Take your Bibles and turn with
me to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26. We'll be
looking at verse 30 through verse 32. And also, I'll have you go ahead
and turn here because I think it'd be more beneficial to get
it right off the bat. Hold your place here in Matthew
26, but also go to Zechariah chapter 13. We'll be looking
at these two passages of Scripture as they're intermingled together
in our text. So Matthew 26, verse 30 through
32, and then we'll go to Zechariah chapter 13. For now, let's go back to Matthew
26. After the Lord had instituted his supper, his memorial, the
scripture says, and they had sung a hymn and went out into
the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said unto them, All
ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written,
I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall
be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I
will go before you into Galilee. The title of the message this
evening is, The Smitten Savior and the deceitful heart. The
smitten Savior and the deceitful heart. Now this discourse, this
discourse of our Lord Jesus Christ here in Matthew 26 was not given
to the lost, but rather given to true Believers. True believers in Christ. You remember that Judas, who
betrayed the Lord, had already gone out. He had already left
them and only the eleven apostles remained. Only eleven disciples
remained. And Jesus says to these faithful
few, these true believers, all of you, All of you shall be offended
because of me this night. This night. Remember it was this
night that Jesus should be betrayed into the hands of sinners, even
as God had purposed. Even as God decreed before the
foundation of the world, even so the scripture foretells of
this hundreds of years before His incarnation. This was no
accidental time. Everything the Lord knew in His
ministry was moving toward this time. You remember that's what
He told Pilate. He said, for this purpose I am
come into the world. You can't do anything to me except
it were given you of my Father. This purpose, He had come into
the world to die. That was His purpose. His purpose
was to come and die for His people. Now go over to Zechariah chapter
13. It's in this passage, and you
can see it most clearly in verse 7. This is a prophecy. It's the
same prophecy the Lord Jesus uses in Matthew. He says, in Matthew in verse 31, He said,
It is written for it is written. I will smite the shepherd and
the sheep of the flock shall be scattered That's clearly seen
in verse 7 in the middle part Smite the shepherd and the sheep
shall be scattered and I will turn my hands upon the little
ones but in this this chapter 13 of Zechariah. Before it gets to this place,
we have a great and precious promise, even this promise of
the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in verse 1, in that day
shall be a fountain opened to the house of David to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. The Lord God promises
us that a day in which this fountain will be opened, not a carnal
fountain, not a literal fountain of water, but rather a spiritual
fountain. A spiritual fountain. And this
fountain is not for fleshly thirst, but rather for those who thirst
after righteousness. See, this fountain was opened
for a specific reason, for sin and uncleanness. Now, this spiritual
fountain is not of water, but of blood. Blood. There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Immanuel's veins. It's sad to see this, but I was
reading an article today about that believers, Christians, are
too infatuated with the blood. That is the most horrific thing
I've ever read. How can you be too infatuated
with the blood when it is the blood that causes God to pass
over us. It is all through the Old Testament
as a type and a picture. And here the Lord Jesus Christ
was about to go and shed His blood because He is the fountain
opened. He is the fountain opened. The
Word of God is not vague, but is very clear, that no amount
of water can wash away sin, for without the shedding of what?
Blood! There is no remission of sins. In Hebrews 9.22 it says that. And Hebrews 10.4 it says, neither
could any blood do. It's not just a matter of blood,
any old blood, but it must be the blood of a spotless Lamb,
a sinless man, the righteous man, Jesus Christ. Therefore,
this fountain opened is a picture of what Christ came to do. He
came with this promise in mind that he was to be the fountain
open. It's a picture of Jesus whose
flesh was broken and whose blood flowed from his wounds. And that
by His one offering for sin, He should forever cleanse and
redeem His people from their sins. And notice the prophet tells
us that this fountain that's to be opened was not for everyone. This fountain that was to be
opened for sin and cleansing is not for everyone. He says
it was opened for the house of David, for the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. See, the Lord Jesus Christ did
not come into the world to die for all men. He did not come
to die for all men. He came to die for the house
of David. He came to be a fountain open
for His elect people. He came to die for them. As He is a picture not of a literal
water fountain, this is also not just a picture of the literal
house of David. It is the spiritual house, the
elect of God. I'll tell you, we pray that our
God would bring such reproach and shame upon all those who
preach the gospel of universal atonement. That is a shameful
gospel. They should be ashamed, anyone
who preaches that. That Jesus' blood was shed for
all men without exception. That's a blasphemous doctrine
that counts the blood of Christ as a common thing. As a common
thing. That's what Paul says of those
reprobates. He says they count the blood
of Christ as an unholy thing. That word means common. Common
thing. Isn't that what they say? Well,
it's shed for everybody. It's just a common thing. It's
unclean. That He shed His blood in vain
for billions and billions of people. But we know that that's not true
according to the Scripture. His blood was shed for the children
of God. His blood was shed for all those
that the Father loved and chose before the world began. Those
whom this blood was shed for and this fountain was opened
for are unclean sinners. You know, that's all God's elect.
God's elect are made up of unclean, filthy sinners. I'll tell you, if we weren't
sinners, we wouldn't need a fountain of cleansing. If we weren't unclean,
if you're clean, you don't need a bath. Only if you're dirty,
and we by nature are filthy, and we need that blood. This
is why Christ was set His face, the scripture said, like a flint
to go to Jerusalem, to go to the cross. So that this fountain
of grace should be open for His people And these people, these elect,
are as depraved by nature as the rest of Adam's fallen race.
Yet this fountain was open for us even though it was not known
to us. This was not known to us when
we were born into the world. This was not known that I was
the elect of God. not until the grace of God came
in power to give us life and faith in Jesus Christ. It's my heart's desire and prayer
that sinners would by the grace of God see that unconditional
election and particular redemption of those elect are the only hope
for mankind. If there is any hope for Adam's
race, there must have been an election of God. There must have
been a particular redemption of Christ if there is to be any
hope for us. There'd be any consolation. Consider this, that if there
were no election like some men desire, if there was no particular
redemption of grace, then listen, no one would be saved. I think the Free Will Works religion
group are much like that harlot. You remember those two women,
those harlots, they had those children, and one of them died.
And they brought it before Solomon, and Solomon said, okay, let's
split it down the middle. And what did the woman say that
it was not her child? She said, okay, kill it! That
was her heart. She didn't care. And I think
that men who don't believe in election are much like that.
They'd much rather the whole race be damned than to believe
in election. But we know this, Isaiah says
in Isaiah 1-9, except the Lord of hosts had left a remnant,
we should have all been as Sodom and like unto Gomorrah. Friends,
Jesus makes this very plain in His discourse with His disciples.
He tells them over in John chapter 13 and verse 18. He said, I speak
not of you all. I know whom I have chosen. Judas and the disciples were
together and Christ said, you're not all clean. I know whom I
have chosen and who will betray me. And over in chapter 15 of
John and verse 16, Jesus said, you have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you and ordained you. That you should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
And whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name, that he may
give you. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
makes it plain. This is not a debatable doctrine. This is not something that we
can get all into a theological discussion about, as though you
have your opinion, I have mine. No, I have the Word of God, and
they don't. That simple. The Word of God says that God
chose a people and this fountain, listen, this fountain was open
for them. This fountain was only open for
them. And I tell you this, only they
will come. Only they will come to faith
in Jesus Christ. Go to Ephesians chapter 1. Look
at this beautiful, I think this is a flowing discourse. I see it much like that fountain
that Ezekiel saw coming from the temple and how it flowed
down and it trickled and then it became a mighty river. You
can see this fountain flowing here. Salvation always begins
with God. We read that the Father, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ,
according as He, the Father, hath chosen us in Him before
the foundation of the world, that we should behold Him without
blame before Him, in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will. You see that the Father chose
His church. The Father chose His church and
He put them in Christ. He made them in union with Christ
to be their representative, their surety, the head of the new covenant. He purposed that Christ should
make them holy. And look at verse 7. In whom
we, the elect, have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of His grace. We see that the elect were redeemed
by the blood of the cross. And in verse 8 and 9, then we
see the experience of it. Do you see how it flows? Flows
from the throne of God in election, the purpose of God in salvation
by Jesus Christ. Then Christ comes. Then He fulfills
the covenant. And then, by the grace of God,
we experience it. wherein He hath abounded toward
us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the
mystery of His will." What's the mystery of His will?
This is the will of Him who sent me. That of all which the Father
hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up. I didn't
know that. Did you know that? I didn't know
that until the Father came and revealed it to me. And I'll tell
you this, no man will know it until the Father reveals it to
him. Do you realize that? That if you understand, if you
believe the Gospel, it is because God revealed it to you. That's
it! And you know, if you don't understand
it, listen, it's because God hides it from you. You see the sovereignty of God? The sovereignty of God is what causes men to believe And according to his wisdom and
prudence, consider what God has done to bring you to know this. Consider the path that you've
trod in this life, that it's all been laid out for you. That
you've not taken one step that was not ordained of God. I like that the Ezekiel, when
he talks about the wheel within the wheel, he says this, it went
straight. It didn't go to the right and
it didn't go to the left. How many times have you asked
yourself, well, what if that had happened or what if that
other thing, there was no chance the other thing was going to
happen. It was determined God's purpose is straight. And nothing in heaven or in earth
or in hell could have stopped you from coming to the time and
place of your spiritual birth. Nothing. Nothing. God ordained
it according to His wisdom and prudence. He made known unto
us the mystery of His will. And this is His will, look at
this, that in the dispensation, verse 10 of Ephesians 1, that
in the dispensation of the fullness of times. In the fullness of times. In
the fullness of times He is going to gather all of His elect in
one in Christ. He'll gather them all, there
won't be any missing. You know, gather us all in the
same way through faith in Christ. And listen, you believer, do
you know this? You have inherited all things. You have. In Christ, you have
everything. Everything. Everything in this world moves
according to the will of God and the will of God is to do
you good. That's God's will for you. And
so everything's yours. I've not received it all yet.
What do we got? How do we know? We have a down
payment. That's what he talks about in earnest. The Holy Spirit. And you know what he's done for
us? With that Holy Spirit of promise, he has sealed us. There used to be in the days
of the kings, they would have a ring on their hand. And when
they had a letter of importance, they would put that ring into
hot wax and seal the letter. And upon pain of death, no one
was to open that letter but to the person it was intended. And we go over to Revelation.
What do we see the Lord Jesus Christ doing? He's given a book
with what? Seven seals. And what does He
do? He opens them. They're His seals. It's His letter. And it is the book of election.
It is the book of grace that He holds in His hands. And your
names are written there. Your names are written there. I tell you, no one will be able
to separate you from God's what that's telling you. No one. This
fountain was open for you. It's open for your sin and uncleanness. For you are the eternally beloved
and chosen of the Father, even before the world began. Now,
let me ask you, do you have any interest in that? Do you have any interest to know
if your name is written there? Are you one of these elect that the Father has given to
Christ? Are you one of those that Jesus
shed His blood for? Listen, the only evidence of
this is faith. That's it. I tell you what, you
can cut me open, you can look in all my organs, and you know
you won't find a seal there. You won't find any evidence of
grace in this body. But I'll tell you this, the evidence
is that I believe. Faith, faith. Jesus says in John chapter six,
I just read that to you, some of that a minute ago. In John
six, he said, this is the will of him that sent me. All that the Father giveth me
shall what? Come to me. Come to me. Have you come to Christ? Have you come empty? Because
that's how you got to come. You come empty. You come as a
sinner. You come to the fountain for
cleansing. and him that cometh to me, I
will never cast out. I will in no wise cast him out.
Remember, faith is not a mere decision, but it is a gift of
God's grace. It is a gift of God's grace bestowed
only, specially to the elect of God. It's only given to them. Listen, man by nature is willing
to believe on Christ. so long as he can put his hand
to it. So long as he can add something
to Jesus Christ, he's willing to believe. Remember that Judas,
the betrayer, was marked out by this. He that putteth his
hand in the dish with me, he it is that betrayeth me. And
I'll tell you, you can profess faith in Christ all day long,
but if you are putting your hand in the dish with Him, if you
are putting your work with Him, you are not a believer, but a
betrayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the elect, the elect, the
redeemed, the called, the sealed by the Spirit of promise. We
believe on Jesus Christ. And listen, have no confidence
in the flesh. No confidence. No trust. Why? Because I know me. See,
this is part of the revelation. Part of the revelation of God
is to know you. You see, I used to know that
everybody was a sinner. I just didn't know I was. I knew everybody was depraved,
I just didn't know I was. Not until God revealed it to
me. And when He did, I don't have
any confidence in this flesh, no trust. Therefore, we who believe
have been cleansed, we have been washed by the blood of the Son
of God, we have been robed in His righteousness, and our faith
rest completely, not in our knowledge of doctrines or creeds, not in
ourselves, but completely on Jesus Christ. That's the elect.
This is who this fountain is open for. The elect. Those who
believe on Jesus Christ. And we believe on Christ. Are given the perfect nature
of Christ. Isn't that something? That's
a miracle of grace. We are made new creatures in
Christ Jesus. Look at this in Zechariah. Look
at verse 2. And it shall come to pass in
that day, saith the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the
idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered.
And also I will cease, I will cause the prophets and unclean
spirits to pass out of the land. What is he doing? He's giving
us a new heart. Everything we did before was
in worship of idols. But now, we believe and serve
God. And so much so that Jesus Christ
is now our great God and Savior. His Holy Spirit lives within
us and teaches us of Him. And therefore, because of this,
because of this great fountain, Jesus Christ, we reject any other
gospel than the gospel of grace. Look at this in verse 3. And
it shall come to pass that when any shall yet prophesy, then
his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him,
Thou shalt not live. For thou speakest lies in the
name of the Lord, and his father and his mother that begat him
shall thrust him through. when he prophesied. He's saying
when someone comes and preaches another gospel, this is figurative
language, of course, you know. I imagine the Crusades were built
on this kind of foolish nonsense that we should be killing people
to make them Christian. That's not what it's saying.
Again, this is figurative language. In other words, we would, I don't
care how close the relationship is, If it's our children, or
if it's our parents, or if it's our grandchildren, whoever it
is that preaches another gospel, we say, let them be accursed. And we have no part with them.
We have no part with them. This is spiritual language that,
the same language Jesus used in Luke 14, you remember, when
he said, if any man hate not his father and his mother and
his sister and his children and his brethren and, listen, his
own life also, he cannot be my disciple. In other words,
you're just, you're just You're a liar, is what he's saying.
He said, you set anybody and anything above me, you call yourself
my disciple, you're nothing but a liar. Oh, professing believers, you
who profess to believe on Christ, look not to one another. But look to your own heart. Are you a disciple of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Then we are sure that if any man comes to us preaching
another gospel, another Christ, that man is dead to us, accursed. Because he preaches a false gospel
and a false Christ. Even this religious age. Consider
this. How many people do you know in
your own circle who believe in freewill works religion? Friends,
they're preaching another Christ and another gospel. I don't care how close they are
to us. They should be set apart from us. Remember what Jesus
said to his disciples about the Pharisees. He said, leave them
alone. The blind leading the blind,
they'll both fall in the ditch. Leave them alone. This is important. You should remove yourselves
from them not because you're better. I know a lot of people who preach
the doctrines of grace and say that Arminians are just a lesser
form of Christian. And we're superior! We have Calvinism. We have doctrines of grace. We're
superior. No, there's no superior God. There's only one gospel. There's
only one gospel. And listen, we should separate
ourselves from them, not because we're better, but because of
our own weakness. Because of our own temptation
to be allured away from the truth. Consider, believer, the great
cost of our shepherd to redeem us. Look in Zechariah 14, verse
7. Awake, O sword... This is God
speaking. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite
the shepherd. Behold the agony In our text,
our Lord Jesus Christ was on His way to Gethsemane. He was
there fixing to lay out His heart before God in agony concerning
the death He was about to die for His people. The agony and suffering of our
Lord Jesus Christ that He was going to face knowing knowing
that He was to be made sin for us, who Himself knew no sin. Therefore, Jesus prayed with
a righteous heart and love for God. He said, Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me. What else could a righteous
man pray? What else could a righteous man pray? And yet, knowing the will of
the Father, He submitted Himself. Not my will, but thy will be
done. And so great was his prayer that Luke tells us he sweat,
as it were, great drops of blood. Somebody mentioned this to me
this last week, that it was cold. When the Lord Jesus Christ was
going to be crucified, that night Peter went over there and he
had to warm himself by the fire. It was cold. And yet the Lord
Jesus Christ was sweating. He was sweating in agony, and
it were great drops of blood. Now, listen, this blood that
he sweat, it was not for the atonement. He was not making
an atonement by this, but he was anticipating it. Anticipating
it. And Jesus submitted himself as
the Lamb of God And soon God would lay all of our iniquity
upon him, and justice would cry, Awake, O sword, and smite my
son, slay him for the sin of my people. The song says, You who hear his
groaning, was there ever grief like his? Friends through fear
has caused disowning, foes insulting his distress. Many hands were
raised to wound him, and none could interpose to save." Listen,
but the deepest stroke, the greatest stroke that pierced his soul
was the stroke that justice gave. Behold, then, you elect Redeemed
believer, behold thy substitute. For he hath borne your sin in
his own body and suffered the full measure of justice alone. Alone. Have you ever been alone? You can be in the middle of a
room and be alone. I tell you, you've never been
alone like He has. He alone suffered as no man could
suffer. So gross were our sins on His
soul that even His own Father could not stay with Him. He forsook Him. Therefore, when the shepherd
is smitten, stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, seeing
then it was for the sins, for our sins and transgressions. Now what do you suppose the disciples
would do? knowing that He came for this. He told them. How many times
did He tell them He was going to die? He told them so many
times He was going to Jerusalem to die. And He told them in so
many assuring words. What do you suppose they should
do? Well, you would suppose that they would stand by Him in His
greatest hour. You suppose that these faithful
men would stand by Him, seeing He
was nailed to the tree for their sins. And consider the love of
Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame. And notice what He says to His
disciples. Go back to your text in Matthew. Look at this. Matthew
26. And He says to them, You will
be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will
smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. Jesus told them, The good shepherd
layeth down his life for the sheep. He told them, I go to
prepare a place for you. Surely you would think the most
faithful disciples would not leave his side. And yet he tells
them they will. they'll leave him. Jesus warns
them before it happens, now this doesn't excuse their forsaking
him, but he does it to reveal the weakness and evilness of
their own heart. All of you shall be offended
because of me. What then should we, as believers
in Christ, learn from this weakness? We should learn many things from
this weakness. We should learn from their response.
What was their response? No way. Not me! Nuh-uh! Everybody else will,
Peter said, but I will go and die with you. Now listen, don't
knock Peter because he was more sincere than I imagine any of
us could be. These words weren't said, I don't believe in pride. I believe they were said in great
sincerity, out of great love and affection for his master. He said, no, I won't leave you.
I won't, I can't leave you. I must be here. I won't leave
you, not me. Let us be sure that Peter and
the other disciples were very sincere in their words, and they
meant it. I don't doubt they meant them. Peter said, though, in verse
35, though I should die with thee, yet I will not deny thee.
Likewise, also said all the disciples. When Jesus was taken by those
religious rulers, how many of them were left with him? Who stayed? Nobody. You see, all their sincerity
and determination meant absolutely nothing. What can you learn from
this? That all our sincerity and all our determination, when
the test comes, means absolutely nothing. Nothing. Learn this. Though we are new creatures in
Christ, Though we are the elect, though we are redeemed by the
blood of Christ, though we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, you
are not separated from your old man. You and I are not separated
from this old flesh still residing with us. We are still attached to this
old corpse. Believer, Know that your heart
is surely, as the prophet Jeremiah says, deceitful and desperately
wicked above all things. Who can know it? Don't trust
it. I've told you time and time again,
you should determine to praise God, but don't trust in your
determination. You should determine to be faithful. Don't trust in your determination. Believer, never put any trust
in your own heart or feelings. For they are no true test of
salvation. How many times are we up and
then down? often our case. Up, down. Very seldom do you find us in
the middle of anything. Extreme cases. Up, down. Up, down. And if you trust in
your feelings while you're up, what's going to happen when you
go down? Don't trust us. How many people
are trusting in their feelings? Those are the same ones Jesus
said, many there shall be in that day, saying, Lord, Lord,
have we not done this in your name? Have we not done wonderful
things? Lord, didn't we preach the doctrines
of grace? Lord, didn't we build those houses
for the homeless? Lord, didn't we feed the hungry?
Lord, didn't we make all those programs in your name? And He
will say to them, Depart from me, I never knew you." Why? They trusted in what they did. They trusted in their feelings. And now, listen, I'm telling
you, how many lost men are going to be in hell who really thought,
who really trusted that they would be in glory? But the true believer knows his
own heart. We know we are easily deceived,
we know our heart is wicked, and yet we are still prone to
trust it. Are you not easily duped by your
own self? We're called sheep for a reason.
Because they're the most ignorant animals that ever lived. Constantly being led astray by
some frivolous thing as our feelings. Child of God, let not your soul
rest on your strength, your love, or even your faith. For all these
will surely fail to keep us, nor can they draw us back to
Christ when we have failed in our self-determination to stay
with the Lord. Believers, sin is surely mixed
with all we do. Therefore, Jesus, knowing his
sheep, would be scattered Knowing that they are prone to every
sin he gives them comforting words, but I Love that conjunction
in scripture, don't you? You're all weakness you're all
failure you're but but After I am risen I will go before
you in the galley. I know you're gonna be scattered
but but When I'm risen, I'll go before you I I'll bring you
to myself." Are you such in one as Peter? Were you one so sure of your
steadfastness and love for Christ, you said, I will never leave
you, and yet you have? Are you present in body in this
service? but is your heart somewhere else? You may have been faithful and
have worked and wondered why others are not faithful, but
now you've become one of the unfaithful. Have you been deceived of your
own heart? Found weak and unbelieving Then notice the mind of God towards
his sheep back over in Zechariah. It says this in verse 7 he says
the shepherd I will smite the shepherd and the sheep shall
be scattered listen and I will turn my hand upon the little
ones See what happens? The Lord already knows your weakness,
and yet he's extended his hand towards you already. I will turn my hands to the little
ones. Did not Jesus come to Peter after
he had failed and denied him? And how did he draw him back?
He said this, Simon, Do you love me? You could take a knife and stab me
in the heart and it would hurt less when I have forsaken my
master and those words come to my heart. Do you love me more than these? O wandering saint, do you love
the Lord more than the things of flesh and clay? Then come and feed with His sheep, and He will turn His hand to
you. Now, He may turn His hand to
you in chastisement, But listen, he will never turn his hand to
you in destruction. He will turn his hand not in
anger, but as a father chastening his son. And what will this yield? And Zechariah says this, he will
turn his hand to the little ones, and it shall come to pass that
in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut
off and die, that's those who are not elect, and then but the
third part shall be left, and I will bring a third part through
the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will
try them as gold is tried, and they shall call on my name, and
I will hear them, and I will say, It is my people." Isn't
that something? All you must do is call. And
he says, that's my son. Who's my son? The one that calls. That's my son. And we say what? That's my God. That's my God. The Father's love for you has
not failed even though your love fails. The Son's blood has not
failed to redeem you even though your faith fails. And the Spirit
has not failed to seal your soul for glory even though you grieved
Him multiple times. He always, He always, He always
turns to you. He always turns His hand to you.
and causes you to cry out to him. Always. I like this scripture. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. He just won't impute it to me.
Why? He's already imputed it to his
son. How then shall he not freely
give you all things, even you who are deceitful and desperately
wicked in your own heart? Therefore, beloved, let us learn
the depravity of our own evil hearts. Let us not trust in our
zeal or strength, but only in the all-sufficient work of Jesus
Christ. And if you have failed him, you
know what you should do? Return to him and he will abundantly
pardon you. In Jeremiah 32, you know what
God says? He says, I intend only to do
you good and not evil. What a gracious Savior. What
a gracious Lord. And I confess, what a deceitful
heart I have. I'm so thankful my salvation
does not depend upon me, but upon Christ. Let's stand. We'll be dismissed in prayer.