Sermon text: Psalm 119:57-60

This morning, for a few moments, as we look at four verses of testimony from the heart of the Psalmist in the Old Testament, I want us to develop this thought, "What Does It Mean To Be Converted?" We hear that term an awful lot, but this morning we want to go to the Word of God and we want to see what the Scripture has to say on such a vital and important subject to each one who would be here this morning.

(Psalm 119:57) Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.
(Psalm 119:58) I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.
(Psalm 119:59) I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
(Psalm 119:60) I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

As each one of you who are here this morning would probably understand, because of the world in which we find ourselves living, that you can be converted to many things. You can be converted to communism, you can be converted to socialism, you can be converted to fascism, you can be converted to Protestentism, you can be converted to Catholicism, and there are probably a number of other "isms" that I could name which you and I can be converted to.

When we consider the Scripture which is the holy infallible Word of God and speak about this term "conversion", we are speaking about a specific conversion because we are speaking about being converted to Jesus Christ. We are talking about Bible conversion. We are talking about Scriptural conversion. You see, Scriptural conversion is not to a man. Scriptural conversion is not to a religion. Scriptural conversion is not to a church or to a denomination or to a creed. Scriptural conversion is to the person of Jesus Christ. That's what we are talking about when we talk about Biblical Scriptural conversion. That's what we are talking about when we talk about what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3.

(John 3:7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

We are talking about that moment or point in time in one's life when one's life is so impacted and so affected that the whole life is turned into a right relationship with God. Old things pass away and behold all things become new. We have entered into a relationship with the loving Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die upon a cross for our sins. We have put our faith and our personal trust in Him and we have received Him as our personal Saviour.

That's why I say this subject is important. The subject is certainly important when you realize what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 18:3. Notice what He says in that one verse of Scripture.

(Matthew 18:3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That is a strong statement. That is a powerful statement. That is a statement that we would equate with the word "dunamis" or "dynamite". As the young people would say today, "Wow Preacher, that's an awesome statement!" What the Scripture is teaching you and me this morning is that when we talk about this matter of conversion, we need to understand that except you and I are converted, there is no way you or I will spend eternity in God's heaven. Conversion is absolutely necessary, essential, and imperative if we are going to spend an eternity with God in heaven. It is through our conversion that we will enter into that relationship with Him.

If you will go back to Psalm 119:59-60, I want to point out a simple outline that I think will help every one of us to understand the importance of this message this morning, "What Does It Mean To Be Converted?" If you look at verse 59 you'll notice that Christian conversion begins with serious consideration. It is not a decision that is glibly made. It is not a decision that is made without serious consideration as the Spirit of God would speak to one's heart and as the Holy Spirit deals in one's life. There is serious consideration that is given to this matter of conversion. Notice what the Psalmist said.

(Psalm 119:59) I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

That's the word you want to remember as you think of this first truth. In other words, there was a time when I was thinking about God, I was thinking about life, I was thinking about sin, I was thinking about time, I was thinking about eternity, and I was thinking about the questions that the philosophies of life cannot answer. "Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?" As a twenty-year-old young man, I struggled with those three questions. With all of my education, with all of my training, and with all of my exposure to the philosophies of the world including evolution, geology, paleontology, archeology, and anthropology, none of my teachers and none of my professors could tell me where I came from, why I am here, and where am I going, until I came face-to-face with the teachings of the Word of God and the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29)."

You mark it down and don't ever forget that when we are talking about Biblical conversion, we are talking about, beloved, the serious consideration that is given when one looks into their own heart, down deep inside where they live as an individual. They begin to think about life. They begin to think about time. They begin to think about death. They begin to think about eternity. They begin to think about, "Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going?"

That's what we are talking about. That's what the Psalmist is dealing with here, I believe, when we talk about conversion. Study the Bible and look into the Word of God and see what the Scripture says, like in Isaiah 1:18:

(Isaiah 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Oh my, did we see the lambs in England. They have more sheep in England that we have people, I think, in the United States of America. It is incredible to see that countryside covered with all kinds of sheep. But that is exactly what God is saying here, beloved, in His Word, such as in Isaiah 1:18. See conversion does not just happen. It's not by the luck of the draw. We must think upon our ways. Conversion begins with serious consideration. If you think about it, throughout your Scripture, you will see all kind of Bible illustrations of this.

Turn to Luke 15:11-19 and you will find the parable of the lost son. We all know and understand that story, but sometimes we miss the important parts of the story. When you read the early portion of that passage of Scripture you will see the story unfolding about how this young lad wasted his substance with riotous living. It is not until you come to verse 17 that you begin to see, beloved, the real purpose of the story that is being given there.

(Luke 15:17) And when he came to himself, ...

There must have been some serious consideration that went on in the life of this young man after he had taken his fortune and had wasted it in riotous living. When he had found himself living no better than the hogs that he was eating with, he came to himself and the Scripture says ...

(Luke 15:17) ... , he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
(Luke 15:18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
(Luke 15:19) And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

The principle there is that he thought on his ways, he began to look at the direction he was going in, which brought him no peace of heart and no direction in life whatsoever. You mark it down that when we are talking about "What does it mean to be converted?" we are talking about serious consideration being given to the teachings of the Word of God when we talk about the plan of salvation. The Saviour's statement is "Ye must be born again."

If you come back with me to Psalm 119:59 you will notice another thought in that verse. I also see the Psalmist said that he not only thought on his ways but he said, "and turn my feet unto thy testimonies." I see in that statement a serious consideration leading to definite action. It began with serious consideration, but now we are going another step further. We are now going to move into that realm of definite action that will take place when a person begins to think seriously about God and salvation and about his own soul's needs. What the Scripture is teaching you and me, beloved, is that it will only be a short time before he makes a definite decision that leads to action.

The prodigal son, who we just looked at briefly before in Luke 15, arose and came to his father. In other words there was an action that took place. He thought and then he acted upon what he thought. In other words, he turned his feet and came unto his father. As I said in my Bible class this morning, "He made an about face." He turned his back on his old life. He set out to a new life. That's what happens when one is Biblically born again by the Spirit of the living God, Amen! Old things become new! Behold, those old things we used to do, we don't do them anymore. Things are different now. Something has happened to me since I gave my heart to Jesus. That's what it is talking about. An individual who honestly and genuinely receives Jesus Christ as Saviour is going to become a new creature in Christ. That's the teaching of the Bible.

We no longer need to see, in the United States of America, demonstrations by those who want to talk about being born again. We need to see demonstrations by those in the United States of America who are born again by the Spirit of the Living God and who have a life that dictates and communicates that they have been born again by the Spirit of the Living God. I am embarrassed that the President of the United States says he is a Baptist. Now you forgive me for that if that offends you, but I am embarrassed that the President of the United States is a member of a Baptist church in Little Rock, Arkansas. I know people who do not claim to know Jesus Christ, who have more morals in their lives. You say, "Now Pastor, that is not appropriate." It may not seem appropriate but it is true. And if it is true, in my view, it is appropriate because we need never defer the truth. As a matter of fact, the Scripture says:

(Romans 3:4) ... let God be true, but every man a liar; ...

If we had more preaching like that in the pulpits of our nation's churches, we'd have a better nation, Amen! You have to remember, I have not preached here in two weeks! But the Scripture, beloved, is very clear. It says he turned his feet unto God's testimonies. He made an about face. He turned away from his old life and set out on a new life. Young people, don't sit here this morning and think you are a Christian going to heaven because you attend a Christian school. Moms and dads, don't sit here this morning and think you are a Christian going to heaven because you are a member of the First Baptist Church of Rosemount. You can join every church there is in the United States of America and still split hell wide open. Whatever you do, don't sit here this morning and think you are going to heaven because you have been baptized. And I don't care if it was as a baby, as a teenager, or as an adult. You have probably heard me say on other occasions, you can be baptized in the Mississippi River until you know every fish by its first name and still go to hell. Baptism does not save you! A personal faith in Jesus Christ is what saves you. That, beloved, is brought about as the Scripture teaches us when there is serious consideration given. Then, as the Scripture teaches us, there is a definite action that takes place. He turned his feet unto God's testimonies.

Let's move on to verse 60 as well. I love what it ways in the first part of that verse.

(Psalm 119:60) I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

What is that saying? It is saying that there will not only be serious consideration and there will not only be definite action, but it is also saying there will be loving obedience. Put that down. When the Spirit of God is speaking to one's heart and is doing a work in one's life and there is serious consideration being given to what God wants you to do in your heart and in your life as a child of His or as a creation of His, it is going to be the Holy Spirit who will speak to you about that definite action that is needed. When the Holy Spirit begins to work in one's heart and in one's life, there will be a loving obedience that is issued from that definite action. But loving obedience is necessary. Definite action, important as it is, does not stop short of this point. In other words, the action must issue in a life of obedience. That's what it is about.

Were Grandma and Grandpa Dion able to stay for the morning service? There they are way back in the back. These dear folks absolutely amaze me. They were here at our Christmas fellowship last night and didn't leave until about 12 o'clock. They were among the last ones to leave. They stayed and talked and fellowshipped until almost midnight. But they were here this morning for Sunday School. Now some of you young couples who slept in this morning and just got here to church by the grace of God and by the skin of your teeth, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Yes, Amen! "Now, I don't like that kind of preaching!" But that does not change the truth of it because here are two 83-year-old saints of God sitting back there who were here. Now, if an 83-year-old saint of God can get up in the morning and get to Sunday School, blessed God, you ought to be able to, Amen. You say, "Well, I don't agree with that." Well, then you'll have to disagree with that, but I still say I'm right and the Bible is on my side.

(Hebrews 10:25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; ....

That's not the point of the message this morning. I just threw that in as a little extra. You have to remember that I have not preached here for two weeks. But Grandma Dion stood up in my Bible class this morning and said "I'm 83 years old and God is still working on my life. I'm still growing in grace. I'm still maturing in my Christian life." Now, she has been saved longer than I have been saved and here I am a pastor and preacher pastoring the same church here for 30 years and beloved, I confess to you this morning, God is still growing your pastor and preacher. Now, if God is still growing your pastor and preacher, if God is still growing an 83-year-old saint of God sitting in this auditorium this morning, where in the name of heaven can you get off by saying God is not growing you? That makes as about much sense as me going down to the IDS building, going up on the top floor, flopping my arms, and planning on flying. Don't think I'm going to do that, though some of you wish I would. That makes absolutely no sense at all. What you need to do is get into the Word of God and you need to see what the Scripture says your responsibilities and obligations are and you need to get on with obeying God. Stop trying to work it out in your thinking as to what you want to do. You need to obey God. Amen! That's why some of you who are sitting here this morning and are not baptized, need to obey God this morning and get baptized. You say, "Well, I'm not ready." You are ready if you are saved because God says after you are saved you get baptized. That's the whole thing. Loving obedience is the issue. It's not only involved in salvation. It's involved in your life as a Christian. It's involved in my life as a Christian.

As you know, I have just been in Romania. Brian Nibbe is over there working on a budget that would put yours and mine to shame. He said "Preacher, you know, when I get back in the States and I get on deputation, I have to raise some more support. You know, the dollar over here and inflation has been absolutely incredible." I was visiting with him on that and I said, "Right now, what is it that you need?" He said, "Well, the biggest need I have right now is a pump." You see, we have sewer systems and septic tanks. That country is so devastated and destroyed that from his indoor plumbing, the waste goes into a hole in his backyard and then it is pumped through a hose a little further and then just lays on the ground until the ground swallows it up. He said, "I don't have a pump." I asked him, "What does a pump cost?" He said, "It will cost $200." The Holy Spirit said to me, "You buy him a pump." I said, "God, I did not come to Romania to buy Brian a pump. I came to Romania to preach for him and to encourage him." The Holy Spirit said "Buy him a pump." I said, "Well God, I have already done several things. I don't have any more money." The Holy Spirit said, "You've got your Visa credit card." I said, "They won't take Visa." And He said, "How do you know?"

And so I said to Brian, "Where can we buy the pump?" And he said, "It is not for sale in Romania." And I said, "Oh, praise the Lord." And he said, "But, I know where there is one in Budapest, Hungary." The Holy Spirit said, "He's got to take you to Budapest to take you back to the plane." I said, "We won't have time." I said to Brian, "Would there be any place where we could get the pump if they would take a Visa credit card?" He said, "Well, no, they want cash but there is a bank here in Cluge where you can get cash and put it on your Visa card." I said, "I'm cooked." So, off to the bank we went and I got $200 on my Visa card and gave it to Brian to buy the pump.

What I'm simply saying there is that the Spirit of God, when He speaks to our hearts, it doesn't matter whether it's getting baptized, it doesn't matter whether it's joining a church, it doesn't matter whether it's working on a bus route, it doesn't matter whether it's teaching a Sunday School class, or it doesn't matter whether it's giving a missionary $200 to buy a pump for a half-baked septic system that would be shut down in this country. The thing that God expects out of every one of you and me here today who know Jesus Christ as Savior, beloved, is loving obedience. Amen. And that is what this Scripture is all about today.

We need to learn to obey God and it all begins when we obey God in relationship to our need of accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Beloved, the New Testament is full of all kind of illustrations that would illustrate that truth; a life of loving obedience. We could look at the life of Zaccheus. We probably don't have a child in our church, who is two or three years of age and up, who doesn't know that song about Zacchaeus:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he;
He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see;
And as the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree;
And said, "Zacchaeus, you come down for I'm going to your house today."

And what did Zacchaeus say? "I'm not coming down?" No, the Scripture is clear. He came down immediately. Loving obedience! It is taught throughout the whole Bible. Consider the woman of Samaria in John chapter 4 or Saul of Tarsus who later was to become the great apostle Paul. We could look at his life and we could see all kind of illustrations in his life. What I am simply saying, beloved, is that there are illustrations after illustrations in the Scripture which teach that loving obedience is not an option. It is a must and it is a reality. Cornelius, the Ethiopian eunuch, the Philipian jailer, those converted in Ephesus in Acts chapter 19, and on and on we could go. Loving obedience is critical in the Christian's walk with God and even in the unbeliever coming to know God by faith in Jesus Christ.

If we were to sum it all up, the three scriptural words we could use to describe what it means to be converted are simply these: we stop, we turn, and we obey. That's what we are talking about this morning. That's what God is talking about in the Word of God in relationship to scriptural obedience to being born again. After one is born again, it is walking in obedience to the will, to the guidance, and to the direction of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

If you are here today and you have never trusted Christ as Savior, my prayer, beloved, is that you would stop in your tracks, you would repent of your sin, and you would turn to the Lord and put your personal trust and faith in Him. You must recognize that you can't save yourself and you never will be able to save yourself. But if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, the Bible says, "Thou shalt be saved."

(Romans 10:9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
(Romans 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." That's what we are talking about. Then you give yourself wholly, totally, and completely to Him. You obey Him from day to day. I'm not worrying about obeying God tomorrow. I' m trying to obey God today. My goal in life is to obey God today. I might not be here tomorrow. The Lord might come today, so my goal in life is to obey Him today. And that's what God wants your goal in life to be. Seek to obey God today. You do what you know God wants you to do today.

I'm convinced more people miss God's will and God's plan for their lives because when they consider God's will and plan, they don't look at just today, but they start looking way down the road. When God was speaking to my heart about the ministry at 29 years of age, I was married and had three kids. I started looking down the road and said, "God, how am I going to do that? How am I going to go and complete my college degree, attend seminary, work, be a husband and a father, be an employee, and be a student? God, that is totally impossible! I can't do that!" And that's right, I can't but God can, if day by day, I will walk with Him. So I made the decision that night at the First Baptist Church of Westwood Lake during a missions conference. I took the first step and said, "God, this is Your will for my life tonight." Then the next day I went back to work for Southern Bell Telephone Company. That's what I did every Monday. Tuesday, I went to work at Southern Bell Telephone Company. And the next day I did the same thing, because that's what I was to do. But day by day, God lead, guided, and directed in my life. As I simply committed a day at a time to God, God took care of the day. And here it is now 37 years later and I look back and see what God has done simply on a day by day basis.

You let God have His will and way in your heart today for which you know God wants you to do. If it is to come and accept Christ, come and accept Christ. If it is to come and obey the Lord in baptism, come and obey the Lord in baptism. If it is to join First Baptist Church of Rosemount, come and join First Baptist Church of Rosemount. If it is to come and pray for a lost loved one who is not saved and you are burdened about that individual, come and pray for the lost loved one. You do what you know God wants you to do today. Loving obedience is absolutely essential to a child of God's walk with God, just as loving obedience is essential to a lost hell-bound sinner coming to faith in Christ.

Don't ever forget that simple lesson from two verses of Scripture in Psalm 119 verse 59-60.

Follow this link for a presentation of the Plan of Salvation.