Read your Bibles if you would
to Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. The name
of the message tonight is hidden manna, a new name, and a white
stone. Hidden manna, a new name, and
a white stone. Revelation chapter 2, verses
12 to 17. Our text will be found in verse
17, but let's read the whole context. The Lord is saying this to the church at
Pergamos. And to the angel of the church
in Pergamos, write, These things saith he which hath the sharp
sword with two edges. I know thy works and where thou
dwellest, even where Satan's seed is, and thou holdest fast
my name. and has not denied my faith,
even in those days when Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was
slain among you, where Satan dwelt. But I have a few things
against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine
of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before
the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols,
and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new name written. which no man knoweth,
saving he that receiveth it. Now tonight, I'd like us to look
at verse 17, where we see set before us a verse that is packed
full of grace, packed full of mercy from beginning to end,
from beginning to end. This portion of Revelation was
written to the church in Pergamos, which was a very rich and powerful
ancient Greek city. Pergamos, now called by the Turks
Bergamo, appears to be in about 30 miles from Smyrna. It's located about 16 miles from
the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea, and it was built on a huge
rocky hill. on the north side of the river,
which is now known as Bar-Kirke. And the Romans had made this
city the capital of Asia. And in the city of Pergamos,
the pagan god of healing was worshiped. And his name was Sikelepius. And again, this pagan god was
the god of healing. and was worshiped here, and the
emblem of this pagan god was a serpent, was a serpent, which
to the people of God is the very emblem and symbol of Satan. And
all these things may have been in the mind when the Lord called
Pergamos the place where Satan's seat is, according to William
Hendrickson. Also in the city was an altar
to the Greek god Zeus. as well as many other pagan altars
to different pagan gods. In addition to these things,
Pergamos was the center of emperor worship, the center of emperor
worship, where in the city, people were dedicated to the worship
of Caesar, and where the worshipers were to declare that Caesar was
Lord, that Caesar was Lord. And they did this by offering
incense to the images of Caesar. Hendrickson brings forth, it
may be said that here Satan has his throne and here has free
reign. Now all the citizens were expected
to worship the emperor. They were expected to worship
the emperor. And they did. And those who did not would suffer
hardship and persecution. And we see that one of our brothers
in Christ in our text was martyred for his faith. And this is what our brothers
and sisters in Pergamos faced during the writing of this letter.
Look at verse 13. I know thy works and where thou
dwellest, even where Satan's seat is. And thou holdest fast
my name and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you where
Satan dwells. He held fast his profession unto
blood, unto the given of his life. And he was martyred for
Christ. Now in the very place where it
is said that Satan's seat is, God has a church. God has an
ecclesia. God has a called out assembly.
A called out assembly, a church, a people that refuse to be unfaithful
to the Lord. Why? Because they're being kept
by him. They're being kept by Him. They
cling to Christ, beloved. They cling to Christ, just as
we do each day as believers. We cling to Christ, don't we?
No matter what comes our way, we cling to Him. Cling to Him
who we confess, and we know that we're clinging because He's keeping
us. He's keeping us. It's wonderful. is absolutely
wonderful. The believer is kept by the power
of God. Notice it also speaks of the
Lord having a sharp sword with two edges, two edges. And this
is the word of God, beloved. And we only use this to combat
error, don't we? When we talk to folks, don't
give your opinion. Combat the things of our enemies,
Satan, the world, the flesh, the devil, with the word of God. It's our only defense. It's the
only thing that can penetrate the hearts of people. The word
of God. The word of God. So if you're
talking to someone about election, bring up the scriptures that
talk about those things. If you want to talk to somebody about
justification, bring up the scriptures that talk about justification.
Use the word of God. It's powerful. It's powerful. So the word of God is the only
thing to combat error, isn't it? It's the only thing we use
to combat error, either in the church or without the church,
outside of the church. And it's what the Lord uses here
to combat the errors of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. It's what
he uses. And the doctrine of Balaam, they
tried to remove the offense of the gospel. And we see that still
here, still today in churches. They teach a gospel that we know
is not a gospel from Galatians. And they take the offense of
the cross out. They take the fact that Christ died for sinners.
Well, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. And I need Christ. And if you're a believer, you
know you're a sinner, too. We're all sinners. I need Christ desperately,
desperately. You take the offense of the cross
away. And I have no hope. My hope is in Christ, who's my
savior, the one who saved me from my sins, the one who the
one who's paid for all my sins. So we see today even people try
to remove the offense of the gospel. And the Nicolaitans,
they were just rank or rank, rank antinomians, they live in
a life similar to the pagans of their day and calling themselves
Christians. And there were some in the church
that held to both these things. Look what he says in verse 16,
repent or else I will come unto thee quickly and we'll fight
against them with the sword of my mouth. Turn if you would to
Numbers chapter 25. Numbers chapter 25. And we read this portion to see
how Israel joined with Baal worshipers and what came about as a result
of that. Now note too in our text, it
says, I will come and fight against them. He's not against the church.
Not against his people, but against the Nicolaitans and against those
professors who aren't possessors. Look at what it says in Numbers,
chapter 25, verses 1 to 9. In Israel, Bolden, Shittim, and
the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. and
they called the people unto sacrifices of their gods, and the people
did eat and bowed down to their gods." So the Israelites are
now mingling with the Baal worshipers. They are poor, and the anger
of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto
Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before
the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord
may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges
of Israel, Slay every one his men that were joined unto Balpor. And behold, one of the children
of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Mediash woman
in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation
of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar,
the son of Aaron, the priest, saw it. He rose up from among
the congregation and took a javelin in his hand, and he went after
the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through.
The man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague
was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died
in the plague were 24,000. So just like Israel of old, some
who profess Christ in Pergamos still participated in pagan feasts. And they were to withdraw from
them, but they hadn't. And instead they participated in these things.
Remember that the withdrawal from these things would mark
you Now, let us remember the situation, too, in the times.
To withdraw from these pagan feasts would mark you. Would
mark you. Because everyone participated
in them. So to withdraw from them would mark you. And a great
part of social life and work life was tied in with these pagan
feasts. Were tied in with these pagan
feasts. To not participate would mark you and would mean that
a man might lose his job, might lose his livelihood, might lose
his home, might lose his place in society, and he would probably
become an outcast. So this is what they're facing.
Therefore, some might have argued that one might still be involved
in these feasts and partake of these things offered to the idols,
provided that they kept in mind that an idol is nothing. Eh,
just compromise a little bit. Well, we saw in numbers that
the Lord is not pleased with that, is he? Not at all. Not at all. So the church in
Pergamos had not dwelt with these issues. Therefore, the Lord says
he comes with a sharp sword, ready to deal with those who
are practicing these things, warning them with his word and
bringing these false professors into condemnation. And the text
speaks of them being destroyed. Here come with his word and destroy
him. So now without in our mind, let's consider verse 17. This
is a wonderful verse. It's a verse filled with the
grace of God in Christ. It's just filled with the grace
of God in Christ towards God's people. This is a wonderful verse,
and I believe it'll bring great comfort to God's people. Bobby,
great comfort when I put the message together to see this
and. It's wonderful, it's wonderful. We see God's mercy and grace
on full display here. Revelation 2, 17. He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone. And in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Now notice
we have brought here before us the fact that those who are born
again by the Holy Spirit of God have new ears. They can hear
things now that they didn't hear before. They can see things now
that they didn't see before. And they have a love for someone,
Christ, that they didn't have before. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Oh, my. They now hear the voice of the
Great Shepherd calling them, the Lord Jesus Christ, through
the preaching of His Word and through the reading of His Word.
And it's all by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. It's
all by his power all by his might look at he that hath an ear let
him hear Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
Those who who have new ears spiritual ears given to them have been
made new creatures by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit of God
They be given spiritual eyes to see Christ. He says look to
me. They've been given eyes to look
To look to him to look to the Redeemer Their hearts have been
circumcised and opened by the Spirit of God, and now they hear
with understanding, and they hear with affection. I've told
you before, you all, that before the Lord saved me, I had no care
for the Bible, I had no care for God's people, and I had no
care for Christ. But now, He's the one I love. In the Scriptures, I don't have
to read the Bible. I get to read the Bible. I get
to study the Bible. It's wonderful. I get to talk
to my Savior. It's wonderful. Wonderful. Oh, and so now now he speaks
to me through his word. And God, God has given his people
an understanding, again, with affection and with faith, and
they they try what they hear, right? You try what you hear. Don't disbelieve it, because
I say it. Look to the word, be a Berean and look to the word
and see that's what the word of God says. I believe it. Oh, my. And we try what we hear. And we embrace what we hear.
And we retain what we hear. And that which is good, and that
which speaks of Christ, that which comes from His Word. And
it's food for us. And it nourishes us, doesn't
it? It strengthens us. It gives us joy and peace to
read the wonderful things that God had done for His people. Proverbs 20.12 says this, The
hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both
of them. For the believer, the fact that
we have ears to hear and eyes to see Him, all comes from Him. He gets all the glory. He gets
all the honor. He gets all the praise. And note
for further study, If you go through Revelation 1 to 3, note
for further study that each of these churches he speaks to,
he proclaims these words, he that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Every one of the churches
mentioned, he says, he that hath an ear, let him hear, let him
hear. Oh, praise God, we who are the
people of God hear and understand and we bow to the Word of God.
Some professors hear the Word of God, but they do not understand
the Word of God. And they certainly do not bow
down to the Word of God. But beloved, it's not so for
God's sheep. It's not so for God's sheep. We hear and we understand
and we bow down to the Word of God, don't we? And we give great
thanks and praise to our wonderful, merciful Savior. Oh, what a Savior,
what a Redeemer is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Again, let's read our
text. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And remember, churches
is an ekklesia, it's not the building, it's the people. Ekklesia
in the Greek is a called out assembly, a called out assembly,
an ekklesia. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving
he that receiveth it. Now notice the next our text
proclaims, to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden
manna, and will give him a white stone. Only in Christ, beloved,
are we more than conquerors. Only in Christ. Left to ourselves,
We are hopeless. But in Christ, the believer is
more than a conqueror. In Christ Jesus, our Lord. And we overcome the things, the
trials and the temptations and the tribulations that come our
way. And we only overcome those in Christ by his mercy, by his
grace and by his strength. And we see tied in with the text,
the hidden manna here bought forth before us. And that's Christ
in Christ alone. That's Christ in Christ alone.
He's the hidden manna. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone.
Now let us keep the context of this text. This hidden manna
is eaten as opposed to things sacrificed to idols. Those who are fallen, the Nicolaitans
and the Baal worshipers, They're eating meats that are sacrificed
to idols. Well, here this hidden manor
is eaten by the people of God. We feast on Christ, don't we?
It's not cannibalism. It's not like that at all. We
feast on him through his word. We feast on him through the preaching
of the gospel. He nourishes his people. He strengthens
his people through the preaching of the word. And he is the only
food we desire, spiritual food we desire. Just like our bodies
need physical food, we need spiritual food to grow, to grow in the
grace and knowledge and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
reference here to manna is in reference to the manna which
the Israelites ate in the wilderness. Turn, if you would, to John chapter
six, which the Israelites ate in the wilderness. And this was
but a picture of the hidden manna. It was a type in the shadow of
the hidden manna, which God's elect eat. And again, which is
Christ in that manna. That's hidden is Christ. It's
hidden from the world. Think of that, it says the hidden
manna there. That manna spoken of in this text is hidden from
the world, but it's revealed to God's people. It's revealed
to God's people. Look at John chapter six, verses
48 to 58. I am that bread of life. Your
fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This
is the bread which cometh down from heaven. that a man may eat
thereof and not die. Now we're going to die physically,
but he's speaking here of eternal life. He's speaking here of eternal
life. I am the living bread. He is
the living bread. He's he brings life to his people,
which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread,
he shall live forever. That's speaking of eternal life.
For the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give
for the life of the world. Now, Christ gave himself for
his people, didn't he? On Calvary's cross, he was the
sacrifice. Every believer can say he's a
sacrifice for my sins. He is my savior. I'm a sinner.
I'm in desperate need of a savior. He's my savior. He's my redeemer. He's my hope. He's my hope. He died on Calvary's cross for
me, for me, for me. Oh, my, my. The Jews, therefore, strove among
themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Now they're thinking physically. He's talking spiritually. He's
the hidden manna. They don't see him. They don't
know who he is. He's God incarnate in the flesh.
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except
ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have
no life in him. He's talking spiritual things.
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, whoever looks to him.
Right? The Lord can save you without
you moving a muscle. Just look to him. Just look to him. Just
look to Christ. Whosoever eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. Let's go to 53. Then Jesus said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Again,
he's speaking spiritual things and they're thinking physical
things. He's the hidden man. He's hidden to them. And he's
hidden to us until he reveals himself to us, isn't he? But
oh, when he reveals himself, praise his mighty name, we say,
what a Savior, what a Redeemer is Jesus Christ, my Lord. Whosoever
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, ha, look it there,
there's one of them hinge words, beloved, ha, there's no doubt. All who look to Christ shall
be saved. Ha, eternal life. That's a nail in the sure place
right there. And I will raise him up at the last day. For my
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and
I in him. As the living Father has sent
me, Jehovah, the self-existent One, and I live by the Father,
so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is the
bread which has come down from heaven, not as your fathers did
eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth of this bread
shall live forever. This is the hidden manna. The
Lord Jesus Christ. He's the hidden manna. And notice
this is given to us by God. Notice it's given to us by God.
Look in our text. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna. It's something God gives us.
We're just receivers of his grace and mercy. Even the overcoming,
as I said, we can't do that on our own. It's only in Christ.
It's only in Christ. Oh, what grace and mercy. is
poured out in this verse for the believer. Oh, my, it's given to us by God
in the manner we eat of his spiritual man. It's Jesus Christ himself.
It's Jesus Christ himself. God manifest in the flesh. Jesus
Christ is fully God and fully man. Fully God and fully man. God manifests in the flesh and
we are nourished. The believer is nourished spiritually
through him and by him. Think of this as we journey through
this world on our way to our spiritual promised land, which
is heaven, which is heaven. We are nourished all along the
way. by the Lord Jesus Christ. We
are strengthened all along the way by the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the believer's joy. He's the believer's hope. No
matter what we're going through, we just rest and trust in Him.
And it's not easy. Sometimes it's really hard. Sometimes
it's really difficult. But we just cling to our Savior,
cling to Christ Jesus our Lord. And one day, One day we will
behold him face to face. And what a day that'll be. What
a day that will be. Our master proclaims in Matthew
chapter five, verse six, blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness. Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. They'll be filled. Turn, if you
would, to Psalm 36. Psalm 36 brings forth this wonderful
truth. Oh, what a wonderful Savior we
have. Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Look
at Psalm 36, verses 7 to 9. How excellent is thy lovingkindness,
O God, Therefore the children of man put their trust under
the shadow of thy wings. The believer puts their trust
in Christ, in Christ alone. Look at this, in light of, in
light of, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be filled. They shall be abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink
of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain
of life. In thy light shall we see light. but notice there'll
be abundantly satisfied. The believers abundantly satisfied
with Christ and with the fatness of thy house. And he's made us
to drink of the rivers of his pleasure. Oh, what a Savior. Turn, if you would, to John chapter
6 again. The hidden manna is Christ that's spoken of in our
text. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden
manna. It's Christ. Look at John 6 verses
32 and 35 this time. And let us never forget that
the great doctrines of the gospel are all intimately connected
with the Lord Jesus Christ. All the great doctrines of the
gospel are intimately connected with the Lord Jesus Christ. The
doctrines are raised and he is the son. Just like the sun's
rays emanate, come from the sun. That's just what these great
doctrines are like. They just come out from him. Without him,
they're nothing, right? Because without him, we don't
have any salvation. Look at John chapter 32, or John 6, verses
32 to 35, I'm sorry. Then Jesus said unto them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Now he's speaking of himself. For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am
the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. So Christ alone is the center
and the object of our faith. And we proclaim that Jesus Christ
is all in all to us, don't we? Just like Paul did, we proclaim
that Jesus Christ is all in all to us as believers. Now, let
us consider how all of our salvation is in Christ and Christ alone.
Election is God's choosing us in Christ before the world was
made, not based upon anything in us. but simply by his free
and sovereign grace. And as I read about these different
doctrines, think of how, again, they proceed from Christ. You
can't separate them. He's the son, and they're the
rays that just come forth. Election is in Christ, and it
was before the foundation of the world. Redemption is God
purchasing his elect out of the hands of his own law by the blood
of Christ. Regeneration, being born again,
is God giving dead sinners life in Christ. And Christ living
in us. Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Forgiveness is God pardoning our sins through the blood of
Christ, through the innocent one. Through the innocent one. The just one dying for the unjust. Justification is God clothing
us with and imputing to us the perfect spotless righteousness
of Christ so that God looks upon me who is a sinner and sees Christ
and his perfect spotless righteousness. I remember my sins, but God says,
I don't remember your sins no more. Isn't that wonderful? It's
wonderful. What a Savior. What a Savior. Sanctification is God forming
Christ in us. We're sanctified in Christ. We're set apart in Christ. Resurrection is God raising us
up by the power of Christ. And glorification, when we're
finally with the Lord, is God conforming us to the image of
Christ, to which end we were predestinated in the eternal
purpose of His grace. It all centers around Christ.
It all centered. This is why it's absolutely vital.
And I've said it many times for the Christ to be proclaimed from
this pulpit. And nothing else. We must proclaim Christ. He's
the only hope for sinners. He's the only hope for this sinner.
I'll tell you, he's the only hope I have. So those who have
been given here in ears to hear will eat of this hidden manna
and let us continue in our text. It says to him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white
stone, a white stone. Now the text here proclaims that
the Lord gives the believers a white stone. And at the time
of the writing of the book of Revelation, When one was in court,
a white stone was equivalent with innocence, with innocence. They had a white stone and a
black stone and they would drop it. The judge or whoever was
judging the people would drop it into either a plate or a bucket,
a white stone or a black stone. The white stone was equivalent
with innocence and if you were to be tried for a crime, A white
stone signified an acquittal, that you were innocent. But a
black stone signified guilt. Signified guilt. Now the Greek
word here for stone is only used three times in the Bible. This specific Greek word here
is only used three times. Twice here in this verse, and
let's go over to Acts chapter 26, where it's translated voice. over in Acts 26. Now keep in
mind as we read this text over in Acts 26, the whole aspect
of the black stone being cast was for guilt, and the white
stone being cast was for innocence. So keep that in mind. Paul is
here giving testimony to King Agrippa of his manner of life
before conversion. Let's start in verse 4 of Acts
26. And the first portion we'll read
is verse to a verse 11 and then we'll continue a little bit more. So keep up. Let's stay in this
chapter for just a little bit. But keep in mind the white stone
being given to us as believers. Acts 26, verses four to 11, my
manner of life from my youth, which was at the first my among
my own nation at Jerusalem. Know all the Jews. He was well
known man. which knew me from the beginning,
if they would testify that after the most straightest set of our
religion I lived a Pharisee. So he's a Pharisee among Pharisees. He just stuck right to the letter.
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made
of God unto our fathers. Under which promise are twelve
tribes instantly Instantly serving God day and night hope to come
for which hope sake can't grip. I am accused of the Jews Why
should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God
should raise the dead? I Verily thought with myself
that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus
of Nazareth Which thing I also did in Jerusalem, and many of
the saints did I shut up in prison. So now he's telling us what he
did. He was going around and taking Christians and having
them cast into prison. Having received authority from
the cheap priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my
voice against them. That voice there is the same
Greek word used for stone in our text. So he was casting the
stone. with his voice. He was condemned. He was condemned. Having received authority from
chief priests and when they were put to death, I gave my voice
against them. Now, think, think Paul was converted later. Think
of the burden that he carried. But then he looked to Christ.
All my sins are forgiven. So when he wrote, I'm completing
Christ, think of that. Think of that. It's amazing it's
amazing And I punished them often every synagogue and compelled
them to blasphemy and being exceedingly mad against them I persecuted
them even unto strange things You know that voice verse 10
voice there again is the same as stone He raised his voice
up just as one would cast a stone against them He was pronouncing
them guilty with his voice And when the Christians were put
to death he gave his voice just as one would cast a black stone, pronounce them guilty. Let's
read on the next part about his conversion and see the great
change in Paul all by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, beloved.
Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission
from the chief priest, so he was heading to Damascus and he
was going to persecute even more believers. But God had a divine appointment for
him. Paul didn't know that. He didn't
know he was about to have a divine appointment with God. He had
no clue. No, he was mad against these these Christians. Whereupon,
as I went up to Damascus with authority and commission from
the chief priest at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from
heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me
and then which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen
to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, saying in the
Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Now notice
here again, the union with Christ and his people. Who's Paul persecuting? Christians. Now I want us to
think about that, we who are believers, the union we have
with Christ. Paul's persecuting Christians
and the Lord says, why are you persecuting me? Remember, he's the head, right?
And we're the bar. So when Saul's persecuting and
I look at this sometimes and I just put my head down how I
used to treat people. Oh, my gosh. But I'm forgiving. And I thank God for that. I thank
God for that. He says, Saul, Saul, why preach
goodest thou me? Is it hard for thee to kick against
the pricks? And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am
Jesus, whom thou persecutest. I'm Jesus. But rise and stand
upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to
make thee a minister and a witness both of those things which thou
hast seen and of those things in the which I will appear unto
thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles
unto whom now I send thee, look at this, to open their eyes.
And how are their eyes opened? How are their ears opened? By
the power of the Holy Spirit of God. He's gonna preach the
gospel now. He's gonna preach and proclaim
the one he the one he persecuted now He loves him and he's gonna
proclaim him He's gonna proclaim him To open their eyes and to
turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto
God That they may receive what forgiveness of sin. How many
sins beloved? How many sins all my sins? All the past, present and future. Oh, my, what a savior. What a
what a king. What a what a redeemer is Jesus
Christ, our Lord, that that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and inheritance among them, which are sanctified by faith that
is in me. So the white stone which Christ
gives his people. is a stone of complete absolution,
complete forgiveness, complete forgiveness in the day of judgment,
complete. Turn, if you would, to Jeremiah
50, 20, Jeremiah 50, 20. Again, God looks at his people
and doesn't remember their sins because all their sins were bought
and paid for in Christ. And he cried, it is finished. Oh, what a redeemer. What a savior. Jeremiah 50 20 look at this in
those days and In that time sayeth the Lord the iniquity of Israel. So that's my sin Now we know
he's speaking of God's elect here, right? That's my sin. And if you're a believer, that's
your sin because Israel here is the church right and in that
in those days in that time sayeth the Lord the iniquity of Israel
shall be sought for and there shall be what a Oh, praise God. It can't be found. Because Christ bought and paid
for it. As far as the East is from the West, our sins are gone. He says, I'll remember them no
more. There they shall be sought for and there shall be none in
the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found. For I will pardon
them whom I reserve. That is good news for sinners. That's wonderful news. Pardon. And what is this pardon? It's
a complete pardon. It's the forgiveness of all my
sins. Beloved of God, all our sins were bought and paid for
by the Lord Jesus Christ. We who are guilty by nature,
we who are sinners by birth, we are who are sinners by choice
in our natural state, are innocent in Christ. We're born again by
the Holy Spirit of God, and we are innocent in Christ. All our
sins are paid for. They're all paid for. And the
white stone in our text represents the forgiveness that we have
in Christ. We are declared innocent before the Lord. innocent before
the Lord. Why? Because we're clothed in
Christ's perfect, spotless righteousness. And the believer says, hallelujah,
what a savior. What a savior. And marvel at
this, beloved of God. The believer has been given.
A white stone by God, when? In Christ from eternity. Marvel
at that. Marvel at that. We've been given
a white stone by God in Christ from eternity because we were
chosen in him. Before the foundation of the
world, I didn't know I was an object of his grace until he
said I had no clue. No clue. Now the name that I
once cursed is now the name that I rejoice in. The name that I
proclaim is my Savior, my Redeemer, my great God and King. And what a thing to marvel at.
We've been given a white stone by God in Christ from eternity.
Chosen in God. Chosen in Christ by God before
the foundation of the world. Chosen to be receivers of His
grace. Chosen to be receivers of His mercy in and through the
Lord Jesus Christ alone. wonder of wonders, the grace
of God in Christ to his people. Now let us look at the latter
part of this verse and we read the verse and then look at the,
where we read the whole verse and then we'll look at the last
part of it. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna. I will give him a white stone
and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving
he that receiveth. Now, when I was in religion,
I always wondered. This was a portion of the scripture that I wondered
at. I'll be honest with you, I wondered at it. And in my pride
and in my ignorance, I wondered what my new name would be. Oh,
what's my new name gonna be? Is it gonna be in Hebrew? Is
it gonna be in Greek? Now, think of that. As I was
thinking that, who am I looking at? Myself. Myself, wasn't I? It was all
about me. Well, in grace, it's all about
Christ. It's all about Christ. All about
Him. This verse brings forth a great
truth, beloved. And note the stone which is given
us has a new name written, and in the stone a new name written
which no man can know it, saving he that receiveth it. So we receive
this stone, don't we? And the new name which Christ
will give us which no man can know, but those who receive it
is the Lord, our righteousness, the Lord, our righteousness.
Turn, if you would, to Jeremiah chapter 23. And then look at
or turn over to Jeremiah 33. It's the Lord, our righteousness.
See, he gets all the glory. He gets all the honor and he
gets all the praise. Our hearts are turned to him.
We're told to look away from ourselves and look to him, aren't
we? That's what we're told. We we look to Christ and Christ
alone. Look at this in Jeremiah 23, verse six. In his days, Judah
shall be saved. In Israel, she'll do all safely.
Well, where do we dwell safely and we only dwell safely in Christ
and we're only saved in Christ. And this is his name whereby
he shall be called the Lord, our righteousness. Now look over
in Jeremiah 33. And remember, He's the head and
we're the body, right? He's the head and we're the body. Jeremiah 33.16, In those days
shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this
is the name wherewith she shall be called, the bride, the Lord
our righteousness. clothed in the perfect, spotless
righteousness of Christ. Now turn to Revelation 3, verse
12. Revelation 3, verse 12. In light
of the latter part of our text, We'll give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving
he that receiveth it. Look over in Revelation chapter
3 verse 12. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna. Again, that's Christ. And we'll
give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Oh, hold
on. Revelation 3, 12. Him that overcometh,
I read. The other one before him that
overcometh. Well, I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he
shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my
God. What's the name of our God? The
Lord, our righteousness. In the name of the city of my
God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of the
heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. Lord, our righteousness. He gets all the glory. It all
goes to him. So our Savior's name is the Lord,
our righteousness, and the name which is written upon the stone
given to us in Revelation 217. The name which he promises to
write upon his people in Revelation 312 is Jehovah's Seeking you,
the Lord, our righteousness. Turn, if you would, the Romans
Chapter 12. And we cry May God give us grace and strength to
give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him who promises us such grace,
and that is only the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 12, and
then put your finger in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Romans chapter 12
and 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I beseech you therefore, brethren,
Romans 12, verses 1 to 3, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that you present your bodies to live and
sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good
and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the
grace given unto me to every man that is among you, Not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think. So we
should never vault ourselves over others. Never forget the
rock you were hewn from. No matter how much we grow in
grace, no matter how much we learn, let us never forget the
rock we were hewn from. Let us never forget where God
found us. In a horrible pit of our sin. That's where he found
me. That's where he saved me from.
The horrible pit of my own sin. Not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think. but to think soberly according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. And I urge
you tonight, beloved of God, hold fast. Hold fast the hope
of the gospel. Let nothing and no one drive
you from it or entice you to forsake it. Cling to Christ.
Cling to Christ in Him alone. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15,
verses 1 to 4. Verses 1 to 4. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which ye have received,
and wherein ye stand. I also which ye are saved were
only saved in Christ and what he's done for us. If you keep
in memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain,
for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins. The Lord Jesus Christ died
on Calvary's cross. for the sins of his people, for
all who look to him, for all who look to him. And it's according
to the scriptures. And then he was buried, he really
died and he was buried. And that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures. This is what the preacher proclaims.
Christ and Christ alone. He died for the sins of his people.
He died for sinners. The just one for the unjust.
The perfect one for sinners. The holy one for sinners. And that he rose again from the
grave. He was buried and that he rose again from the grave.
And he rose again for our justification. justification the believer says
so let us rest assured that the Son of God will hold us by his
grace and therefore let us cling to him let us cling to him he
that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit said unto the
churches so we've seen tonight the wondrous grace of God which
overflows from this verse and we who are redeemed can leave
here praising our great God and King our great Savior for the
salvation which is in Him and which has been revealed to us
by the Holy Spirit of God. And to know that we have a white
stone. Oh, a stone proving our innocence. It's only in Christ. And on the
stone is written, the Lord our righteousness. The Lord our righteousness. To God be all the glory, honor,
and praise. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for this time we've had in Thy Word. Oh, we thank you as we've
read the scriptures tonight and saw that the only way we have
here in ears is through the power of thy Holy Spirit. And the only
way that we can eat of the hidden man is you must reveal yourself
to us, Lord. And all we marvel, we who are
sinners marvel in the fact that you've revealed yourself to us.
And we pray that if it's your will, that you would reveal yourself
to your lost sheep, Lord Jesus. Oh, that you would give them
hearing ears and seeing eyes to look to thee. And we marvel
in the fact that we have received a white stone. Oh, a stone that
proclaims our innocence only because of thy blood which was
shed for us at Calvary's cross, only because of thy sacrifice,
only because you satisfy the law and the justice of God for
your people. Oh, may we glorify thy name and praise thy mighty
name. We love you because you first
loved us in Jesus name. Amen.