Watchman on the Wall

Southwest Radio Ministries: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. Today, we wrap up anniversary week with a classic teaching from our founder, Pastor E. F. Weber.

Of course, it’s been anniversary week all this week at Watchman on the Wall and Southwest Radio Ministries. Can you believe that it’s been 93 years ago when Dr. E. F. Weber hosted the very first broadcast of this program? And there he said the words that have been repeated for almost a century: God is still on the throne and prayer changes things.

Friends, will you help us celebrate our 93 years of ministry with a special anniversary gift of $93? Your birthday present of $93 this week will help Watchman on the Wall and its message of hope continue to go out around the world. Please give your gift commemorating our 93rd anniversary by calling 1-800-652-1144 or visit swrc.com and give your gift today.

Now, it’s time to go all the way back to 1955. Our founder E. F. Weber is here to share a special message entitled, Impossibilities of God.

E. F. Weber: God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. I greet each and every one of you in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, my dear friends, we need to continually praise and thank our God for His many rich and wonderful blessings.

Consider the unrest in the world and then, on the other hand, consider the blessings that America continues to enjoy. How good God has been to America when you view the rest of the world’s situation. And then I want to say to you, my friends, that with all my heart, I believe that the great awakening and revival is coming.

More and more people are constantly separating themselves from worldliness and that which is not sound gospel. The awakening is coming and I praise God that there is a manifestation on the part of true born-again Christians to separate themselves unto God in the tragic day in which we live.

There is no one who can evaluate properly the great blessing that will come to America if all Christians begin to pray every day and turn away from wickedness and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart. I want to talk with you on this broadcast on the subject, Impossibilities.

You often hear the trite saying, "Nothing is impossible." Well, let us take a look at this subject and find out whether or not there are impossibilities. It's rather an intriguing and thought-provoking subject, I assure you. But now, let us all have prayer.

Our Father in heaven, we pray thy rich blessing upon all who preach the gospel at home and in the regions beyond. We pray that this mighty revival that our heart longs for will come to more and more individuals until, like a mighty conflagration, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be upon multitudes of people.

Then, this glorious revival will spread. We thank thee that there are the great numbers of faithful preachers and men and women who love Jesus Christ with all their heart. Bless thy people, Israel. Bless all who preach thy word in the regions beyond. Bless the many faithful gospel sermons that are heard on the air and all who preach thy word.

We pray that this will be a day of a mighty ingathering of souls into the kingdom of our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we pray that the people today who hear the messages will give themselves to earnest prayer and seeking after the Lord. In Jesus’ precious name, amen and amen.

To begin with, let me say that there are certain impossibilities in the physical world which almost everyone recognizes as such. For example, it is impossible for a person to be in two places at one time. It is impossible for you to lift yourself by your bootstraps.

It is impossible to invent a machine which will have perpetual motion. It is impossible to put your hand on a hot stove and not be burned. Now, a person who refuses to recognize these impossibilities is foolish indeed. But the Bible tells us that there are impossibilities in the spiritual world also and indicates that we ought to know what they are.

Today, I want to talk about some impossibilities in the spiritual world. First and most emphatic: it is impossible for God to lie. This is repeatedly stated in the Bible. In Titus chapter 1, verse 2, we read that God cannot lie. To lie would be to deny Himself.

Then in 2nd Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 13, it informs us that God cannot deny Himself. In Numbers, chapter 23 and verse 19, we read: "God is not a man, that he should lie." Now, I know our Lord said, "With God, all things are possible," but He meant the things that are not contrary to God’s nature.

God cannot commit sin. To lie would be to sin. Now, since God cannot lie, then the things He says in the Bible are all true. They can be relied upon. There is no contradiction in the Bible. Every blessed word of our Bible, as we have it in the good King James translation, is authoritative.

No matter how they may seem to contradict the theories of men, they can be depended on because we are sure God cannot lie. His promises are all sure to come true because He cannot lie. Now, this means that even if we cannot understand all the things God says, it is nevertheless true, for God cannot lie.

A man once said to Spurgeon, "There are many things in the Bible I cannot understand." Spurgeon said, "Live up to the things you can understand and then, soon, the things you cannot understand will be made plain." A man approached that late great evangelist Dwight L. Moody on one occasion.

He had a slip of paper in his hand. There were many questions written on the paper and the man said, "Mr. Moody, if you will answer these questions, I will become a Christian." Mr. Moody said, "Oh no, no, no." He said, "You become a Christian and then I will answer all of the questions."

Well, the man said, "I want the questions answered," and he said, "If you promise you’ll answer them, I surely will become a Christian." Mr. Moody said, "All right," and they knelt down together. The man was gloriously saved. They had a wonderful time of prayer together.

When they finished the prayer, the man stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks, and Mr. Moody said, "Now, my friend, let me see the list of questions." And the man said, "Oh no, Mr. Moody. They were all answered while we were praying."

Now, there you are, dear friends. The natural man understandeth not the things that are of the spirit, but once you’re born again, God makes His word plain. And once we settle this great fact in our minds, then we have settled the trustworthiness of the Bible because we know God wrote it.

Now, second: it is impossible for any man to be saved in any other way than through faith in Jesus Christ, His atoning blood, His glorious resurrection. And when we believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again, then the miracle of all miracles takes place in our lives.

The Holy Spirit comes into our heart and we are born again or regenerated or generated the second time, if you like to put it that way, and we are born into the household of God. That’s how we become sons and daughters of the living God. Oh, I’m so sorry for many people who have never been born again and yet are church members.

I had a man say to me on one occasion when I was teaching a Bible class, he said, "Mr. Weber, I’ve been a member of this church for many years, but I’ve never been born again. I don't even know what you’re talking about." Well, it wasn't long until I enlightened him.

It’s marvelous how people, once they see that great truth, you will find their countenance light up. Well, they’ll say. Just as Nicodemus, a good man, one of the best men that ever lived, came to Jesus. He couldn't understand how a man could be born again. Jesus explained it to him and then he understood.

Now, when I speak of salvation, I mean deliverance from the guilt and penalty of sin which really deserves God’s wrath. I want you to just think with me. Think of every sin you ever committed. Just enumerate them if possible. Oh, you say, "I couldn't possibly do that."

Well, my friends, God Almighty promises that He will deliver you from the guilt and the penalty of sin. Now, without that deliverance, without that pardon, without being born again, you are under God’s wrath. A man once said to me, "Mr. Weber, I don't believe a God of love would send any of His children to hell."

And I literally shouted, "Amen!" And he looked at me when I shouted as though he thought I was just a little bit off. I said, "My friend, the Bible tells us that no one child of God will ever go to hell. The only ones that’ll go there will be the children of the devil."

Now, deliverance from sin and the power of sin, with which all unsaved persons are in bondage, is what Jesus Christ came to deliver us from. And my friends, we find that through Jesus’ death, deliverance comes not only from sin but from sin’s presence.

Oh, I’ve had great numbers of people born again in my meetings and I couldn't begin to tell you how many, many times I’ve had people say to me in substance, "Brother Weber, how could I ever be so blind?" And again, I’ve had them say to me, "Mr. Weber, why have I waited so long?"

If you knew the glory of the new birth, if you knew what it meant to be a child of God, you would never, my friend, you would never put it off for a moment. You would find that it’s the greatest thing in all the world. And it is. I ought to know. I’ve been walking with Jesus now for 40 long years.

Now then, consider this fact: Jesus Christ alone is able to deliver us from the guilt of sin because His precious blood paid in full the penalty due to fall upon us for our sins. His life is of such infinite value because of His deity that His precious, pure, holy blood could and did atone for the sin of all God’s elect.

When I use the term elect, I mean every saved person. Christ alone is able to deliver us from sin’s power because He alone of all who had ever lived triumphed over Satan. Therefore, He is able to empower us to triumph over Satan. Not long ago, on a Wednesday night, I drew the picture from the Bible of how Jesus made an open show of Satan’s power and triumphed over Satan.

Literally, He trampled him under His feet and He made a show of him openly. And I tell you, my friends, the manifestation of that glorious deliverance for men and women has been evidence in the lives of millions of born-again Christians. Yes, Christ alone is able to deliver us from sin’s presence by raising us from the dead and one day taking us to be with Him in heaven.

He demonstrated this power by rising from the dead Himself and then ascending into heaven. It is because of this fact that the Apostle Paul, writing in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6, says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please him." That means faith in Jesus Christ.

It is because of these facts that the Apostle Peter, we read in Acts chapter 4, verse 12, made this statement: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Oh, my dear friends, I know that we talk to many church members who have never had this glorious experience.

Don't wait a single moment. Just get right down on your knees and confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, His atoning blood for the remission of your sin, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to regenerate you. Then you’ll not only be a church member, but you’ll be a saved church member, and heaven knows we need them in our day.

Now then, oh, praise the Lord, I’m happy when I preach this glorious gospel. The Lord Himself said in John chapter 8, verse 24, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." And in His last message found in Mark chapter 16, verse 16, "He that believeth not shall be damned."

How very foolish it is, in the light of God’s word, for men to try to obtain salvation in any other manner. Yet many are striving to be saved by what they call good works or by trusting mere forms or ceremonies or by putting their faith in man’s wisdom instead of in Christ’s word, or by being baptized in water instead of being washed in the blood.

I believe in baptism, but I believe before any man is ever baptized, he ought to be washed in the blood. For God to save sinners in any other way than through the sacrifice of His Son would be unjust. God could not pardon a guilty sinner without adequate atonement.

God had to pay that price before He could pardon the sinner. Had He done so, He would have proved Himself unjust. The penalty for sin had to be paid. But man could not, literally could not pay that penalty. Only a sinless and perfect one could meet the demands, and that sinless and perfect one was the divine Son of God.

He died in your place, literally. He took all your sin upon Himself. So, God had to make an adequate atonement for sin before He could pardon the sinner. To do that, He sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross for you.

Since that infinitely valuable life paid sin’s penalty, God can justly forgive all who put their trust in the crucified one. It was because it was impossible for God to save the sinner in any other way that our Lord prayed in the garden, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

Literally, in permitting Him to go to the cross, the Father said, "It’s impossible. If I’m going to save sinners, you, my only, my precious Son, must die." And when God made so great a sacrifice, and when His Son made so great a sacrifice, and when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your heart and life, then, my friend, we ought to accept this great salvation.

It wasn't possible for God to save man any other way. God could not forgive sin until it had been atoned for. The death of Christ is the only remedy that can atone for sin. Now, third: the Bible says that it is impossible for true believers to continue in sin habitually.

God gives us strength and grace to resist and triumph over sin. He will not permit us to be utterly cast down. God will, with the temptation, He promises, make a way of escape. He will give us strength to overcome temptation and to live victoriously.

The fact that truly born-again ones cannot sin habitually warns us and it enables us to know that we have been truly born again. If we go on committing the same sins over and over again without striving in Christ to resist temptation, it surely is the indication that we have not been born again.

Jesus said, "By their fruits ye shall know them." And again, He said, "He that keepeth my commandments, he it is that loveth me." If we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we will love Him, obey Him, and strive to live the overcoming life.

Now, fourth: the fourth impossibility of which the Bible speaks is the impossibility of anyone who is unsaved inheriting the kingdom of heaven. These words are very plain and God intended them to be so. It does not matter what a man professes to believe. If he practices sin, if he deliberately continues in sin, then he has had no change of heart and it's impossible for him to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The sooner such a one wakes up to his lost condition, the better it is for him. The remedy for the ones who practice sin is to repent of their sins, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then seek henceforth to do the things that please God.

Paul reminds us when he wrote the epistle to the people at Corinth that some of them were guilty of awful things. But he added—listen, these are his words: "But ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Thank God they turned to Christ and they became victorious Christians.

And last: it is impossible for those who have been truly saved through faith in Jesus Christ ever to be lost. Oh, there's many scriptures I could give. Of course, Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul in writing, and in the words Jesus spoke, are speaking of ones who have never really been born again, the ones who continue to sin.

There are many who have joined a church or they have given a mental assent to the gospel and you’d be surprised at the great numbers there are. They say, "Why, I believe the Bible." My friends, the man or the woman who believes the Bible has it written in his heart. It takes more than a head knowledge of the Bible and of Jesus Christ to be saved.

It takes a wholehearted surrender to God. And so, my friends, we find that the ones who have repented, the ones who have turned away from their sin, the ones who have striven honestly and earnestly to become overcomers, they are God’s children. The ones who have professed Him openly to the world and the ones who have put all of their trust in Him, the ones who continually produce the evidence of their salvation by doing the things that are pleasing unto God.

I’ve had many a person say to me, "Brother Weber, I wish I could get rid of this habit or that habit or the other habit." Well, take it to the Lord. You came and told me about it. Why don't you tell Jesus about it every day until you’re the victor? It is impossible for the truly saved to continually live in sin.

Now, we all make mistakes. We all have shortcomings. But I mean, to deliberately make a practice of it. Therefore, we trust in Jesus Christ for our victory and we make our calling and election sure by holy living. That’s why the Bible says, "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto him, and be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may know what is that good and holy will of God."

So, that it is impossible for those who make a practice of sin to enter heaven. So you must know that if you persist in sin, in reality, you are not saved and you should turn to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Last: it is impossible for those who have truly been born again ever to be lost.

If you recognize these impossibilities, if you put all your trust in the Son of God, as He offers you in the Bible His glorious power, then yours will be a life of peace, blessing, and joy in this world and radiant with glory with Christ in the next world.

Oh, my friends, we need to recognize these impossibilities. Now, I mention one other. It is impossible—now listen to me—it is absolutely impossible for God ever to say no to one who comes to him in the name of Jesus Christ for salvation. God simply cannot turn His back upon you once you come in the name of Jesus Christ.

You say, "Mr. Weber, you don't know how greatly I’ve sinned." He said, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they’ll be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." You can come to God no matter how grievously you have sinned if you come to God in the name of Jesus Christ. He will forgive all sin, for it is impossible for God to refuse you salvation.

Southwest Radio Ministries: We have been listening to our ministry’s founder E. F. Weber’s presentation entitled, Impossibilities of God. This message was first given in 1955 and is available today for you on CD. Simply visit swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144 to place your order.

All this month, we are celebrating 93 years of ministry and outreach. April 1933, this program went on the air for the very first time. And thanks to the generosity of many over the years, we are still here proclaiming the good news and bringing clarity to the chaos.

We’re asking this week that you would give a $93 gift in honor of our 93rd year of ministry. Please give your best gift today. Visit swrc.com and give or call 1-800-652-1144 with your gift. 1-800-652-1144 and swrc.com.

Thank you, and know that your gift today is greatly appreciated. Lord willing, we’ll be back here Monday, ready to once again bring clarity to the chaos. So head into the weekend with the encouragement that God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and has been supported for 93 years by faithful friends just like you. Please visit swrc.com. That’s swrc.com.