Well, I'm so glad I came. I'm glad you invited me. I've
had a wonderful time. And you know how I feel about
Gabe and Hannah. But I feel that way about you
guys, too. You're my family. That's what
we are. We're family. address my dear friend, Brother
Todd Nyberg, and say, that message was amazing. The gospel is amazing,
isn't it? I feel a little bit like Chuck
Berry. You might say, well, how's that?
Years ago, he and Jerry Lee Lewis were in a concert together. Jerry
Lee Lewis had the number one song in the nation, Great Balls
of Fire. You remember that? But Chuck
Berry had several number one hits. So the promoters of the
concert or whatever said that Jerry Lee Lewis had to go on
first and that Chuck Berry was the closing act. So Jerry Lee
Lewis wasn't happy about it. I got the number one song. But
he went on, and when he played Great Balls of Fire, he got some
alcohol that he had. He was no stranger to alcohol. And he poured it on his piano,
and he set the piano on fire. And he's playing, and people
are going nuts. And he finishes, he walks off
stage, he looks at Chuck Berry, and he says, follow that. Well,
that's kind of why I feel like Chuck. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter
45. You know, I was raised in religion
from an early age. And I was told that I had to
exercise my free will in order to be saved. And you know, I
can't tell you. for certain now, how many times
I was baptized, I rededicated my life, as they say. I'm not
even sure what that is. But as one old preacher said
years ago, I was baptized in every creek and pond so many
times that every tadpole and frog knew me by name. And that
was pretty much my story. But you see, now I know that
I don't have a free will. My will is in bondage to my sin
and my nature. I want to do what's right, but
I just can't. I've heard Todd say before, I
cannot not sin. Sin's what I am. I'm not a sinner
because I sin. I sin because sin is what I am. I hope that in this message we'll
see again the salvations of the Lord. And that's our only hope,
as Todd just so impeccably told us. Now, here in Isaiah chapter
45, beginning in verse 1, we're introduced to a man named Cyrus.
And verse one says, 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.
Cyrus, the two lead gates and the gates shall not be shut. The scriptures call Cyrus here,
the Lord's anointed. And that word anointed means
consecrated. It means to set apart, to set
aside for a specific divine purpose. God anointed Cyrus and he set
him apart to do his will. Now the Hebrew word for anointed,
I'm no Greek scholar by any means, but I have a concordance, and
the Greek word, or the Hebrew word, says mashia. And the same word used in our
English language means Messiah. Messiah means deliverer. And
Jesus Christ, as we know, is God's anointed Messiah. He is the only one who can save
God's people from their sin. Yet many of the Bible scholars
say that Cyrus was considered and regarded by Israel of old,
at this time in Jewish history, to be Israel's ordained deliverer. And as we see just from verse
one, by the powerful purpose and hand of God, this man was
used of God. He was a deliverer of God. He was a, this is an amazing
thought about that, is that he was a Persian, a heathen, and
he didn't know God. So we see that God can use anything
and God can use anyone to accomplish His will and purpose. Cyrus was
the leader of the Persian Empire. God gave him great courage. God,
no doubt, gave him a brilliant mind. His genius placed him as
head of the Persians. God gave him numerous conquests. He raised him up to subdue nations
and kings, and God enabled Cyrus to strip those kings of their
kingdoms. God opened gates, God opened
doors, and God closed them. God shut gates and doors for
him that no man could shut. And in verse two, God promised
to go before him. God promised to make the crooked
places straight, to break in pieces the gates of brass, to
cut asunder the buyers of iron. Cyrus was an instrument of God. Friends, is it not lawful? Is
it not right for God to do what he will with his own? You see,
though Cyrus was a Gentile, though he was a heathen, he was still
the property of God. Don't ever forget that. Don't
ever forget that. All men and women are. They belong
to God as their Creator, as His creation, whether they know it
or not. And a couple interesting historical facts about Cyrus
are that first God used him to deliver and free the Jews from
Babylonian captivity. Seventy years. Secondly, God
enabled and caused Cyrus to rebuild his temple in Jerusalem. An unbeliever. A heathen. A man that didn't
know God. In verse 3, we see that God gave
Cyrus treasures of darkness. God gave Cyrus hidden riches
found in secret places. God gave this Persian king treasures
that had been laid up in secret places. Riches that had not seen
the light of day for many, many years. God showed great favor
to this pagan king. Why did God do all these things
for Cyrus? Same reason he raised up Pharaoh.
You remember why he raised up Pharaoh? So that God's omnipotent
power might be known and declared throughout the earth. God gets
all the glory and everything. God's not only sovereign, those
he purposes will know that he is, if they don't know it now,
they'll know it in the end of time. They're gonna know that
God is God. Every knee's gonna bow, every
tongue's gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And it was God
that raised up Cyrus. to accomplish his own will of
purpose, as God has that right. It was God's right hand that
Cyrus is holding by. He's kept, maintained, made strong
and courageous. And it's the same for all his
people. God's behind it. God declares
to Cyrus and the whole world that he's the God who does all
these things. Now, I'm doing my best to lay
this foundation because I want you to hear me on this. Particular
men and women in power today, and I'm not a political person,
and we're not to get political in the pulpit, but I know people
right now that are sick at their stomach worrying about who the
next president's going to be. I can tell you who it's going
to be. The one God puts in there. The one that God gives that office. And God's gonna do all His pleasure
through whoever He puts in there. And this 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, and He's gonna
continue to do that. Cyrus was ignorant of the very
God that had raised him up to do great things. And it's the
same today. You know, so-called powerful yet ignorant men take
pride in their accomplishments, and do you know why? because
they don't know that it's God that raised them up. So don't
fret about who the next president's gonna be. If they're elected,
it was God that chose them, and it was for your good. For your good, believer. God
lets Cyrus know just that. Look at verse five. God says,
I am the Lord, and there is none else. That's the title, there
is none else. Whom else will we go? Thou hast
the words to eternal life. I remember Brother Gary Williams,
who's here today, Obie's dad, if you don't know him, when he
used to pray, I remember back in the 80s, he'd always say,
Lord, I thank you that you are God, and there is none else. Aren't you thankful? After hearing
the God that Brother Todd just preached, aren't you glad that's
your God? Oh, my. We're such blessed people. I'm
the Lord. There's none else. There's no
God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me. God says, Sarge, I girded you.
I surrounded you. I prepared you. I formed a barrier
around you. I strengthened you. I made you
ready. I fenced you in. I hemmed you
up. I fortified you. God said, I
did all these things, and you didn't even know who did it.
Oh, I'm sure maybe Cyrus, like most men today, thought that
he did it. But God tells him here, you didn't
do it. I did it. I made you a king of many nations. I gave you strength. I gave you
courage. I gave you valor. I made you
successful. I made you victorious. You may
be here this morning, very successful, a successful person in this world
and not know God. And what does it profit, dear
friends, for us to gain the whole world and lose our own soul? And what would a man or a woman
give in exchange for their soul? 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, don't forget that, the sons of
Jacob, that's who that's referring to, the elect of God, He did
these things for Cyrus. Whatever happens in this world,
God is out to do you good if you love, trust, and believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. While it may not always seem
good, but it's good, eternally good, spiritually good. And here
it was God's people that benefited by what God did for Cyrus. So why would God do it this way?
Well, in verse six, God tells us, 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. Do you believe? Do you believe
that God can and does exactly what he wants to? Many don't. Many don't. David did. He said our God's
in the heavens and he hath done whatsoever he had pleased. He
said whatsoever. You know what that means? That
means anything and everything. It covers the whole gamut. Whatsoever
the Lord pleased, that did he. Oh, I love those three words.
Whatever God wanted to do, that did he. He did it in heaven and
in earth and in the seas and in all deep places. And make
no mistake about it, dear friends, God does what He does for His
people. That's what Romans 8.28's all
about. God does all things for His people. And He does all things, as Jack
Shanks used to say, good. He does all things good. Look
at verse 7. God says, I form the light and
create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Now, am I reading that wrong?
Is that what your Bible says? Does the Lord create light? Oh,
yeah, absolutely. He creates light. The earth was
without form. The earth was void, there was
darkness upon the deep of the earth, and God said, let there
be light, and there was light. And people don't have a problem
with that. And that same light is the light
that God caused to shine in the darkness of the believer's heart
that was void and without form. Same power, same light. Folks
don't have a problem with God creating light. But God also
says that He creates a darkness. Verse 7, and a lot of people
have a problem with that. The Lord says, I make peace.
Folks don't have a problem with that. When I was in school and
in my generations, you know, that's peace, you know, peace,
peace. And most of the time it's peace,
peace, when there is no peace. People don't have a problem with
the Lord making peace. But they got a problem with him
creating evil. He said, I create evil. 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. God can't be charged with sin,
you know that, I know that. He's too holy to sin. God, as I mentioned yesterday,
it was the evil of sin whereby men with their wicked hands took
the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, who did no sin, and nailed
Him to a cross. But, It was by the determinant
counsel and for knowledge of God, as we've heard many times
this weekend. Now that word evil there in verse
seven, that's not talking about the evil of sin. It's talking
about calamity. I think if you'd look the word
up, that's what it says. The trouble that God sends. Did
you know that it's God that sends trouble? That's right. He's the one that sends trouble.
All that God has to do to allow evil in men and women is just
simply let them have their own way. Murder, war, famine, pestilence
are all permitted, all allowed by God. God permits these things
for the greater good of His chosen people. I was telling Gabe this
morning, I said, you know, in an amazing Friday, you know,
when all the winds stirred up and most everybody's without
power, the church here never lost power. Huh, aren't we lucky,
as I say. And then, you know, Obi and Stacia
were without power, had a get together yesterday, and we went
over there and I said, what are those lights doing on? God restored their power. God's
in control. He does all things well, doesn't
he? Oh my. I can't explain these
things. I can't. I'm not gonna try. I
can't explain predestination. But I know it's so, like Todd
said, because God says that it's so. according to the Bible, God's
Word, anything and everything that comes to pass, God purposed
before the foundation of the world. I can't explain God's
providence, can you? No, yet I know that every single
event that God purposed before the foundation of the world comes
to pass, and He brings it to pass. Is there any more comfortable
place to be than in Christ? Trusting God who saves us by
His grace. God said, I create evil, I create
calamity, I bring about disasters, I send trouble. That's what the
Word of God teaches. Who is it that does the teaching?
You know, Gabe, and myself, and Brother Marvin, and Brother Todd,
and any man that God has called to preach the gospel, we're just
reporters. We're just reporting the good
news. But it's, our Lord Jesus said, it's written in the prophets
that they shall all be taught of God. You see, God's got to
teach you these things. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. It's God
that teaches us these things. It's divine revelation that reveals
these things to us. And you can say, well, you know,
I won't have him to rule over me. Well, that's not your decision. Divine intervention. I'm so thankful
that God busted down the door of my heart, my rebellious heart,
and intervened and revealed to me the truth. And when did God
decree the things that come to pass? When did God make His divine
appointments from the foundation of the world? And isn't that
a wonderful thought? that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet. I will open my mouth, and parables
will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation
of the world. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
And speaking of Jacob and Esau, the two twin sons of Isaac, Paul
wrote for the children, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to
election, might stand not of works, but of him they call it. We're taught by our parents from
birth to be good. We teach our kids to be good. You need to be a good boy, you
know. That's good, but we can't be
good. It's impossible for us to be good. We're not gonna be
saved by being good. As Todd said, we gotta be perfect. We gotta be perfect to be accepted.
How am I accepted? In the beloved, the one who is
perfect. Oh my. Salvation's not a reward
for being good. The only hope any of us have,
as sinners, is God's election, God choosing me. God chose His
people before they were born. He saved His chosen before they
did any good or evil. And that's gonna keep every man
and woman, if they're honest, to not boast in anything they've
done, because God showed this mercy and grace before we were
ever born to it. Do I understand that? Do you?
Oh, but by his mercy and grace, I believe it. I believe it. We
strive to do what's right. We strive to be pleasing to the
Lord who loved us and gave himself for us. We don't continue in
sin that grace may abound. I never wanted to disappoint
my father. I loved him. Oh, I remember some
of the hardest lessons I've learned where he told me, he said, I'm
disappointed in you. Oh, I don't want to disappoint
my Father, my Heavenly Father. We strive to do what's right,
to be pleasing to Him, not to bring reproach upon His name,
who loved us and gave Himself for us. We strive to live righteously
in order to bring no shame or dishonor to the One who died
for us. People in this religious world
act as if the term divine providence is disgusting and obscene. Providence is God bringing to
pass in time what He purposed in eternity. And it's one of
my favorite comforts in this life. Predestination is not a
dirty word. You say predestination in a religious
circle, it's not a dirty word. It's the only means by which
any of us are saved. God predetermined beforehand
to save His people from their sin. And He's God. Who's going
to stay His hand, as Todd said? Who's going to say unto Him,
God, what are you doing? Before I was ever born, before
I ever did any good or evil, I was redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb who was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
What comfort that should bring us. It's not dependent on me.
And I love to say this, if I can't do anything to be saved, then
I can't do anything to be lost. Because my salvation is of the
Lord. It's in Him. It's in what Christ
did. And that's where I can rest.
Can't you rest there? Oh, that's a bed long enough
to stretch out on. There's a cover that I can wrap
up in. Not depending on me. God did
it for me. When can a man rest? Sammy, when
his work's finished. You know, have you ever said,
well, I'm going to take a nap on Saturday. And you sit down in the chair,
your easy chair, as we call it. And then you think, oh, man,
that grass needs to be mowed. And then I got to trim. And then I got to blow. And it
blows, doesn't it? But you can't rest. Not until
your work's finished. I've got to finish the work.
And when it's all done, Eddie, that's when you can kick back
and take a nap. Oh my. God has chosen us in Him,
Christ, before the foundation of the world. That we should
be holy and without blame. There's nothing for me to do
to be holy. God's made me holy in Christ.
And He did it before I ever done any good or evil. And this is
not something to get mad about, something to get glad about.
You know, my mother had sayings. She was something else. And she'd
always, you know, when I'd get a little upset about something
and act mad and pout about it. So she said, well, you can get
glad in the same pants you got mad in. That's what we need to
do, is get glad in the same pants we get mad in. We rest because the work's finished
from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4, 3. So then must He,
Christ Jesus, often have suffered since the foundation of the world,
but now once in the end of the world hath appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The work's done. He claimed it
from the cross. It's finished. Nothing for me
to do but to rest. Why don't we? Well, the scripture
says we labor to enter into rest. Why do we have to labor to rest? Sin, unbelief, lack of trust. I had a man not long ago take
issue with me over predestination and divine provenance. He said,
you mean to tell me that God predestinated and that God purposed
all these school shootings that we've had? And then he said,
well, what about 9-11? Did God predetermine that? And what about all these senseless
murders in the world? Are you telling me that God predestinated
those things? And I wanted to give him a one-word
answer. Yes. But here's what I told him. I said, one day, Job lost everything
he had, including his 10 children. Can you imagine losing all 10
of your children at one time? And then on top of that, everything
else you had. He was a wealthy man. And you
know what Job said? He said, the Lord gave, and the
Lord take away. And he said, blessed be the name
of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. The Lord gave Job all of his
children. The Lord took away all his children. Job ascribed
it all to the Lord. When God purposed to do that,
when did he purpose to do that? Was it that morning? No, it was
from the foundation of the world. God determined to do so before
the world was ever made. Oh, everything's going to be
all right. Everything's going to be all right. I know some
are going through trials and tribulations and have loved ones
sick. And, oh, it's just so much for
us to be down about. But be of good cheer. Be of good
cheer. The Lord's on the throne. And
if you're one of His, He's out to do you good. Amos asked, who
forms the mountain and creates the wind? So, you know, suddenly
a mighty wind came up on Job's children's house and it collapsed. And the messenger said, they're
all dead. And I'm the only one escaped
to tell you. Well, who forms the mountain
and creates the wind? Who knocked our power out this
Friday? Who caused all those branches,
Hannah, to fall down that we picked up? The Lord did. The Lord did. A little bit later,
all these things had come to pass. Job was smitten with boils
and sores from his head to his toe. You know, I get one little
bump somewhere, and I'm like, dang, man. But can you, man,
from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? And then
his wife, nothing against you ladies, But she said, do you
still retain your integrity? Curse God and die. You remember
what Job said to her? He said, you speak like a foolish
woman. Y'all stop doing that. Shall we receive good at the
hand of the Lord 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. And that's what he said there
in verse 7. This is not to be understood as creating the evil
that men do because of their sin. But God has power to allow
the mad passions of sinful people to rage. And God has the power
to allow men to make war. And God has the power to preside
over the adverse as well as the profitable events in this world. And this does not make God the
author of sin. This does not make God the creator
of sin. God just simply allows men to
carry out their own evil tendencies to accomplish His perfect will
for the good of His elect people. And I purposely add that in the
end because it is for our good. That's what the psalmist meant
when he wrote, surely the wrath of man shall praise thee, and
the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. That's what makes
the sovereignty of God in the salvation of his people so certain. Certain. Not possible. Certain. That same man I was
telling you about took issue with me on this. Why do you always
refer to God as sovereign? Why not just say God, since only
God is sovereign? So why do we feel the need to
qualify God as sovereign? I'll tell you why. Because the
God that this religious world preaches, He's anything but. He's trying
to do something. He's wanting to do something.
Won't you just let him have his way? Won't you make him Lord? God beat me to it. He's Lord
from the foundation of the world. He's God. There is none else. Their God can't be sovereign. Weak and pathetic. The God of
heaven and earth gives us warning to those who despise His sovereignty. He gives strong caution when
defending His divine providence and predestinating purposes.
Look at verse 8. Drop down ye heavens from above
and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open. Let them
bring forth salvation and let righteousness spring up together.
I the Lord have created it. Did you hear what Jonah said?
Salvation is of the Lord. Verse nine, 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
fashioneth it, what, makest thou or thy work? He hath no hands. The warning from God is woe,
sorrow, distress to the one that strives with his Maker, that
strives with God, wrestles, battles, fights, wars. That's all some
people want to do. Argue and debate. We don't do
it. We're not going to do it, are
we? We're going to report. We're
going to proclaim the Gospel. The Lord may save you and the
Lord may not, but that's his business. That's his prerogative. Brady was mentioned and reminded
to me before the message, he said, Paul plants and Apollos
waters, but it's God that gives the increase. God's got to do
the saving. We do the sinning, God does the
saving. Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth.
Let men strive with men. Argue and debate, if you like,
with earthen vessels made of the same mass and lump as you
are. That's a good definition of us,
isn't it? Lump. Lump heads. I used to be called
that quite a bit. And now I see that I am one.
But that's a good thing. Because he takes some of those
lumps and he fashes them into vessels of honor. Some dishonor. Which are you? Verse 9, shall the clay say to
him that fashioneth it, what makest thou or thy work? He hath no hands. Does the clay
dare declare that God the potter has no hands, no power, no skill
to make the vessel what he wills to make it? Does the clay vessel
dare claim that it made itself to differ? Paul said it this
way, therefore hath he, God the sovereign potter, that's what
he is, he hath mercy on whom he'll have mercy, and he'll have
compassion on whom he will have compassion, and whom he will,
he hardeneth. And people, what do people say?
Well, that's not fair. His right, he has a right to
do what he will with his own. Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed, why hast thou made me thus? Had not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump? To make one vessel under
honor and another under dishonor. The answer is an unequivocal
yes, he does, he does. Nebuchadnezzar, he sits on his
throne. He's got his crown on his head. He's got his purple
robe wrapped over his shoulders. He looks upon Babylon, and what
does he say? He says, is this not great Babylon,
which I have built? And not long later, moments later,
matter of fact, people are standing around going, who or what is
that out there in the field? Well, it's a creature. What kind
of creature is that? What kind of animal is that?
It's got hair like eagle's feathers, and it's got nails like bird
claws, and it walks on all fours, and it eats grass like an oxen
driven out from Maine. Who is that? That's the same
man that bragged on the difference that he made. Same one who attributed all he
accomplished to himself and not God. He's later restored. Remember what he said? Oh, bless
me, the most high who is able to abase those who walk in pride. Those of you who walk in pride,
you need to be aware he's able to abase you. He's able to make
you humble. I have some dear ladies in our
church that are always trying to encourage me. And every now
and then, they'll add, now, we don't want you to get puffed
up. And I said, oh, sweetheart, don't worry about that. God's
well able to keep me humble. And he does, his servants. He's
not going to let us get puffed up. Christ gets all the glory. That's what I love about your
pastor. He's a humble man. God made him so. Turn your eyes upon Herod. He
speaks and men just grovel. They say, oh, that's the voice
of God. It's the voice of God. No, it's
not. It's Herod. It's the voice of God, not the
voice of man. And loving their praise and loving
their compliments, he gives not the glory to God. He's eaten up with worms. God
knows how to abase. God knows how to humble. Woe
unto him that striveth with his maker. Every earthly king is
gonna die, friends, but the king of kings lives forever. God says,
I'm God, and beside me there's none else. God is everlasting. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever, and his mercy endures forever. And what are we? We're
glad. We got glad, didn't we? In verse
12, God says, I made the earth, I created man upon it, I stretched
out the heavens. According to verse 13, it's God
who makes sinners righteous. This is our sovereign God. Verse
18, 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. I am the
Lord and there is none else. Have I not spoken in secret in
a dark place of the earth? I said unto the seed of Jacob,
Seek ye in vain. I, the Lord, speak righteousness.
I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come,
draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They
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? Hath not I the Lord? And there
is no God else beside me. A just God, as Todd said. He's a just God. His justice
has got to be dealt with. He's a just God, and I'm glad
he didn't stop there. He said, and a Savior. He's just
and justifier. The just God and a Savior. And
he says, there's none beside me. Aren't you glad there's none
beside him? How could anyone read God's word,
this chapter in particular, and not believe that God is sovereign
and all powerful? Now everything I said, I've said
to say this, this is the God of the Bible that saves sinners. You need not worry about whether
or not God is able to save you or not. He's able to do anything. He's able to do everything, and
there's some things He cannot do, and those things that He
cannot do are for your good. Right? Only He can and will save sinners. No other's able, no other's capable,
no other is willing to save. Now I wanna give you four glorious
things I was gonna say in less than a minute. Two minutes, give me two minutes.
First, it's God alone that saves sinners. You know that. You know
that, you know that in your heart. Verse 17, but Israel shall be
saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed
nor confounded, world without end. Secondly, how does God save
sinners? Verse 22, look unto me and be
ye saved. Thirdly, who is it that God saves?
He saves His elect people foreknown, predestinated, called, and justified
from the ends of the earth. And fourthly, why must we look
to Christ alone? Because He says, I am Jehovah
in verse 21. Jesus Christ is God, as we've
said. He's a just God and a Savior. Oh my. Is that your God? Is that your God? That's why
all that the Father gave to Christ come to Him, and those who come
to Him will in no wise be cast out. No way, no shape, no form. Our Lord came down from heaven. He's the Son of God, and He's
God the Son. He came to do the will of God,
and He did the will of God. What was the will of God? Our
Lord told us that of all that which He had given me, I should
lose nothing. Not one's gonna be lost. but
should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of
my Father, that everyone that beholdeth the Son and believeth
on Him should have eternal, everlasting life." Do you believe on Him?
You know, folks, you should always say,
well, John 3.16 is the proof that He saved the whole world.
It's the verse that proves He didn't. For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son. God saved everyone in the
world. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall
have everlasting life. God loved the world so much those
in the world that believes on Him. That's who He saved, not
the whole world. Oh, our gospel, the true gospel,
doesn't promote sin. It promotes worship to the one
who loved us and gave himself for us. And I have people, professing
believers, tell me, well, you know, I just lack assurance.
And there's one reason why we lack assurance. You know what
it is? I bet you do. They're looking
within and not looking to Him. We look within to ourself and
we don't see anything at all that would qualify us to God
to be saved. Because there's not anything
within us. But when we look to Him who loved us and gave Himself
for us and see the finished work of redemption in Him. That's
where our confidence and assurance is. Looking to Him. That's our
message. No assurance, no comfort, no
rest within. All these things are found by
looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look down at verse 22 and
I'll finish. Look unto Me and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth. That's
the world that God loved. It says, for I am God and there
is none else. That's why I titled this, There
Is None Else, because there is none else by whom we can be saved. Keep looking to Christ. That's
my encouragement to you. Keep looking to Christ. Look
to Him to provide for you all that God requires of you. That's
where you'll find it. Verse 23, He's sworn by Himself.
As Todd said, He's a man. He cannot lie. He's not the Son
of Man that He should repent or change His mind. The Word has gone out of His
mouth in righteousness. And as I said, one day every
knee shall bow and every tongue will swear that Jesus Christ
is Lord. And verse 25, in the Lord shall
all the seed of Israel, God's elect, be justified and shall
glory. The Lord Jesus is going to see
to it. He is able to save to the uttermost. Brother Gene Harmon,
who attends our church, says, from the gutter to the utter,
that's pretty good. That's where we were, in the
gutter of our depravity. And God saves us to the uttermost. What's the uttermost? He makes
us just like Christ. He conforms us to His perfect
image. And when God sees me, He sees
His Son. You ever heard any better news
than that? That's the news we report. It's good news. It's
good news. Oh my, Lord have mercy on us.
And let me say again, thank you. Thank you, Gabe.