That's good, that's fine with me. That's fine with me. I've got in my introductory comments, turn to Romans, I'm sorry, number 17, number 17. The longer that the Lord allows me to live, the more wonderful to me is this simple story of the free redemption by blood. When you go through the scriptures and you see something, you're like, oh. I saw this last week and I'm like, oh. And then I was reading other stuff and I was like, ah. Looking at it, I'm like, I just kept coming back to this chapter, this verse. Such is this passage before us in Numbers 17. We sing this song. Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. Tell me the story simply as to a little child, for I am weak and weary and helpless and defiled. Everybody here needs this, whether you're young or old. Tell me the story slowly that I may take it in, that wonderful redemption God's remedy for sin. Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon. The early dew of morning, he passed away at noon. Tell me the same old story when you have cause to fear that this world's empty glory is costing me too dear. Yes, and when that world's glory is dawning on my soul, tell me the old, old story, Christ Jesus, makes me whole. This is it. I think this is it. At least it is for me. So I'm going to read you number 17 verses 1 through 9. Number 17 verses 1 through 9. Before I do that, we'll bring it up in context. Chapter 16, Koro's rebellion. He was rebelling. And the people of Israel, they're getting upset with Moses. Obviously they're discontent. They're wanting to get where they're supposed to go. They were promised all these different things, which is how we do. This is us sojourning in this world. It's like, could you make it a little easier on me? We complain and murmur too. And they're murmuring, complaining against Moses and Aaron. And then the Lord opens up the earth and swallows Korah. So that's the end of chapter 16. The plague is going after these, and the Lord tells Moses, tell Aaron to take that incense and wherever he stopped in verse 50 of the chapter 16, and Aaron returned unto Moses at the door of the tabernacle, the congregation, and the plague was stayed. So they're in the middle of murmuring. And so he's got to deal with some more murmuring in chapter 17, verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses, speak unto the children of Israel. and take every one of them a rod, a stick, it's a branch, according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes, according to the house of their fathers, 12 rods, write thou every man's name on this branch, on this rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. For one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers." So you got 13 rods. and thou shalt lay them in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony where I, God, will meet with you. And it came to pass that the man's rod, whom I, this is the Lord speaking, shall choose, shall blossom, and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you." Because they're saying, well, who's Aaron? You know, why can't my dad, why can't my grandpa, the father of the tribe, why can't he be the head of the priests, the family, the priests? Well, the Lord's gonna, so I'm gonna do this miracle, and this is gonna solve it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece. For each prince won, according to their father's houses, even 12 rods, and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness for a full day. It came to pass that on the morrow, next day, Moses went into the tabernacle of witness and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, brought forth buds, blossomed blossoms and yielded almonds. That doesn't happen. Sorry. If you know anything about fruit trees or anything, You have buds in the spring, flowers later in the spring, they gotta be pollinated, and then you may get some fruit. On this one stick, dry stick, it had all three. Unquestionable miracle. And Moses brought out the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel, and they looked and took every man his rod. We'll stop there. First of all, we're gonna say, who's speaking? Who's speaking? In verse one, it's the Lord God, Jehovah. What he's doing is he's communicating to Moses the best way to end the controversy of who will be the head, who will hold or be in the office of the priesthood. And of course, Aaron is of the family of Levi. So he takes each house, each head of the house, each tribe, and they bring him a rod, it's a branch or a stick, other interpretations, and they set it aside for a full day. And him, whose family, to whom the miracle occurs the same day, will, without controversy, be his family, the priest, for or among the people. Okay? And it's obviously, it lands on Aaron of the tribe of Levi. It says in verse eight, in his, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi. So that's how this got, and it was all started because the people were murmuring. It's kind of like the disciples. You remember when they got by the Lord and they said, we're arguing who, who was the greatest? Who's going to be the greatest? in the kingdom. So, it's Aaron. And nobody can say anything. Nobody can question. But it's sad when you got to prove by a miracle to end controversy amongst brethren. Well, this is the short, simple lesson. It's the most beautiful picture of the calling of God's elect. Look with me at verse 5. This is the main text. If you get nothing, just read this text, this verse, the first half as it is. Look at verse 5. And this is God speaking, and it shall come to pass that the mans, the womans, the boy, the girl, Whom I shall choose shall blossom, and later shall bud, shall blossom, and bear fruit. And that's the believer's life. I mean, in a nutshell. In a nutshell. Why do I know? God chose. What am I going to do? I'm going to bud. I'm going to blossom. I'm going to bear fruit. This is all, just this phrase is the whole work of salvation from beginning to end. It's that simple. And it's good because I got all excited. Matter of fact, I wanted to go other places. I thought, well, we need to know, we need to hear this whole story. And as Maurice Montgomery would say, if the new story or the old story, if it gets boring, then you may have never heard it. You may say you've heard it, but you may have never heard it. We cannot, you know, just look at Paul. Everything keeps going back to the gospel, the gospel, the gospel. through the everlasting gospel of the grace of God by the accomplishments we know of our Redeemer, the preaching of the gospel. Dead, dry sticks that have no life in themselves. That's us. Born in trespasses and sins. Weak, useless rods. That's us. That's us. All the same as others. You got all 12, 13, you could tell them apart. Well, I'm chosen because I'm special. No, no. Matter of fact, Romans says, not many mighty, not many noble. As Bruce read this morning, that no flesh should glory in his sight. These 12 sticks, 12, 13 sticks. all the same as others. Who makes you to differ? What's what Paul said? It's the grace of God. All this was done to show the power and might of God. And every time we gather together, that's what we do. That's what we do.

Turn to First Corinthians chapter one. We've already We noted that in Romans 3 verse 9, Romans 3 verse 9, you don't have to turn there, What then? Are we saved better than they? No, and no wise, for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, they're all under sin. Now, in our passage in 1 Corinthians, that's where he says, not many wise men, not many noble, starting in verse 26. For you see your calling, that's what we're talking about, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things. of the world, to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things, dead dry branches of the world, to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not, to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. And he repeats himself in verse 31, according as it is written, that he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Just dry, dead, lifeless branches. Common, ordinary, nothing special here in this text. Just like you and I, nothing in ourselves special, nothing noteworthy or able to gain God's favor. Now this is not what the world's gonna tell us or our children, but that's why we come here. We come here, as he says in the New Testament, we may decrease, but he may increase. And I'm not saying that you're worthless and this and that. Humanly, spiritually is what we're talking, spiritually. Do good to your neighbors, do good at school, do the best you can in whatever you put your might to. There's nothing wrong with that. Just don't let that interpose, well, I can do this for God, too. God has to do it. It's Him who works in us, both the will and due of His good pleasure. So it must be all of grace.

I remember hearing a message years ago, which I thought, you know, maybe have meant something to begin to understand what I had understood in my mind, but I think it dropped down to my heart.

In Romans chapter 11 verses 1 through 6, I'll read it. I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I am also an Israelite, says Paul, and the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew or foreloved. Won't you not that the scriptures of Isaiah, how he make his intercession to God because of Israel. Lord, they have killed thy prophets and dig down an altar and I am left alone and seek thy life. But what sayeth the answer of God, not Isaiah, it's Elijah. I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace it shall come to pass the man's rod whom I shall choose saying the same thing it's not new doctrine remnant according to the election of grace and if it's by grace then it is no more works Ephesians Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it's of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work.

That to me, it sounds kind of confusing, but I thought, wow, this grace that God gives. is there's no strings attached, nothing with us. It's got to be all His grace or it's not called grace. So all these preaching, all these things that's going around, they're saying you got to do this and help, those are strings, strings that are leading a person to damnation, to hell, which cannot be quenched. You cannot do enough to get out of hell. It's, you're just, so Grace, if it's grace, it's no more works. If it's works, it's no more grace. That's why we used to say, you know, oil and water. You can't mix them.

So again, back to our text, verse five, and it should come to pass that, and this is the Lord, Jehovah God speaking, that the man, and I added the woman, the boy or girl whom I shall choose, whom I shall choose, This is how God saves unworthy sinners, his people. They're called his bride, they're called the church.

If you want to, you can turn, this is the same lesson, turn to Ezekiel chapter 37. If we can't understand, to me, this one in numbers is very, very clear. You got branches, you got sticks, all look alike. All born and dry, dead, all born in sin. That's a picture of us. And then one, why? It's the Lord, it's all his grace. Or we could look at Ezekiel 37, and this is the same thing. The hand of the Lord was upon me that prophet Ezekiel carried me out in the spirit of the Lord. and set me down in the midst of a valley that was full of bones. Now what can, bones, we all know what those are. We all know what sticks are. They're lifeless. Unless you're an anatomist, they all look about the same, you know. And caused me to pass them round about and behold, there were very many in open valley and they were very dry. There's no life. And the Lord said unto me, son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, you know. I don't know how the spirit works. I don't know how the spirit moves. We just stand up here, whoever's up here, just stands up there and tells the truth in the spirit of love. And he said unto me, can they live? He said, you know. Again, he said unto me, prophesy or preach upon these bones and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. That sounds ridiculous. But we do. Sounds ridiculous. Thus saith the Lord God with these bones, behold, I, whose I, capital I, it goes back to the Lord God, I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. And I'll lay sinews upon you and bring flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord. That's the fruit. That's budding, that's blossoming, and that's the fruit. You shall know. How did the Lord save you? Well, I walked an aisle. I decided to give the matlinal. The Lord did it. The Lord did it. Jehovah did it through His Son. That's the truth. We know the man, the woman, the boy, God, whom God shall choose, that is simply select, elect, set aside. He will flourish, conversion unto life, through Christ, because of Christ, by Christ, but in bare fruit. Hosea, Hosea chapter 14, I think Bruce brought this, he didn't bring this text up, but this is what he was talking about, his workmanship. Hosea chapter 14, And verse eight, and Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard him and observed him. I am like a green fir tree. He says, from me, this is the Lord, from me is thy fruit found. That's what we say. Oh, you did a wonderful thing. It's the grace of God in me. You know, I hear people when they interview or talk about us, talk about their faith. It's the Lord in me. It's the Lord in me. We're trying to boast in ourselves. From me is thy fruit found, is what he says. And look it again in chapter 17, verse 5. And it shall, S-H-A-L-L, come to pass that the man, boy, woman, child, whom I shall choose, shall. These are not maybes. These are things that will happen, absolutes. His people will bear fruit, bud, and blossom. We're new creatures, new nature, new birth, and new desires to serve, worship, and adore Him. It's all of Him who makes us to differ from any other sinner.

This then is the miracle of the new birth, the regenerated soul, the soul under conversion and under conviction. Well, you say, do I still sin? I say, yes. Are you still a sinner? Yes. Do you still struggle? Yes, you will. You still fall sometimes? Yes. But, but he, He who called and chose and redeemed and sent his son to die, to bleed, to suffer for his people, he is able, he is sovereign, he is our rescue and our restorer. But there's more here. Woe is me if I don't show Christ. Go back to our text. And this is said about you and I. This is very obviously salvation. The Lord chooses and blossoms and in verse eight, it budded, it brought forth buds, it blossomed and yielded almonds, fruit. This is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. Also we see our blessed Emmanuel as well. We're gonna look at some scriptures, Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 verse 2 speaking of the Lord Jesus whole chapter is about Christ we know that for he Christ shall grow up before him as a tender plant a root out of dry ground he hath no form nor comeliness he's common you could tell he looks like the other sticks the other branches when he shall see him there's no beauty in him that we should desire him He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief, and we hid as were our faces from him. He's despised and we esteemed him not." Just a little old stick, just a branch, just a rod. Verse four, surely this one hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did him, esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. Verse six, all we like sheep have gone astray, We have turned everyone his own way, but and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Psalms 110. Psalms 110. This is speaking of Christ. Look at verse one. Psalms 110, verse one. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Look at verse two. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. That's the rod. That's Christ. Isaiah 11. Isaiah chapter 11. And verses one and two again. Verses 1 and 2 of Isaiah 11, and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, the counsel of might, the Spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. I'm so glad he's got all these qualifications, all these characteristics, because I don't have... We're born in debt. We're born in negative. In Zechariah chapter 6, and verse 12 and 13, Chapter six, verse 12 and 13. Now this verse 12, I'll read it and then tell you what a Mormon told me who this is speaking of. Speak unto him saying thus, speak at the Lord of hosts saying behold the man whose name is the branch. They told me that was Joseph Smith. Okay, sure. He shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord, he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. That's speaking about our Lord Jesus Christ. He shall bear the glory. Everything of God is in Christ Jesus. holiness, righteousness, peace, grace, mercy, wrath, anger, it's all found in Christ. So this passage in our text in Numbers, speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ, the rod, the branch of our Lord. This bespeaks of the honorable and holy son of God. Weak in the eyes of the world he was, yet fruitful unto his father, and therefore unto his people. He was insignificant to the religious hypocrites of his day and our day, yet we esteem him in the highest, and he deserves our devotion and service. This servant chosen of God to secure salvation for his people by his life, death, and resurrection. the man, and it shall come to pass that that man's rod whom I shall choose shall blossom. The man, this man whom God chose, as Hebrew says, he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. No other person's ever done that. This man whom God chose. So I close So then, very directly, very straightforwardly, very plainly, do you know this branch? Are you found in this passage? Am I found in this passage? Do we know ourselves, what we're capable of if God lets us go? Do we acknowledge this Savior? If so, it's solely because God selected you in Christ Jesus to bring forth bud, blossom, and fruit, which is the same thing which our Lord says to the disciples in John, and I'll just read it to you. John chapter 15, verses 15 and 16. Henceforth, Christ says, I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his Lord does, but I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you that you have not chosen me. There's election. That's what he's saying in the numbers. You have not chosen me, I have chosen you and ordained you that you should bring forth fruit. Bud. Blossom fruit and that your fruit should remain. It's not just here for a little bit We know what a lot of people fits, you know, a lot of people after the you know, make a New Year's resolution I'm gonna go to church and they go for a month or two No, the believer doesn't fit and start now we do this at times, but the believer is steadfast Relying on his Lord and Savior that you should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. So may we continue to seek him, to bow to him, if never before, I pray it would be so this day, today. Bruce, would you close us, please?