The Most Important Message

TNG Radio, where today's culture and timeless truths come together. It's reasoned relevant content apologetics, worldview, and answers to the questions that you need to know. From Alex McFarland Ministries, this is Truth for a New Generation Radio. And now, the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. One of the greatest verses in the New Testament is Romans chapter 5, verse 1.

It says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hi, welcome to Truth for a New Generation, Alex McFarland here. So glad you're listening. And I want to talk about the greatest message that the world needs to hear, possibly more urgently than at any other time in world history.

Welcome to the program. And if you've got a Bible, turn to Romans chapter 4 and verse 5. But have you seen the little witness bracelet? And it's on t-shirts, too. There's a witness wear that I really like, and it shows a down arrow, and it shows a cross, and it shows this arced line, and then it shows an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down.

Now what does all that mean? Well, the witness symbol, you might have seen the down arrow, speaks to the incarnation of Christ, how God took on a human body, came from heaven to earth to prove himself as the Messiah, fulfill all the prophecies, and ultimately he would suffer and die on the cross and pay for our sins. And the symbol of the cross is the symbol of Jesus being killed on Golgotha, the hill called the place of the skull. Jesus was nailed to the cross. Well, in this little symbol, the two arced lines represent the tomb, and Jesus was laid in the tomb after he died on the cross, but he rose from the dead.

And of course, you all know the story. Jesus rose from the grave, physically alive. In Scriptures like Luke 24, he said, Touch me, you'll see that a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have. Jesus physically rose from the dead. And he said those that would put their faith in him and would believe in him, they would rise from their grave one day too. Now the up arrow in this little symbol signifies that Jesus ascended back to heaven. He went, and of course, you know, in the New Testament, the disciples were looking up and in the book of Acts chapter one, we read about how when Christ ascended to heaven, some angels appeared and they said, You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into the heavens? This same Jesus will return in like manner as you've seen him go. Now in the symbol, the witness symbol, there's another down arrow. Christ is coming back.

Now you and I are living somewhere between those two final arrows. He ascended and went back up to heaven. He will return. We may very well be near the return of Christ.

We just simply don't know. But do you think about that much? Do you think about the return of Christ? I do. And I think about our mission, our assignment now is to tell the world about salvation.

And this great message, Romans 5, one, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The verb have. Do you think a lot about the things you have? Maybe you have a good job. Maybe you have a nice car. Maybe you have an expensive home.

Maybe you have a family that loves you. Those are fine things. I hope you do have all of those things and more. But do you know there's something that is worth more than anything else you could have? There's something more valuable. And that Romans 5, one says, to have peace with God.

Oh my goodness, what a joy that is. Peace with God. How? Through our Lord Jesus Christ by faith, not works. Faith by trusting in Christ. Now verse two of Romans 5 says, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5 two speaks of standing in the grace of God that we have through faith. It's hard to stand in life if you're standing in something outside of the grace of God.

Now I want to talk about the greatest message that the world needs to hear probably more urgently than at any other time in world history. Because look, throughout history there's always been sin and there's been sin and sinners in every generation in the first two centuries of the early church. And there was sin, there was immorality, there was false teaching. I've got a book that I recently got on the heresies and heresy is false teaching.

Orthodoxy is right teaching. Heterodoxy is multiple teachings, all of which can't be true. Heresy is some false teaching that distorts the gospel.

Either the person of Christ, the work of Christ, or how you and I access salvation. Heresy can come in any one of those ways, or all three of those ways. There can be a distortion about who Christ was. There could be a false teaching about what Christ did or didn't do.

And then there could be false teaching about how we come into a relationship with Christ. And you know what's interesting? The sins that we struggle with today, and the false teachings that mislead many people today, they've been around for 2000 years. It's interesting how the old saying, there's really nothing new under the sun.

And in a way, that's true. I mean, we have some inventions, some electronic devices, mobile devices, and things like that. But in a way, look, there's always been sin and sinners.

I will say what is unique about the time in which we live, something very unique. For the first time, as far as I can tell, in world history, there is the global, well funded, well orchestrated, highly publicized, nearly unrelenting push to erase all knowledge of morality, all moral boundaries. And of course, I'm speaking of really two things, the push to remove all legal protection from the unborn, to leave the unborn with no legal protection whatsoever, and to legitimize abortion. And then in terms of homosexual behavior, transgenderism, sexual deviancy, to normalize that. Now, because we have a conscience, because we know right from wrong, there has been the push to really suppress moral knowledge, and to make abortion okay, to try to mainstream homosexuality and gay marriage and now transgenderism, and such that we're at the point where in many schools and businesses, people can be reprimanded or even lose their jobs if they say males and females are different. Now, when we come back, we're going to continue talking about the most urgent message that the world needs to hear, probably more crucially than ever before, the message of the gospel and justification before God through faith, wherein anyone that believes in Jesus can stand in the grace of God.

Stay tuned. Truth for a New Generation is back after this. Join Alex McFarland for Spiritual Awakening in Our Times. Study in the book of Acts, June 25-27 in the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove near Asheville, North Carolina. Acts records the first days of the early church and tells the story of a powerful spiritual awakening among Jews and Gentiles alike. The book of Acts also contains personal lessons about revival for believers like us today. In the seminar, Alex will examine God's principles for spiritual renewal and evangelism that work in every age, including ours.

You'll also discover how you could personally walk in the power and joy of the Holy Spirit, regardless of your circumstances. To register for Spiritual Awakening in Our Times, study in the book of Acts with Alex McFarland, June 25-27. Go to thecove.org. Seminar packages include options for seminar, meals, and lodging.

Register online at thecove.org. Alex has written many books to help you defend your faith. One of them answers questions from skeptics.

It's cleverly titled, Ten Answers for Skeptics. Today's skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward truth. And in the book, Alex McFarland identifies the ten most common types of skepticism that plague doubters' minds and offers believers proven strategies for connecting intellectually and spiritually with those who are skeptical about the claims of Christianity. Learn how to answer intimidating questions, identify the root issue behind those questions, and dismantle the spiritual bombshells dropped by atheists.

Plus, find encouragement to face hostility by persevering in love. The ultimate apologetic Christians can offer as a witness to our loving God. Check out Ten Answers for Skeptics when you visit alexmcfarland.com. Timeless Truths in a Soundbite Culture. Truth for a New Generation Radio. Welcome back to Truth for a New Generation.

Alex McFarland here. We're talking about the push to erase moral knowledge. And that is something unique about the times in which we live, that there is this global, through various political initiatives and lobbying groups, there is the global push to erase moral boundaries.

Now, let me say something that's very rare for this broadcast. For once, I'm going to agree with Richard Dawkins, the famed atheist from Britain. Years ago, he wrote a book called The God Delusion. And he, during the 90s and the 2000s, Richard Dawkins was a just unrelenting proponent of atheism.

And it's funny, the secularism that he has spent his life promoting has really for the moment come to, you know, come back to haunt him. Because you might remember, now listen carefully, do you remember one decade ago, there was a woman on the West Coast named Rachel Dolezal. And she was the head of a chapter of the NAACP. And she presented herself as black, African American. Well, it turned out Rachel Dolezal was as Caucasian as it gets. In fact, when they showed childhood and young adult pictures on the morning news shows, I mean, she was as fair skinned.

She was a fair skinned, freckled young lady. She was absolutely white. But Rachel Dolezal had presented herself as an African American. And she feigned a different ethnicity than her birth nationality and ethnicity. She was Caucasian. She was white, a white American. But she presented herself as black. And she styled her hair and wore extensions, and she put on makeup, and she affected a talk and an addiction and presented herself as black. And she was a head of a chapter of the NAACP. Well, it came out that she was absolutely not black.

She was white. And when she lost her job, and she really was the subject of mockery in the national media, Rachel Dolezal said, well, I identify as black. Well, just recently, Richard Dawkins, the atheist, said that transgender people, when a male identifies as a female, a biological birth male, feigns femininity.

Dawkins, the atheist, said the transgenders masquerading as a different gender are no different than Rachel Dolezal masquerading as a different ethnicity. Oh my goodness, the wrath of the politically correct social media world came down on him. In fact, he had been given an award of Humanist of the Year. And the Humanist Society took his award away. And the atheist, now keep in mind, those that reject belief in God and morality, the slow atheists, they don't believe in objective right and wrong.

I mean, they pride themselves on their relativism, that truth is whatever I make it out to be, truth is fluid. Well, let me say there are some absolutes, apparently, because apparently, if you go against the prevailing politically correct narrative, if you engage in that illegal activity called independent thought, rationality, being reasonable and logical and consistent, if you go against the party line, the PC thought police will come down on you as Richard Dawkins found out. By the way, he's 80 now, so pray for Richard Dawkins.

He desperately needs Christ and hopefully the insanity and the brunt of scorn that he's getting from his fellow secularists, maybe it might jolt him into thinking about God, truth, and his soul. Because Dawkins is right, I'm going to agree with Dawkins. Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian, who just in her mind says, well, I identify as black, doesn't make her black. But the transgenders, a female, or a male, who say, well, I identify as female, that doesn't change their gender. And so you've got to understand, in a world that has attempted to erase all moral and ontological boundaries, ontology speaks of being reality and truth.

We're living in a world where secularists, because they want to do their own thing, they don't want to answer to anybody, they certainly don't want to have to be accountable to God. There is this attempt in pop media, certainly in entertainment, certainly in academics, which is increasingly godless, there's this attempt to erase all moral, empirical, ontological boundaries, that we can do whatever we want to do, and heaven help, even though there is no heaven, they would say, but heaven help, the person who out of logic and just observance of reality says, wait a minute, just as one can't change their ethnicity, one can't change their gender. But do you know what people can change? They can change beliefs and behavior. Do you see how a lost world has it so backward?

The Bible says, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Look, the world says you can change your gender, but you can't change your behavior. And in reality, it's precisely the opposite. You can change your behavior, but you can't change your ethnicity nor your gender. If you're Caucasian, Latino, Asian, and that's wonderful, because the Bible says that before the throne of God in heaven one day, there will be every kindred, tongue, tribe and nation. I thank God that the beautiful tapestry of the redeemed will be black, white, free ethnicity.

But do you know what is the common denominator? Not your nationality nor your gender. The common denominator is that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Like Romans 5, 1 and 2 says, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, why this message is so urgent, and probably why I believe it is more urgent than ever that this message be proclaimed and shared, is because we are living in a world, for the first time in history, academically, socially, politically, certainly legally, we are being enforced and really, really punished if we don't acknowledge the lie of the hour that gender and morality and truth itself can be changed. It's born out of man's desire to be his own God. Look, reality could be reduced to the following. Either you acknowledge the true and living God, or you try to make yourself the ultimate authority, and that's creating a world of chaos and anarchy.

Now stay tuned. We're going to come back and talk more about Romans 4 and 5, the ultimate truth that impacts every life, mine and yours included. America today is like a patient struggling to live, yet is being forcibly euthanized by her, quote, doctors. The life force within the patient fighting for survival is the honest citizens like yourself.

The team of quote, caregivers are the local and national leaders actually contributing to the demise of the patient. The economy is crashing. Crime is exploding. The constitution is being abolished. The assault on America, how to defend our nation before it's too late by Alex McFarland has one single purpose, to get you prepared. Learn the real source of America's current problems that no one else is talking about and what you can do now to face tomorrow, regardless of what tomorrow brings. The assault on America, how to defend our nation before it's too late, available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and local Christian bookstores.

Are you tired of liberal agendas ruining our country, but you don't know what to do about it. That's why Truth and Liberty Coalition was founded. We want to equip you to take back our country and impact the world. Here's how we do it. We educate through broadcasts, conferences, and our website with resources that inform, equip and motivate. We unify by collaborating with like-minded organizations like the Family Research Council, the Family Policy Alliance, and My Faith Votes. We mobilize by providing practical tools you can use to impact your local community.

As Christians, we are called to make disciples of nations. Together we can change the course of our country for good. Join Truth and Liberty to connect with believers and organizations who not only want to see a change in our nation, but a community that is actually doing something about it. Join us online for our broadcast and subscribe for relevant updates on our website, truthandliberty.net. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to Truth for a New Generation Radio. Welcome back to Truth for a New Generation. Alex McFarland here. We're talking about the most urgent message the world needs to hear, that God is real and Christ is risen and we can know truth.

We're going to come back to that in just a moment, but I do want to remind everybody about a couple of things. You can go to my website, alexmcfarland.com, to find where I'm speaking. I'm en route to Fayetteville Rockfish Church. I'll be there in May. I'll be in Arkansas.

I'll be in Texas. I'll be doing a high school baccalaureate service. But two other things that are of special note, if you would, go to my calendar, alexmcfarland.com. From June 25 through 27, I will be at the Cove, which is one of the most amazing places in the world, the Billy and Ruth Graham Training Center in western North Carolina. I'll be teaching through the book of Acts and we'll be looking at principles of spiritual awakening and revival.

There may be one or two slots left, and so I would encourage you to go to their website, thecove.org. And then finally, October 15 through 17, First Baptist Church Myrtle Beach will be doing a Truth for a New Generation World View Conference. If you want to learn about the biblical worldview, how to defend your faith, Myrtle Beach is wonderful, plenty of hotels. First Baptist Church is just so great. It's been my joy to have a relationship with that church for many years. And we will look forward for you being there at the next Truth for a New Generation, the first TNG apologetics conference post-COVID.

So go to my website, alexmcfarland.com. And then one last announcement with Bert Harper and I, Bert and I do Exploring the Word Monday through Friday live on the American Family Radio Network. We have a book coming out, 100 Questions and Answers from the Bible, 100 questions and answers from the first 10 years of Exploring the Word. And that's being published by Broad Street Publishing, Broad Street, and you can go to their website or go to Amazon, you'll find that book.

It comes out in September, I know that's a few months away, but check it out and please be in prayer as we launch this book that it would touch many, many lives. That is our hope and our prayer as we proclaim the truth of the gospel. Well back to Romans, and let me say this folks, the world is a legal world.

Now what do I mean by that? Romans chapter 4, very interesting, says that the standard for heaven, which you and I don't have in and of ourselves, the standard for heaven is righteousness, to be righteous as holy as God himself. Well if we don't have it, how do we get it? Now when I say that this is a legal universe, what I mean is this, just as God put into place physical laws of nature, gravity, you might not understand gravity, you might not really believe in gravity, this theory of why bodies fall to earth, but if you jump off of a high place, you'll hit the ground and you'll experience gravity.

The physical universe operates within the boundaries of certain fixed laws of God, and spiritually, reality is the same way. Now we know the right, and we do the wrong, and we feel bad about it. That's called conscience. It's been my privilege to preach in quite a number of jails and prisons, and I never fail to experience this whenever I speak in a correctional facility that inmates will want to talk privately, and they'll say, I've got to get something off my chest, and they'll confess to things. I've had, in pastoral counseling situations, many people confess to many things.

We cannot forever live in a state of cognitive dissonance. When we know something is wrong, we want to make it right. That's why, famously, people talk about deathbed confessions. Well look, we know, deep in our soul, if we're honest with ourselves, we know we have a sin problem before God, because the Bible says that the law of God is not only written on pages of ink and paper, the law of God is written on the heart. And we know we're accountable to God, the law of God.

That implies legality. Well, to go to heaven, you have to be cleared of guilt. But even more than that, you need to not merely be innocent, but you have to be righteous.

The beautiful thing, and friends, I cannot overstate how unique this message is. This is so utterly, absolutely unique, that if we put our faith in Jesus, the righteousness of Christ is attributed to us, accounted to us, accredited to us. That's Romans chapter four. That's why Romans five says, therefore, being justified by faith, justification, that means declared righteous. And you may not get too excited about this, but I assure you, this is the greatest reality you could ever ponder or ever experience in your life, that you can have peace with God, having been declared righteous, as holy as Jesus, through putting your faith in Him. And you can stand in that grace, received through faith, trust. And that's why it says you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to ask you if you have that.

Do you really have that peace? And then it says in verses three and following of Romans chapter five, that we can glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance. And perseverance, character. And character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint. That is, if your hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want to challenge you to read Romans five, one through five, and the world needs to understand, look, there is no sin that has been declassified. What the Word of God said was sin is still sin.

Unbelief, atheism, violence, lies, murder, immorality, covetousness, hatred, false witness, slander, fornication, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, transgenderism, denying reality, rejecting the gift of life that God has given to you, even rejecting your gender. Listen, if you're a male or a female, it's a blessing from God that you exist. It's a blessing from God that you are who you are. And so let me challenge you to admit your sin and say to God, I'm sorry and I want to be forgiven.

And Lord, I'm asking you to come into my life and save me. And if you will put your faith in Jesus, you will have peace with God. And do you know even beyond that, Romans five, three through five talks about the growth of your character and you'll have not only peace with God, you can have peace with yourself.

Isn't that a blessing? Peace with yourself. So turn to Christ today. And Romans five, six says when we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. He died for you. If you need spiritual help, let us send a little book to you.

What does God say about my relationship with Him? Just go to our website, AlexMcFarland.com. Tell the world about Jesus and how they can be declared righteous in the sight of God through faith in His Son. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Call us at 877-Yes-God-1.

That's 877-Yes-God and the number 1. Or give online at AlexMcFarland.com. While you're there, listen to program archives, read Alex's blog, invite Alex to speak at your event or contact Alex with a question or comment. AlexMcFarland.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.