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Norm Wells

God's Glory

Exodus 18:19
Norm Wells July, 29 2023 Video & Audio
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2023 Bible Conference

In Norm Wells' sermon titled "God's Glory," he addresses the doctrine of divine sovereignty and grace, particularly as it pertains to salvation. Central to his argument is the assertion that God's glory is most fully demonstrated in His choice to extend grace and mercy to whom He wills, as evoked by the story of Moses and God's revelation of His glory in Exodus 33. Wells underscores the significance of scriptural references, especially Exodus 33:17-19, which illustrate God declaring, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious," pointing to the unconditional nature of divine election. The sermon emphasizes the practical implications of this doctrine, asserting that believers are entirely reliant on God's sovereign grace for their salvation, thereby glorifying Him in their redemption, which stands in stark contrast to human efforts or will.

Key Quotes

“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. That's the glory of God.”

“Moses was not looking for grace when God found him. Nobody is ever looking for grace when God finds them.”

“It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but God that showeth mercy.”

“All the miracles they saw...in the whole mess of this...I will show my glory even in the midst of this.”

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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I love your pastor. We've been friends now for a
little over 15 years, and I'm thankful for a man in Rescue,
California that called me up and said, there's a gospel preacher
real close to you. Well, real close to us was 300
miles away, but that was closer than most. It's so good to be
here with you. It's good to see you. It's good
to visit with you, fellowship with you. It's good to laugh
with you. Pastor Mahan, who brought me the gospel, said, if they'll
not laugh with you, they'll not weep with you. And you know there's
truth to that. If you won't laugh with God's
people, you won't cry with God's people. Well, before we go to
the book of Exodus tonight, let me say this. He shall see to it. I would like to read our key
verse for our study of these five books of the Old Testament
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. You've noticed
last night I pulled out just one incident out of the entire
book of Genesis. The book of Genesis is just full
and running over of the good blessings of God. If God has
revealed anything about the book of Genesis to you, it will help
you with the rest of the book. In the beginning, God. Commentary on the rest of it.
All right, turn with me, if you would, to the book of John in
our reading tonight. I'd just like to read those three
verses where we started last night. In John 5, verse 45, we
have these words of the Lord Jesus to a group of Pharisees
with regard to Moses. Moses, an important character
in the Old Testament. He is the one that authored,
or not authored, he's the secretary that God, the Holy Spirit, gave
the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
He was not the author, he's the secretary. There was someone
over his shoulder that gave him all the words of those five books
in its original language. He didn't add to nor take from
one word, it was the Holy Spirit. And here we read these words
about the Lord Jesus Christ in his message to these Pharisees. Do not think, John 5, verse 45,
do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one
that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had you
believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of
me. But if you believe not his writings,
how shall you believe my words? Isn't it interesting that the
Lord Jesus put together the books of Moses and his words in such
a fine way and said, if you'll not believe Moses, you'll not
believe me, and if you won't believe me, you won't believe
Moses. Moses wrote of me. Moses had the ability given to
him by the Holy Spirit to go down through those first five
books and share with us in so many ways the Lord Jesus Christ
in all his glory. Turn with me now if you would.
We're going to get to Exodus 33 but stop at Exodus 19 and
verse 18 if you would. Go into the book of Exodus, the
second book of Moses, second book of the Old Testament. In
Exodus, we'll read here in Exodus chapter 19. Exodus chapter 19. These words are here for our
reading and for our edification in Exodus chapter 19 and verse
18. I wanted to stop by and read
this verse because it shares a whole lot about God. It shares
a whole lot about our Savior. It shares a whole lot about Him
who we have to do with. We are before him as naked with
him with whom we have to do. He knows all about us. He knows
our frame. He knows our down sitting and
our uprising. He knows all about us. So here
he tells us this about our God. In the book of Exodus chapter
19 and verse 18, and Mount Sinai was all together on a smoke. Now, isn't it wonderful when
we get to the New Testament, he tells the church, you have
not come to Mount Sinai. You, I'm not taking you to the
law, but here we have in this example that God is going to
take us to Mount Sinai for a sight. He wants us to see something
here, and this is the God of heaven demonstrated here where
he says, because the Lord," notice those all capital letters, that
is the way that the translators let us understand that this is
the name Jehovah. This is Jehovah, this is God
the very God, and we know him as the Lord Jesus Christ in the
New Testament. He said, because the Lord descended
upon it in a in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the
smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." What an
incident Almighty God gives to us as we witness this in our
mind by faith as God came down to Mount Sinai. Then again, we
are so thankful that he does not take us to Mount Sinai. You
have not come to Mount Sinai, but you've been brought to Mount
Zion. You've been brought to where
there's peace and safety. Here we have the Lord descending
in fire, and just in your mind's eye, see what's going on here.
The fire, and the smoke, and the trembling. In fact, we read
that he said, don't even let an oxen touch this mountain while
I'm up there. If it does, you skewer it with
a spear. You take it out of this life.
And the same was true to mankind. All right, let's go over here
now to the book of Exodus chapter 33. In Exodus chapter 33, we
find that Moses is going to see God. Exodus chapter 33, and there
in verse 11, these words are left for us. Now here's Jehovah
again. This is Jehovah, the God, the
very God, the very God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy
Spirit represented for us. And he says, the Lord speak unto
Moses. Notice this. Face to face. You know, this afternoon I witnessed
Brother Wayne do something. We're out there on his deck and
he got his chair around in front of us so he could look us, what?
Face to face. It tells us right here in the
Lord speaking to Moses face to face, do you know what? I cannot
find a record up to this point that anybody had this experience
except Adam in the Garden of Eden. Now he came to others,
but so characterized this way, he came to Moses face to face
as a man speaketh unto his disciples. They're not angry, there's a
friendship. And he turned again into the
camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,
departed not out of the tabernacle. All right, now let's go down
to verse 17 of this chapter. We find here that there is this
man, Moses. And Moses has had a lot of experiences
up to this time. He spent 40 years down in Egypt. He spent 40 years in the desert.
He's running for his life. He's hoping Pharaoh never catches
up with him because he has a bounty on his head, if you please. And
we find him, he's been a sheep herder for 40 years out there
in the backside of the desert. Now, the reason that he is out
in the backside of the desert is he was trying to convince
his fellow man, his fellow Jews, that he was in charge of them.
And they understood it not. Keep your finger right here and
drive with me over to the Book of Acts. Stephen in the Book
of Acts helps us a lot with Old Testament history. And in the
Book of Acts chapter 7, the Book of Acts chapter 7, we find our
friend Stephen. They call him the first martyr.
Well, there were some Old Testament saints that were also killed.
Here is Stephen in the book of Acts chapter 7, the book of Acts
chapter 7, and there in verse 22, if you'd turn there with
me, we want to look at an incident here that Stephen is helping
us catch up with what took place with Moses in the Old Testament. Now Moses is a sheep herder,
and I'm reminded about a man, I'm going to read this in just
a moment, I'm reminded about a man by the name of Amos. In
the book of Amos it said, he then answered Amos and said to
Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I the son of a prophet. You
know we could say that about Moses? He wasn't a prophet, and
he wasn't the son of a prophet. And then Amos goes on to say,
neither was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a gatherer
of sycamore fruit. You know, that's where Wayne
was, Brother Wayne was, when the Lord called him, and that's
where I was when he called me. I was not looking out to find
some position in some pulpit because I had been lying about
God for years in a pulpit and God saved me and I thought I
was going to get to sit in a place like this for the rest of my
life being a servant of the Most High God. God had another interest
in it and he showed me that when he brought me down to the town
of the Dalles 35 years ago. I didn't have any idea what he
was going to do with me. But here we find that Moses is
much like that. But we find that in the book
of Acts, Stephen catches up on some of the history and shares
it with us about this Moses we're going to read about. In Acts
chapter 7 verse 22, and Moses was learned in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians. You know what? He knew the language
and he also knew how to write it. He knew how to write hieroglyphics.
How long did it take before some guy came along and was able to
break that language so that we can read what was on all those
stones over there? And then in verse 23, and when
he was a full 40 years old, it came into his heart to visit
his brethren, the children of Israel. He knew his nationality. He knew his brethren. He knew
where he came from. He knew that his mother and his
father were Jewish. And he knew that he had been
raised in Pharaoh's household. He had been given so much. over
the years as being a member of Pharaoh's household. And here
we read in verse 24, and seeing one of them suffer wrong, he
defended him and avenged him that was oppressed and smote
the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren would have understood
how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood
not. Why? because God didn't show them. Now, Moses runs off. It's been
40 years in the backside of the desert and there's where God
finds him and says, you're going to lead my people out of Egypt
and you know what? That's exactly what God used
him to do, lead his people out of Egypt. They were there by
divine appointment. God Almighty shared with Abraham
many, many years before this incident that my people, your
people, are going to spend 400 years in servitude down in Egypt
because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Now, isn't that
an interesting reason that God said my people are going to stay
in jail for 400 years? because the iniquity of the Amorites
is not yet full. And just before they enter into
the promised land, you know what the children of Israel did? They
went in and destroyed all the Amorites, just as God predicted,
not predicted, purpose, not purpose, carried out in the eternal counsels
of his purpose. He said, I will deal with them
at the right time. And you know what? He's going
to deal with this world the same way at the right time, at the
right time, his time. He will deal with it. Be patient. Be patient. He will deal with
it. He has some people to save yet. That's the only reason.
All right. So he thought that the people of his brethren would
know that he was to be the deliverer, and they did not. And now it's
going to take 40 years. And then in this book of Exodus
chapter 33, let's get down to the heart of where we want to
spend some time this evening. And that is in the book of Exodus
chapter 33 and verse 17. Chapter 33 and verse 17. Because
they are on such good terms and God has looked at him and Moses
face to face as a friend does visit with his friend. Moses
was courageous and asked this of the Lord. Show me thy glory. Have you ever asked that? Lord, show me your glory. That's here in the book of Exodus
chapter 33. And let's begin reading with
verse 17. And it says right here, And the
Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou
hast spoken. For thou hast found grace in
my sight, and I know thee by name. Now, you know what? Moses was not looking for grace.
when God found him. Nobody is ever looking for grace
when God finds them. We find that Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord. What's that mean? Noah was just
better than everybody else and God came down and dealt with
him accordingly? No! Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. God worked on him. God came to
him. God tripped him up. God arrested
him. God brought him to the ground.
God revealed unto him the Lord Jesus. God gave him everything
he gives to you and I today. He gave to him repentance and
faith. He gave to him the Holy Spirit.
He gave to him the knowledge of the scriptures. He gave to
him everything. That's why Abraham is written
about him. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. You know the same thing happened to Moses? God
came to him, it tells there, and he's found grace in my sight. I know thee by name. When did
he know him? By name from eternity. Back there
in the book that God had. In the Lamb's book of life. With
the names written before the foundation of the world. Moses
was right there. know you by name. You know what?
He knows all his children by name, wherever they are and whatever
age. Well, let's go on. And he said,
I beseech thee, Moses said this. Oh, please, I beg. God, I love
you in my very heart of hearts. Please show me your glory. You know, we often think that
that's what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Lord
was transfigured before his disciples. Oh, how bright he was, how glorious
he was, and it tells us there that even Moses appeared with
him. Emoja and Elijah appeared with
him on that mount and spoke of his decease. They were there
and they agreed together, thou art the one that has fulfilled
all the law, thou art the one that has fulfilled all prophets.
You are him, we testify to that very fact that you are him and
we're here to speak of what you have purposed in eternity to
go to the cross on our behalf. But you know there's more to
the glory of God and just the transfigurated glory. That's
glorious, oh my goodness, how it looked to those disciples.
In fact, it caught Peter like the rest of us might say, you
know, Lord, we've been so blessed today, let's build a altar here
for you and Moses and Elijah. And he said, that cloud covered
up and the father spoke from heaven and said, this is my beloved
son, hear ye him. Well, this message we have here
in this book of Deuteronomy, or excuse me, Exodus chapter
23, he said here, show me thy glory in verse 18, and he said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee. Now listen to these next few
words. This is the glory of God. found in these next few words. And I, God speaking, Jehovah
speaking, God Almighty speaking here to Moses, he is going to
share with Moses his glory. It's more than just transfigured
glory. This is the glory of God in eternity. This is a glory of God in eternity
past, eternity present, and eternity future. This is the glory of
God in all generations. This is God's glory, how he performs
his ministerial work on our behalf from all generations. This is
the glory that the church relishes in, he said, will and will have
be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy
on whom I will show mercy what is he saying there and this is
the glory of God salvation is of the Lord Salvation is nowhere
else. Don't go looking anywhere else.
Don't you talk about finding glory anywhere else. Salvation
is in the Lord alone. What does he say? I will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. What is he saying to Moses who
has just found grace in the eyes of the Lord? I'll be gracious
on whom I will be gracious. You're only here because of me,
Moses. You only have hope because of me, Moses. And then he says,
and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Now he says,
you can't see my face. And he goes, and we sang a song
last night. Brother Wayne and I said, that's
tomorrow's message. The cleft of the rock. We read
here about Moses being hit in the rock, hidden Christ, Moses,
hidden Christ. God comes in his glory and we're
hidden him. that day when Christ went to
the cross we were hidden him all the punishment that was due
us was poured out upon his son and we went scot-free because
of the ministry of Christ himself. I will be gracious to whom I'll
be gracious, and I'll be merciful to whom I'll be merciful, and
that is truly the glory of God. I will show him my glory. He
will proclaim His glory and it's the glory of God and it's great
and wonderful glory and it's the only way that God is ever
designed to save His people from their sins. He never gave another
message anywhere about it. People have taken that message
and have misguided and taken it apart and said it's not right.
But God will continuously and continuously until the very last
day. Say, this is my glory. I will have mercy and I'll be
gracious to whom I'll have mercy and grace to, and nowhere else. Turn with me as we read over
in the New Testament that the Apostle Paul was led by the Holy
Spirit. As we go through and come to
messages and so forth, we depend upon the Holy Spirit, and we
find passages of scripture that the Holy Spirit leads us to,
and there we take the message and go preach the gospel. You
know what? Paul was in the same place. God
revealed unto him this passage of scripture that we found here
in the book of Exodus, and over in the book of Romans, in Romans
chapter 9, he says, here's the text, let's talk about it for
a while. So turn with me, if you would, over to the book of
Romans chapter 9. In Romans chapter 9, the Apostle Paul shares with
us much about this passage of scripture that was given to Moses
here in the book of Exodus. I will have mercy. Now he's going
to do it. I will have mercy and I'll have
grace. I'll be gracious. But it's my mercy and it's my
grace and I'll do with it as I please. In the book of Romans
chapter 9 verse 15, we have these words recorded for us. For he
saith to Moses, my goodness, How long after that great incident
on Mount Sinai that the Lord revealed unto Moses the glory
of God in his elective grace, do we find that the Apostle Paul
reaches back 1,500 years? However long it was, he said,
you know, Moses wrote of me. That's what Jesus said. And the
apostle Paul says, Moses wrote of Christ. Let's go back there.
He said here, he said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. Romans chapter nine and verse
15, and we'll be have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then as a result of this, God said to Moses, I'll show
you my glory. He showed him his glory in that
statement. And he showed him his glory in
what he did for him to bring him out of darkness to his marvelous
light and reveal grace unto him, to reveal Christ unto him. This
is the glory of God. It is still the glory of God
that he would go about and reveal this to his people today, sitting
in darkness without any interest whatsoever of ever having any
interest in God. Religious to the core, I've already
done that, I'm a member of a church, I've done this, I have this,
I have, and God comes along with his mercy and grace and says,
I'm going to show you my glory. He reveals his son to us and
we realize that the only reason he did it because he wanted to
do it. It's not as we read here in the book of Romans 9, verse
16, so then it is not of him that will us. Oh my goodness,
we are fraught on every side by people who are telling us
it's free will, free will, and free will. I remember a little
boy having a problem with that movie Free Willy. That's unscriptural,
that's unscriptural, that's unscriptural. It's not free will. We don't
have free will, folks. Now this morning, I got up and
I chose from a menu. I had two eggs. some potatoes,
a biscuit, and some bacon. God has given us the privilege
of doing that with our physical ability. But that's as high as
it can go. We can't get any higher than
that. We're stuck in our natural ability. We can't go any higher.
What does the Bible tell us about it? We're dead in trespasses
and sin. I've mentioned this here before,
I'll mention it again. The only discussion where death
is talked about is in religion. Religion will say this, well,
they're not quite all dead, there's a little bit of good left in
them. I'm here to tell you the Bible declares that there is
no position for the free will exempt from the fall. The will
of man is spoken about in the book of Jeremiah when it tells
us about our heart. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? We don't even
know our own heart after we've been born again. It's a wicked
thing. My goodness, all you have to
do is go to bed and dream and you find out without having any
control whatsoever. We're sinning in our head. Do
you think for a moment God is going to accept that as payment
for our salvation? Absolutely not. It is not of
him that runneth, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth. But what does it say? I'm going
to show my glory how? but God that showeth mercy. That's the only way God is going
to get glory in this, and that's the only way he's going to do
his business. He will be in charge of it, and
therefore, in verse 18, therefore hath he mercy on whom he'll have
mercy, and whom he will. Oh, no. Yes, he hardened us. I am not going to go there, except
that's the word of God. For whom he will, he hardeneth. And it goes on to say, name it,
O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing
form say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? You
know, the scriptures tell us emphatically, this is the glory
of God. God's glory is demonstrated in
him, and particularly as we follow this, Moses has just been having
a terrible time with Israel. You know, God says, you are stiff-necked
people. We find out God said, for these
10 times you've tempted me. God had dealt with them and dealt
with them and dealt with them. You know what? All the miracles
they saw, holy moly, walking up to the Red Sea. Walls of water
and they go on dry land right through the Red Sea. They look
back and they have all the enemy that's been following them drowned.
And they sing a little song and go on. And before you know it,
we're so tired of this place. We don't have the food we had
down in Egypt. We don't have the watermelons.
We don't have the leeks. We don't have that spoiled slave
food. God dealt with them, no wonder
he shares with us. I will show you my glory and
my glory is I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy and on whom
I'll be gracious, I'll be gracious. This is a stiff neck people.
This is a people that are, their hearts are desperately wicked.
This is a people that every opportunity they get, they turn aside, argue
against God, argue against Moses, argue against everything, argue,
argue, argue, find fault with God, find fault with Moses, find
fault with Aaron, find fault. Here it is, God said, I'll show
my glory even in the whole mess of this. There will be my people
and I'll save them for my glory and not because they willed it
or persuaded me or anything else, because they are a stiff-necked
people. The truth is so comforting to
sinners. That God, in the wicked state
that we are by nature, in the fallen state that we are by nature,
in the practicing state we are by nature, in the wicked state
we are by nature. I had a dear, dear friend. I
was here four years ago when I got word that he had passed
away, Brother Rupert Rivenbart. He came out to Oregon and preached
a message about that maniac of Gadara. And he said, all of us
by nature have just that same wickedness. Those wicked things that he had. Oh, and he was preaching at a
church one time and a lady come up to him and says, I've never
been like that. You know, if you've never been like that,
you don't know what it is to have grace. Because he came to
save sinners. His glory is to sinners. His
glory was to Moses, who was a sinner. His glory was to Joshua, who
was a sinner. His glory was to Aaron, who was
a sinner. And his glory is to sinners today. Same yesterday, same will be
tomorrow. I have no power to believe. I have no spiritual power of
any kind we find. God's election power, grace,
and mercy stoops down and whispers into our ear. I will save you. We're without help or hope, we're
without God in this world. And the Spirit of God comes under
the preaching of the gospel and whispers to us, you're mine. I'll show you my glory. I'll
pull you out of a pit. What a glorious thing it is that
he would take us out of a horrible pit. and set us upon a solid
rock and establish our goings and put a new song in our heart
when we deserve to stay in the pit. You know, people say, well,
what you just read here in the book of Exodus and in the book
of Romans is not fair. I'll tell you this, you don't
want what's fair. What's fair? Eternal death is
fair. Sinning against the thrice holy
God, eternal damnation is fair. Now if God sees fit in his good
mercy and grace to save some for his glory, he will. God's glory is so demonstrated
in all that he did for the church before the world began. God's
glory is so demonstrated in doing for the church in this time.
And God's glory shall be demonstrated for the church throughout all
of eternity. For the ages to come, to reveal
unto the church the great work and mystery of grace, and eternity
lies ahead of revelation about the Lord Jesus Christ on the
behalf of his church. We have all this, and I'll be
gracious to whom I'll be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom
I will show mercy. I'm going to show you, Moses,
the glory of God. You asked to see it, I'm going
to give it to you. Now, in Moses' natural state,
you know what he had done with the glory of God? I don't want
that. I'm free to choose. And then he found out he had
no more freedom to choose than a dumb ass. I will be gracious
to whom I'll be gracious. I'll show mercy to whom I'll
show mercy. You know, this is brought out so clearly. Turn
with me in the book of New Testament again into the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. I'm going
to start reading with verse 3. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
3. This is so plain here. You know, so many people are
falling in love with Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. Quote
it, quote it, just like John 3.16. And you cannot get to John
3.16 without starting in John chapter 1. You can't get there
from here. You have to hear what the Lord
said. It's not of him that willeth, or him that willeth. but God
that showeth mercy. It's not up to us, it's because
God loved us with an everlasting love and is about to seek us
out and find us and save us for his glory. Here in the book of
Ephesians chapter 1 beginning with verse 3, blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places according as he has chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. Can you imagine
having that given to you? That you will be without blame.
What does it say there? Shall be holy and without blame
before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ unto himself. Oh, we find it time and time
again, this message that's found in the scriptures. And then we
find the glorious truth. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy, and upon whom I will, I hardeneth. Turn with me, if
you would, to the book of Jeremiah. Well, back up. Let's look here
in Romans chapter 8 again. Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter
8. We find this truth is mentioned
so often here in the New Testament, as it's redounded throughout
the Old Testament. He dealt with Israel. He's going
to destroy the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, all of
the other folks. He destroyed the Amorites. He
only revealed himself even in type, shadow, and picture to
Israel and out of Israel. And then we read, not all Israel
is saved. Not all Israel is Israel. Only
my people are true Israel. Romans chapter 8 and verse 18,
read with me there if you would. Romans chapter 8 and verse 18,
for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory. What is he going to do? Reveal more and more of his glory.
And what's more and more of his glory? I'll have mercy, I'll
be gracious. I'll have mercy, I'll be gracious
on sinners. What does he say? Compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. What does he do with this
glory? He reveals it in us. And we walk
away, new creatures in Christ Jesus, but we bow to the reality
that we are sinners by nature and practice in choice, and it
took the involvement of God Almighty to ever save us. You know, God
created the heavens and the earth, all of the stars in heaven, without
resistance, but when he comes to Wayne Boyd and come to Norm
Wells, he had the utmost resistance against it. I will not have this
man rule over me. And you know what? God overcame
that. He showed me his glory. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll be merciful to whom I'll
be merciful. That's the glory of God. You know, in Romans chapter one,
it tells us This is the plight we're in right now. Romans chapter
one. Romans chapter one. It says here in Romans chapter
one, verse 23. This is religious people. Verse 22 says, professing themselves
to be wise, they become fools. Now notice what they're attempting
to do. They're attempting to take away God's right to save
as he has declared in his word. They're attempting to declare
that we have a free will and we can take care of it ourselves.
We are seeing that happen all around us, that people are saying,
I don't care what God made me, I will change it. Here we have,
and change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like to corruptible
man. What does that say? My free will
is enough. And change the glory of God. What is the glory of God? I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will be gracious to
whom I'll be gracious. And mankind comes along and said,
it ain't true, it ain't true, and it ain't true. And what have
they done? They've made an attempt, we made
an attempt, I made an attempt to change the glory of God to
fit some man-made institution that I created in my own minds.
Change the glory, change the glory. Said it's not true, God's
election is not true. Predestination is not true. Foreknowledge
is not true. God wouldn't do that. And God
said all the way through the scriptures, this is exactly how
I'll save my people. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll have grace for whom I'll
have grace. The glory which shall be revealed
in us. In Philippians chapter 4 and
verse 20, now unto the God of our Father be glory forever and
ever. You know what the saints are
going to be thankful for? Grace. And what does that mean? He had
mercy on whom he would have mercy, and whom he will, he hardened.
obtaining the glory of our Lord. Did you know that's what we get?
We obtain the glory of the Lord. What is that? I will have mercy
on whom I'll have mercy. And we agree. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I will have
mercy on whom I'll have mercy. Oh, a group of disciples came back
one time after they'd been on a mission venture. And then they
came back and said, Lord, Lord, you just, you ought to have been
there. We cast out demons in your name. We did so many good
things. You just can't believe what we
did. And the Lord said, don't thank,
be thankful for that. Rejoice not in that. Don't rejoice in what you've
done. Don't rejoice in what you've accomplished. Don't rejoice in
anything. Rejoice because your names are
written in heaven. That's the glory of God.
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Joshua

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