30. Preach The Gospel But Let Other People Alone

SERMON 30.

PREACH THE GOSPEL BUT LET OTHER

PEOPLE ALONE

The desire of some of my brethren.

Parallel:--Wilson to the army: Boys, be sure to fight and shoot, but be careful to try not to hit the Germans.

Man is an Animal.............................Preach the Gospel
..........................................Leave other people
1. Honest............................................Mark 16:16.

2. Attemd your own business.................2 Timothy 4:1-2
3. Truthfulness.....................................Romans 1:16
4. Sobriety..........................................1 Peter 4:17-18
5. Faith in God......................................2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
6. Faith in Christ...................................Exodus 14:12
7. Repentance........................................1 Kings 18:17
8. Confess Christ.................................Matthew 18:29
9. Baptism.............................................Acts 24:5

In many places I go to hold meetings, I find a self-appointed committee to come and tell me what the people want and what they will not have. They tell me that Brother A. held them a meeting there a long time ago and condemned sprinkling for baptism, and many good people got mad and would not hear him, so they thought best to get him no more But Brother B held their last two meetings and he would call on the denominational preacher to lead in prayer and read his lesson, and all the churches liked him and wanted him back, but he was engaged so they could not get him. They tell me that Brother B. was supported well as all the churches helped to support him, and they leave me to understand that if I don't please the sects I will not please the church, and if I don't please the church I will not be well supported.

As I have refused three other meetings that I might get to this place to help them in a meeting, as I had to borrow money to come on, as I owe some small debts and wife and children to protect, I begin to study how I can preach the gospel and let other people alone.

I turn to the Bible for consolation and find that Paul tells me as a soldier I must put on the whole armor of God. I know it is useless to put on the armor if I am not going to fight, and the very thought of fighting presupposes an enemy on the other side. But then I remember my brethren don't want me to fight, and I know they will only pay me nine dollars instead of seventeen dollars for the two-weeks meetings I am to hold, so I go to the Old Bible to find how they fought. I find David, a young shepherd boy, going out with a sling to fight a giant ten feet tall, and killing him. I then turn and watch Samson with the jawbone of an ass fighting and killing a thousand men on the other side.

As many of my brethren have violated God's law by marrying among the sects, and their wives and children talk the language of Ashdod, and I know that I must please them. I set out to find the bone of contention. I find that baptism for the remission of sins was once the river deep and wide between the church of Christ and denominationalism. I then ask, how must I preach baptism? In the Bible I find, (1) John was baptizing in Enon near Salim because there was much water there. (2) When Philip baptized the eunuch, they both went down into the water. (3) Paul says we are buried with him in baptism. (4) Jesus says I must be born of water. (5) After baptism, they came up straightway out of the water. I see this is the Bible way. But old Brother D, the leading elder married a Presbyterian, and his beautiful daughter is organist in the Methodist church, and I am staying in his home, and know all will become offended if I preach the Bible, as I can not do it and not cross sectarianism. So I decide to rub out baptism and not preach it during my meeting, as I can not preach it and let others alone. I then take up the confession and turn to the Bible and I read where Jesus says, "If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father and the angels." I hear the Holy Ghost saying, "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." I hear Paul say, "I am not crowned except I strive e lawfully." About this time I learn that Brother C came into the church on his Baptist baptism, and never did confess the Son of God but did confess that God for Christ's sake had pardoned his sins, and many of his kinfolks are just ready to come in if I will take them on their baptism without confessing Christ. If I make them mad by teaching scriptural confession and baptism, Brother C will not pay me that twenty-five cents he has been saving so long for the meeting and knowing I can not preach the Bible and let them alone I am then forced to rub out the confession.

But I notice in the scheme of redemption that men are required to repent of their sins before God accepts them. I also find the kind of repentance that Jesus endorsed was the kind they had at Nineveh, when they, in repenting under the preaching of Jonah, quit their meanness. So I argue that repentance forces a man to quit lying, drinking, practicing fraud, deception, covetousness, and graft, and live honest before the world. I soon learn that Brother C is a good man and helps to support all our meetings, but I put repentance too strong. He is a good trader and drinks sometimes—goes to the dance. They think I would have greater influence and please the church more if I would only preach the gospel and not bear down on repentance and private sins. So I see my only hope is to rub out repentance and think the church is not ready for that kind of doctrine yet. They were all pleased with that funny sermon last night and can't I get up something like it again? So I am compelled to rub out repentance for such stuff doesn't suit my brethren when they want to please the world.

I next take up faith in Christ and argue that no one can come to God only through Christ, and no one < an believe in Him without believing the gospel, and Jesus teaches if we do not believe the gospel we shall be damned. I 30011 learn there are some Jews in town that my brethren trade with, and they do not believe in Christ. Also some fine Adventists in town who still keep the Sabbath and the law of Moses, and pay but little attention to Christ, and still less to the ordinances in His house—the church, and they do not like it when I say we should not keep the sabbath and that we can not go to heaven if we do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Most all the churches think it best for me to preach the gospel and let these controverted subjects that antagonize the sects alone. So in order to show them kindness like I did others, I rub out faith in Christ and hunt for something else.

................I tell them that all people coming to God must believe in God and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I soon learn from some one that Brother H is the finest man in town. He helps in all enterprises—sent an orphan girl to school, supports a widow, but he is an agnostic and doesn't know whether there is any God or not and as he doesn't know these things he feels hurt to think I send him to hell for not believing in God when he doesn't know if there is one, and I am asked to get another subject, and preach the gospel and let other people alone. So I rub out God and decide I will take up something that all will endorse. So I begin to teach sobriety, and all the church begins to say, now that is the kind of preaching I like. You can't tell from that man's preaching which church he belongs to. He doesn't fire us nor say anything about our doctrine. But soon I begin to dwell on moonshine whiskey and show that a bootlegger is meaner than a thief and when any of my brethren patronize a bootlegger, he swears a He to keep the man from being caught. I soon find old Brother G's boy did not like me because he drank whiskey. Was baptized three years ago and never comes to church and such preaching as I am doing will knock him off. Then he has a large connection and as soon as he is knocked off they will all quit, and not wanting to lose such a member I rub out sobriety and look for another subject that I can preach on and let the people alone, because I must please the people and at the same time preach the gospel else I will not get another call for a meeting. So I think all w ill be pleased to hear me on truthfulness, and I start by telling that Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." I read again, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," and inasmuch as I am made free by the truth, and as God's word is truth, and as Jesus taught the truth when he said, "Every plant which my Father hath not planted shall be rooted up," I soon learn to preach the truth cuts off all the churches but "my" church, and that kind of doctrine will never get all the churches to dismiss their meetings and the members and preacher come to hear me. So I r us out truthfulness, and talk about how to raise, children—that w e should educate them to go to church, attend Sunday school and make life a success. I soon find some woman will think it none of my business how she raises her children, that I should preach the gospel and leave the child raising to their parents. I should attend to my business and let their children alone. So I rub out that part of my lessons.

I next take up THE subject of honesty and show that honesty does not mean only to pay my just debts. Honesty includes paying your debts but it goes farther than that. A man must also be honest with himself in seeking to know and to do the truth. A man must be honest with God in going to His word and learning the requirements of His law in doing His will, and not follow the doctrines of men. I soon learn that this kind of preaching cuts off Aunt Sal and Uncle John who were good people, but paid no attention to the word of God, and if they went to hell all their kin want to go there, and my brethren are feeling hurt that I would be so positive. So I rub out honesty, and the only subject I find left for me to preach on to please many is to preach that "Man Is An Animal." All will endorse that provided I do not tell where he comes from nor where he will go after death.

Yet, I find in my travels that the time has come when the above line of thought is about the way many of my brethren are looking at the Bible today.

If you will notice in our Bible references, the Israelites condemned Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, and said, "Why did you not let us alone?" But Moses could not be true to God and let them alone.

......Again, when the prophet of God condemned Ahab, Ahab said you are my enemy, the man who troubles Israel. I often find men and women who have violated God's law and married out of Christ, and will live with their companion long enough to raise a family of children, yet not once will they speak to them about the only safe way. They say it is best to let them alone.

I sometimes go to places and preach the Bible that condemns sectarianism along all lines, and as a result, many of the members become offended and don't want me to preach for them longer, because I disturb their friends and don't let them alone. If I should pass your home late at night, and know your children were all asleep, and to awaken you would disturb you, and I saw fire breaking through the roof of your house, would I be your friend or enemy if I should pass on and let you alone?

Again, if I pass your home and see your children playing in the yard and also notice a large rattle snake under a bush nearby, should I give the children a warning of danger, or let them alone?

So it is in preaching the gospel. No man can preach the word of God and let sectarianism alone; for God so ordained that His word should pull down all vain worship of men, and while it pleases many for the preacher to please the world, yet the only safe way is to preach the gospel and please God.