Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ, our Lord. If you would and you'd like to
follow along, please turn to 2 Timothy, chapter two. 2nd Timothy chapter 2. I'm going to begin reading in verse
11. It is a faithful saying, for
if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, He also will
deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful. Here's the four words I want
to preach about today. He cannot deny himself. I read a little something in
a bulletin, one was one from Tim James, And it wasn't about
this verse, but it quoted this verse here, and that verse just
kind of hit me all of a sudden. Now when I did the other three
faithful sayings, because there are four, I think three in Timothy
and one in Titus, where Paul wrote this, this is a faithful
saying, I kind of skipped over this one. There's a reason for
that, but I'm not sure what it was now. I think I know, but
we'll get to that. But this is the one that hit
me, these four words. He cannot deny himself. And I
think that is probably one of the most gracious things I've
ever read. But first to start off, it is a faithful saying.
If we be dead with him, we also shall live with him. And that's
not all the faithful saying, it keeps right on going. But
this is a truthful saying, a steadfast saying, a statement full of faith. That's what faithful means. Full
of faith. An inspired saying. Paul the
Apostle was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
when he wrote this down. Like I said, he wrote this, it's
a faithful saying, four times. Three of them to Timothy, one
of them to Titus, Now, to be honest, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, all of Paul's writings were faithful. Were
faithful sayings. But here, this is something he
wanted to point out, in particular, to emphasize the truth he's fixing
to tell you here. He wanted to emphasize this particular
thought. What's that mean? It means pay
attention. Pay close attention. If we be dead with him, we also
shall live with him. Oh my. Now who's the him? Of course it's Jesus Christ.
It's Jesus Christ. Romans 6, four, we were baptized
unto his death. Because without, without the
death of Christ, We have no life. Without the death of Christ,
there is no life for human beings, period. Not in God's sight. All it is without Christ is death. Death. Oh, but in him, Romans
6.4, he put it this way, therefore we are buried with him by baptism
into death, That, there was a purpose for this. That, like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so, we also should walk in newness of life, of life. So with his
death and resurrection, in him, we have died and we live. Like I said, there is no life
without him. But in him is life. He took our
death and we live in him. We should have died. We should
have, we earned it. The wages of sin is death. And
I earned my death. But by his grace, by his grace
I have been delivered from the death that I justly earned. and
every one of his people justly earned their own death. But in
him, oh in him, he died with our sins in his body on the tree. Walter preached it a couple weeks
ago. His blood was shed. That blood was shed for his people.
And with that blood being shed, we are redeemed. We are redeemed. We were redeemed 2,000 years
ago when he shed it on the tree. Oh, we died with him and we live
with him. But without our death with him,
there is no life with him. And Paul's telling us if we be
dead with him, we shall also live with him. And he says, if we suffer, we
shall also reign. If we deny him, he also will
deny us. If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him. What's it say? In this world,
you could have tribulation. Exactly. In this world, you may
have tribulation. No, in this world, you're gonna
have tribulation. You're gonna have tribulation. In this world,
you shall have tribulation. Who said that? Jesus Christ.
And guess what? That is as true as ye must be
born again. You understand all these people,
they're going around all these churches, as they call them,
these mega churches, these assemblies, talking about how wonderful everything
will be if you just trust Christ. You'll have all the money you
want. You'll have all the health you can stand. Matter of fact,
you won't be able to stand it. You'll be so healthy. That's
a lie. Jesus Christ said, in this world,
you're going to have tribulation. And anybody that says any different
is telling a lie. and I don't care who you are.
It doesn't matter who you are. But Paul says if we suffer, we
shall reign with him. Now, it doesn't say that we're
gonna reign, it says we're gonna reign with him. You understand? He's got all the power and we're
gonna reign with him. You understand what that means?
He has put us on his side. I said it a few weeks ago, I
don't have a side. And here's the other part of
it, you don't have a side. But if we suffer, we shall also
reign with him. We only reign with him because
he's got all the power. He is the head and we are the
members of his body. We have his name. He is our bridegroom,
our king, and our lord. It said it a few weeks back. We are called by his name, the
lord, our righteousness. And if we suffer, we're going
to reign with him. Now here comes the scary part,
and I think this might have been part of the reason why I skipped
over this faithful saying. Because it says if we deny him,
he will also deny us. I'm gonna tell you something,
that's a scary thought. Because this part of the verse
actually scares me. But I believe, for the most part,
this is a warning against apostasy. And that's scary. You understand,
people who apostatize have been somewhat following. You understand,
they're not just the heathen out there. They're not the people
who don't know anything about Christ. They've been following
for a while, and that scares me. But here's the thing, and
I had to think about this, and I did a little checking, and
to ponder in myself Because I have doubts at times. Understand? And I know some of
you have doubts at times. I figure all of you do at one
time or another. I try not to live there, Mac,
but I know where it is. But here's the thing. When I analyzed my thoughts about
this, I deny myself in my doubts. You understand? I'm not denying,
and I don't deny, I don't think I ever have, I don't deny Christ. I deny my part with him. You
understand? Now, you can go back to Peter.
When Satan desired to sift him as wheat. And guess what he did? And our Lord told him, he says,
you're gonna deny me thrice before the cock crows. And Peter did. But Peter didn't deny that Jesus
was the Christ. He just denied that he knew him.
I didn't know him. I didn't know him. But anyway,
Jesus also told Peter when Satan was gonna sift him his wheat,
I've prayed for you. I've prayed for you. That gives
me goosebumps. That your faith fail not. And
it didn't fail. And you know why it didn't fail?
Because Jesus Christ prayed for him. And his prayers are always
answered, yay and amen. And I thought about this, like
I said, and I thought about John Newton, the guy who wrote Amazing
Grace. He wrote Glorious Things of Thee
are Spoken. I love that song, Zion's city
of our God. He wrote, Behold the throne of
grace and many others, But he also wrote this. "'Tis a point
I long to know. "'Oft it caused me anxious thought. "'Do I love the Lord or no? "'Am
I his or am I not?' He's not denying the Lord. He's denying
his part in it. And I know that feeling. That's
where my doubts are. "'If I love, why am I thus?'
Why this dull and lifeless frame? Hardly sure can they be worse
who have never heard his name. Now I know that feeling very
well. But that's not denying Christ. That's not denying Christ. I know my own doubts and fears,
but I don't doubt him. And I'll tell you what, that
does comfort me. When I doubt, not if, but when
I doubt, I doubt my part in it. Do I love the Lord or not? Am
I his or am I not? This is the thing. The true believer
doesn't worry about the Lord, he worries about himself. That's
how selfish we are. That's how ignorant we are. And
sometimes that's how faithless we are. Now I'm not promoting
that, but I want you to be aware of it. Some people will say,
well if we deny him, he'll deny us, so don't we ever deny the
Lord? No, you just believe Christ. Just believe Christ. You're gonna
have doubts, you're gonna have fears. And Satan may sift you as wheat,
but usually it's your own self that's sifting your own self. But Jesus Christ prayed for Peter,
and I'm gonna tell you this, he also said, If you know me,
if you believe me, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And that's just as true as if
we deny him, he will deny us. I think what Paul was writing
here, Paul was writing here, was in
reference to what Matthew wrote down. These are the words of
Christ. But whosoever shall deny me,
before men. Him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven. That's some serious words. Paul is writing about those who
go out from us. But we also know why they go
out from us. They never were of us. They were never of us. Because
had they been of us, there's no doubt would have continued
with us. Paul is writing of those who
deny that Jesus is the Christ. It's what John talked about.
For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver
and an antichrist. Now you understand, These aren't
many deceivers, they are among us. They were among those then. They were using the name of Christ,
but they were denying his power. What is it? Those that have a
form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. So I'm gonna tell
you something, if you deny Christ's power, you're denying Christ.
We say it wholeheartedly, I mean it. You can't preach Christ high
enough, and you can't preach man low enough. But there are those who have
a form of godliness, but they deny the power they have. They
use the name of Jesus, or Christ, or Jesus Christ, but they deny
his power in some way, shape, or form. They may deny his perfection.
Well, there's lots of people do that. Well, he was just a
man. Oh, I heard, was it? Kenneth Copeland's idiot wife,
I'm sorry. Gloria Copeland. Jesus was just
a man filled with the Holy Spirit and you can be too. You're gonna
compare yourself to the Lord of glory? You're a fool. You're a lying, deceived fool
and you're trying to deceive other people. They may deny his
perfection. They may deny his power to save.
He's done all he can do, now it's up to you. They'll deny
his power to keep safe. So they'll say you can be saved
and then you can lose it. Christ said I'll never leave
you nor forsake you. John said if you go out from
us, you never were a part of us. Peter said we are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation. What ready to be revealed
in the last day. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out, and I'm gonna raise him up as the last
day. If you deny his power to keep
people safe, you're denying him. Oh, there are some that deny
him by claiming their own sinlessness. I haven't heard it for a while,
Walter, but I have heard it in times past. I heard it on tape by Henry
the other day. Remind me of it. They call it
living above sin. Now doesn't that sound sweet?
Now listen, we are no longer the servants of sin. But that
doesn't mean we're without sin. That doesn't mean we can be without
sin. It's not possible. Because I
know in my flesh, still, right now, to this day, there is no
good thing in my flesh. Now in his spirit within me,
there's all kind of good things. And therefore, in lies the battle. But in denying that they have
sin, what are they denying? They're denying his advocacy.
They're saying his intercession and his power and his advocacy,
I don't need. But he ever liveth to make intercession
for us. Why? Because we ever need his
intercession for us. But here's the thing. If we deny
him, he'll deny us. His sheep shall hear his voice. and a stranger they will not
follow. Why? Because they're following him.
They're following him. And I think that might have been
why I skipped this one, because I didn't want to get into that.
And I get through all this to get to this part. And here's
the statement. Just see where Paul goes from.
If we deny him, he's gonna deny us. What's the next thing he
says? If we believe not, yet he abides faithful. Now isn't that glorious? What a statement. Talk about
the grace of Christ Jesus. The glorious truth. Now you understand,
let's very carefully read the negative, Paul is not saying
that Jesus Christ saves those who have never believed and will
never believe. It's not what he's talking about.
I mean, this may sound funny, but I thought about it and pondered
on it and I couldn't find another way to say it. Here's the thing. If we, believers, those who have
been revealed to Christ, have revealed Christ in their hearts,
if we believe not, he's faithful. He's talking about believers.
What, he's talking about unbelief in believers? Yes he is. And it's there. It's there, it's
there. If we believers believe not,
he's faithful. Because Jesus Christ can't be
anything other than faithful and true. Because he is faithful
and true. Not only to himself, but wait
a minute, to us. to us, to his people. He abides faithful, he lives
faithful. To us, his people. You understand? And Walter, you
said this years ago. I remember it, because I worry
about this. You understand? If I lose my mind, through no
fault of my own, or through my own idiocy, which can be rampant
at times. I'll admit to it. But if I lose
my mind to the point where I don't even know my own name or know
yours, he's faithful. He's faithful, understand? He's
faithful. I can be a drooling vegetable,
but bless God, Jesus Christ is still faithful and true. Oh,
I'm telling you, that blesses my soul. because I worry about
my mind. I remember Earl saying years
ago, he said, I don't know that I lost my mind, but I wasn't
sure where it went. I kind of have a feeling I know
what that means now. Oh, I'm telling you, folks, your
mind can betray you. But he abides faithful. My mind
can condemn me. But he abides faithful. We sing that song and we mean
it, I hope. Help thou my unbelief. Why? Because it's in here. And
unfortunately sometimes it comes out. But he abides faithful. He abides faithful. And then
here Paul tells us how. He tells us how and he tells
us why Christ Jesus is faithful even though we don't believe
sometimes. I mean, he writes it, and this
is a glorious fact, and I love these four words. He cannot deny
himself. Himself. You understand? This
doesn't have anything to do with me. This has got to do with him.
If I don't believe, he's faithful. If I don't believe, he's faithful. You don't believe. You have doubts,
you have fears, you have overwhelming grief. He's faithful. Why? Because he cannot deny himself. Now you understand, this deny
himself here is the same exact word as in verse 12. If we, what
is it? If we deny him, he will also
deny us. That's the same exact word. In verse 12, it's condemnatory. Right? Ah, but here, in verse
13, it's glorious. He can't deny himself. Understand? A lot of people say, you know,
there's one thing God can't do. He can't lie. That's true. But
here's number two. This is scripture. This is inspired
of God, written by Paul the Apostle, to the Gentiles, which is us.
Jesus Christ can never deny himself. Oh, why? Because he's faithful
and true. He's faithful and true. He can't
deny himself. God cannot lie, and Jesus Christ,
because here's this, to deny himself would be untruthful.
I mean, that's it. He can't be opposite even slightly
against his own nature. He's God. Because here, let me put this
as simply as I can. To deny one of his brethren,
that's what he called us, his brethren, the redeemed, to deny
one of those would be to deny himself. You understand, we say,
and we use this word, and it's a good word, he is our representative.
He is our federal head. He is the head, we are the body. But you understand, we're only
saying that because he said it. And he said it because it's true. And to deny, for Christ to be
able to deny would be to deny himself. If he denied a part
of his own body, he's faithful. Our failure, and bless God for
this, our failure is not a cause for Jesus Christ to deny us. He's faithful and true. And he
can't deny himself. Now if somebody's gonna say,
you're giving people license to sin, they're gonna go out
and sin all they want. They do anyway. Leave me alone. I sin more than I want to. I
remember when Henry first said that, 30 years ago. But that
blessed my soul. Because that's it. I sin more
than I want to now. Oh. We still have unbelief in us,
but he can't deny himself.