Open your Bibles tonight, if
you would, to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. The name of the message is the
manifestation of God's purpose. The manifestation of God's purpose. Hebrews chapter 11, verses 17
to 20. By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten Son, of whom it was said that
in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Accounting that God was able
to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received
him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau concerning things to come. Now take note of those
words there in verse 20 which say concerning things to come. Concerning things to come. And
in verse 21, by faith Jacob when he was dying blessed both the
sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff. Now people today and in days
that have passed want to give you their opinion on who they
think God is. They want to give you their opinion.
And they want to give you their opinion on what they think He
does. And they usually never give you
scripture, they just give you what their opinion is, and they
pop off about who they think God is, and it's usually the
God of their imagination, and the God of their imagination
is exactly like they tell you. And their description of God
is usually very, very far off from what the Scripture says
about God, and about who He is, and what He does. And our Bible
tells us about our great and glorious God. It tells us who
He is. He's absolutely sovereign. And
what He does, He does whatever He's pleased to do. Whatever
He's pleased to do. Now in the Old Testament, God
made this statement to unenlightened sinful man back in During the
days of David, He said, Thou thoughtest I was altogether such
and one as thyself. In other words, God says to we
humans, you thought I was just like you. But He's not. He's not. Now the problem with
this generation is just that. They think that God's just like
them. God's their body. Or, you used to see these signs,
God's my copilot. And self-righteous religious
people, especially free will religionists, now think about
this, want to bring God down to their level. They want to
bring God down to their level. All the while they want to elevate
themselves above God. And they do that by what they
speak. They make God subservient to them in their supposed free
will. God is subservient to no one. No one. He does whatever He pleases.
True gospel preaching does this. It humbles the pride of man.
It humbles the pride of man, and it exalts the sovereignty
of God. It puts man in a rightful place,
which is in the dust before a holy and righteous God. And it puts
God in His rightful place. Sovereign, an absolute sovereign,
working out all things according to His will, and all for His
glory, according to His eternal purpose. Now certain leaders
in free-will works-based religion teach that the fall of Adam caught
God by surprise. They teach that. But God is omniscient. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows everything. He's all-knowing. And nothing takes our sovereign
God by surprise. Nothing. Nothing. Turn, if you would, to Genesis
chapter 2. I want us to look at this. Genesis chapter 2. I
want us to look at verses 15 to 17. The Lord God took man and put him
in the Garden of Eden to dress it, to keep it. And look what the Lord says here
in Genesis chapter 2, starting in verse 16. And the Lord God commanded the
man saying of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat. And note in our next verse that
God knew Adam was going to fall. Because look what he says here. But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Now note that God
didn't say, if you eat of this, you'll surely die. Did you notice
that in the text? He said, in the day that thou
eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. When Adam disobeyed God and ate
that forbidden fruit, Adam was manifesting the very purpose
of God. God was pleased, according to
His wise and holy counsel, to permit the fall, having prepared,
or having purposed for it, to bring glory to Him by the saving
of His chosen people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And it was all
for His glory and honor and praise. By Adam's sin, we fell. and we are now dead in trespasses
and sins. We come into this world dead
in trespasses and sins, sinners by birth, nature, and choice. When Adam fell and Eve, they
fell from their original righteousness and their communion with God,
thereby becoming dead in sin, and they were wholly defiled
by sin. And therefore, we who are their offspring come into
this world dead in trespasses and sins. But beloved, from before the
foundation of the world, God purposed to send the Lord Jesus
Christ to this sin-cursed world, to save His people from their
sins. And if Adam had not sinned against
God, there would not have been any sinners to save. There could not have been a lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And all this came
to pass, beloved, according to God's eternal purpose. Now let's switch gears a little.
Let's go to Acts chapter 15, Acts chapter 15. And let us think about how even
contentions among the body of Christ are used by God. They're
used by God. We know that two of God's Brave
warriors in the army of Christ had a great contention. And we
see that in the end of Acts chapter 15. We know that both these men
were blood-washed saints, born-again believers. Look at Acts 15 verses
36 to 41. And some days after, Paul said
unto Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren in every
city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how
they do. Paul wanted to go back and visit
all the churches that they had started. And Barnabas determined
to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought
not good to take him with them, who departed from them, from
Paphila, and went not with them to the work. And the contention
was so sharp that they departed asunder one from another. And
so Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas
and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace
of God. And he went through Syria and Sicilia, confirming the churches. Now note, though, the contention
was so sharp between them. that they ended up dividing. They were best friends and they
had went through thick and thin together on their first missionary
journey. They had witnessed the power
of God and the salvation of His elect over and over and over
again on that journey. They had faced heavy persecution
together. from unbelieving Jews and Gentiles,
they had encouraged one another time and time again, all by the
grace of God in Christ. And they had finished the work
that God the Holy Spirit had sent them to do. And they were
praising the Lord together for bringing them safely back to
their home church in Antioch. Then they had made plans to go
back and visit the brethren in the churches that our Lord had
established under their ministry. And they had a very heated argument
overtaking John Mark, which we see in our text. And Paul did
not agree with Barnabas. And there was a very sharp contention
between them. So sharp that they parted their
ways from one another. Barnabas took John Mark and went
in one direction, And Paul took Silas and went in another direction.
Now think of this. Despite their weakness and the
weakness of our flesh, our great God manifested His purpose through
that whole ordeal there in Scripture. Because instead of one missionary
team going to different parts of the country, preaching the
gospel, the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, there
were now two teams going out. In different directions. In different
directions. And they were going exactly where
God had appointed them to go. All according to His purpose.
All according to His purpose. Now this does not justify our
weakness in the flesh or the sins of the people involved.
But let us never forget that our Lord rules and overrules
in every situation. And let us rejoice at this, that
they no longer, those two no longer have contentions. They're
both praising the Lamb of glory together right now in heaven. Right now. They're getting along
great. I remember brother Tim James
tell me that. They no longer have any disagreements at all.
Oh my! Let's go back to our text in
Hebrews again. Keeping in mind again that our
Lord rules and overrules in every situation. Hebrews chapter 11. Look at verses 17 to 21. By faith Abraham when he was
tried offered up Isaac, he that had received the promises offered
up his only begotten son. Verse 18, of whom it was said
that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Accounting that God
was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also
he had received him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he
was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph in worship leaning
upon the top of his staff. Now notice there again concerning
things to come in verse 20. Oftentimes man supposes, but
beloved our God disposes. He does whatever he pleases to
do. Whatever he's pleased to do, he does. And the man who
believes or woman who believes that God is absolutely sovereign
and believes that the sovereign purpose of God will be accomplished, even when we don't understand
it, is one who is filled with great joy and peace, knowing
that God works all things according to His will. Turn, if you would,
to Genesis chapter 27, and we won't read all the account of
Genesis chapter 27, But we'll read part of it. And Genesis 27 talks about Rebekah
and Jacob stealing the blessing that Isaac had intended for Esau,
the firstborn. All this came to pass, though,
according to the eternal purpose of God. The eternal purpose of
God. So for the sake of time, we'll
read verses 25 to 29 of Genesis 27. And this ties right in with
our text. And he said, Bring it near to
me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless
thee. And he bought it near to him,
and he did eat, and he bought him wine, and he drank. And his
father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me my son. And he came near and kissed him,
and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and
said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which
the Lord hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the
dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn
and wine. Let people serve thee and nations
bow down to thee. Be Lord over thy brethren and
let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be everyone that
curses thee and blessed be he that blesses thee. Now God's
purpose will come to pass. It'll come to pass. He works
all things after the counsel of his own will. Turn, if you
would, now to Genesis chapter 50, just a few chapters over. Genesis chapter 50, and while
you're doing that, I'll read Ephesians chapter 1, verses 10
to 12, where the scriptures declare this, that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on
earth, even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
that's being Christ, we've obtained an inheritance in Christ, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. Now there's the key
phrase right there. According to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,
that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted
in Christ. So with this in our minds, let's
look at what Joseph proclaims to his brethren after he has
revealed himself to them. Look at this, verse 19. And Joseph
said unto them, Fear not, for I am in the place of God. And
note the phrase there, for I am in the place of God. John Trapp
writes this about that phrase. Can I hurt you when God intends
good to you? Is it for me to cross His decree? And then take note of the next
verse. Look at verse 20. But as for you, ye thought evil
against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass,
as it is this day, to save much people alive. In His holy, inspired
Word, God tells us that He will do whatever He has purpose to
do, and nothing can hinder Him, and none can stay His hand. No
one. Nothing can hinder Him. and none
can stay his hand. And even though Isaac did not
know he was pronouncing the blessing on Jacob, by God-given faith,
that blessing was withheld from Esau. It works out God's sovereign
purpose as He pleases. Turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 9. God made sure those blessings came to pass just exactly
how Isaac pronounced them. Because it was God's divine purpose
for Jacob to receive the blessing of the firstborn. And there was
a reason for it, beloved. Romans 9, verse C, why all this
came to pass, it's all according to God's eternal purpose. Look what it says in Romans 9,
we're starting verse 10 and 11. And not only this, but when Rebecca
had also conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. Now note in this
verse that the purpose of God, according to election, might
stand. God has purpose to save a people. He has purpose to save a people
from eternity. And the Lord Jesus Christ died
for them on Calvary's cross. He didn't die for everybody in
the world, but he died for his his sheep. He died for those
the father gave him. And we see We're going to see
here that Jacob is one of those one of those elect, and he died
on Calvary's cross. The Lord Jesus Christ did redeeming
them by his own precious blood. And then they are born again
by the Holy Spirit of God and not according to any works of
theirs, but all according to the purpose and mercy of God
in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And look, it says that
right in this verse that the purpose God according to election
might stand not of works Not a works not by our works No,
but of him that call it all according to God's eternal purpose look
at verses 12 and 13 It was said unto him her the elder shall
serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have
I hated And note Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated? God chose
Jacob in Christ and this was all according to God's sovereign
purpose. All according to His sovereign
purpose. Let's bring this right home, beloved God. Let's bring
this right home. Think about our own family members.
Think about our own family members and how God has saved we who
believe and passed by members of our family. And so for me, as far as I know,
I'm the only one in my family who the Lord saved. The only
one. And he's passed by everyone else
in my family. Brothers, sisters, parents, aunts,
uncles. We see God's sovereign purpose
manifested in our own lives. In our own lives. just as we
see here between Jacob and Esau. It's right before us, in our
own lives. Look at Romans 9.14. What shall
we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Is God unrighteous to choose a people? Well, God forbid. I remember hearing a preacher
say one time that his grandchild came up to him and said, I heard
you say in the message that God loved God loved Jacob, but hated
Esau. And he said, well, how can God
hate Esau? And the old preacher said, when
you understand how God can love Jacob, then you understand that
verse. It's mercy that he loves us.
It's all by his grace, beloved. So what shall we say then, is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid, he's God, he can
do whatever he pleases. Look what the next verse says.
For he sayeth to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
That's pretty plain. Here have mercy on whom you have
mercy. And I have compassion on whom I have compassion. Here
save whomever he wills. Because we know in the verse
further up, it says it's not a works. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion.
And note there very clearly, very plainly, God will have mercy
on whom he pleases. And the next verse makes it abundantly
clear that it's not by our works, but that it's all according to
the mercy of God and the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And it's all according to God's eternal purpose. Look at the
next verse. So then it is not of him that
willeth, there goes free will, nor of him that runneth, there
goes works, but of God that showeth mercy. It's all about what Christ
has done. It's all about His work. And
the believer looks to Christ. We look to Him by faith. And
that faith is given to us. It's a gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. And then look what it says, for
the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for the same purpose have
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee. And that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. And it is by God's
people, isn't it? We're scattered all over, all
through time. But we give him all the glory,
don't we? We declare his mighty name. We declare his mighty name. So verse 18. The next verse declares
the immutable sovereignty of God and salvation and the mercy
shown to his people. And it's remember, it's all according
to his divine purpose. And it's all by his grace. It's
pure grace, beloved, free and sovereign grace. Look, it says,
therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he
will, he hardened. What does he have to do for a
man to be hardened? Just leave him where he is. Just leave him
alone. Just leave him alone. Thou will
say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted
his will? Who has ever resisted the will
of God? No one. No. And we who have been made willing
know that to be true, don't we? Because we shook our fist at
God until he made us willing, and then we ran to Christ. We
fled to Christ. And then in the following verses,
we see the sovereign potter declared and take note of his absolute
sovereignty and bring this home to you who believe that God had
made you in Christ a vessel of mercy, a vessel of mercy. And it's all because it pleased
him to do so according to his eternal purpose. It's humbling,
isn't it? It puts us, as I said earlier,
in our rightful place, which is in the dust before an almighty,
sovereign, holy God. And that's what he is. That's
the God of the Bible. Not this God that they're saying
wants to save you but can't unless you let him. That's not the God
of the Bible. And we saw that in our text.
The God of the Bible saves whomever he wills. He has mercy on whom
here of mercy, and here of compassion on whom here of compassion. because
he's God. And the receiver of that mercy,
the receiver of that compassion, we say praise your mighty name,
oh Lord. Oh Lord, thank you for saving
my soul. So now we see, in the next following
verses again, the sovereign potter declared, and take note of his
absolute sovereignty, and again, bringing this home to you who
believe, he has made you a vessel of mercy. Look at verse 20. Nay, but O man, who art thou
that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Now think
of a potter, he's working on the wheel. Does the clay say
to him, I don't want to be a pot, I want to be a candlestick? No.
No. That clay is molded into whatever
the potter wants it to be. Right? Absolutely. And that's a picture of what
we see here. Old man, who are you to dispute
with God? Who are you to question God's providence? Hope to understand
God's way. Who are we to question what he
does? He's God. He's sovereign. And the answer to why God does
what he does is found in himself. It's found in himself, not in
our natural wisdom. Look at verse 21. Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? Does God not have the power to
do whatever He pleases? Now the word power here denotes
right, privilege, or authority. Right, privilege, or authority. God has all authority. And He
has right to do with His created beings whatever He pleases. Whatever
He pleases. He can do whatever he wants,
and that's his privilege, to do whatever he wants, because
he's God. He's God Almighty. And he has a right to do with
his own whatever he wills. But it's more than just that.
God's power is always exercised in a way that is consistent with
his righteousness and his glory. What's the chief end of man?
To glorify God. To glorify God. And therefore
God has the right to do what best serves his glory. Look at verse 22. What if God,
willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured
with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?
So God had endured these vessels of wrath with much patience,
just as he did in the old world before the flood. He endured
Pharaoh before he cut him off. and Sodom before He destroyed
it. God has determined to make known to this universe two things.
He will make known His wrath against sin, and He will make
known the riches of His grace and glory. These unbelievers spoken of in
this text, they hate God, and they hate the grace of God, they
hate the Christ of God, but they will face God clothed in the
rags of their own self-righteousness. and they despise His grace. In
our text, they're called vessels of wrath. They are fallen sinful
creatures who are deserving of the wrath of God for their sins.
Now contrast that with those who receive mercy and grace from
God. In our next verse, they're called
the vessels of mercy. The vessels of mercy. This is
God's elect, His chosen blood-bought people, chosen in Christ from
eternity, all according to the purpose of God. and that he might make known
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had
aforeprepared unto glory. Now the vessels of mercy, they
receive his mercy and they receive his love. They're loved with
an everlasting love. They receive his grace, not because
they're better or wiser than any others, because they deserve this no
we don't get what we deserve we don't get what we deserve
we deserve wrath and the justice of God to be satisfied just like
the vessels of destruction that's what we deserve but beloved of God rejoice because
God is has chosen to reveal his son to you, you who are his vessels
of mercy, and to give grace to you. And God has made you an
object of his mercy, an object of his grace, a trophy of his
grace, all in and through the Lord Jesus Christ in him alone.
Look at verse 24. Even us whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, The promise
of eternal life was not made to the natural seed of Abraham,
but to the true seed of Abraham. The Israel of God. Those who
are in Christ. All who by God's grace are in
Christ, whether Jew or Gentile. All who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and are born again by the Holy Spirit of God. Our God, beloved of God, is the
Divine Potter. over the whole human race. Over
the whole human race, he forms every human being according to
his own eternal purpose. And let us ponder this, that
when we look at others now, ponder this. I was thinking about this
today when Vicky and I went out for lunch. Ponder this. I got this from a grace preacher.
Ponder this when you're at work or if you're at the mall or if
you're out eating. The manifestation of God's purpose
is right before our eyes. We don't know who the vessels
of honor are or the vessels of destruction are, but we are with
people all the time. And the manifestation of God's
purpose is right before our eyes. And people that we see every
day. Turn, if you would, the first
Peter. which is the book we've been studying in Sunday school
as we go through the scriptures. Consider this, in the Old Testament,
the manifestation of God's purpose is seen in the floodwaters of
Noah's day. More than 100 years before the
floodwaters came, our Lord told Noah what he was going to do. He told him. And the destruction
of this world and the death of those who drowned in that flood
was a manifestation of what God had purposed to do. Also the nation of Israel in
the Old Testament, they were a people chosen of God. Chosen
of God. By His sovereign plan and purpose,
He had them go into Egyptian bondage. all by the sovereign purpose
of our sovereign Lord. And God revealed that very purpose
to Abraham before Isaac was born and before Jacob was born, before
the 12 sons of Jacob were born. Many, many years before his divine
providence made sure that his people would go down into Egypt. In the manifestation of God's
purpose in that whole matter is recorded in his holy learning
or holy word for our learning for our learning. And for the saints which went
before us and all those who will come after us in the manifestation
of God's eternal purpose in sending the Lord Jesus Christ into this
world to redeem his chosen people is also recorded in his holy
word. And that's also for our learning.
And we see that in first Peter, where Peter, by God's sovereign
purpose, was moved by God, the Holy Spirit to write this epistle
to God's elect for our comfort and for our learning. And we're
learning even. We who are the people of God
in 2018. This book comforts us, too, doesn't
it? All according to God's eternal purpose. Look at the first two
verses here. It says, Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontius,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to
what? The foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. Now let us see God's eternal
purpose manifested in the redemption of his people. In Christ Jesus
our Lord, look at verses 18 to 21. For as much as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot. And note in the next verse, what
we've been studying tonight, God's sovereign eternal purpose
is right here declared who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, before the foundation of the world, but was manifest
in these last times for you, who by Him do believe in God,
and it's all by His power, were made willing in the day of His
power, were given faith and repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory,
that your faith and hope might be in who? In God. In God. In God alone. And we know the
Lord Jesus Christ is God incarnate in the flesh. Now I'll quote
Brother Henry Mahan. Here he says this, he says, Christ
was chosen and ordained to be our surety and our Savior before
the foundation of the world. Redemption of sinners by the
blood of Christ was no afterthought of God when Adam fell. There
was a Savior provided before Adam fell. before he fell but
he was bought out the public view into public rejection and
crucifixion in these last days and quote all according to God's
eternal purpose in his decree turn if you would the second
Thessalonians 2 13 this is the last scripture we'll look at
tonight second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13 and 14 2nd Thessalonians 2 13 and 14,
but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you Brethren
beloved of the Lord Because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth now note there God hath from the beginning when's that
in eternity past and in eternity past, chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,
whereunto He called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. God was pleased to purpose in
His eternal purpose that the birth of His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, would be manifested to some shepherds in the field,
and that angels would appear to them and pronounce the good
news of Christ's coming to this earth to save his people from
their sins. And God was pleased to purpose
that his eternal purpose would be manifested throughout the
public ministry of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Multitude
saw the miracles of the Lord before multiple people saw them. The healing of lepers, the opening
of the eyes of those who are blind from birth, the healing,
the lame who had never walked, the raising of the dead. Those
who could not raise themselves. And the manifestation of God's
purpose in sending his son to the sin, cursed world is revealed
to his chosen people under the preaching of the gospel of God's
free grace. And we have revealed to us, we
who believe, have revealed to us Christ, all according to the
eternal purpose of God. And we have revealed to us that
Christ Jesus Himself, God incarnate in the flesh, came to this sin-cursed
world and established a perfect righteousness for His people.
A perfect righteousness. by His perfect obedience to His
Father's will. He did that which was impossible
for us to do, and He did it in the place of His people. He is
truly the great substitute. And we who believe have revealed
to us, according to the eternal purpose of God, that the Lord
Jesus Christ came to pay the redemption price for our sins,
and not just some of our sins, but all of our sins, past, present,
and future. by His supreme sacrifice on Calvary's
cross as our substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
satisfy the holy justice of God by laying down His life for all
of His promised children, all because it was purposed by God
for Him to do so. For Him to do so. It was purposed
by God in eternity for Him to do so. And that was God's purpose from
old eternity, and manifested to His blood-bought people under
the preaching of the Gospel. Here's a question for all of
us tonight, or anyone who will hear this message. Do we believe the biblical record
that God has given us of His Son? Do we believe the biblical record
that God has given us of his son? Do we believe in what we've
looked at tonight, which is the manifestation of God's purpose? If so, if you believe that, you
believe it because God revealed it to you. Because God revealed
it to you by the Holy Spirit of God. And it's all according
to God's eternal purpose. Rejoice, believer. Rejoice, you
who are the blood-bought saints of God. God has had great mercy
upon us. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for this time that we could spend together. We thank Thee for Thy
Word and how it tells us, O Lord, it tells us how this was all
planned and purposed in eternity by God. And Lord Jesus, You came
to this this sin-cursed world to redeem your people from their
sins. And Lord, you accomplished what
you came here to do. And we who are your blood-bought
people, we who are your born-again saints, we rejoice in the wonderful
truth. We rejoice. We pray, Lord, that
if there's any of your lost sheep here or that will listen to this
message, oh, Lord, we pray, if it's your will, that you would
grant them faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
in your name, Lord, we pray. Amen.