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Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 457 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text -- Brother Thomas: Now I'm going to speak to you on this subject--How to be saved. I especially want this...I have to keep in mind when I'm preaching here, it's not just for you, because actually more people hear this than we have here, by far and large--maybe 20 times as many, maybe more than that. I don't know. When you're going out on the radio all over the world and then on two different TV networks, why you don't know who's gonna hear it. So I'm trying to help them too. So you be patient with me. I want to read Romans chapter 10, down through 17. "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it?" You'll notice that expression...I noticed that Mike used that expression last week in his testimony. And it's not what man says, it's what the Word of God says. "What saith it?" I'll find it here in a second. Third? Eight, oh yeah, I've gone down there. "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." How to be saved, that's the question. First of all, a person's got to be lost before he can get saved. Let's go back to Romans chapter 10 now, verse 12. Now note, yeah, no in 13, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." But there is a certain specifics, certain order, certain conditions--calling upon the Lord. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" Now that's not just a preacher. If it was, we'd have salvation all around us, because you've got scads of preachers. You've got them everywhere. I'll tell you where you've got one that is called of God, that looks to God and has revelation, you've probably got 50 that don't. That's why they preach what they're trained to preach. That's why they give out what they've been taught. That's why they don't know any more. They have no vision. In Jeremiah chapter 28 and verse 15, Jeremiah said this to another prophet. "Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie." That's right. That means then, beloved, they have to hear a God-called preacher--God-anointed preacher. Do you know that the Word of God--I'm talking about the letter of the Word now--and the anointed Word...let me give you a good comparison. You're alive. You're sitting there. Your heart is beating probably 70 something, 70-80 times a minute. You're breathing, getting oxygen into your blood stream. You can think, you can see, you can talk. But now if we had a dead man here in a casket, you couldn't expect him to do anything. There's as much difference in the letter of the word and the anointed Word as there is in that dead man and a live man. That's why the Bible says the letter killeth. That's why Jesus said in John 6, but "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are" what? "Life." Hallelujah! Praise God! If you want life then you listen to where life is coming out. Hallelujah! Praise God! In 1st Corinthians chapter 4 verse 15, the Apostle Paul says, "for though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ"...now this is the King James... "yet not many fathers." Then he says, "I have begotten you through the gospel of Christ." Do you know what other translations says? One father. Well let's...how many natural fathers do you have? -- Congregation: One. -- Brother Thomas: One. You only have one spiritual father. And I'll tell you why. These people who get it and then lose it and get it and lose it, they've just been programmed wrong. They don't know what they're talking about. God has no kind of life except everlasting life. The life that God gives is the same life that He had before the foundation of the world. That's the life that comes in you when you believe--when you experience what we call the new birth, born again. You're not born of corruptible seed as Peter said, "but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever," chapter 1, 1st Peter. That kind of seed...everything else is corruptible. Our first birth is corruptible. The seed of plants, trees, everything else is corruptible. But the seed of God is incorruptible. One translation says immortal. How can something that is immortal die? Hallelujah! They don't know a thing in the world about the Bible, telling you that you've got to do this and do that and do the other. We've got over two thousand preachers. I'm talking about denominations, cults, sects, what-have-you--over two thousand. And all of them claim to be sent. All of them claim to have the gospel--every one of them. What do you think about it? Paul said in Romans 1 verse 16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it (the gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." But what about these that's claiming it? They don't know what they are doing. Two thousand different ones--over two thousand. Let me ask you this. Could they all be right? -- Congregation: No. -- Brother Thomas: You know what it is? It's Babylon. And you know what Babylon means? Confusion. And according to this Word here, "God is not the author of confusion," 1st Corinthians 14, verse 33. God is not the author of it. I'd say God is not the author of most religious things in this world today. You know who the author is? Well, I'll show you. It's 1st Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1. Listen to it. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly," and says...note the emphasis, expressly. He wanted people to know about this--expressly said, specifically. He wasn't beating around the bush. "Speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" That's where they come from. Do you believe it? I believe it. That's exactly where they come from. You've got to have a God-called, God-anointed preacher. Without it you don't have any life. You can't hear the truth. Hallelujah! The writer of Hebrews says, "No man takes this honor unto himself," Hebrews 5 verse 4, "but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." I want you to see what Jesus said. Jesus said this now in the book of John verse 16. We've got them ordained by this group, by that group. They're ordained by all these two thousand. -- Brother Jimmy Robbins: What chapter is that? -- Brother Thomas: Yeah. -- Brother Jimmy Robbins: What chapter is that? -- Brother Thomas: John chapter 15, verse 16. Just listen to this. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." What about that? What about all these backsliders? They give it up, throw up their hands and say shucks...they haven't been chosen. That doesn't apply to them. If God does not ordain them, man, what good does it do for somebody else to ordain them? Pray tell me that. They need this ordination, right here. They need it. They need to learn what Paul did. I've already mentioned this but I'll mention it again. Go with me to 1 Peter chapter 22 and 23, I mean chapter 1, verse 22 and 23. Listen to this now. "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." Well how can that be corrupted which is incorruptible? How can that become mortal when it's immortal? One translation says immortal seed. That's the very seed of God. I'm talking about real salvation now. I'm not talking about joining a church. I'm not talking about making a profession of faith. Boy I used to work to get a profession of faith. Oh we got so many Sunday. Got so many. We don't have to do a thing, just preach the gospel and let God work on people. And if God don't work on them, you'd better leave them alone. You don't have to use gimmicks and tricks to get them forward, just preach the gospel to them because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Hallelujah! You're hearing the gospel this morning. Hallelujah! Praise God! Let me show you something here in twenty-six translations, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12. This is talking about the word of God. You ought to understand these things. But listen to this. This is by Weymouth. After all, the King James Bible is a translation. This is other translations. Weymouth says, "For the word of God is full of life and power." "For the word of God is living, and effectual." That's by, I forgot who this fellow is. "For God's message is alive and full of power in action." "For the word that God speaks is alive and active." "For the word that God says to us is full of living power." Let me just give you an example. See all these lights here? Of course I could see better without them. But nevertheless, they've got a wire that goes to them and that channels electricity to them and then they light up when you throw a switch. They threw a switch when they came in here this morning to get these cameras and everything lit up, right? But now you can have that wire to those lights and if nobody ever turned the switch, wouldn't get no light. That's the difference in the Word of God and the letter of the Word. Do you see what I'm talking about? It's the difference. The Word of God has a channel, that's God's power, God's love, God's mercy, God's truth. If God don't draw you, you're a goner. And for me to try to get you saved just by explaining this to you won't do a bit of good. See people are not going...it's like old Brother Barnard said one time, you're not going to come to God if you can help it. There's nothing in you naturally that wants God. Everything that's in you naturally wants the world. Everything that's in you naturally wants the flesh, wants to please the flesh. You don't want God. If you do it's because God is working with your heart. You couldn't be saved without that no matter how hard you try--God must--anymore than you could have a baby without a conception. You couldn't. God has to work in your heart. In Jeremiah, chapter 7, I mean in John, chapter 7 verse 17. Now note this word. Jesus said this, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine--" that doctrine word means teaching, "whether it be of God, or whether" it's just me talking. And I'll say this to you. If you will to do His will, that's in here. If that's so God has worked in you. Because you ain't going to naturally will to do His will. You're going to will to do your own will or do your own thing and not be bothered. Go on like you are. But if you will... This book, "Lying Signs and Wonders" has been updated. I don't know how many chapters been added to it, but it's been updated and I feel like those out in the TV audience or radio audience, wherever they hear this might like to have one. We don't charge anything for them--send them to you free. And so it's called, "Lying Signs and Wonders." We cover quite a bit of territory in it, and Phil updated it. I asked him to here a while back, and so he did and it's good. I mean, I think he gets into some of this stuff that's going on. You know what I mean? Shaking and falling out, saying it's God. Can you imagine Jesus on the hillside, people out there and Him just falling out, shaking? You can't imagine that, can you? I can't either. 
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