Testimony

Like the first speaker, I'm going to have to try and cut a few things out to get to the meat of the situation. But unlike the first two speakers, I have, I did not grow up under the sound of the gospel. I did go to church on Sundays, and the church that I went to, they did speak a little bit of the gospel once in a while, but their idea of being saved was to say a prayer, and that's what I did when I was 15 years old.

So I can't say that for my life I was troubled, but I came into contact with a young lady who went to the Grandview Assembly, and through some different things, I started going to the Grandview Assembly with her, and I saw how things were. It was a little bit different than what I grew up with, and this whole time, when I was 15, until the time about, I think it was about 21, 22 years old, I thought that I was right with God. I thought that I was saved.

I thought that I was good enough. And one, there was one Sunday morning that I was sitting in the back, and I was thinking, that is a place that I need to be, around the table, where they worshiped God, where they worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the next week, I believe it was, there was a brother that got up that morning, on Sunday morning, and he read Matthew chapter 26 and verse 21, and it says, as they did eat, he said, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Talking about Judas Iscariot. And every time I had heard these words in the past, there was always something in the back of my mind that says, Dave, there's something wrong with you. And sitting there, listening to those words, those old feelings came back.

When I heard him before, that's as far as the pastor, or the preacher, would go, is talking about Judas, and he'd move on. But the gentleman that spoke that morning, turned over a couple of pages to Matthew 27, verse 3, it says, then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priest. And the elders saying, I have sinned, and that I have betrayed the innocent blood.

And they said, what is that to us? See thou to it. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. When I heard those words, I realized something.

That what I was trusting in his words, that was said several years ago, I was not trusting in Christ. And I realized that I was not saved. And I knew that this was something that was very important, and I had to get it taken care of.

I was working two jobs at the time, and I went to one, and I told my boss, I says, I have some things I need to take care of. I need some time off. And she said, take what you need.

I took a week. There were meetings in Tipton with Al Christofferson, and I went there Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. I cannot remember anything that was said on Tuesday night.

Cannot remember anything that was said on Wednesday night. And if you turn to John chapter 19, there's just a few words that I remember from Thursday night. But those few words are very important.

John 19 30 says, when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head, and he gave up the ghost. Three words, and the only things that I remember that night is, it is finished.

All my life, I thought I was good enough. I was doing the right things. I stayed out of all the trouble.

I thought I was working my way to heaven, and I was, I thought I was okay. And then my life turned upside down when I realized that I was a lost sinner. Before that Sunday morning, I never really heard a lot about sin, but I knew what it was.

And I didn't, they didn't really preach a lot about you being a sinner and needing Christ as your Savior. So that's why I thought I was okay. But I realized, when they talked about Judas, and they talked about what happened to him, it's the same thing that was going to happen to me, as I was going to hell.

But that night, a Thursday night in July of 1987, I heard these words, it is finished. I didn't say anything to Al right away. I walked out to the car, and the young lady that was with me and driving, she gets in the car and she says, Dave, I'm worried about you.

I must say, it's probably the first time I've ever heard anybody say that they were worried about me. But I got out my Bible, and I opened it up to John 19 30, and I says, you don't have to worry because it is finished. I was saved that night.

I was saved from a life of being a false professor, thinking that I was going to heaven, but had I not understood the need of salvation, that is where I was headed. And if you're in that situation tonight, where you have a time in your life where you think you've gotten saved, or you told people that, you know, I'm saved, because you don't want to hear the questions, hey, are you saved? When are you going to get saved? It's not what you need. You need to trust in the work that was done on the cross.

What needs to be done to be saved was finished when Christ was there, and he hung, and his blood was shed for you, for sinners, for me. And those words, it is finished, means it's done. There's nothing else that you can do except to trust in him.

May it be so even yet tonight.