Highway of Holiness Truth 03

Highway Of Holiness Truth 03 by Rev. Duane Maxey

I CAN READ MY TITLE CLEAR TO MANSION IN HEAVEN

"The vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, READ THIS, I PRAY THEE: AND HE SAITH, I CANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED" (Isaiah 29:11).

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Yes, "I CAN READ MY TITLE CLEAR TO A MANSION IN HEAVEN!"  HALLELUJAH!

From my youth, I remember some Christian saying exactly, or close to the following: -- "I can read my title clear to a mansion in Heaven."  It stuck in my memory, and TODAY I am happy that I TOO CAN READ MY TITLE CLEAR TO A MANSION IN HEAVEN!

How so?  Because GOD'S SPIRIT bears witness with MY SPIRIT that it is so -- just as it says in  Romans 8:16, "THE SPIRIT itself beareth witness with OUR SPIRIT, that we are the children of God."  GOD DOES NOT "LEAVE US IN THE DARK" ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE TRULY SAVED!

There are millions of things about which a professed Christian does not need to know, for they are not essential to his, or her, ETERNAL DESTINY.  However, when it comes to the matter of whether one IS TRULY, OR IS NOT TRULY, SAVED FROM SIN AND ITS ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, THIS IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!

Thus, in Isaiah 35:8, God's Word tells us that He has made the knowledge of Salvation so easily learned that "THE WAYFARING MEN, THOUGH FOOLS, SHALL NOT ERR THEREIN."

However, God gives the knowledge of OUR SPIRITUAL STATE to us BY HIS SPIRIT, and NOT THROUGH INTELLECTUAL LEARNING.  Therefore, because "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God" HE CANNOT, BY HIS INTELLECTUAL STUDY, come to know whether or not he is truly saved, "BECAUSE THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Many "natural men" have sought to learn all about Salvation, but because their seeking is intellectual, they are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7).  They learn all about Hebrew, Greek, and other ancient languages, but the truth of whether they are saved or lost "is become unto them as the words of a book that is sealed!"  When others ask such an one that is learned, saying, "Tell me, are you truly saved?  Read me your title to Heaven" -- if he were to answer truthfully, he would have to say, "I CANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED" (cf. Isaiah 29:11).  I HOPE I am saved, but I cannot say for sure!  There is nothing in God's Book that tells ME PERSONALLY THAT I AM GENUINELY SAVED!"

This is TRUE!  The Bible tells us HOW we can obtain the certain knowledge of our Salvation, but there is NOT ONE WORD IN THE BOOK that tells any individual personally that he or she IS now saved!

Some light and chaffy personal workers have been known to go door to door, asking the one who answers the door, "Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?" -- and when a person says, "Yes, I do," they tell the one who thus replied, "THEN YOU'RE SAVED!" because it says in Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

WRONG! the most defiled, or highly intellectual, sinners may have a mental belief on Christ, but ACTS 16:31 DOES NOT, BY ITSELF, ASSURE ANYONE THAT HE, OR SHE, IS TRULY SAVED!

Jesus said in John 3:3, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD."

Unless one receives the witness of God's Spirit with His (or Her) own spirit, it is impossible to KNOW FOR SURE that one is saved from sin and "from the wrath to come" (Matthew. 3:7; Luke 3:7, & 1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Yes, if one has genuinely repented of all sin, and is truly become totally obedient to Christ, he, or she, can rest upon the promise that Christ does save him, but he can ONLY KNOW FOR SURE THAT HE IS SAVED when God's "Spirit itself beareth witness with his spirit, that he is a child of God" (cf. Romans 8:16).

Thereafter, so long as one remains obedient to Christ, he or she can rest assured that HE STILL SAVES, for He has assured such ones, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).  Plus, the continuous, abiding presence of Christ within us assures us that we still have the last, highest state of grace, which we have received from God.  There WILL BE times when one is compelled to "trust and obey" with little, or no, feeling.  However, after the initial witness of God's Spirit, God often blesses His obedient children with bright and warm reassurances that He still dwells within.

My point in this brief message is: -- NEVER ASSUME that you are saved from all sin and the wrath to come, without having received the witness of the blessed Holy Spirit to His saving, sanctifying grace.

I remember hearing years ago of one who said,

"Brother, If you ain't ever seen nothin, if you ain't ever heard nothin, if you ain't ever felt nothin, BROTHER, YOU AIN'T GOT NOTHIN!"

I write none of this to upset the true faith of anyone.  However, I DO WRITE THIS to say that when one has nothing but HEAD-KNOWLEDGE of his Salvation, and his assumed faith has never brought THE WITNESS OF GOD'S SPIRIT WITH HIS SPIRIT, that he is, MOST CERTAINLY, a child of God, then he needs to cast away that FALSE CONFIDENCE, and earnestly seek the Lord until He sends the witness so clearly that HE KNOWS THE WORK IS DONE!

Brethren, I fear that we have, these days, young men and women graduating from formerly conservative Bible Schools, those who have nothing more than an INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION AND ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION!

They cannot read their title clear to a mansion in Heaven, for GOD'S SPIRIT has never borne witness with THEIR SPIRIT, that they REALLY ARE, both saved and sanctified wholly.

Graduate of one of today's supposedly conservative Bible Schools (or Colleges), can your "read your title clear to a mansion in Heaven?"

Must you reply, "I CANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED" (Isaiah 29:11).  I can read the promises of full salvation in Hebrew and Greek, but the personal knowledge of my salvation "IS A SEALED BOOK" -- I CANNOT READ IT!

Throw away all of your intellectual knowledge, and come to Jesus "as a little child" (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17).  Then, as an humble, penitent sinner, beg God, for Christ's sake, to forgive and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  If you do THIS, and mean it, it won't be long before, like poor, totally unworthy Duane Maxey, you too will be able to gladly testify: -- "Hallelujah! by the witness of God's Spirit with My Spirit,  I CAN READ MY TITLE CLEAR TO A MANSION IN HEAVEN!"

Do you know something?: -- I'd rather be able to TRUTHFULLY SAY THIS than to be able to put a "DD" after my name!  SAD, ISN'T IT? -- that countless thousands today have a big degree after their name, and pastor a huge crowd, but they CAN'T TRUTHFULLY READ A TITLE CLEAR TO A HOME IN HEAVEN!  SELAH.