Jeremiah chapter number six. Jeremiah was a prophet to the nation of Israel, specifically to Judah, and he kept warning them that judgment’s coming, judgment’s coming. The weeping prophet, he actually lived when the judgment came, and he stayed with the Israelites there in Jerusalem, and eventually even went with them down to Egypt. Jeremiah is just an amazing man of the Bible.
This is really before the judgment. He’s giving warning. I think the first 29 chapters are that. He’s really just saying, “Get right. Judgment’s coming. Judgment’s coming.” Very, very detailed in Jeremiah about the judgment’s coming. I want you just read a little bit of that. If we get to one verse, we’re going to focus on for a minute: this subject, “Why I’m an old-fashioned Christian,” because I’ll be judged by the Bible one day, not by people or society.
Then number two here, let’s look at this. Here in Jeremiah 6, look at verse number 12, if you would, please. Jeremiah 6 and verse number 12: “And their houses shall be turned unto others.” He’s told them, if you don’t get right, judgments are coming. They’re going to siege, and he even tells them it’s going to be up to the north of Babylon. He just tells them what’s going to happen, and “their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together, for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.”
“For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely.” What a sad thing. “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Boy, I think of so many worldly churches right there. And that’s exactly what’s going on in our day and time.
Verse number 15: “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.”
Here’s a verse: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way? And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not walk therein.” We won’t read it all, of course. Judgment did come.
But I want you just for a minute here, think about that. He said, “I want you to stand in the ways and see and ask for the latest and greatest.” Is that what it says? No. He said, “I want you to stand and watch in the pathways of life and watch as everything’s just shifting and all these new things you’re coming.” By the way, I’m not necessarily talking about the newest technology and all those things. Brother Patrick would be mad if we preached on that; he likes all those things. I’m talking about morally, the fads of the day and time.
He said, “I want you to stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths.” He said, “That’s a good way right there.” And he said, “That’s the way I want you. If you walk therein, you’ll find rest for your souls.” How can I just put it this way, friend? Why am I an old-fashioned Christian? I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m not trying to be like the newest and the latest and the greatest. I’m not trying to look for new philosophies and new methods and all the rest of that. Listen, I like to just stay in the old paths, my friend.
I mean the way that’s been proven, I mean the way that we know is right, it’s been tried, it’s been tested, it works. And you get that path right there, and you walk in that path right there, and he said you’ll find rest for your souls. There’s peace found there.
Look, if you will, very quickly over in 2 Timothy chapter number 3. 2 Timothy chapter number 3. He’s talking about the end times here. He’s talking about perilous times will come. He’s talking about men shall be lovers of themselves, and on and on, and I don’t want to get into all that. I want you to jump down a little bit over there in 2 Timothy chapter 3, and I want you to look in verse number 5. We’ll start there, we’ll read a couple of verses. 2 Timothy 3, starting in verse number 5.
By the way, how many do you believe we’re living in the end times? Oh, yeah. Nobody knows the day or the hour, but friend, it doesn’t take much common sense and a little news, a whole lot of Bible, to feel like, man, we’re in the last days. We don’t know when he’s coming back, but you just watch Israel and what’s going over there. Go back and watch your series on Ezekiel 37, 38. You’re like, “Wow, it’s happening right in front of our eyes.” By the way, isn’t it amazing how God takes care of his apple of his eye, Israel?
Well, I love it. It’s just amazing to watch that little bitty nation, about the size of New Jersey, and all those countries around. They’ve been trying to wipe him out for years and years. And God says, “No, that’s my people. I’m going to take care of him.” And he does. Oh, he does. And I’m just amazed. You can’t explain it any other way besides God, amen. I’m just amazed to watch. I’m getting off a little bit here, but man, we’re living in the last days for sure. We’re there. We’re there.
And he’s described in the last days. Now look in verse number five, verse number five. He says, “Having a form of godliness.” Don’t we find that in our day and time, especially in America? It’s not necessarily where God haters are the majority, but we just have a form of godliness. “Oh, I’m spiritual.” Do you go to church? “No. I have my own religion.” Anybody heard that here lately? Oh, yeah. “Well, we all believe the same thing.” Well, if you don’t believe the God of the Bible, we don’t believe the same thing, you know?
We were witnessing to a Muslim yesterday. “Oh, we believe in Jesus.” Did you believe Jesus died physically and rose again three days later? Well, he just won’t change the subject there a little bit. Hey, friend, if you don’t believe that, we don’t believe the same thing, amen. But they have a form of godliness. Watch this, “but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sin, led away with diverse lusts.” Watch this, verse number seven. Here’s what I want to get at: “Ever learning, ever learning, ever learning, ever learning, and never able come to the knowledge of the truth.” They don’t have rest for their souls.
There’s something about saying, “I know what the truth is. I’ve seen the truth, I’ve watched it, I know what it is. I don’t have to keep looking. I don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel or following people that are trying to reinvent the wheel. I know where the wheel is. I know what God’s will is. I know what truth is. I’m just going to walk in that way right there, and I have peace under my soul there.”
But some people are always going to be learning and never able come to the truth. Praise the Lord, I got the old King James Bible. I just got the truth, amen. I don’t have to wait for every six months for the Bible of the month’s book to come out, you know. I got the Bible. I ain’t got to worry about the next one coming along the line.
Some people just always—these end times are just always going to be learning, learning, learning, and they never just get down to that: What’s the truth about the matter here? You just say, “I’m going to look for the old paths.” I know it’s a little old-fashioned. That’s where I like to be, amen. I’m all right with that.
You want to call me an old-fashioned Christian, old-fashioned Baptist? Hey, I’ll wear it. I’ll put a name tag on: “Old-fashioned Christian,” if you want me to. Amen. Glad to wear it. That’s where you find rest for your soul.
First Thessalonians 5. It’s over there where he’s just giving those quick little verses: “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings.” And he says this: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Man, you got something good. You got the truth. Just don’t go looking everywhere else. Just say, “I got it. I don’t have to worry about the new doctrine coming down. I got the truth. I don’t have to worry about all that.” I found the truth about the grace of God a long time ago, amen.
I’m thinking about it a lot tonight: the blood of Jesus. And praise the Lord for our Savior. By the way, there is a whole lot of power in the blood, power enough to save and redeem us from our sinful lives, amen. I don’t have to look for the latest and greatest. By the way, I got the greatest. There’s peace there. Find rest for my soul.
After the beating in the morning time, that scale, you know, and then some coffee and some of the word—not always, but usually along there—I’ll take a walk out with our dog, Dixie. Now, Dixie is about half Lab and half Great Pyrenees, a white dog.
Dixie was… we set tables up for that fellowship, and Dixie said, “This means food is coming. Bring them on, Dad. I’m ready for all that food.” You know, she is all about it. In the morning time, you know, I’m fixed to go out, and Dixie is pumped. Man, she knows not to jump on you, and we’ve had some lessons on that, you know. But she wants to jump.
She’s just, in the morning time, she’s ready to go. We’ll say, “You’re ready for a walk?” and she’s just running around in circles. She’s energetic. She’ll—we’ve got some steps on that porch—she’ll run off those, and just she’ll run down there and just kind of… she’s flashy and running around everywhere. She wants to get that walk in, you know.
Sometimes we’ll tease her a little bit. Man, she quits all that teasing. “Let’s go on the walk.” She’s ready to get out there where the skunks are, and the squirrels are, and the possums are, and the deer are. She wants to chase everything in those woods. She’s ready to go, you know. We’ve got a little collar. We’ll take that collar off, and she shoots off. She’s gone. We’ll take that thing off, and man, she’s… Praise the Lord, she has not figured out the collar is the thing. She thinks I have power in my voice: “All right, go,” you know. And she won’t get shocked. I don’t want her to figure it out, amen.
Anyway, she’ll—she’s like, “Can I go?” And I’m like, “Hand going to go on, Dixie.” And she’s getting too close. I have coffee typically then. She won’t jump on me. She’ll jump on. “You just go on, Dixie,” and she knows. Man, she takes off. We’ll spend some time out there, typically whatnot.
She’s about five now. She’s getting older, a little bit heavier, and a little bit lazier, especially in the heat of the summer. Sometimes she’s come back early. And sometimes my wife is out there in the back, and she’s like, “Shame on you, Dixie. Dad’s out there, and you’re not protecting Dad out there.” And the one we don’t know… Dixie has got Tammy’s heart. I mean, she’s got her. Tammy has a swimming—a little bitty old kid swimming pool, you know, $10 thing, you know—and she’ll come back up and put her paw in it. She’ll get wet. It’s fall, rotten. And then she’ll go back out there sometimes.
But anyway, we’ll come in from the walk. And then the next thing on Dixie’s agenda is food. Isn’t it amazing how dogs can talk to you? They can talk to you with their eyes. They just look at you. You know what they’re saying. And Dixie won’t leave that back sliding glass door. She’s there. She’s waiting for that food, you know. If I’m walking by, even inside, she’s just staring. And I know what she’s saying: “Where’s the food at? Come on. This is a routine.” And she guilt-trips me, you know, to the point, “All right, I’ll give in. I’ll feed Dixie.”
And I tell you what, once she gets that food—she’s had her walk, and she’s had her food—all the running around energy, you know, doing circles, that’s done. She doesn’t want to take a walk at that point. She’s glad to get the collar on because she doesn’t want to go anywhere else. She’s ready for a nap. She’ll lay out on that back porch. She’ll just sprawl out, you know.
She’s just laying down, and she’s just relaxing, you know. And she’s satisfied. She doesn’t want anybody to bother her. She doesn’t pay any attention to me after that. She’s a fat cat. She’s happy. Nap time, you know.
And you know a little bit, when you get the truth and the old paths, I don’t have to be running around looking for everything else in the world. Word about what Dr. So-and-so, Dr. Mess-em-up, said. Word about the latest reel and the latest video. I don’t have to worry about all that. Praise the Lord. I know where I stand through the blood of Jesus Christ. I know I’m forgiven. I know the truth. I know where this—I’m not always there, but I know where I’m trying to stand.
Praise the Lord, I can, if you will, just kind of lay over there and sprawled out and take it easy a little bit. There’s rest for the soul in the old paths. Are you an old-fashioned Baptist? A Christian? I sure try to be, because I know that’s where there’s rest for the soul. Why I’m an old-fashioned Baptist? Because I’m going to be judged out of the book one day, the Bible, not by people one day. Because I’m not looking for the newest; I’m looking for the old.
Then number three, just a quick thought, because God doesn’t change. Malachi 3:6: “For I am the Lord, I change not.” If you can get God to change on homosexuality, I might change my opinion—probably not. But I ain’t got to worry about that, friend. God’s not going to change on that. If you can get God to change on maybe getting drunk and all the rest of that, maybe I’ll change what I preach a little bit, but I don’t have to worry about that because God’s not going to change.
If you can get God to change his opinion on immorality, maybe I won’t preach on that and live and try to think and teach that way. But I just don’t think you’re going to find God changing on these issues, friend. You say, “Well, if it becomes popular, we might become popular.” But God’s not going to change for me or you or anybody else. He doesn’t change, friend.
I just feel like if God doesn’t change on lying and language, I won’t change on that. Just feel like if God doesn’t… By the way, while we’re there for music for just a second here: By the way, it doesn’t matter how popular Taylor Swift is. If she’s singing, and she is singing wicked music, she’s not popular in my book, friend.
I mean, somewhere along the line, I just got to say, I want to be an old-fashioned Christian. I want the old-fashioned morals and beliefs and convictions. By the way, our radio station—you said, “Well, we didn’t make it popular for some young people or whatnot.” Listen, friend, I don’t want some young person that may be lost or at best. We’re not going to let them dictate what we play on the radio station. We want the book and God to dictate what we play on the radio station. See, well, I might not be popular down here. We’re not after being popular down here. We’re after being popular up there, friend. God doesn’t change.
Thinking about old Jerry Hunter. Do you remember Jerry? Oh, Brother Jerry Hunter. Yeah, Brother Jerry Hunter. Police officer for years and years in Nashville. And he had a little preacher in him. Brother Jerry did. He had just—preached a little. He’d give him a little, about a half an inch, he’d preach for a mile, you know. He had a preacher in him, you know. I remember him saying often, “Right is right and wrong is wrong.”
And they’d joke, “Continues with him: ‘Would you arrest my mom?’” He said, “Well, if she is wrong and I had to, I would arrest her. Because right is right, and wrong is wrong.” I said, “Boy, I’d like to see that right there.” Hey, you know what? Right is right, and wrong is wrong. And God doesn’t change. I don’t have to worry, “Well, let me see what God thinks tomorrow about that right there. Which way is the wind blowing?” He’s not going to change. He’s not going to change. I just feel like if God’s not going to change, I ought not change.
Not that we’re there living at all, but we’re trying, striving for that. One last thought, we’re done. Look over in 2 Timothy chapter number two. 2 Timothy chapter number two. Why I’m an old-fashioned Christian, old-fashioned Baptist, old-fashioned Christian—I keep saying they should be interchangeable anyway, man, you know. Because one day I’ll be judged by the book, by the Bible, not by society. I’m not looking for something new; I’m looking for something old, amen.
And because God doesn’t change. Maybe just this last point in here, we’re going to go home, amen. Maybe stop by and get one of those McDonald’s hot fudge things. No, I got to go to the scales tomorrow. That’s not good. We don’t want to do that.
Look over in 2 Timothy chapter number 2. Paul—God is speaking through Paul to Timothy here, a young preacher, if you will. And he’s teaching about who you really want to focus your time and attention on. Very important principle here. But I want you to really notice one word in this whole verse. Let’s read it: 2 Timothy 2 and verse number 2.
He says, “The things that thou hast heard of me”—Timothy, the things you’ve heard of me among many witnesses—“the same, the same, the same, the same, the same, commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
Now, he didn’t say, “Timothy, you take the things that I’ve taught you and laid in your head, take those and change them a little bit to be comfortable and to be maybe more conformable to the society you’re living in.” He said, “No, no. The same things that I’ve committed, the same things, that’s what I want you to teach faithful men, and they’ll be able to teach those to others also—the same.”
Don’t water it down. Don’t change it. Don’t critique it a little bit. Don’t make it to fit you a little bit better. No, he said the same thing, the same thing, the same thing that I’ve given to you, that’s the thing. The same thing that you give to faithful people, and they’ll be able to take that down to the next generation. That’s God’s plan.
Can I say this? I put it this way. I like it when we just had Lucas and Charity visit us. Oh, what was it last Sunday night? Lucas, I don’t know how old he was when we came over here. Maybe… Miss Mickey, do you have any idea? Ten, eleven years old. I’ll never forget the first Sunday night at Bible Baptist Church, Bible Way Baptist Church—good, good, great people, brother there was a great man. We were going to come over and merge, buy the place, whatnot. I met with the folks, and then went back to the back, and people were leaving, shaking hands a little bit. Lucas, ten or eleven years old—I’ll never forget it—he went back, and he shook my hand.
Boy, he looked me up and down and said, “Huh, so you’re going to be our new preacher now?” I said, “Yep, you reckon so.” Lucas was here even before I was here as far as this building. He was. And here’s the thing: Lucas and Charity will come back sometimes, or over at the Crown Baptist College, Aaron and Cassidy will come. I remember Aaron when God touched his heart and changed his life; he’d settle in that front row. He’d bring a lot of his public school friends. He’d fill up that front row, always been on the front row.
And God changed his life. Kyle and Cali, you know, the Cooper’s kids grew up in the church here. John, our son, he’s wanting to come back for a 25-year anniversary. It’s a long way to hitchhike. I don’t know if he’s going to make it or not from Oregon. But when these old ones come back, you know what? I don’t want them to wonder what version they’ll be using this time, wonder what kind of music they’ll have now, or where they’ll be dressed and where we’ll be at now. I want them to come back and say, “You know what? There’s a little bit more wrinkles nowadays, more glasses being shared nowadays.” Come on now. But they’re the same.
Hey, you know what? People don’t need a church and a Christianity that’s always changing. They need a Christianity that just stays the same. And I wonder, “Is it all right to drink today or not tomorrow?” I mean, wherever we stood on that, we’re right there today. Hey, friends, they’re just like they always were, always against those things. Just to get it—I’m getting it, you know—the old farmer said, “I’m a good preacher.” You know, I mean, just like they always were. The needs of man are still the same. They don’t need all this newfangled stuff if we have it. They still need unselfish love from God. Godly people need acceptance. They need truth. Oh, they need some truth where they don’t have to worry about, “I wonder whether they’re going to be out on that doctrine this week.” Somebody just got the truth; they just stay there.
You’ve probably heard or seen this illustration. Let’s see here. Brother Robert, can I get you to—we’re going to let Brother Robert—I don’t know if this is good or not. Brother Robert, we’re going to get you standing right over here. Good deal, good deal. We’re getting that knee moving a little bit here, amen. We got Brother Robert there.
Oh, let’s see here. Who else can we get here? Who else is sleeping? Let’s say… Brother Rob wouldn’t sleep now, you know. Amen. He wouldn’t. Brother Adam, come on. We’ll get Brother Adam. He’s got a tie on, so he represents the church.
All right. And let’s see if we get you standing right there, Brother Rob, in that square. Brother Adam, can we get you standing right here in this square? And we need one more person over here. Oh, Brother Ted, you’re right there, you’re available, man. Come on up, Brother Ted, if you would please. Brother Ted, would you stand right there? Brother Ted, right there in that square right there. Yes, sir. Brother Ted, I hate it, Brother Ted, but you’re going to be the world for us. He knew it. He knew it was coming. That’s true. No tie. There’s nowhere in the Bible…
Nor in the Bible doesn’t say you’ve got to have a tie. Nor does it say that. Now, here’s—and many of you heard this—this is what is often said that, of course, this is the Lord, and the church, and the world. And, Brother Ted, if you’d step over in that square right there, please, here. The world gets a little bit farther away from God, and then the church gets a little bit farther away from God. And then the world gets a little bit farther away from God, and the church gets a little bit farther away from God. And the world gets a little bit farther away from God, and the church gets a little bit farther.
The sad thing is, the church is where the world used to be. Well, we’re there. By the way, someone said, “We had so much of the world in the church, and the church and the world, it’s hard to tell the difference between the two.” But can I say, I don’t know that that’s actually correct, in my opinion, seeing it many times in my growing-up days. Can we get you back in the original spots here?
This is why I tend to believe—you know, 1 Timothy 3:15 talks about the church: it is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. So the world, they know what the truth is by the church. The church is the one that’s supposed to be holding—don’t show up. So a lost guy, he might not be saved living right, but he knows what truth is because the church is holding up. It’s a pillar and ground of truth. It’s holding it up on that pillar. This is what I believe happens: Brother Adam, would you move right there? And then I think the world moves right there. And the church moves right there. And the church moves right there. And the church moves right there. I honestly believe the church is the one that’s supposed to be the moral conscience of a nation, biblically. Thank you so much. Let’s appreciate you. Thank you so much.
Can we show this slide real quickly here, and we’re going to be done? We’re going to show this slide real quickly here. Friend, this old world needs old-fashioned Christians in it so very, very badly. It needs it. You see, Jesus is the rock. He’s the living Word, and then we have the written Word that doesn’t change—the Bible, amen. The world’s never going to change that right there. Heaven and earth will pass, but not one jot or one tittle. Oh, no.
And see, there’s these old-fashioned Christians. Sometimes we’re kind of called old-fuddy-duddies and all kinds of different names that talk about, “Well, you’re just so old-fashioned. You’re stuck in the mud.” And they’ll call us all kind of names sometimes, mean spirit and whatnot. I hope that’s not true of us. But they’ll say those things. But sometimes it’s not that we’ve got a bad spirit—we’re worshipping him in spirit and in truth—and sometimes they just don’t like it because we won’t change.
I hope I’m not there all the time, but I want to be hooked down here, the anchor. I like to be there hooked to the Bible and Jesus. That’s the old-fashioned Christian. And then there’s this chain, if you will—the church. You know, over there in Timothy it talks about in a great house are some vessels unto honor and some unto dishonor. They’re all in the house of God; they’re all saved. You know the difference is some purged themselves from iniquity. Those are the vessels of honor, and some unto dishonor. But there’s the church, and there’s a wide gamut of Christians in that realm right there.
Some, they’re pretty close to the rock, but some are very, very worldly. And then there’s the world, see? And, friend, here’s the thing. Here’s the thing: that wind and the waves are going to rock and push the world. It’s just—we’re in times. It’s a crazy day in time we live in. I mean, it’s just amazing what day and time we’re living in. The stories you hear, you used to hear once in a while, but it’s like continual now.
And it’s so important that right now, right now, there’s somebody holding on to the rock. You know so often the worldly Christians, you know why they don’t like us? Because they get convicted when they’re around us. How many ever had this happen? You didn’t say one thing about the music or the movies or your language or your dress. You didn’t say anything about that, but you’re around maybe some worldly—typically it’s the Christians, the worldly Christians—and those start, “Well, you’re preaching at us.”
And I think, “I didn’t say one word, but your actions did.” And they don’t like that. And here’s what I’m getting at: It’s amazing that they so often, the thing that kind of keeps them here, and they know what truth is, is by the old-fashioned Christian. And they really—we’re a little bit of a thorn in their saddle, if you will—but the honest truth, if he wasn’t there, can you imagine where the boat would be?
Friend, I’m just saying the very small remnant. Isaiah 1:9: “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as to Sodom, and should have been like unto Gomorrah.” There always needs to be just that old-fashioned, very small remnant. Far from perfect. We got our flaws. Mine’s about a mile long. But we’re trying. We’re not trying to go by the world and all the rest of that. We’re trying our best to stay anchored to the rock, Jesus, and the Bible.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please? Heads bowed, eyes closed. Oh, there’s peace. There’s peace found in the old paths. Are you an old-fashioned Christian? Well, I’m far from what I ought to be, but I’m sure trying to be. There’s just peace there.
You say, “Preacher, the Lord spoke to my heart. Sometimes this old world pushes and pulls and maybe even tries to put a guilt trip on me and all that.” I just want to say, you know what? I don’t want to be conformed to the world. I like to be conformed to the image of a Son. God spoke to my heart about that. I want to do the best I can to be just an old-fashioned Christian. God spoke to my heart about that. Matthew, and I just lift your hand and say, “Preacher, God spoke to my heart about that.” God bless you. Me too. I need it.
This old world, it’ll pull on every person they can. Someone along the line, let’s just say, “Hey, I want to anchor to the rock.” That’s what this old world needs. Would you please stand? We’ll have a word of prayer. If you’d be obedient to the Lord… Father, thank you for your goodness. Lord, I’m so thankful if we just come humbly to you. Really, you’re the one that keeps us attached to you. We want to be there, Lord. If I stray, forgive me. Thank you for your forgiveness and welcoming me back to you, the rock. Help us to stay there, Lord. Help us to influence other Christians in the world for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Would you just obey the Lord as he spoke in your heart? Would you come and spend some time in the old-fashioned altar? If you do that, just come spend some time with the Lord. Just draw nigh to him. The whole world’s going to pull, it’s going to push, it’s going to try to sway you. Say, “No, I just want to stay in the old paths. I don’t have to look for the newest, the latest, and the greatest. I’ve got the truth. I’m just happy right where I’m at. Be content right where I’m at.” That’s where you find rest for your souls. There’s peace there.
It’s a philosophy. Some are just looking for some new methods, see something new, and they just ever learn but never come to the knowledge of the truth. Isn’t there some—just kind of peaceful—believing you’ve got the truth? I don’t have to look for all the rest.
You know, there’s often more people that want the old-fashioned Christianity than you think. Our school is not big. It’s not. We only have 12 students right now, trying to add a grade a year. And one of our parents—good family, good family—I think our last graduation last year or something, they said, “Sometimes we feel like God led you to start this school just for us.” I said, “Such a blessing, such a help for our family.” And I say that to say this: you know there are other Christians around that are wanting the old paths too. And what if we work here for them?
I’ll never forget years ago, a young couple that God had gotten saved out of a rough life, but he learned on the Internet about the King James Bible. And he called. He was going to another church that weren’t King James only, and he asked me, he said, “Is there any such thing as a church that just uses the King James Bible?” And that church said, “You need to go to Rutherford County Baptist Church.” And he called. He said, “I don’t know. I’ve learned these truths on the Internet, but are y’all like all you use the King James Version?” I said, “Boy, this is a church for you.” And they came for years, and they’re doing so good now. And, you know, there’s a need for that. And somebody’s got to do it, not perfect, but the best we can, just stay anchored to the rock. Somebody’s got to quit preaching so we can go home, too, amen.
And good to have you. Thank you for faithfulness. Just great people. Praise the Lord for you. Tuesday night, 6 o’clock, Candidates Night. Excited about that. Pray God bless it and use that. Pray there to be no fights, no brawls going on. No, I’m teasing. It’ll be good. It’ll be good. If there is, may the right ones win. No, I’m joking about that. It’ll be good. And looking forward to shining the light on Tuesday night, Candidates Night. And that would be a blessing. It’d be awesome. Been good to have Grand Elijah with us this weekend, and always glad to have them with us. What a blessing. Brother Allen, would you dismiss this in order of prayer, please, brother.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂The old way is the bible＂ Sunday PM 10⧸06⧸2024 [DJcW2UdGx_U]