It Pays to Serve Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Would you take the Word of God and turn to Psalm 73.
And while you’re turning, let me tell you. Sometimes we wonder, are we Christians fools?
I mean, to serve the Lord, to say that we’re going to come apart from the things of this world, not do the things that some people do, not have the things that some people have, not see the things that some people see, not drink the things that some people drink, and smoke the things that some people smoke?
Well, you say, “Are we being left out? Does it really pay to serve Jesus?”
Well, friend, I want to say at the very beginning of this message, “It pays to serve Jesus, it pays every day, it pays every step of the way.”
Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
A. He Begins with a Conclusion
A. He Begins with a Conclusion
Now, the psalmist begins with conclusion: he says,
Psalm 73:1 “1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”
(Psalms 73:1–2) Now, he begins with a conclusion because he doesn’t want you to think he’s a bad man, because when you read the rest of the psalm, you’re going to think the man who wrote this psalm wasn’t a very good man because he’d had some bad thoughts about God.
He had been considering the character of God, and, really, he’d criticized God just a little bit.
And now, as he has gone through the entire matter as you’re going to see in a moment, he comes back and reaffirms the goodness of God.
And, he doesn’t want the reader to think that he’s a hypocrite, so he begins with his conclusion.
Now, most sermons end with a conclusion; this one begins with a conclusion, and the conclusion is that God is good.
Now, you’d better understand that and get that down deep in your heart, because the devil doesn’t want you to know that.
The devil wants you to think negatively about God.
But, God is good. If the devil can get you to think negatively about God, he can get you to do almost anything that he wants you to do. And so, it begins with a conclusion.
B.He Begins with a Confession
B.He Begins with a Confession
He also begins with a confession. Look in verse 2:
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
He had come close to losing his faith in God.
He had become almost a backslider.
He’d almost denied his love for God.
We’re going to see why his feet had slipped
Let’s look in verse 3:
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
He’d been looking at his neighbor: his neighbor didn’t love God;
his neighbor didn’t serve God;
his neighbor did not care for the things of God;
and yet, his neighbor seemed to have more than heart could wish.
And, this man, who was a child of God, “was envious at the foolish.” (Psalms 73:3)
He was envious at the prosperity of the wicked.
It didn’t seem right. Here he’d been trying to serve God, and everything was going badly for him.
And, here was a man that didn’t serve God at all, and everything was going good for that man, as we’re going to see in a moment.
And, he was wondering, “Does it really pay to serve Jesus? Does it pay every day? Is every day with Jesus sweeter than the day before?”
And, he almost went under when he took his eyes from the Lord and put his eyes upon the prosperity of the wicked.
He didn’t go under—he almost went under, but he didn’t go under.
And, you know, there’s a big difference between almost and altogether.
You see, he said, “My feet had almost slipped.” (Psalms 73:2)
Do you know why they did not slip? Well, this is Psalm 73, but if you’ll turn to Psalms 37:23-24
If the Lord delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
Now, his feet almost slipped, but the God of Glory was upholding him.
Now, as we look in this psalm, after we get past the first two verses, which are introductory verses, there are four major thoughts that I want you to see in this beautiful, wonderful psalm.
And, if you see them, I believe they’ll set your heart to singing, and no longer will you be envious at the fools and the prosperity of the wicked.
For, you see, only a fool will envy fools. And, if you … And, you don’t want to be a fool, I’m certain.
I. The Prosperity of the Sinner
I. The Prosperity of the Sinner
Now, here’s the very first thing I want you to notice: it’s what I’m going to call “the prosperity of the sinner”—“the prosperity of the sinner.” And, I want to read verses 3–12. Look at them with me. He says—and his confession is very clear:
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Now, here is what I want to call “the prosperity of the sinner.”
Here was God’s man, but he had taken his eyes from the Lord and he had placed his eyes upon the ungodly.
And, if you’ll read this short passage, fifteen times he uses the pronouns “they,” “them,” “their.”
He’s always looking at the ungodly in this passage of Scripture; he has his eyes on them.
And, when he looks at them and studies them, he doesn’t really see things as they are; he just sees things as he thinks they are.
He—you know, you’ve heard the expression, “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence in the other man’s pasture”—well, that’s what he’s doing: he’s looking across the fence.
A. He Sees the Sinner’s Prosperity
A. He Sees the Sinner’s Prosperity
And look, if you will, in verse 3: he talks about “the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalms 73:3)
Somehow he gets the distorted idea that all wicked people are prosperous and that all godly people are poor.
Now, I want to tell you, dear friend, that some wicked people are prosperous and some wicked people don’t prosper at all.
Some godly people are poor, and some godly people are wealthy.
But, in his mind right now, in his distorted point of view, he has his eye on some particular fat cat, and he just says, “All of the wicked are prosperous.”
B. He Sees the Sinner’s Peace
B. He Sees the Sinner’s Peace
Not only does he see his seeming prosperity, but he also sees his seeming peace.
Look in verse 4: (Psalm 73:4
They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
That is, “When this guy comes to die, he’ll just die an easy death.”
Now, the word struggles literally means there are no “agitation”—there are no “trouble”—in his death. He just—he just—dies with ease.
He’ll die with a smile on his face.
But, many people die with a smile on their face and step right into hell.
Did you know that? Did you know that? Just because a man is not afraid to die doesn’t mean he’s right with God.
Some men don’t fear dying because they don’t know what living is.
But, here’s a man who—number one, he looks at the prosperity of the wicked; number two, he looks at his peace.
C. He Sees the Sinner’s Pride
C. He Sees the Sinner’s Pride
And then, number three: He looks at his pride. Look in verse 6, if you will, of this same psalm: he says, Psalms 73:6
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
These people are strutting through the earth.
They have it all, and they know how to flaunt it.
They wore their pride like a necklace about their neck.
And so, he’s a little envious of them, because they seem to swagger through life.
D.He Sees the Sinner’s Pleasures
D.He Sees the Sinner’s Pleasures
And then, look again in verse 7—he sees their pleasures: ” (Psalms 73:7
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
These are the kind of people who have a big car, and they’ve got a swimming pool, and they’ve got several big toys. And, the poor little old saint looks over at this guy, and he says, “That fat cat—he has it all. His eyes stand out with fatness.”
E. He Sees the Sinner’s Perversity
E. He Sees the Sinner’s Perversity
And then, look again, if you will, in verse 8:
They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
F. He Sees the Sinner’s Pride
F. He Sees the Sinner’s Pride
Notice their pride in verse 9: Psalms 73:9
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
These people can strut sitting down. They are just—they are just— so proud, so arrogant. They are people of the walking tongue. They just—they just—talk everywhere: blab, blab, gab, gab. And, they seem to get away with it; nothing slows them down.
G. He Sees the Sinner’s Profanity
G. He Sees the Sinner’s Profanity
And, even in their speech they … We notice their profanity in verses 9–10: Psalms 73:9–10
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
That is, these ungodly people who seem to prosper have no fear of God before their eyes.
And, he just looks at them—he sees their prosperity; he sees their peace; he sees their pride; he sees their pleasures; he sees their perversion;
—and he says, “I just can’t figure it out. Where is God?
I mean, if there’s a God, why doesn’t He judge that kind of a person?
How can God rule the universe and let some people live like they live?” And so, that’s the first movement in this psalm. It’s what we want to call “the prosperity of the sinner.”
II. The Perplexity of the Saint
II. The Perplexity of the Saint
Now, right on the heels of that is the second movement in this psalm, which I want to call “the perplexity of the saint.”
Now, right up alongside the prosperity of the sinner is the perplexity of the saint, and if you’ll begin reading in verse 13, you’ll see that.
Now, he takes his eyes from the man who’s his next-door neighbor, and he turns his eyes upon himself. And, he makes this confession—verses 13–16: Psalms 73:13–16
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
Now, this is what I want to call “the perplexity of the saint.”
He looks at his own life now: he sees his own needs; he sees his own problems; he sees his own heartaches.
And, if you look at this section, you’ll find out that he uses the personal pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” nine times.
Now, he takes his eyes off “them,” “theirs,” and “their” and puts it on “I,” “me,” and “mine,” and he’s having a little pity party.
There are three guests who are there: I, myself, and me.
And, he’s feeling sorry for himself, and he’s drinking from the intoxicating cup of self-pity.
And, he’s almost about to go under. He’s trying to figure it out: “Why, God? Why? Because, after all, I’m a converted man.”
A. He Speaks of His Cleansed Life
A. He Speaks of His Cleansed Life
Notice what he says. He speaks of his conversion in verse 13; he talks about his love for God: Psalms 73:13
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
What does he mean, “[I’ve] kept my heart clean in vain”?
That is, “It didn’t pay me to get right with you.
I’ve given you my heart. I’ve been saved. My heart is clean. I’ve confessed my sin. A lot of good it did me.”
B. He Speaks of His Chastised Life
B. He Speaks of His Chastised Life
And, not only does he speak of his converted life, but he speaks, correspondingly, of his chastised life in verse 14:
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
You know, he said, “I thought everything would be rosy when I got saved—all I had to do was say a prayer and shake the pastor’s hand, and from there on, I’d have no more problems.”
Well, I’ve told you before, friend, if you haven’t met the devil, it’s because you and the devil have been going in the same direction.
You turn around, and you’ll meet him head-on.
And, before you’re saved, you’re in collusion with the devil, and after you’ re saved, you’ re in collision with the devil.
And, the devil’s going to see to it that you have some problems.
But, not only is the devil going to see to it that you have some problems, but God is going to chastise His own children.
You see, God does not chastise the devil’s crowd.
Now, this man can’t understand it.
He says, “I get chastened every morning.
It seems like before the sun is up high, I get a wack from the Lord. Why is this?
I just can’t understand it”” Psalms 73:14
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
Now, the word stricken means I’ve been “corrected” by the Lord. Well, it’s because God loved him.
He didn’t have enough sense to know that, but
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
You see, God deals with His children on a cash basis, and God deals with the devil’s crowd on a credit basis.
That is, when one of God’s children sins, God chastises them immediately.
That doesn’t mean they’re not God’s child; it means they are God’s child.
If you’re like the man in the first paragraph—the prosperous; wicked; living high, wide, and handsome—and God doesn’t chastise you, it doesn’t mean that God is not pleased with you or that God is pleased with you. It doesn’t mean that you are not going to have any judgment. It just means that God is not dealing with you now.
You see, the unsaved just treasure up their judgment. The Bible says in Romans 2:5
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Now, a person with a hard and impenitent heart is just putting it in the storehouse. You see, God deals with His children on a cash basis.
That is, the moment I sin, unless I confess that sin, God begins to chastise me because He loves me. “Whom the Lord [loves] he disciplines.” (Hebrews 12:6)
But, God doesn’t whip the devil’s crowd. They get theirs at the final judgment.
C. He Speaks of His Confused Life
C. He Speaks of His Confused Life
And so, here was a man who had a cleansed life.
Here was a man who had a chastened life,
and here was a man who had a confused life.
Look in verses 15–16: he said, Psalms 73:15-16
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
That is, he said, “If I were to stand up at Church on Sunday morning ”—this is a free translation, of course—“and tell the folks how I’m feeling, they would be offended at me.
I mean, they would say, ‘Oh, Brother So-and-So, I can’t believe you’d say that about God.’ ”
Here he’s been feeling sorry for himself because the wicked seem to prosper and he just seems to get it in the neck everywhere he turns.
And, the fact that he’s got a cleansed life doesn’t seem to change it.
He’s chastised. He’s just confused, and he said, “When I tried to understand it, it was just too painful for me. I couldn’t understand it. I simply couldn’t understand it.”
So, that’s the second movement in this psalm.
Remember, the first movement is the prosperity of the sinner.
The second movement—the perplexity of the saint. He cannot figure it out—why the unrighteous seem to prosper and why the godly sometimes seem to suffer.
III. The Perspective of the Sanctuary
III. The Perspective of the Sanctuary
Now, I want you to notice the third movement in this psalm.
It’s what I want to call “the perspective of the sanctuary”—“
Begin to read now in verse 15, and I want to get the thought so I can just get a running start on verse 17: Psalms 73:15–17
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
This is what I want to call “the perspective of the sanctuary.”
Now, the psalmist, I believe, had been missing his worship. I believe he’d been missing his quiet time, and I believe he’d been missing his public worship, because he said, “I tried to understand it, and I couldn’t understand it until I went into the sanctuary of God.” And then, he began to see something that he’d forgotten.
You know, it’s a sad day when you take your eyes from the Lord and put your eyes upon the faults and sins of those for whom Jesus died.
The devil would love to get you to do that, and that’s exactly what this man had done: he had taken his eyes from the Lord, and he’d begun to put his eyes upon other people.
Now, he goes into the sanctuary; and now, he begins to see the majesty of God.
Now, he sees the holiness of God.
Now, he gets the big picture.
Now, he sees things from a proper perspective.
You know, you can make a big mistake if you don’t see things from a proper perspective.
I mean, you’ve got to see the whole picture.
If you just look at one little day when you’re being chastened, and your fat cat neighbor, who hates God, is getting along fine, you haven’t seen the whole picture.
You remember the little story about … the blind men who were examining an elephant. One man put his hand on the elephant’s trunk and said, “An elephant is like a hose.” And, another man put his hand on the elephant’s ear, and he said, “An elephant is like a fan.” And, another put his hand around the elephant’s legs, and he said, “An elephant is like a tree.” And, another put his hand on the elephant’s side, and he said, “An elephant is like a wall.” And, another one put his hand on the elephant’s tail, and he said, “An elephant is like a rope.” Well, all of them just had a limited perspective, and none of them could see and understand the whole elephant. And, many times all we do is see just a little particle—just a little speck—of what God is and what God is up to. And, we need to get a fresh vision of the greatness, the grandeur, the majesty, the glory of God.
And so, here is a person who gets a proper perspective. And, what had he seen?
He’d seen that it’s how the situation ends that really counts, and I want you to see that.
Look again, if you will, in verse 17: he says, Psalms 73:17–18
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
Now, a person who walks in a slippery place with nothing to hold on to is going to fall sooner or later.
And, a man without the Lord Jesus—he has nothing to hold on to.
In a moment, the psalmist is going to tell you what he has to hold on to.
But, there’s a time when this man’s going to slip and fall, and his doctor can’t save him.
He’s going to slip and fall, and his lawyer can’t save him.
He’s going to slip and fall, and his Mazeratti can’t save him.
He’s going to slip and fall, and his Swiss bank account can’t save him.
He’s going to slip and fall, and his friends cannot save him.
He is in slippery places, and he’s going to fall in a moment.
And, when he falls in a moment, what a change there is going to be.
Now, in Luke 12 the Lord Jesus, is talking about the rich man who died and went to hell. Jesus told This man had his barns filled with plenty, and he said to himself, “What shall I do? I don’t have room to bestow my goods.” (Luke 12:17) He said, “I know what I’ll do.” He said, “I’ll pull down these barns, and then I’ll build bigger barns.” (Luke 12:18) And then, he said, “I’ll get me a hammock and a lemonade, and I’ll stretch out in the shade. And, I’ll just relax and say, ‘Soul, you’ve got it made.’ ” (Luke 12:19) And, he says, “I’ll just have it made.” And, God said to him … Listen, here’s the fat cat that everybody else is going to be envious of. You say, “Well, look at that guy. Man, he’s not even making money; he’s just keeping score. I mean, look, he’s got … He can’t possibly spend it. He can’t … He hasn’t even got barns big enough to put it in.” And, we’d all be sitting around drooling and envying, and Jesus said—God said—
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
How they are destroyed!
In a moment, they are utterly destroyed. Look in verse 19: Psalms 73:19
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
Dear friend, don’t envy the foolish—don’t. Who would—who would—envy a pig being fattened for the slaughter? Only a fool envies fools.
And, and so, here God gave this man a proper perspective. He went into the sanctuary of the Lord, and there he saw their end.
He saw that they’re set in slippery places, and no matter what they have it will do them no good when that time of sudden destruction that I talked about comes.
And, how quickly they are brought down; how quickly they fall.
Notice the Bible: “As a dream”—verse 20
As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
IV. The Presence of the Savior
IV. The Presence of the Savior
Now, notice what we’ve talked about: the prosperity of the sinner, the perplexity of the saint, the perspective of the sanctuary.
Now, I want you to notice how the psalmist ends this psalm:
it’s what I want to call “the presence of the Savior.”
I just want to show you exactly how rich you are, dear friend, even if you don’t have a big bank account.
Look, if you will, in verses 23 and following: Psalms 73:23-28
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Here’s a man—here’s a man—who saw life now in the proper perspective, and there, the Lord Jesus was with him.
And, he learned something that all of us need to learn:
that life is not lived in length; life is lived in depth.
And, “
Luke 12:15 (NIV84)
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
When a man has the Lord—truly has the Lord, truly knows the Lord—that man has several things.
A. The Power of God
A. The Power of God
He has, first of all, the power of God. Look in verse 23:
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
—God’s sustaining power.
When that rich man—that fat cat, that ungodly man—comes to die, he has nothing to hold on to.
Dear friend, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and … Psalms 37:23–24
If the Lord delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
How great—how grand—it is to know that in our hand is God’s hand. He has the sustaining power of God.
B. The Plan of God
B. The Plan of God
He has the guiding counsel and plan of God. Look in verse 24 of this same chapter: Psalms 73:24
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
How wonderful to know that God is in charge of our lives. And, those of us who know Him—we don’t have to flounder around like a ship without a compass, and a charter, and a sail, and a mast, and a rudder on a dark and stormy night.
We have the Lord to guide us.
We have God’s power. He holds us with His hand. (Psalms 37:24)
We have God’s plan; He guides us with His eye. And, I’ll tell you, there’s no greater thrill than just simply to know that you’re in the will of God, serving God.
It’s greater than any kind of so-called riches that a man could have.
C. The Promise of God
C. The Promise of God
And then, we have God’s promise.
Look what God’s promise is. It’s all of this and heaven, too. Notice verse 24: Psalms 73:24
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
It’s all this and heaven, too. It will be worth it when we see Jesus. “It [does pay] to serve Jesus. It pays every day. It pays every step of the way.”
Do you know who the richest man is?
Do you know who is the richest man in this congregation? The man who knows Jesus best—did you know that?—the man who can say, “God, you guide me with your eye. God, you’re continually with me, and afterward, Lord, you will receive me into Glory”?
There’s nothing wrong with having riches if God gives them.
There’s nothing wrong with being poor if God allows it.
And, I think most all of us had rather have more than to have less, if we were perfectly honest.
But friend, I want to tell you something: never, never, never be envious at the prosperity of the wicked.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Let’s bow in prayer. Father, I thank you for your Word. Lord, it’s been precious to my own heart. And, I’m praying, dear Lord, that if there’s somebody here who’s been feeling sorry for themselves because, as a Christian, it seems like they’re chastised, it seems like they can’t accumulate wealth, and it seems like others who don’t know you and love you seem to have so much … O God, help us not to be so foolish as to be envious of the of the prosperity wicked, Lord, to see what we have in you—that, Lord, you’re continually with us. Lord, whom have we on earth beside thee? And whom, Lord, is there to desire beside thyself? And, Lord God, I just pray now in the name of Jesus, if there’s someone here who’s not saved—should they die tonight, Lord—I pray that even tonight they might say an everlasting “yes” to you.
Now, while heads are bowed and eyes are closed, may I be personal with you? May I ask you a personal question? How many of you tonight know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? I don’t want you to lift your hand. I just want to ask this question: How many of you tonight are absolutely certain that you’re saved? You know, sometimes when I ask that, you say, “Well, there he goes again. I’m getting ready to slip up my hand.” But tonight, I don’t want you to slip up your hand; I want you to examine your heart. I want you to be judgment-day honest and answer this question: Are you converted? Are you saved? Are you a child of God? If you should die this moment, are you one hundred percent certain that you would go to heaven?
You can be certain. You can be saved. Remember this: that God loves you, and He has a wonderful plan for your life. Remember that you’re a sinner, and because you’re a sinner, you’re separated from God. But, remember this, dear friend: that Jesus died for your sins, and on the cross, with His blood, He paid your sin debt—and thus potentially removing that sin and that barrier between you and God. But, also remember that you must, by faith, receive Christ into your heart. The Bible says if you will receive Him, He’ll give you the power to become a child of God. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
And so, I want to invite you to pray a prayer like this right now, where you are: “Dear God”—just pray it in your heart, if you’re not saved or not certain that you’re saved—“Dear God, I’m a sinner”—tell Him that you’re a sinner; confess it—“I’m a sinner”—the Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)—“I’m a sinner, and I’m lost. And, I need to be saved, and I want to be saved. Jesus, you died to save me, and you promised to save me if I would only trust you. I do trust you, God”—tell Him that—“I do trust you, God”—tell Him from the depth of your heart—“I do trust you, God, right now, with all of my heart. Jesus, I believe that you died for my sins. I receive you, Savior, into my heart right now. Come into my heart, forgive my sin, and save me—save me—Jesus”—pray it right now from the depth of your heart—“Save me, Lord Jesus.”
Now, did you pray that prayer? If you did, I want you to pray something else. Pray this way: “Thank you for saving me, Lord Jesus. I receive it by faith like a little child, and that settles it. I trust you right now to save me forever”—and now, I want you to pray one more thing—“Lord Jesus, help me never to be ashamed of you”—will you pray that?—“Lord Jesus, help me never to be ashamed of you. In your name I pray. Amen.”
