I think. How are you? Thank you. I don't know. I don't know. You know, I'm sorry. Yeah. As a Christian, what would you
want to do? That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great
question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's
a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question.
That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question.
That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's
a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great
question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great
question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's
a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's
a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's
a great question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That's a great
question. That's a great question. That's a great question. That Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. She said that she's sorry. She
said that she's sorry. so so Good morning everyone. Welcome
to the services. Let's begin our singing by turning
to hymn number 294. Savior like a shepherd lead us.
294. Savior, like a shepherd lead
us, much we need Thy tender care. In Thy pleasant pastures feed
us, for our use Thy folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us Thine we are. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us Thine we are. We are Thine, do Thou befriend
us, Be the guardian of our way. Keep Thy flock from sin defend
us, Seek us when we go astray. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
hear, oh hear us when we pray. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
hear, oh hear us when we pray. Thou hast promised to receive
us, poor and sinful though we be. Thou hast mercy to receive us,
grace to cleanse and power to free. Blessed Jesus, blessed
Jesus, early let us turn to Thee. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee, Early let us seek Thy favor, Early
let us do Thy will. Blessed Lord and only Savior,
Thy love our bosoms fill. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, loved us, Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, loved us still. Turn back to hymn number 70,
if you would. Holy, holy, holy. Hymn number 70. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee Holy, holy,
holy Merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity
Holy, holy, holy All the saints adored thee, Casting down thy
golden crowns Around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim Falling
down before thee, Rich wort and art and evermore shall be. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful men thy glory may see, Only Thou
art holy, there is none beside Thee. Perfect in power, in love
and purity. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty
All thy works shall praise thy name In earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy Merciful and kind God in three persons, blessed
Trinity. If you would, I'd ask you to
turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4. The Apostle Paul here writing
to his son of the faith, Timothy, here in chapter four, verse one. 2 Timothy 4 verse 1, I charge thee
therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. Here's the charge, preach the
word, be instant in season, out of season. And he mentions three
things here. reprove, rebuke, and exhort with
all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall
they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. and they shall turn away their
ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. Now, I will confess to you this
morning that I love the preaching of the gospel, especially the
preaching that does those three things, reproves, convicts. I love when the word of God convicts
me. because it gives me great hope
that the Lord hasn't given up on me, that he's continuing to
reveal himself to me. And I love the message that rebukes
me, it corrects me. And I most definitely love the
message that exhorts, it encourages and comforts me. May God be pleased
to do these things for us in the preaching of the gospel.
Let's pray together at this time. Heavenly Father, Lord, we come
again into your throne of grace, thanking you, Lord, for your
mercy and your grace, thanking you above all for the Lord Jesus
Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. We thank you,
Lord, that It's the preaching of Christ that saves sinners,
that you use what the world calls foolishness, the means of preaching
to save those that believe. We ask, Lord, that you might
today, if it be your will, to enlighten and reveal this glorious
gospel to one who is yet without Christ. Lord, we pray for those
that we mention here from time to time, Thou knowest all the
needs of all everywhere. We, Lord, simply pray that your
will be done as we know it always is. Thank you, Lord, for this
place that we can come together. Thank you for these that have
come out to hear the glorious gospel and unsearchable riches
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be with us, Lord, in the remainder
of this service. Glorify your name. Glorify your
son. For Christ's sake, we ask, amen. Okay, one more hymn before the
message. 442, I'd like to ask you to stand
as we sing, praise him, praise him, 442. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed
Redeemer! Sing, all earth, His wonderful
love proclaim! Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory,
strength and honor, Give to His holy name. Like a shepherd, Jesus
would guard His children, In His arms He carries them all
day long. Praise Him, praise Him, tell
of His excellent greatness. Praise Him, praise Him, ever
in joyful song. Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus
our blessed Redeemer. For our sins He suffered and
bled and died He our rock, our hope of eternal salvation Hail
Him, hail Him, Jesus the crucified Sound His praises Jesus who bore
our sorrows, love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong. Praise Him, praise Him, to His
excellent greatness. Praise Him, praise Him, neighbor
in joyful song. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed
Redeemer! Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas
ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever
and ever. Crown Him, crown Him, prophet
and priest and king. Christ is coming over the world
victorious. Power and glory unto the Lord
belong. Praise Him, praise Him, tell
of His excellent greatness. Praise Him, praise Him, ever
in joyful song. You may be seated. But this time,
Shelly's going to do a special for us. ? Once I sat alone ? ? Beside the
highway banking ? ? His eyes were blind ? the light he could not see. He watched his friends and shivered
in the shadows. Then Jesus came and made his
darkness flee. When Jesus comes, the tears are
wiped away. He takes the blue and fills the
night with glory. For all is changed when Jesus
comes to stay. From home and friends Beneath
a spirit's trophy Among the tombs He dwelt in misery So today I found the Savior able Oh, my guilt and sin, my broken
heart, and every sin for me. Then Jesus came and dwelt himself
within. When Jesus comes, The tempest's power is broken
when Jesus comes. The tears are wiped away. He takes the cold. He fills the
life with glory for all is changed. ? When Jesus comes to stay ? ?
Yes, all has changed ? ? Your mercy's away ? ? Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Thank you, Shelly. And I'd like
to also quickly thank the men that came yesterday for the work
day. We got everything on our list
done. And we finished almost all the
donuts. So good job. If you would turn with me to
Isaiah chapter 45. I preached from this text a little
over three years ago, and I titled that particular message, I the
Lord Do All These Things. In the past three years, I've
received some opposition on three particular doctrines that I wish
to address this morning. And these doctrines are God's
sovereignty, predestination, and providence. So I'll simply
title this message, Divine Sovereignty, Predestination, and Providence. There seems to be a great deal
of confusion and unbelief when it comes to what some deem as
being difficult subjects to understand. Though I cannot explain these
three divine doctrines, I really had no difficulty in understanding
them because I understand very well that God says that He's
sovereign. and that God predestinates all
things after the counsel of His own will, and that He providentially
brings all things to pass in time that He purposed in eternity. So the problem is not so much
that these wonderful truths are difficult to understand, the
real difficulty lies in submitting and believing these wonderful
teachings of scripture. Sadly, many would rather disagree
and argue these truths instead of embracing them as truth. And I personally can find no
peace, no comfort, no rest, no assurance in any other than a
sovereign God. and a God who sovereignly brings
to pass in time what He purposed and predestinated before the
world ever was. So with that said, let's look
here at Isaiah chapter 45, beginning in verse one, and see if we can
find some understanding and revelation of God's divine character. God
must give it for us to do so. I know that much. Verse one,
thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I
have holden to subdue nations before him, and I will loose
the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates, and
the gates shall not be shut. Now here we're introduced to
a man called or named Cyrus. The scriptures call him the Lord's
anointed. That word anointed means consecrated. It means set apart. It means to be set aside for
a specific purpose. God anointed Cyrus and he set
him apart to be a king. Now, the Hebrew word anointed
is pronounced Meshiach, and it's the same word used for the English
word Messiah. Jesus Christ is God's anointed
Messiah. He's the only one who could ever
deliver and save God's people from their sin. But Josephus,
who is the Jewish historian, records in his writings that
Cyrus was considered and regarded by the people of Israel as at
this time in Jewish history to be Israel's ordained deliverer. And it was by the powerful hand
of God that he was. That's an amazing thought. When
you consider that Cyrus was a Persian, a heathen, who didn't know God. God can use anything and anyone
to accomplish his will and purpose. Did you hear me? God can use
anything or anyone to accomplish His will and purpose. Now Cyrus
was the leader of the Persian Empire. God gave him great courage. God gave him a brilliant mind. His genius placed him at the
head of all the Persians. And God gave him numerous conquests. God raised him up to subdue nations. God enabled Cyrus to strip kings
of their kingdoms. God opened gates, God opened
doors for him that no man could open, and God shut gates, doors,
for him that no man could shut. And in verse 2, God promised
to go before him. God promised to make the crooked
way straight, to break in pieces the gates of brass, to cut asunder
the bars of iron. How did God make the crooked
places straight for Cyrus? He removed all obstructions,
all obstructions, and gave him victory and success over every
enemy and every difficulty. Only God can do that. Cyrus was
an instrument of God. Is it not lawful and is it not
right for God to do what he will with his own? Though Cyrus was
a Gentile, though he was a heathen, he was still the property of
God. All men and women are, whether
they know it or not. A couple interesting facts concerning
Cyrus are first, God used him to deliver and free the Jews
from Babylonian captivity. And secondly, God enabled and
caused Cyrus to rebuild his temple in Jerusalem. In verse three,
we see that God gave Cyrus treasures of darkness. God did this. God
gave Cyrus hidden treasures or hidden riches in secret places.
God gave this Persian king treasures that had been laid up in secret
places, riches that hadn't seen the light of day for many, many
years. God did that. God showed great favor to this
pagan king. Why did God do all these things
for Cyrus? For the same reason he raised
up Pharaoh. So that God's omnipotent power
be known and declared throughout all the earth. For the scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised
thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name
might be declared throughout all the earth. Romans 9, 17.
In verse three, the Lord himself says to Cyrus, look at this.
He says that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which calls
by name is the God of Israel. God raised up Cyrus to accomplish
His own will and purpose. And as God, He has that right. It was by God's right hand that
Cyrus is holding, kept, maintained, made strong and courageous. God
declares to Cyrus and the whole world that He's the God who does
all these things. And it's the same today. Particular
men are in power for one reason. God put them there. God put them where they are,
and this is the reason. God will do all His pleasure. He would cease to be God if He
didn't. And this, my friends, is why.
Look at verse four. For Jacob, my servant's sake,
and Israel, mine elect. God did all these things for
his chosen people. Now, I want you to stay with
me. In verse four, God tells Cyrus, I have surnamed thee.
I've given you a distinct name. I've given you a flattering reputation,
even though thou hast not known me. Cyrus was ignorant of the very
God that had raised him up to do great things. It's the same
today. So-called powerful men take pride in their accomplishments
because they don't know that it was God who raised them up. God here lets Cyrus know just
that. In verse five, God says, I am
the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me. Cyrus, God said, Cyrus, I girded
thee, I surrounded thee, I prepared thee. That's what the word means.
I formed a barrier around you. I strengthened you. I made you
ready. I fenced you in. I hemmed you
up. I fortified you. I, the Lord,
did this. I did all these things and you
didn't even know it was me who did it. I made you a king of
many nations. I gave you strength, courage,
and valor. I made you a great man of war. I made you successful. I made you victorious. It's God
that does these things, friends, whether men know it or not. Though
Cyrus was a heathen prince and ignorant of God, God for the
glory of his own great name and for the good of his people, the
sons of Jacob, he says here. The elect of God, God did these
things for Cyrus, but it was God's people that benefited by
what God did for Cyrus. Did you hear me? So why did God
do it this way? Verse six. that they, speaking
of all the inhabitants of the earth, may know, know what? That from the rising of the sun
and from the west that there is none beside me, I am the Lord
and there is none else. What does this great God who
is in the heavens do? Whatsoever he's pleased. whatsoever, anything and everything. That's what the word means. The
Lord pleased, that did He in heaven and in earth and the seas
and all deep places. And don't make any mistake about
it. God does what He does for His people. God ultimately does
what He does for His own glory. Salvation's of the Lord, and
he gets all the glory, the honor, and the praise for the salvation
of his people. They go hand in hand. Salvation's
of the Lord, he gets all the credit. He gets all the glory.
Now, I want you to look at what God says of himself in verse
seven. God says, I form the light and
I create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Now, did I read that wrong? Is that what your Bible says?
Does the Lord create light? That's what He says. That's what
His Word says. The earth was without form. The
earth was void. Darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And God said, let there be light. And there was light. Folks don't
have a problem with God creating light. Jesus Christ is the light
in the life of men. There's no light or life apart
from Jesus Christ. But God also says here that He
creates darkness. Verse 7. And a lot of people
have a problem with that. Some of you do. The Lord says,
I make peace. Folks don't have a problem with
that. People walk around all the time, peace, peace, little
peace sign. Folks don't have a problem with
God making peace, but the Lord says, also I create evil. And some of you got a problem
with that. Amos, the prophet of God wrote, shall there be
evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it. Now that's not referring
to the evil of sin. This is what I want folks to
understand. God cannot be charged with sin. Let God be true and every man
a liar. Christ, who knew no sin, was
made sin that we, His people, might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. That's the only way that sinful
mankind could be made righteous. It was the evil of sin whereby
men with their wicked hands took and crucified the Lord Jesus
Christ. But behind it all, behind it
all was the determinate, determined on purpose counsel and foreknowledge
of God. God was behind it all. The word
evil in verse 7 is not talking about the evil of sin. It's talking
about calamity. It's talking about trouble. The
trouble that God sends and all God has to do to allow evil to
manifest is simply just let man have his way. Because by nature,
men are evil. We love darkness rather than
light. Because our deeds are what? Evil. It's God who works
all things after the counsel of His own will. Not just the
things that we think and believe to be good. All things. All the things that men believe
to be bad. All things, even evil, troublesome
things caused by the sin of man are allowed by God or overruled
by Him for the good of His people. Those who are be called according
to His purpose. Murder. It's a horrible thing. War. How horrific. Famine. Pestilence. But all these
things are permitted, are allowed by God. God permits these things
for the greater good of His chosen people. That's what this book
teaches. I can't explain it. I can't explain
predestination. But I certainly understand that
it's so because God says that it is. According to the Bible,
God's Word, anything and everything that comes to pass, God purposed
before the foundation of the world. I'm going to show you
that in the Scriptures. I can't explain God's providence,
but I certainly believe it. And I understand that God declares
it to be so. Every single thing that God purposed
before the foundation of the world, He brings to pass in time. And everything that He brings
to pass in time, He purposed before the foundation of the
world. God said, I create evil. I create calamity. I bring about
disasters. I send trouble. That's what God
said. King David, the apple of God's
eye knew that. He said, it's good for me that
I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes. Now, do you know what that word
statutes means? I've told you before. It means
appointments. It means decrees. It's good for
me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn your decrees,
that I might learn your divine appointments, that I might learn
that you're in charge, God, that you're in control of everything.
That gives the believer great comfort. That doesn't upset me. I'm glad God's in charge of everything.
It's good for me that I might learn, David said. Who is it
that does the teaching? Our Lord Jesus said, it's written
in the prophets that they shall all be taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh
unto me. I want to be taught of God. And
if I am taught the truth of Scripture, it's going to be by God, by divine
revelation. Now, when did God decree the
things that come to pass? When did God make his divine
appointments? From and before the foundation
of the world. that it might be fulfilled, which
was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables.
I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation
of the world. Matthew 13, 35. Then shall the
king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed to my father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. Matthew 25, 34. That the blood
of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the
world may be required of this generation. Luke 11, 50. Now when was the blood of the
prophets shed? Zechariah, the best I can find, was the first
prophet stoned and killed, the first prophet whose blood was
shed. He was a prophet from 520 BC until 518 BC. But God purposed that Zechariah
should live, die, and have his blood shed from the foundation
of the world. All the prophets from the foundation
world. It was God's decree. It was God's
divine appointment. That was what God brought to
pass in time. It was what God willed. It was
what God purposed and predetermined before the world was ever made.
That word providence, it's used one time in the Bible. One time. It's found in Acts chapter 24
verse 2, and it's talking about what God brought to pass concerning
the Jewish nation. And do you know what that word
used one time in the Bible means? You can look it up. If you've
got a concordance, look it up. It means forethought. It means
predetermined. It means predestinated. It means
destined and determined beforehand. And I'm not going to argue about
it. God's the one who said it. If you want to argue, argue with
Him about it. Listen to this, John 17, 24, from the mouth of
our Lord Himself. Father, I will that they also,
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me
before the foundation of the world. according as He hath chosen
us in Him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world.
When did God choose me? When did God choose you? Before
the world was ever made. That we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. For we which have believed do
enter into rest, as He has said, I have sworn in my wrath, if
they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. For then must He, Christ Jesus,
often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But
now, once in the end of the world, hath He appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hebrews 9, 26. Who barely was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, now listen, but
was manifest in these last times for you. That's exactly what
I'm saying. God purposed it before the world
began, but He brought it to pass in the course of time. God ordained
Christ to be a substitute, a sacrifice and Savior for His people. When? Before the world was ever made.
When was this made manifest? It says in these last times for
you. In one day. Job lost everything
he had, including all 10 of his children, all 10. He said, you know what he said?
He said, the Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be
the name of the Lord. The Lord gave Job all of his
children, seven boys and three girls, and the Lord took all
of his children away. Job ascribed it all to the Lord. All of it. He said the Lord gave
them, the Lord took them away. Well, the Lord wouldn't do that.
You better believe He would. He's the first cause of everything. When did God purpose to do that? Was it the morning before it
happened? Did God get up and scratch His hands and say, what
am I going to do today? I think I'm going to kill all Job's kids. No! That's
not consistent with what the Word of God teaches. He ordained
it to be so before the world was ever spoken to existence. God determined to do so before
the world ever was ever made. How were Job's seven sons and
three daughters killed? Well, you remember the story.
A servant was telling Job about how all his camels had been stolen. And while he was yet speaking,
yet there came another messenger. And he said, your sons and daughters
were feasting and drinking wine at their oldest brother's house
when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck
the four corners of the house and it collapsed on them and
they are dead and I'm the only one who's escaped to tell you. You remember what Amos, Amos
asked this question. He said, who forms the mountains
and who creates the wind? He said, the Lord, the God of
hosts is His name. That's who does it. Who sent
this wind? None other than the one who created
it, God. God sent the wind that killed
Job's children. A little later, after all these
things had come to pass, Job, as you remember, was smitten
with bulls from head to toe. He's sitting out on a garbage
heap. He's scraping his boils with broken pottery. And his wife says to him, when
things couldn't be any more desperate, he's lost everything. He's lost
his children. And now he's there with these
oozing boils from head to toe. And she said, do you still retain
your integrity once you curse God and die? And you remember
what he'd say? He said, well, you speak like
a Polish woman. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall
we not receive evil? In all this, Job did not sin
with his lips. So let me say it one more time.
God creates evil. That's what he said in verse
seven. This is not to be understood, again, as the evil men do because
of sin. But in the sense that God directs
judgments, disappointments, trials, troubles, and calamities, God
has the power to allow the mad passions of people to rage. Just
lets them go. God has the power to allow men
to make war. War's bad, but God allows it. God has the power to preside
over the adverse as well as he has the power to allow, make
profitable the events in this world. That doesn't make God
the author of sin. That doesn't make God the creator
of sin. God simply allows men and women
to carry out their evil tendencies to accomplish His perfect will
for the good of His elect people. And we're right back to that.
That's why God did what He did for Cyrus, for the good of His
people. And that's, friends, what makes
the sovereignty of God and the salvation of His people so certain. It's God that saves. God is too
sovereign to fail. Why do we always refer to God
as sovereign? I had someone ask me that. Why
do you always have to qualify God as sovereign? Why not just
say God, since only God is sovereign? If God's not sovereign, then
He's not God, right? So why do we qualify Him as sovereign?
Because the God that most people believe and most people worship
is anything and everything but sovereign. And we must differentiate
our God by calling Him sovereign and by declaring Him to be omnipotent. The God of heaven and earth gives
warning to those who despise His sovereignty, His providence,
and His predestinating purposes. Look at verse 8. Drop down ye
heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let
righteousness spring up together. I the Lord have created it. If
there's going to be any righteousness given to an undeserving sinner,
it's going to be God that gives it. And here's the warning, verse
9. Woe unto him that striveth with
his Maker. Let the potsherds strive with
the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioned it, what makest thou or thy work, he hath no hands. Now the warning from God is woe,
sorrow, distress to one that strives, one that wrestles, one
that battles, one that fights, one that wars with his maker.
Woe to the man, the woman who contends and enters into controversy
with their creator. Woe to the one who disputes with
God concerning his purposes and his decrees. Woe unto the person
who murmurs and quarrels and argues, making light of God's
right to do what he will with his own. God says, let the potsherds
strive with the potsherds of the earth. In other words, let
men strive with men. argue and debate, if you will,
with other earthen vessels made of the same mass and lump as
you are. But don't be so vain as to strive with God, who is
man's Maker and Creator, the powerful potter who can dash
to pieces the clay that's in His hand. Let's go down to the potter's
house. The clay was marred, where? In the potter's hands. Does the clay dare declare that
God the potter has no hands, no power, no skill to make the
clay vessel what he desires? Does the clay vessel dare to
claim to make itself to differ? Paul said it this way, therefore
he, God the sovereign potter, hath mercy on whom he'll have
mercy and whom he will, he hardened it. Thou wilt then say to me,
why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
You say God's sovereign. Then how can he blame someone
for doing what he supposedly ordained for him, ordained that
man to do? Nay, but O man, who art thou
that replyest against God? God doesn't have to give reason
to us for anything. Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why did you make me like this? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? Does not the potter have that
right and power? The answer is an unequivocal
yes, he does. Nebuchadnezzar, he's sitting
on his throne. His crown on his head, his purple
robe wrapped around his shoulder. He looks up on Babylon and he
says, man, is this not great Babylon which I have built? And
moments later it's asked, what or who is that creature out there
in the field? Well, it's got hair like eagle's
feathers, and its nails are like bird claws. It walks on all fours. It eats grass like an oxen. It's driven out from man. What
is it? It's the same man who bragged
on the difference that he made. And he is later restored, and
you know what he says? Blessed be the Most High who
is able to abase those who walk in pride. Turn your eyes upon
Herod. He speaks and folks just grovel. They bow down before him and
they say, this is the voice of God. It's not the voice of man. And loving their praise, he doesn't
give glory to God and he's eaten up with worms. God's not gonna share his glory
with another. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? What do you have you didn't receive? And what, why
do you glories if you didn't receive it? God gets all the
glory. Woe unto him that striveth with
his maker. Every earthly king's gonna die,
but God says, I'm God, and beside me, there's none else. Why is
this so crucial to believe? None other than God can save.
God's people are made to see who God is. And they're made
to see who they are. And in verse 12, God says, I
made the earth. I created man upon it. I stretched
out the heavens. Who did that? God did that. Where
were you when I created the heavens? That's what God says. He asked
that question. Where were you? Did I take counsel
with you when I did all this? According to verse 13, it's God
who makes sinners righteous. And this is our sovereign God,
verse 18, and I'll hurry. For thus saith the Lord that
created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made
it, He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed
it to be inhabited, and He says, I am the Lord and there is none
else. "'I have not spoken in secret
in a dark place of the earth. "'I sit not into the seat of
Jacob. "'Seek ye me in vain. "'I, the Lord, speak righteousness. "'I declare things that are wrought.
"'Assemble yourselves and come and draw near together, "'ye
that are escaped to the mountains, "'that have no knowledge, "'that
set up the wood of their graven image, "'and pray unto a God
that cannot save. "'Tell ye and bring them near. "'Yea, let them take counsel
together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside
me, a just God and a Savior. There's none beside me. Now my
time's up, but I want you to hear me when I say, because it
may be the last time you ever hear it. This is the God of the Bible.
that saves sinners. Only He is capable and willing
and able to save. Now let me give you four gospel
truths in less than a minute. First, it's God alone who saves. I think we've seen that pretty
clearly. Verse 17 says, but Israel shall be saved in the Lord with
an everlasting salvation. He shall not be ashamed or confounded,
world without end. Secondly, how does God save sinners? Verse 21, look unto me and be
ye saved. He saves his elect people, foreknown,
predestinated, called and justified from all the ends of the earth.
That's the God who saves. He saves his people, that's who
he saves. And fourthly, why must we look to Christ alone? Again,
verse 21, for He is God. He's a just God and a Savior.
There's none else. Oh, friends, may God be pleased
to make it so for His glory. You see, everything that God
does is for His glory. And may He be pleased to reveal
these things to us for our good. Everything God does is for His
people's good. Everything, all things. Everything. And may God be pleased to make
it so for Christ's sake. And this is why God sovereignly
predestines and providentially saves His people from their sin,
because salvation is of the Lord Jesus Christ, even as God, for
Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. That's why we forgive one
another. And that's why we bow to this
God of the Bible. For Christ's sake, He's forgiven
us. And He's our God. And I wouldn't
have it any other way. May God be pleased to make it
so. Okay, Shelly, we have time to
sing a couple verses. 388, if you would, please. As soon as we finish singing
this hymn, Brother Paul wants to address the church, so just
remain seated. You don't have to stand with
a hymn. Let's just sing a couple verses
here, 388. Have Thine own way, Lord, and He will. He will. Have Thine own way,
Lord. Have Thine own way. Thou art the power I am the clay. Mold me and make
me after Thy will. While I am waiting, yield it
and steal. Have thine own way, Lord, have
thine own way. Search me and try me, Master,
today. Wider than snow, Lord, wash me
just now. ? As in Thy presence, humbly
I bow. ? Verse three is the last. ?
Have Thine own way, Lord. ? ? Have Thine own way. ? ? Wounded and weary, help me,
I pray. ? Power, oh power, surely is
thine. Touch me and heal me, Savior
be mine. Brother Paul, if you would dismiss
us in prayer after you're finished. I would like to thank the church
for all your prayers and your visits to me. In the past few months, I've
gone through some trials. But the Lord brought me through
for a reason. And I would just like to thank
all of you for remembering me and those of you that came to
visit with me when I was in the rehab unit. And especially our
pastor, I've just been able to get out a little
bit because I didn't have a way out of our house. I could get
out, but I was afraid that I could not get back in. I was trapped there for quite
a few weeks. But now I'm able to get out and
I'm thankful that the Lord has allowed me this freedom. But I don't remember, like I
said, I don't remember a lot of things that happened, but
I know that it was A very trying time. And. But who brought that trial ball? Who brought that trial? Yeah. And. The Lord did, didn't he? Yeah, and I don't know what lesson
I've learned, but I learned. Quite a few things. The Lord
is in control of our lives. And it's nice to be able to get out
now, and I've been able to do things that I haven't been
able to do, but I'm getting stronger. And I just want to thank all
of you for what you might have done. We're sure glad to have
you back, you and Anna. All I can do is say thank you. You're most welcome. Would you go ahead and dismiss
us in prayer, Paul? Would you dismiss us in prayer? Our gracious Heavenly Father,
we want to thank you. for this day that we've heard
that were placed in our hearts, that we might be thankful for
what you do for us each and every day. And we take for granted
so much. But when we don't have these
things, we realize that how much you affect our lives. Help us,
Lord, for we need thy help. We are sinful creatures, but
only by thy grace do we walk. Help us. and teach us how to
pray and what to pray for and to be thankful for what you do
for us each and every day that we take for granted. This business now and bring us
back at the next appointed time. Remember those that are mentioned
here from time to time as all things of prayer, especially those that are dying
and suffering. Help us, Lord, for we know that
we are in Thy hands. And forgive us of our sins, for
it's in Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you.