And not a wave of trouble rolls
across my peaceful grass. Across my peaceful grass. Across my peaceful grass. And not a wave of trouble rolls
across my peaceful grass. I'm thankful for our pianist,
Oju, being the meek and humble and
Christlike woman that she is. She does not feel sufficient
for this, feels unable to do it. And let me remind you, Kerry,
There are only about two people in this whole room that can play
the first two notes of that hymn. There's only two or three people
in here that can play the first two notes. They probably get
there. Thank you for what you do. It's
a thankless task, and I urge everyone in here, at every opportunity,
that you thank this woman for doing that. It's an invaluable service. And no one enjoys it more than
I do. Well, Gabe maybe. He'd hate to sing a cappella
every time. What is preaching? Preaching is declaring God's
Word That's what preaching is. Preaching
is declaring God's word. Preaching is setting forth the
truth. That's what God blesses. The
faithful, clear declaration of his word, line upon line. And it is applying that truth
to the lives of people. That's what it means by rightly
dividing. Applying it to where it applies. But you know what? No man is sufficient for these
things. I can't make this interesting. I can't get your attention. I can't make you get anything
out of it. Nothing. Only the Holy Spirit can and
must do that. So it is imperative. Like the
people here. Moses. The Lord told Moses, you
tell the people to prepare themselves. I'm going to meet with you. Tell
them to prepare themselves. Even the way they dress. It's
important. It's preparation. Preparation. You ask the Lord. before you
get here, while you're here, and during the message. Are you asking, Lord? Help me. Help me. Let's read verses 3-6
of Exodus 3. Is your spirit willing? I believe
it is. Don't you want to hear from the
Lord? I know most of you in here, I believe you do. But the flesh
is weak. And without him, we can do nothing.
If we don't call upon the young people, if you don't ask the
Lord to bless you, you probably won't be blessed. Verses three
through six says, Moses went up, Exodus 19, verse three, Moses
went up unto God and the Lord called unto him out of the mountains,
saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, Tell the
children of Israel, You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,
and how I bared you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if you will obey
my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all people." Now, all the earth is mine. Peculiar
treasure. Is God's people to him? Now you
read with me now, as I said, preaching is declaring the truth. You read with me the account
given here of the Lord God descending on Mount Sinai. God coming down
on this mountain. And it's where God met with Moses.
His chosen one. Moses, his mediator, the only
one, the only mediator between God and the people. And God gave
Moses his law, his holy, strict law. We're going to get into
that. I can't wait. I can't wait to start studying
that with you. His holy, strict law. All of
which, the law of God, is an expression of the holy character
of God. Let us never say anything in
a derogatory way about God's law. I've done it in trying to
stress that salvation is about grace. I've heard other preachers
say things about God's law, not meaning to, but in such a way
that was not honoring to God's law. Let's not ever do that. ever. It's an expression of God's
holy character, and it's holy, it's just, it's good, it's true.
There's nothing wrong with the law, Paul said. The problem is
us. God's holy character is revealed
in the law. The righteous God loveth righteousness. Everything about the law is right. God hates sin, and he will severely
punish The Lord God warned the people. He warned the people
through Moses, don't come near this mountain, don't come near
it, don't even touch it or you'll die. Verses 12 and 13, did you
read that with me? Set bounds unto the people round
about. Telling them, take heed to yourselves
that you go not up to the mountain or touch the border of it. Whosoever
touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. Should not
a hand touch it, he'll surely be stoned or shot through. Whether
it be beast or man, it shall not live. Only Moses could come up on that
mountain. Do you know what all of that's a picture of? I believe
you do. Paul one time wrote to those
Jews, he said, you that desire to be under the law, don't you
hear it? Evidently not, he said. For it shall be perfect to be
accepted. All that sins and comes short
of the glory, the law of God. We've broken the law on every
hand. Don't try to approach God by keeping His law. You can't
do it. You can't even come close. Don't, don't, don't attempt that. To offend in one point is to
be guilty of all the law, breaking all the law. Is that what it
says? Who shall ascend, David writes in Psalm 24, who shall
ascend under the holy hill of the Lord? He that hath clean
hand. It never says. How can somebody get to heaven? They themselves, if they had
to try to get to heaven themselves, clean hands, a pure heart, clean hands, a pure heart who
has never sworn deceit, never lifted up his soul unto vanity,
never done anything all his life except what was absolutely glorifying
the God Almighty. and never sworn deceitfully,
never said anything but absolute truth, not one word, not one
vain, idle word out of his mouth, but thanks and no murmuring,
no complaining, but who can do it? Only one. Moses wasn't without
sin, but Moses represents the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one
who could and did go unto God forever. Why was Christ crucified
alone? Why did all of his disciples
leave him in the end? Why was it Christ alone? Because he alone, he who by himself
purged our sin. He's the only one who can keep
God's law in purpose. I've just declared unto you the
gospel and the truth of who Christ is. And he did that. Not to show
us how. Now, come on, y'all try to come
on up like I did. No, no, no. The Lord told Moses,
he set a bound about this. Don't let them come near. You
can make sure they don't come near. Right? And he tells all
of his preachers, you tell the people, don't even get near that
mountain. If they want to know something
from God, you tell them. That's the Lord. He said, No
man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He'll come to me and I'll
take him. I'll take him. But don't try
to ascend up to God. No, the word of faith, here's
the word of faith that Paul said in Romans 10, didn't he? What
does it say? No, don't go try to get up to
God, but God can't do that. Christ can. He's the end of the
law for righteousness for everyone to believe. I just declared the truth to
you. God must apply. God must apply. Now the Lord,
look at verse 9. It says, The Lord came unto Moses
in a thick cloud. I come unto thee in a thick cloud,
that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe
thee forever. And Moses told the words of the
Lord unto the people. The Lord set apart Moses as his
man, and he came to Moses in a thick cloud, and he said, The
people are going to believe that you're my man. They're going
to know, and they're going to believe. My people will. There's going
to be some some enemies in the camp. There must be heresies
among you, sons of Korah. But my people are going to believe
you, Joshua, Caleb. They're going to believe you're
God's man. And so it is that God has revealed
His Son to some, to many. Amen. Moses represents the Lord
Jesus Christ. Veiled, it says, in a thick cloud.
Do you remember when Moses, it says, came down from the mountain?
He had a veil over his face. Moses was in the presence of
God and the glory of God. God whose countenance is as the
sun shineth in all its strength. God who is a consuming fire.
Moses was up there. And when Moses came down from
having been in the presence of God, he had to put a veil over
his face. And what a picture that is of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, yet veiled himself. Veiled
in flesh, in a thick cloud, but he's God. God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself. God was manifested in the flesh.
And the naked eye just sees a man, but the eye of faith sees God. Now, go with me. I just quoted
to you Hebrews twelve. Go over there with me. Like I
said at the outset, I can't make this interesting to you. You
ask the Lord to. This is the truth. This is who
Christ is. This is what Christ did. This
is. This is the truth. God's people feed
on the truth. Part of our problem is we hear
it so much, we've heard it so much, but think back the first
time you heard these things, the first time Christ was revealed
to you, how that everything was a revelation to you and you just
rejoiced in it. May God give us ears to hear
like little children, little children, and rejoice in the
simple truth, the simplest of truth. Look at Hebrews 12. Now, this
mountain was on fire. This mountain Sinai was on fire,
and yet Moses went right up on it. How? It was on fire, John. Smoke. It's seen as in a smoke, we read
that, because the fire of God descended upon it. Well, how'd
Moses enter into that fire? Because he represents the Lord
Jesus. Crying. Look at Hebrews 12, verses... I want to read the whole chapter.
He says in Hebrews 12 verse 22, Now you're come unto Mount Zion,
the city of the living God, the heaven of Jerusalem, to an innumerable
company of angels, the general assembly, the church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, the God, the judge of all, the
spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of the
new covenant. Before that, he said, you're
not come to a mount that might not be touched. You know, we
can go to God. But we don't ascend by Mount
Sinai, we come through Christ. We come to him, to him, the mediator
of the covenant. Only Christ could go into the
presence of God, the holy presence of God. Look at verse 25, it
says, See that you refuse not him, that is Christ, that speaketh. For if they escape not who refuse
him that spake on earth, talking about Moses, much more shall
not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
Read on down, it says in verse 27, once more God signified the
removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that
are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receive in a kingdom
which cannot be moved. Let us have grace, now here it
is, may we have grace, you and I right now, this morning, may
we have grace. We need it, God's going to have
to give it, grace whereby we may serve, worship. God, acceptably
with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire."
God hasn't changed. God has not changed. I don't
care what this modern world says about it. Their God does. He's
fickle, as fickle as they are. He changes. Our God changes not. I am the Lord, I change not. And that's a good thing. Therefore,
you sons of Jacob are not concerned. Whatever he purposed before the
world began concerning you can't change. Isn't that good news? That's the good news. God doesn't
change. He said what I promised, what
I purposed, what I said concerning you, my word shall stand, my
counsel shall stand. That's good news. He's not going
to change his mind. Now look at old Jacob now. Look
what he's doing now, Lord. You still love him? Yes, I do. Well, he's not even acting like
a believer, Lord. Look at him now. He's denied.
Is he still yours? Yes, he is. But look at him. He's changing.
He's up, he's down, he's in, he's out, he's hot, he's cold.
But I change not. That's Jacob's salvation, and
that's mine. I change not. God is a consuming
fire. But in Christ, Christ I represent
our mediator, more than a doctrine. In Christ, I can come to God
freely, whole and even. The very presence of God is Christ
for the veil, so we may enter into the presence of God himself
by our mouth. Our God, our God is a consuming
fire. Our God, not their God, not the
God of Egyptians, not the God of the Moabites, Amorites. Our God, God of Israel. We've
been noting how he keeps saying that, that I'm the God of Israel.
Our God. Look with me at Psalm 50. I like
this. Psalm 50. Hurry with me. I've got to hurry.
Psalm 50. This impotent God spoken of today,
small g. He's not God at all, but our
God is. Look at Psalm 50. I love these verses. Psalm 50,
look at it. Verse 1 through 3, the mighty
God, even the Lord. has spoken and called the earth
from the rising of the sun and the going down thereof. Out of
Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall
come and shall not keep silent. A fire shall devour before him
shall be very tempestuous round about him. You remember when
the Lord said that? I am come, a candle of fire. Malachi wrote it, he shall come
like a fire, a fire. Well, our God came down to this
earth. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever, but he's veiled, yet he's still a consuming fire.
And yet, This God, who is a consuming fire in mercy and grace and love,
revealed Himself to these people, these Israelites. He didn't reveal
Himself to others, but to the Israelites. He chose them to
reveal Himself to them. Go back to Exodus 19, D'Artagne. And he calls them here in Exodus
19, in verse 5, God Almighty calls His people,
a peculiar treasure above all people." He said, everything's
mine. All souls are mine, God said,
didn't He? All souls are mine. But now these
people, these Israelites, these sons of Jacob, to me they're a peculiar treasure. And he goes on to say there'll
be priests and holy nations and so forth. It's a peculiar treasure
of God. Turn with me. Do you know where
else this is written? Anybody? Peter writes about this
very thing. We'll go over there and read
that. 1 Peter chapter 2. When we were reading that Exodus
19, just truth after truth kept coming to mind that I didn't
write down. We don't have time to deal with it anyway. There's not 45 minutes. There's
not enough time to deal with all of that. As we read that,
I thought, oh my, you missed that, you missed that, you missed
that. Well, we don't have enough time. Nor do we have the capacity. But 1 Peter chapter 2, this is
what I want to emphasize this morning. It's going to be a peculiar
treasure. This is what the apostle said.
Now remember how the Jews, remember where the Jews came from. Let's
never, while we're studying this, don't ever forget who these people
were and where they came from and how they got where they are
right now. Don't ever forget that. Where
they came from and how they got there. God chose them. The only
reason these people knew God was because God chose them. The
only reason they weren't absolute pagan idiots. Brother Bell's
coming soon and he'll say, The only reason they were blooming
idiots, not knowing God, without God, without Christ, without
the truth, is because God chose them. That's a fact. We always say that. We keep saying
that, talking about God's electing grace. Why do we keep saying
that? That's His glory. If God hadn't
chosen me, I wouldn't be standing before you this morning. I wouldn't
believe the truth. I've rejected hands down. But God, praise God for His sovereign
electing grace, don't you? Every one of God's people. Moses,
beginning with Moses, praise God. Abraham, an idolater. God chose them. He didn't choose
the Egyptians, He didn't choose the Amorites, the Hittites, the
Hivites, the Jebusites, the Moabites, did He? The Midianites, the Philistines,
did He? Who did He choose? The sons of
Jacob. Well, they must be better than
the Moabites. Oh, wait till we get into the story. Well, already
we've seen that they weren't three days out of the camp, so
they were complaining. God raining bread from heaven. They complained about it. What
a sorry lot. Oh, but they got a good God. What a bunch of sinful rebels.
That's what Moses went on to say, didn't he? Moses and Ian
said, you know better than you were when God found you. A bunch
of stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. What's wrong with you?
A bunch of sinners? That's right. Oh, but they've got a great God.
He's merciful. That's what God says about His
mercy and His grace. It's higher than the heavens
are above the earth. Thank God His mercy is greater
than any mercy on earth. Huh? Thank God His mercy endures
forever. Huh? Thank God. Let the Amen
sound from His people again. Thank God for His mercy. You could be a naked heathen
in the jungle right now, dancing around a pole, if God hadn't
chosen you. Worse yet, a naked heathen at
Talladega. God chose us. Blessed be God
according as He has chosen us in Christ the Lord. Don't ever forget that. He didn't
have to choose this sorry bunch, but He did. And don't forget
how He brought them out. He said, I bore you on eagles'
wings. Lifted us up out of the mire,
the muck and the mire." The Son of Righteousness with healing
in His wings. Oh, what a story that is! What
a message that is! Eagles' wings! Christ is that
eagle of whom Daniel saw the vision of. I don't want to know
where we could go with that. God Almighty sent His love on
these people. There's nothing lovely about
them. Nor is there us. But God Almighty
loves them. God Almighty chose them from
the beginning. God Almighty came to them through
a mediator. They didn't have a clue about
God. They had some notions, but they were all wrong. All wrong. Didn't know God at
all. But God sent a messenger of the
covenant of his mind, of his will, of his purpose, the true
God. He said, nobody knows me, but now I'm going to reveal myself
to you. My name is Jehovah. Now you know me. Why? How? He
revealed himself to you through a mediator, and that's Christ.
That's Christ. Revealed who he was, a true God. He said, I know you think you
knew God. I know the Egyptians think they've
got a God. They're not gods at all. I am the only living and
true God. There God's an idol. There's
no hands, no feet, but I am God. And not only do I have hands,
but you're in them. Maybe we didn't have a clue about
God. Maybe we weren't looking for
God. Didn't know where to look, but
God. Remember that. And he came to them, revealed
himself to them, and revealed how he's going to bring them
out. Now, he's holy. He's just. They're sinners. They're
just as bad as the Egyptians. The Egyptians deserve to die.
So do these Israelites. How's God going to be just and
yet justify this bunch of ungodly sinners? How? How? He's just
going to forgive and forget? He can't do that. He's holy.
He's just. He's a consuming fire. He will by no means clear the
guilty. Then how's he going to clear these Bring a lamb." He
didn't tell that to the Egyptians, but he told them, go get a lamb,
a spotless lamb, without spot, without blemish. Emmanuel, the
first year, watching, bringing, the whole congregation killing,
take the blood, And when I see the blood, I'll
pass over. How are they going to get out
of Egypt? How are they going to be spared
death? God's going to kill them. He's going to wipe them out,
the Egyptians. Blood. They all know the way
they got out. The way they got out is God killed
a lamb. That's what they all know. You
ask them, to a man, to a child, every one of them, God keeps
telling Moses, tell your children, tell your children, tell your
children. Deborah, tell our children. Minnie, tell our children. Vicki,
tell our children. Dave, tell our children. Every
time they sit before you, tell them, the blood will make a potoma
for the soul. What is that? Jesus Christ. How
are you going to get to God? I'm declaring the Lord Jesus
Christ. We never get tired of this. We're
all going to be singing throughout eternity unto Him who loved us
and washed us from our sins in His own blood. The ones that didn't go into
the promised land got tired of hearing about the blood. It became
just a commonplace thing to them. So God said, you're not coming
in. Now who really appreciates the blood, the way they got out
of Egypt, the way they're coming in? Who in here really appreciates
the blood? Joshua said, I do. Caleb said,
I do. Come on now. Come on now. The blood, the blood. God brought them out by the blood
of the Lamb. God brought them out by a high
hand. Who likes to hear about God's
sovereign grace, huh? Anybody, any true Israelite get
tired of hearing how God brought them out with a high hand. What
God hath done for His people, that's all God's people do when
they meet together. That's what heaven's about, Dan,
is a whole slew of people, a number which no man can number, glorifying
God for His high hand, high-handed salvation. That'd be a good title,
wouldn't it? That's the way it is with all
of God's people, then and now. All of God's true people, everyone
whom God chose, revealed Himself to, revealed the Lamb to, everyone
who knows how they got out and why, because of His sovereign
mercy and grace. They're a peculiar treasure. They're a peculiar treasure.
Peter writes here in 1 Peter 2, verse 9, you are a chosen
generation. You're chosen. Teresa, you've
been chosen. The only reason you're sitting
there and not another of your sisters is God chose you. You're
not better than Deborah Collins. Not better. The only reason I'm
standing here and not my brother is God chose me. Mac, you never get tired of hearing
that. I don't. It's been a long time
now. This is God's glory. We glorify
God's choice, not ours. A whole world of people out there
bragging on how they chose God. Not God's people, buddy. Not
God's people. Not one of them are talking about
how they chose Him. Not one of them. Not one of them. You're a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood. Do you remember back there in
Exodus 19 where the Lord said, there'll be priests under me?
What's a priest? A priest, you know the story.
Most of you do. How that God had one high priest,
one great high priest that would come in before him, offer the
blood up, he would speak to Aaron, who represents Christ. One high
priest. All of God's people, he said
in Revelation, I'll make you, I'm going to make you kings and
priests unto me. They called it royal priesthood,
kings and priests. That is, we're sons of the king,
we're princes, princes, sons of the king in a royal family. We're sons of the king, we're
of the seed, we're born sons of the king. That's right, born
of God, a king. priesthood, every one of this
is called the priesthood of believers. Now listen to me carefully. There
are no more priests to whom you go and confess your sins. Roman Catholicism came up with
that. It's a perversion of the truth.
We don't confess our sins to a sinful man. He can't do anything
about them. The scriptures doesn't teach
that anywhere. It says confess your faults one to another, but
not your sins. There is one mediator between
God and man. There is one great high priest
to whom we confess our sins to. Who is that? He's not sitting
in Rome right now on a wooden throne. He's seated in the heavens. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. We
confess our sins to him. He can do something about it.
He and he alone. This priesthood back in the Old
Testament, there was one great high priest, Aaron. who alone
went into the presence of God. He's the only one. He's not Mary.
It's Jesus Christ. It's not John, it's not Peter.
It's Jesus Christ. There's no throne for a woman
to sit on in glory. You know, you read in the Revelation,
it says one throne was in glory. One throne and one person sitting
on it. Not a queen, a king. Jesus Christ. Anyway, that Old Testament high
priest would go in with the blood, but out in the courtyard, out
in the courtyard of the tabernacle, tabernacle, the tabernacle, all that tabernacle
represented the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all Christ, it's all the
tabernacle where God met. All the furniture, the showbread,
the candlestick, the altars, and all of that represented the
Lord Jesus Christ, His prayers, His everything. The Holy of Holies, though, especially,
and the Mercy Seat, and the Ark of the Covenant. Oh, Christ,
isn't it? This tabernacle, though, was where all the people gathered
around this tabernacle. They were all outside and gathered
around this tabernacle, all God's people. knew about the tabernacle
where God was. How God had ordained this worship
in the tabernacle, not out there, not out there, in the tabernacle.
He worshipped God in the tabernacle. And they all gathered around.
And there were priests who went in the courtyard, cutting wood,
making bread, washing dishes. What were they doing? Serving
about the tabernacle. Everything they were doing was
in relation to the tabernacle, sacrifice, bread and all that. Their life was spent, these priests,
their lives were spent around the tabernacle. It was their
vocation. Are you with me, Gates? It was
their vocation. These priests, their vocation
was the tabernacle. Their life was the tabernacle.
Everything, they woke up thinking about the tabernacle. They went
to bed thinking about the tabernacle. And what they did all day long
was sitting around the tabernacle. So are you. The priests, we're
all made priests unto God. A royal priest, a king's priest. Christ is our Lord, Scripture
says. Wake up thinking about God. Go
to bed thinking about God. He's our God. We serve Him. We worship Him. That's what this
is all about. You're a royal priesthood. Read
on. He says, a holy nation. Is this real? Holy? Those bunch of sons of Jacob,
holy? Well, they don't look any better
than Egypt does, most of them. Oh, God says they're holy. Why are they holy? Because God
said so. Number one, doesn't it, John?
Because God said so. Who is He that condemned them?
God to justify. That woman, oh, would you give
me 45 minutes? That's all I ask. That woman
caught in the act of adultery, caught guilty. They brought her
in. Who brought her in? A bunch of
other guilty people. They were all guilty, but they all brought
her in. Who brought her in? Who brought that woman in? God
did. Brought her in and pressed her
where? As like a footstool. Where? At the Lord's feet. Guilty. Now they're all guilty,
but she's really guilty. She knows it. One person went out of that place
completely justified from all things which they could not be
justified by the law of Moses. One person. Who was it? Who Christ
said went for it. She didn't do a thing. She was
guilty. But she went for it. She went
justified because Christ said, I don't condemn you. Who is He that condemned her?
Why are we holy nation? Because God said so. You need anything else? Well,
there is something else. Because Christ died. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's Christ that
died. Christ. God that justified. Christ died. Who is he that condemned?
Christ died. And right now is at the right
hand of the majesty of God. You're a holy nation. You're
a holy man. You're a holy man, as you are. You don't feel a thing. It ain't
about feelings. Salvation is not about feelings.
It's about a person in Christ. You're holy. Accept him and believe
him. Perfect. He's able to present
us for the holy nation, and the next line says, a peculiar people.
Peculiar people. He said back there. If you're
taking notes, jot down Psalm 135 and read it later on for
yourself. Psalm 135, jot that down. A peculiar
people, he said back there, a peculiar treasure. Treasure. That's what
David said there in Psalm 135. What is a treasure? Do you have
any treasures? You have any treasure? Treasure is something that you've
chosen, something you've purchased. Treasure is something you've
purchased. You know you only really treasure something that
you've really purchased, took, sacrificed. Treasure is something
you prize. A treasure is something you highly
esteem, but you're going to keep it. You're not going to get rid
of it. Now, God said about his people,
they're a peculiar treasure of mine. Let me just give a little
illustration. I've preached a while, and I'm
going to tell you something. A man goes into a deep, dark
pit, a coal mine. He goes down in this deep, dark
pit. He comes out with a lump of coal,
a black, dirty lump of coal. It's just
like billions of other lumps of coal in that mine. And the
man comes out and says, Look what I found. This is my treasure. What would you say? That's peculiar. Are you getting it? Look what
I found. An old, dirty lump of coal. It's my treasure. That's mighty peculiar. Oh, but,
you know, that's not the way he sees it. God hath made of the same lump
vessels of mercy." Wait till he gets through with it. They
say, I guess it's so they say it, that diamonds are compressed
coal. Isn't that what they say, Dan? They say that. I believe it. It's good for my illustration. Ah, the Lord, see, a lump is
just a lump, just like all the rest of it. But you wait and
see what the Master does with it. The
lump of clay is just like the rest, and you wait and see what
the potter does with it. It's a peculiar treasure, all
right. In Psalm 2, it says, I'll give you the heathen for your
inheritance. What would he want with him? Peculiar treasure,
something I prize, something I intend to keep. Treasure, something
I paid for. What you bought, a lump of coal,
how much did you pay for it? Gave my life for it. You get the picture? And we look in the mirror until
the day we die and all we see is a black lump of coal. That's a good illustration, Jasper. Peculiar in the true sense of
the word. Peculiar because of God's choice. Peculiar in their makeup. When
the Lord finishes His work. Oh, they are peculiar indeed.
After the Lord finishes with His people. Let me just say this,
OK? I know you'll get a blessing
and I quit. When the Lord finishes His work. When these vessels
of mercy, these just lumps of clay, they look like everybody
else, but not the God. But then again, when he begins
this work on them, they are peculiar indeed. Peculiar people, peculiar
indeed. Strange creatures, they become
strange even to their own people. They're peculiar, they're peculiar
in their faith. It's peculiar in their faith,
peculiar to the world. The world thinks all believers
are really strange. You believe what? Every one of
them, every one of these people of God believe. They actually
believe, man, that God is God. You what? You believe God? He's actually doing what he will,
and it's not man's will. You actually believe that God's
in control of all things, even evil? You actually believe that
God has a purpose in the bad things? You actually believe
that? That's peculiar. You actually believe that a loving
God is going to destroy people because people that God hates?
You actually believe that? And their faith, peculiar in
their makeup, people that are actually zealous. Paul wrote
over in Titus, zealous of good work. Peter wrote that, people
zealous of good work. God's people actually love this
book. I mean, they really do. They esteem all that he said
to be right. They actually believe God's word. There's a peculiar people now
in this world. Strange people. Peculiar people. They actually believe. In fact,
do you believe every word in this book? You don't question
it. You believe every word in it.
There are very few people who do that.
You're peculiar. Very peculiar. Especially at
the college. That place where all the professors
are in there. It's a religious place. They
don't believe in God's God. They don't believe in nothing.
From the president on down. But there's a peculiar young
lady attending there. And the rest of the students
in that place think she's mighty peculiar. So it is with them
at that time. So on. Peculiar. They actually
love God being God. Choosing whom He will. His will
being done. They actually do love. People
talk about loving God. They don't love Him as God. Do it. I do. There's an amen. Thank
you, John. I do. Don't you, Roberta? I love
God as God. Aren't you? It's all my son.
Thank you, God. Thank you, Christ. Don't you
love that? There's going to be anathema
maranatha who doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ. And they're
peculiar. Our Lord said they'll be hated.
Our Lord was peculiar, wasn't he? Oh, I may say. Well, as a matter of fact, he
was peculiar. He was a man of purpose, a separate
concern. So much so, that human beings
killed him. So different. So peculiar. That's the way it is with God's
people. They're all just like that. Like
him. Holy. Harmless. Wise as serpents. Harmless as
a serpent. Yeah, they are. God is separate.
They're different. They don't try to be. They don't. Well, they are different. They
actually believe God's Word. They actually endeavor to do
as God says. They actually, they're like Christ. They're peculiar people. They're
a peculiar treasure. God said, I'll keep them. They're
mine forever. I paid a big price for them. And wait till you see what the
finished product is. We just wait. From a lump of
coal to a sun of diamonds. Okay. I hope this is a blessing
to you. Let's sing a closing hymn, by
the way. I'm going to show you how to
do it. I'm going to show you how to
do it. This is a test. This is a test. This is a test. I'm going to show you how to
do it. I'm going to show you how to
do it. Thank you. you I'm going to do the same thing
on the other side. I don't know if I'm going to
be able to do it. We're going to start off with
a little bit of a background on what we're going to do today. We're
going to start off with a little bit of a background on what we're going to do today. Okay. Okay. you So, I'm going to go ahead and
get started.