Alright take your Bibles if you're
following along and turn to the 126th Psalm Psalm 126 Listen
as I read these words When the Lord turned again the captivity of
Zion. We were like them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with
singing. Then said they among the heathen,
the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done
great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity,
O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears
shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing a precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him. Amen. I will not make many references
to Zion of old, that is Mount Zion,
that is the mountain upon which the temple of God was built. I'll make a few references to
that. But Zion, even in the Old Testament, means God's people. And we know from the Apostle
Paul in the New Testament, in the book of Galatians, that Jerusalem,
and that is Zion of old, but the Jerusalem which is above
is free and is the mother of us, that is every believer, the
mother of us all. But Jerusalem, which now is,
is in bondage. And in bondage with her children.
If you're of that Jerusalem, that's the Jerusalem that's over
there in the Middle East, you're in bondage. You're in bondage. I want to give you nine observations
from this psalm this morning. But before I do, let me briefly
give you this question. Zion in captivity? Really? Zion in captivity. Is this a misnomer? Is this a
misstatement? Of course not. Of course not. So here are these nine observations
from Psalm 126. Number one, our very predestination
unto adoption as sons implies decreed needs. Yes, sir. The apostle Paul makes it clear
in the book of Ephesians that there are some people who were
chosen in Christ before the world began. And these people were
chosen based upon God's predestinating purpose to make them his sons
in Christ Jesus. The very thing itself implies
need. That's right, yeah. Wherein he
goes on to even say that we're accepted in the beloved. Now while he does not say that
we are not accepted in ourselves, the fact that we must be accepted
in the beloved lets us know we are not accepted in ourselves.
That implies decreed need. God did not tell Adam you ought
not eat of the fruit of that tree in the garden. Lying preachers say that kind
of thing. God told Adam, in the day that
you eat thereof, thou shalt surely die. You know why? Because God
had decreed it. God had decreed it. Somebody
says, I don't like that. Doesn't matter whether we like
it or not. Doesn't matter whether we like it. The very fact that
there had to be a predestination, an election, an acceptance in
Christ Implies decreed need that's number one number two our election
was unto salvation Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 13 through 17
Where in Paul specifically states that God hath chosen you unto
salvation Mason that lets me know that in the mind the purpose
of God our fall and Adam was already there and decreed our
captivity was already decreed. Zion's captivity was already
decreed by God. And when you see, and when we
see in the Old Testament account, the captivity that came with
Babylon, where did that come from? God decreed it. Now, yes, it was a result of
men and women's rebellion against God, but God decreed that. Yes,
sir. Mason, they'd rebelled many a
time before but never went into captivity in Babylon. That's
right. That's exactly right. This is all God Almighty's business.
Salvation equals deliverance. And we were chosen unto deliverance. Why? Because we're going to need
delivered. That's number two. Number three, Zion fail. Not Jerusalem now. Zion fail
and Zion needs deliverance. According to Paul in Romans chapter
5 verse 19. And let me just read it because
I do not want to misquote that. Romans chapter 5. Listen to what
Paul writes. For as by one man's disobedience. That's Adam he's talking about
here. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. We had no choice in that matter.
That's right, exactly. Had no choice in that matter.
Nothing we could think or say or do caused that to come about. That's right. For as by one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners. Yes. But even so, this
is true, Paul says, so by the obedience of one. That's Jesus
Christ he's speaking of here. Shall many be made righteous?
Made righteous, not even imputed righteousness, but made righteousness. Imputation is, Paul, as we talked
the other day, based upon fact. The fact was we were made sinners
in Adam. God's people are made righteous
by Jesus Christ. Let me ask you a question. Now,
don't answer it out loud. I don't want you to embarrass
yourself. Did all fall in Adam? Did all fall in Adam? Now, if
you want to try to be theologically correct, you may say, well, yes.
All fell in Adam. Theologically, that's correct.
But let me ask you this. Ask all if they fell in Adam. they will tell you, I did not
fall in that. Ask, someone says, all men need
salvation. Go and ask them. Go out here
to the mall today and just go up and pigeonhole people and
say, do you need salvation? They'll look at you with a jaundiced
eye like, what kind of nut are you? You see, no emptiness, there'll
be no fullness. God never fills any person with
His grace until He first empties them by His grace. I mean, there are a lot of people
today that say they're saved, they've never been lost. There are a lot of people today
that say they've been found. They've never been lost. No one's
ever found who's not first lost. And I'm talking about lost by
experience. That's what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about like that prodigal son where it says, and he finally,
he came to himself. You know what he realized? Where I'm at is not a good place
to be. God never clothes anybody in
the righteousness of Christ until he first strips them of their
own self-righteousness. No nakedness, no clothing. Have
you ever seen yourself standing like Adam and Eve were naked
before a holy God? And then you turn around and
even try this, Mack, sew a few fig leaves together to think
you're going to cover up your nakedness from the almighty God? That's how sinful we are. Most
people like to look at our fullness in sinfulness in light of great
acts of immorality. And that certainly is true. But even our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags in God's sight. I've never been clothed unless
God Almighty first stripped me naked beforehand. Never lost,
never found. It is amazing when you can even
have someone who's been brought up under the truth of the free
and sovereign grace of God in Christ. They made some profession
when they were young, and they believe these things, but they've
never been stripped. They've never been lost. They've
never found themselves hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
Well, this is just what I believe, and I want to go to heaven. We
often throw that off onto the free willers. But it happens
right amidst and under the preaching of the truth of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. False professions are made. And
again I say, no emptiness, no fullness. No nakedness, no clothing. Never been lost, you've never
been saved. You've never been captive. See what this says? Never been captive, you've never
been delivered. You've never been delivered. That's number three. Somebody
says I don't like that, that's tough. Doesn't matter. Doesn't
matter whether you like it or not. It's the truth of God Almighty's
word. Number four, from this psalm,
when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. Now I don't
know that this is actually a reference to the Babylonian captivity.
I'm of the mind that it's probably not in and of itself. But be
that as it may, one thing is true. Captivity, deliverance
from captivity always takes place by an act of God. You don't work your way out of
captivity. Salvation is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. You remember
the one who said that, don't you? That was Jonah. You think
Jonah could deliver himself out of the captivity he found himself
in? In the belly of that fish? I guarantee you, if he could,
he had probably, at least when he started to go down, he was
probably trying to claw his way back out. I figure I would. But gee, he couldn't claw his
way back out. Joe mentioned it, I mentioned it last Sunday, that
we were to look into the pit from which we were what? did
when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. Let us proclaim
that without apology. Deliverance comes by an act of
God. It is not. God's done all we
can do. Now it's up to you. That's a lie of the devil. If God's done all he can do,
then that God ain't nothing but a pitiful, pitiful being. God is the God of heaven and
earth. He's the God who speaks, and
it's so. Even more, he's the God who thinks,
and it's so. And you or I can't turn him.
Somebody said, I want God to do this. If God hadn't purposed
to do it, it ain't gonna happen. No matter how much we cry, no
matter how much we pray, Abraham said, oh, that Ishmael might
live before thee. And I understand that. I've got
two kids. And I understand praying, Neil,
oh God save them. But if God says no, then the
answer's no. And God told Abraham no. It's not gonna come to Ishmael. That's just the way it is. When
the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. Number five. Deliverance
is the working, and this is mine, I'm just giving you this. I'm
sure there's a lot more there historically, but remember, a
history lesson is like a dry teat. It ain't worth nothing.
Have five little piglets trying to suck on a dry teat. It ain't
gonna do no good whatsoever. Just a history lesson don't matter.
He said, we were like them that dream. What is a dream? It's a different realm, isn't
it? I could say that there might
be more there, Mason, than what I'm giving you, granted, but
what's a dream? It's like a different realm.
Joe mentioned it. What did the Apostle Paul say? Let me read it to you, Colossians
chapter one. Paul wrote these words to the
believers at Colossae, speaking of God the Father in verse 12,
giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet. Made
us meet. As I read that, I thought of
that preacher who I used to be close to, ain't been close to
for about 35 years now, but used to be very close to when he preached
my grandmother's funeral, he said, God is a gentleman, he
doesn't make anybody do anything. That's a lie. Now his God may
be a gentleman, my God is the God of heaven and earth. And
he does according to his will in the armies of heaven, yeah,
but also amongst the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? And thank God, here's
something I'm glad he makes me to be, which hath made us meet. I'm glad it's a work of God,
because I was in captivity. I was a slave. Look, giving thanks
unto the Father which hath made us meet, qualified us, as they're
all used to say, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.
And he's translated us into a different realm. Hadn't he? And has translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son. in whom we have redemption
through his blood, and thank God, even the forgiveness of
sins. You know why? Because my captivity
is my fault. I'm not even going to blame Adam.
Because you know what? I was born in captivity, Neil,
and I loved it to be so. I hung my harp up on the willows
in Babylon and just enjoyed all of the great benefits of the
Babylonian society. Yeah, loved every minute of it.
Aren't you glad salvation's of the Lord? Aren't you glad it
didn't leave it up to your choice? We make a lot of choices, but
you know what? I look back on my choices, I look back on choices
I made yesterday, and I'm ashamed of myself. I had greasy bacon for breakfast
this morning, Joe. but I ain't ashamed of that.
That's just a little note about it. You understand what I'm saying? We're in captivity and we loved
it so. We loved it so. Deliverance is the working of
another ram. He's translated us into the kingdom
of God's dear son. And listen to me. How do I say
this without, I'm not trying to ruffle feathers. But this book speaks that there's
going to be a day come that's going to be a thousand years
long that Christ is going to reign on this earth before the
new heavens and the new earth come. But I'll tell you what,
that's not the kingdom of Christ. because it says about those thousand
years and when they are, expired. That's the way it's even translated
in the KJ, expired. The thousand years shall cease
to be, Neil, but it said of Christ's kingdom and of his kingdom, there
shall be no end. Now, my so-called pre-millennialism
stays with what the book says, not what some men have wrote
down and say, here's what you gotta believe if you're this
or you're that. No, we've now been delivered, Joe, from the
power of darkness. That was captivity, wasn't it?
Yes, sir. Even though, Mason, I was Zion,
chosen by God before the world began, yet I was born into this
world in captivity, in a Babylonian captivity that I loved and enjoyed. and God reached down and delivered
me. Here's the sixth thing. Deliverance
always brings praise, doesn't it? Then, then, and I'll say,
I'm gonna add this, but you know the then and only then. You don't
really, you might think you praise, but it's not until God delivers
you from captivity till you really praise. I used to think when I was in
False Christianity. Neil, I made that profession
a faith and years later I thought I was a preacher. Boy, I just
preached up a storm. But I preached nothing. More
than that, I preached lies against God. Aren't you glad there's
forgiveness with God? But he delivered me even out
of that, Joe. And then I began to understand
a little bit about what real praise was. Then was our mouth
filled with laughter, and our tongue was singing, and I couldn't
even keep shut even before unbelievers. I wanted them to know what had
happened to me. You know what? They didn't care. You're a really weird nut. You
made a profession way back yonder. You're a preacher, and you still
needed to be saved. Yeah. Yeah. Praise amidst God's
people, even praise amidst the infidels. Then said they amongst
the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. You see?
Have you ever found yourself just spurting off to somebody
and then you realize they really don't care about this at all?
You know? They really don't care, but it
means everything to you. You know? It means everything.
The Lord's work is the message, is it not? The Lord hath done
great things for them. You see it? We brag about Him. We dare not brag about us. Oh,
He's done great things for us. Yeah, for them. We'll get to
that in a moment. For them. But we dare not, we
brag about Him. It's like Paul said, God forbid
that I should glory. That's boast, brag, Mason. There's one place to brag. That's
in the cross work of Jesus Christ. Brag about him. Brag about that. Brag about God's son. He deserves
it. He deserves it. Praise amidst
God's people. Praise amidst the infidels. The
Lord's work is the message. The Lord's work for his people
is the message. He's done great things for them.
Listen, even if I'm not one, I know now the Lord's done great
things for them. You see what I'm saying? Somebody
said, what if you ain't really one though? Doesn't matter, God's
still done great things for them. You hear what I'm saying? Whoever
they are, whoever they were that are in captivity and the Lord
delivered them out, He's done great things for them. You see, deliverance, that's
salvation, is not just a distant collectiveness, though we know
he's done great things for them. But look, deliverance, that is
salvation, becomes intensely personal. The Lord, verse three,
the Lord has done great things for us. He said, oh, to have reason to
think I got a part in that. You see, God's gonna save all
the elect. The glory comes when God begins to reveal to you,
you know what? You're one too. That's right. And how can you know that God
chose me before the world began? That's already done and settled.
And Paul says, here's how we know. Brethren, beloved, knowing
your election of God, how could you know that? He said, because
our gospel came not to you in word only, but in power and in
the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. Much assurance about who? Him,
the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ. I'm totally unsure about me,
but I'm absolutely sure about him. And when he died, he saved
his people. And I mean to say it just that
way. Legally, it's done. When he died on that cross, Mac,
he saved me. Now I was born in the captivity
and the time of love, just like the time that 70 years finally
gave up the captives in Babylon and decree was wrote out, these
people are free. And they begin to leave Babylon
and head back to Jerusalem. You remember that? Because God
Almighty has it in his decree the very day that you and I are
delivered from our captivity. Yours may have been one day,
mine may have been another day, but Joe, both days, any, whatever
day you were delivered, God Almighty decreed it before the world began. But this deliverance is never
xenophobic. It is still us. It ain't just
all, God delivered me and I don't care about anybody else. You've
got the wrong attitude. because all of the us's, that
ain't the right word. I looked it up to see if it was
in the dictionary, but I'm gonna coin it. All of the us's don't
mind being us's. They like being a us. It's not
about me, it's about us. Because if Christ died for you
and Christ died for me and one of us don't make it, then Christ
is a failure. If God so loved the world, if
that world ain't saved, Neil, then God's a failure. And I know,
according to the book, Revelations chapter five, John's seen it,
he said, here's a people that Christ has redeemed by his blood
out of every people and tongue, nation, kindred under heaven.
That's the world, is it not? David, right back there, black
and white too. male and female, rich or poor,
bond or free. That's the world. He saved at
least one, and I know it's more than that, of every kind. And
I will say his saving, because here's number seven,
the delivered. never grow above the need for
deliverance. Look at it, verse four, turn
again our captivity. Well, wait a minute, I thought
they just said, when the Lord turned again the captivity of
Zion. In other words, here's one thing,
the Apostle Paul said, this is a faithful saying and worthy
of all acceptation, which lets me know there were people saying,
we don't like that. But he said, this is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save who? What kind? Sinners. Sinners. I'm not asking you if you understand
all of this. I'm asking you, are you a sinner?
Do you see your corruption before God? And even after God delivers
you, you still have to say. You are forced to say by reality
that in me, that is in my flesh right now today, dwells no good
thing. And you're forced to cry out,
oh, wretched man that I am. Paul wrote that being inspired
of the Spirit as a saint, a holy one, writing down God's word,
but still is forced to cry out by the reality he knows that's
still in him, oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? I thank God. And notice he said,
O wretched man that I am, who? Who? God's salvation is a who.
It's not a what. It's not a what. The delivered
never grow above deliverance. Deliverance is continually from
God. Read what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1, eight through 10. We have
this sentence of death in ourselves. You know why God left us like
we still are? so that we won't trust in ourselves.
Go back and look at it. So that we won't trust in ourselves,
but we know that the God who did deliver us yesterday, he's
still delivering us today, and he's gotta deliver me tomorrow
as well. He doesn't deliver me, Mason, then leave it up for me
to get there. The delivered never grow above
the need for deliverance. If you've ever matured above
that, you've matured way too far. You're way too grown up. I am being facetious. It's like
Henry Mahan told the one lady, she told Henry, well, Henry,
I've been a Christian all my life. And he said, lady, that's
too long. And it is. There's none of us
been Christians all our life. Decreed as such in the counsel
of God, yes, but born into this world through Adam and through
my parents, born in sin, shapen in iniquity. I ain't been a Christian
all my life. We never grow above that. Deliverance
is a constant necessity. Why? Because we know in here,
in my flesh, in me, no. You know, the Bible means it.
This is the practical matter. There's not a just man on the
face of the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. The only
justice, that's not, the only justification that I have is
in a person. He's Jesus Christ. Number Well, let me just put it this
way. Let me sum up these seven so far. I got two more to go.
Those who know God saved them from the first, from the get-go,
say, well, when was the first? Well, actually, before the world
began. From the foundations of the world. I don't even know
what that means. I really don't even know what
that means. So then, those who know God saved them from the
first, and even in time, God initiated this thing. I didn't.
And I've told some here, we've got some visitors, I mean, God
sent that man right there to me with the gospel. And you know
what the first thing I said was in my heart and mind? That boy's
a kook. I don't like him. Was I right on that part, Joe? I don't like him. You know why
I didn't like him? Because he was just like I was.
But he knew it, and I didn't. and he tried his best as God
enabled him to exalt his Lord. But there came a day, Neil, that
God Almighty broke me down and shoved my face in the dirt and
bowed me down to the truth of his Son. And I know it took God
to do that. It's gonna take God the rest
of the way. Because even now, I told you
I know doctrine. I could argue with people up
one side, but you know what? That don't mean nothing. No matter
how much doctrine I know and can lay it all out theologically,
God says if a man thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing yet
as he ought to. I mean, I don't still get it
like I ought to, Joe. If I did, my life wouldn't be
in such turmoil all the time. Now, I'm not saying everything
would go great. I'm saying when calamity fell on me, I'd say
the Lord gave, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of
the Lord. But I don't always do that even
now. I know it's true in here, but I don't always say it with
this, do you? Sometimes we don't, do we? Even
as a captive who's been delivered, I know God still got to deliver
me. So number eight, so then, so
then, verse five, so in light of all that, so in light of your
fallen state, they, They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Mourn your corruption in sin. That's what it's talking about. Godly sorrow worketh repentance,
which need not be repented of. The sowing in tears here, this
is not talking about going out and sowing the gospel. This is
sowing in tears for yourself, a miserable, wretched individual. In and of myself, I hate God.
That's what the book says about me, we were enmity against God.
My flesh still is enmity against God, oh wretched man, the sorrow
for that. That's what's gonna make you
cry out for deliverance, isn't it? That's what makes you cry
out for deliverance. So then, so then, so, that is
S-O then, so, S-O-W, in light of your fallen state, but then,
Then deliverance is personified and singularized. He. Now it's no longer they. He that
goeth forth and weepeth bearing. Watch the word. God never uses
words and just throws them out there because that sounds good.
It's a lot of they's and us's and we's up to this verse. Now remember still it's all about
him. But with all the we's and the they's, Mason, now all of
a sudden it's a he. And it ain't sowing seed. What
does it say? Bearing seed. Now seed will be
sown. No doubt. And you know, Christ
even told the disciples, pray the father that he will send
people out to reap. Why? Because the fields are already
white to harvest. The word's been sown and the
word is being sown. But that ain't what it's talking
about here. There's a song, I looked it up in this other song book,
bringing in the sheaves. You know, that's a song about
a whole lot of nothing that says a whole lot of nothing. Because
most of us, I'll include myself, when I used to read that, even
after God saved me, Mason, I still thought of myself in verse six.
And if I'd just go forth and weep and bear precious seed,
I doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing my sheaves with me.
And you know what, it ain't worked that way. There's many that I've
tried to sow seed for and I just waited and waited for it to grow
up and have fruit to perfection, never did happen. But that's
not what this says, does it? It says, he that goeth forth,
he! Who is the man that truly wept?
Concerning these things, Christ is. He was a man of sorrow, acquainted
with grief. And what did we do? We hid, as
it were, our faces from him. He that goeth forth and weepeth.
And notice here, not just sowing. Matter of fact, it's not sowing
here. It's sowing in verse five, here it's bearing. That implies
ownership. Go back and look at the way the
word is used in the Hebrew. It's all about bearing up a shield.
Not just ownership, but he's got it in his grasp. It's his
to control. We take that shield where he
needs it, Joe. And then other things are bore
up, bearing precious seed. My sowing will account to nothing
unless it's seed borne by Christ. You remember, I'll give you an
illustration of it. It's not the exact same thing, but Paul
said, listen, I come along, I planted seed. Apollos came along after
me and he watered the seed. But where did the increase come
from? God gave the increase. You see, God don't have to have
me sow seed. He can use somebody else. This is a joy and a privilege. God ain't dependent upon me.
Ask Jonah. God wants you to sow seed somewhere.
Bless God, you're going to sow seed somewhere. Jonah tell you,
listen, don't think you won't. You may have to smell whale vomit
for a while. You will go. Whoever God's ordained
to sow seed will go and sow seed. But this ain't about seed sowing,
this is about seed bearing. Ownership, having it in his control.
He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, and then
look at it, shall doubtless. Ain't that good? It ain't dependent
on me. It ain't dependent upon you,
Joe. It ain't dependent upon you, folks. When you try to testify
of what God's done for you to other people, people that you
care about, it ain't up to you. You sow seed, he's the one that
bears it. You remember, he's the one that
said, I thank you, God. But what's the first thing he
thanked God for in that prayer? I thank you that you hid these
things from some people. I have trouble doing that. There's
people that this thing seems to be hidden from Mason, and
that makes me sorrowful. But Christ said, I thank you,
Father, that you've hid these things from the wise and the
prudent, and you revealed them to babes. He's the only man that
can truly do that, Neil, and be totally right when he does
it. Sometimes when I try to praise God for the other side, it's
like it's such a farce. You know, I know it's true. He's gonna get the glory whether
it's in the salvation of people or it's in the judgment of people.
It will glorify God. And I know that. But Joe, I don't
always live and walk that way. In other words, that's number
nine. Deliverance is personified. It's a person. He that goeth
forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Joe preached
to you folks just a little bit about, a little ago, a couple,
two or three weeks ago about this when I was going down to
Rocky Mountain. You remember the good shepherd?
He's got one sheep that's lost. And he goes out and he searches
for that one lost sheep until he finds it. And then he doesn't
just start whistling and calling and say, all right sheepy, I've
done my part, now you follow me. No, it says he picks it up,
lays it on his shoulders and carries it all the way home and
does so when he gets home doing what? Rejoicing, saying to others,
rejoice with me because I found my sheep. Right? That's Christ. So how do you
really know that's Christ? Because that's Christ. That ain't me. That ain't you. But it just ain't. I may sow seed, but he bears
it. And he's the one who will doubtless come again with rejoicing,
but he's gonna come bringing his sheaves with him. You know,
people say, well, you believe in that stuff of election, and
you probably believe just a couple little handfuls are gonna be
saved. When we look at us, you mean we look at us, ain't even
a couple good handfuls here. But you know what? No, it ain't
just a couple handfuls. The scripture says it's a number which cannot
be numbered. It has a number, but it's talking
about if they were all sent before us, I couldn't count them. Mac,
I couldn't count them. Couldn't count them. You see,
Christ was the man of sorrows. He was the one acquainted with
grief, and he bore our sorrows, and he bore our griefs, and even
more, he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. And as
one preacher said, not only that, bless God, he bore them away.
I like that. He bore them away. The second
thing here, number nine, Christ bears precious seed. He bears
it, it's his. The ownership of it, the control
of the seed, it's his. If you get the opportunity to
sow, thank God for it. But it's gonna be his results
that's going to take place, not ours. But know this, he shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing and then bringing in my sheaves. That seed, the stone, it's gonna
bring forth fruit unto him. He's gonna gather it up into
his garner. Christ's ownership is no attempt. It's certainty. It's absoluteness. He shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing. Remember another one? The woman
who lost, she had 10 pieces of silver? One was lost. And she swept and swept and cleaned
how long? So she just got tired and finally
has a well, can't do nothing else about it, no sir. Christ said
she sweeps and cleans until she finds it. And then she tells
others, rejoice with me. Because I found my coin that
was lost. Christ's deliverance is more
than an association with the delivered, it's union. He that
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seeds, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves. It's like gathering
them up, bringing his sheaves with him. Isn't that glorious? Even those who are in Christ
that's died and gone on, when he comes back, Mason says he
will bring them with him. They will raise their bodies
first. This is gonna be, it's gonna
be instantaneous. It'll be first, the trumpet will sound, their
bodies will be raised, and before they even get all the way up
there, everyone else who's in Christ, who's still living, gonna
be changed like that, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And
then we're all together. We'll be caught up in the air.
To be with the Lord forever. He gonna bring in his sheaves,
ain't he? I like that. In other words,
here's my title, Christ. brings the sheaves. That's the
title, not this song here. Bringing in the sheaves, bringing
in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing, we ain't bringing
in no sheaves. I brought in two or three, and
guess how long them sheaves last. They skedaddled after a while.
They loved me to start with, now they hate me. But let me
tell you something, once God Almighty bowed you down to His
Son, if His Son's the one that bowed you to love Him, you'll
always love Him, because He'll always bow you to love Him. In
spite of your failures, you're still gonna love Him. You may
not love yourself, Neil, but you're gonna love Him. You remember,
even Job cried out in the end, wherefore I hate myself. I've heard of you with the hearing
of my ear, but now my eye sees you. Now, because of that, I
hate myself. and I repent in dust and ashes.
That is Psalms 126. Father, teach us these things
as only you can do, not myself, but as only you by your Spirit
can do. Help us to rejoice in the work
of Christ. Rejoice in Him. Truly, salvation
is of you. I thank you in Christ's name.
Amen.