I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Psalms, chapter
33. Psalm 33. Last week when I was in Mexico,
I was reading this 33rd Psalm. And I came to this passage of
Scripture, this verse of Scripture, verse 12. Psalm 33, verse 12. Blessed or blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He hath chosen for
His own inheritance. What a wonderful revelation of
God's grace. That the nation whose God is
the Lord is truly blessed. They're happy. That's a happy
nation. Blessed. This nation has Jehovah. as its God. The Father is the electing God
to this nation. And you look at that word, look
in Psalm 33, blessed is the nation whose God is the capital L, capital
O, capital R, capital D, Jehovah, triune God. This nation has God
the Father as the electing God. It has God the Son as the redeeming
God, and it has God the Holy Spirit as the quickening, sealing,
teaching, preserving God of all grace. That's what this nation
does, the nation it's taught by. But as we consider this nation,
that is truly blessed. Our question would be where is
this nation found? I love and thank God for the
United States. Thanks be unto the Lord that
he's allowed me to live in this country. I thank God for this
country. But I'm going to tell you something.
This country by and large of itself is not a nation of itself. The United States is not a nation
that has the Lord God as its God. I know this, a nation is made
up of people. And I know that concerning all
men by nature, it's what scripture says, that every imagination,
that is every purpose, every desire of the thoughts of his
heart, all men born in Adam, here's what it is, it's only
evil continually, every day. So my question is this, where
is this nation, where is this people that is bound together
in purpose and love for God and their origin is all the same,
where is this nation? I know that it exists because
the scripture says that that nation is blessed of the Lord. If there was no nation that fit
that description, It wouldn't be written like this. Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he has
chosen for his own inheritance. I want us to consider for just
a few minutes who this nation is. Here's the first thing I
know about it. It's a nation of God's creation
and God's mercy. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2.9, here's a revelation of God's
Spirit concerning the nation whose God is the Lord. 1 Peter
2.9, the Scripture says, but ye, now before I go any farther,
Let's find out who he's talking about. Turn back to 1 Peter 1.1,
1.2, 1 and 2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
to the strangers, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, Bithynia, elect. according to 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." So I know that this letter is written
to a specific people. It's written to the elect of
God. Now, 1 Peter 2.9, But ye, are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light." This nation that is blessed of God
is a people that the Scripture reveals was a chosen generation. Chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world that they should be holy according to Ephesians
1, 4 and without blame before Him in love, in Christ. Chosen. This nation is a chosen
nation. Chosen to be the bride of the
Lord Jesus Christ. who is the bridegroom, chosen
to be His church, chosen as His people. So this nation, ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, ordained by the unction
and power of God's Spirit. This is a nation who's been made
kings and priests unto God by the One that loved us, according
to Revelation 1, 5, and 6, and washed us from our sins in His
own blood. This is who this nation is. Priest. Priest. A chosen generation,
a royal priesthood that by Him offer the sacrifice of praise
to God. This is our sacrifice. Offering
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to His name. By the grace of God,
we thank the Lord for His mercy. That's this nation. Turn over
to Genesis 12, 2 and 3. Genesis 12, 2 and 3. Listen to
this promise that the Lord gave to Abraham. Genesis 12, 2 and
3. This is what he said to Abraham,
and I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee, I
will make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing, and
I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Now
truly, natural Israel, I've told you this before, you know this,
but we need to hear it again. Natural Israel. the land over
there on the other side of the world, was made a great nation
by God Almighty. But that nation over across the
ocean is but a beautiful picture of the spiritual Israel. They're not all Jews that are
Jews, that's what Paul said. All Israel is not Israel. There is a spiritual Israel. And this blessing to all the
families that the Lord was speaking of concerning His promise to
Abraham was the glorious gospel that would be proclaimed and
the wonderful display of the mercy and compassion of God Almighty
in the salvation of His people. Remember the Pharisees, they
claimed their right to be God's people because they were sons
of Abraham. Well, they probably could trace
their lineage, natural lineage, back to Abraham. But the Lord
told them, He said, if you were, you know, if you were true Jews,
you'd love me. First Peter 2.9 declares that
this nation is a chosen generation, it's a royal priesthood, it is
a holy nation. It is a nation comprised of those
who are the trophies of God's grace that shall forever be shown
to be the glory of Almighty God's mercy and compassion and grace
to His people. Ephesians 1.6 says, to the praise
of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. The latter part of 1 Peter 2.9 says that we are a peculiar people
that he should show forth the praises of him who had called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That word praise,
that we should show forth the praises, in the margin here,
I've got my marginal reading, it says that we should show forth
the virtues. the evidences of God's grace
to His people. This is the nation that God Almighty
has blessed. Chosen generation, royal priesthood,
holy nation, peculiar people, that we should evidence that
we're His people. Chosen, redeemed, quickened. This is a nation that God's created. Look at Ephesians 2. This is
going to be the evidence of them right here. Ephesians chapter
2 verses 4-7. Ephesians 2. And we should show
forth His praises. That's what He said in 1 Peter.
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4-7. But God who is rich in mercy,
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
you're saved. and raised us up together and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in
the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace
and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. This nation that
is blessed of the Lord, blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord. I'll tell you who this nation
is. It's God's elect. It's a nation of God's creation,
created in Christ Jesus. The second thing I know about
this nation, it's a nation that knows and declares it's salvation
and preservation to be all of the Lord. That nation knows that. Now, if someone tells me that
they've called upon the Lord, the Lord wanted to save them,
the Lord extended His grace to them, if all they had to do was
just take the first step, you take the first step toward the
Savior, my friend, you'll find His arms open wide, and rightly
I've heard it said, if you can take the first step, you can
take them all. Anyone that claims to have submitted
themselves unto that God, that little G God, that wanted to
save them, but had to wait on them to exercise their free will,
that's not the God that I'm talking about right here. I'm not talking
about that God. That's another God. That's a
God of a man's imagination. This God that I'm speaking of,
this One that Almighty God declares in His Scriptures to be God,
is a God who is sovereign. He's the God of salvation. It's
what Jonah said, Jonah 2, 9, I will sacrifice unto thee. Here's the sacrifice of praise. Here's a true priest, one made
so in Christ. I will sacrifice unto thee with
the voice of thanksgiving. Here's the sacrifice of our lips
right here, Neil. I will pay that which I vowed
with the voice of my lips, my heart. Salvation is of the Lord. That's God's priest. That's what
God's priest say. That's the priest of this nation,
this holy nation that I'm talking about. Salvation in its origination
is of the Lord. God ordained it. God chose. God selected. It's of the Lord
in its procurement. The Lord Jesus Christ was made
sin and laid down His life for His people, bore their guilt
in His own body, made what they are, the true substitute. There He was, hanging, made sin. It's of the Lord in its application.
God Almighty, thanks be unto Him, does not wait on His people
to come. They come in the day of His power. I think about when the Lord called
His apostles. And He said to Matthew, follow
me. followed him, left him. When God Almighty calls, He gives
a new heart. He gives a new heart that's willing
to come to Him. When I think about when I came
to Katy, there was a group of men I don't
remember all of them. I know Glenn was there. I know
Daryl. I don't remember who all was
there. And they asked me, they said, I'd like for you to pray
about coming here. I said okay. That's the last
time they ever said anything to me. Nobody said one word. Not another word. Didn't call
me up. Didn't say, well, have you thought
about it? I don't remember, that was in
late January of 2003, about two weeks before I actually came. My heart, and during that period
of time, somebody would say, well what do you think, are you
going to go or are you not going to go? I don't feel like I don't
want to go and I don't feel like I want to go. I just don't feel
anything. I don't feel anything, nothing. Continued to pray and
ask the Lord. And then, one day, I told Glenda. Glenda and I had gotten married
in March. We were living in Franklin. And I told Glenda, who never
said one word to me about it. She never brought it up. One
day I told her, I said, the Lord wants me to go to Vermont.
She said, okay. In the day of God's power, when
it pleased God, He gave me a heart willing to come. Until then,
I had no heart. One way or the
other, just limbo. I'm telling you, when Almighty
God calls His people, He gives them a heart to come. And let
me tell you what they do. They come to Him. They come to Him. and they bow
in heart to Him who has made them willing. Ephesians 2.8 says,
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. This nation is a nation that
knows and declares its salvation and its preservation to be of
the Lord. It looks not to itself for the
source of life. It realizes by the grace of God,
I am what I am. He made me so. Isaiah 26, verse
1 and 2. Isaiah 26 verse 1-2, this nation
is a nation that declares the joyful song in her heart of God's deliverance, God's salvation. Isaiah, Isaiah 26, in that day Shall this song be sung in the
land of Judah, we have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint
for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in." This nation, this
one that God has given a heart, This is what they sing in their
heart. This is the song. I don't doubt for one second
that that was a song that was sung truly in the land of Judah. I don't doubt that one second. That's not even a question. I
believe they probably sang those words right here. I sang songs,
the songs of Zion Chuck years, growing up as a kid. I sang all
these... false religion, all these wonderful
songs. The songs that now I rejoice
in. But I sang those words. I had
words. I knew the words of it. But I
didn't have a heart for it. And I don't doubt that they sang
these words. They're in natural Israel, Judah. I don't doubt that. But let me
tell you something, the nation whose God is the Lord sings these
words in her heart. Here's what she says. Verse 1,
we have a strong city. We have a city that is prevailing,
secure, and majestic. That's what strong means. We
have a strong city. What city is that? According
to Revelation 21-2, it's the holy city, it's holy Jerusalem. And I saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heavens, prepared,
made ready. as a bride adorned for her husband. That's a strong city. That's
a city who has foundations. That's a city that Abraham looked
for. Abraham looked for a city, strong city, whose builder and
maker is God. This is the reason that the nation
whose God is the Lord, this is why she rejoices. We have a secure
city because God established it. God Almighty defends it. Listen to David, Psalm 511. But
let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice. Not trusting themselves, not
trusting the water, not trusting walking down the aisle, not trusting
anything. Let all those that put their
trust in Thee, truly, Lord, if You save me, Lord, I'll be saved. Lord, You lead me to myself and
I'll be damned. I know that. I think I've got
enough sense. I know that. Lord, help me to
believe that and to trust Him. Let them ever shout for joy because
Thou defendest them. I'm so thankful that I can say
in my heart, we have a strong city. This city, as she sings
in Isaiah 26, we have a strong city. Here's another verse of
that song she sings. Salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. You know, cities, you know back
days of old and nights of old. They'd have a castle. They'd
build big walls and they'd have these ramparts and they'd have
a moat. They'd draw the bridge up. You're
going to have a time getting in it. You had to get in it.
That was their protection. The song of the nation whose
God is the Lord says, salvation will God appoint for walls and
bulwarks. That's our security right there.
But when you think about what old Simeon had to say. Oh, Simeon,
I'll just read. Look at Luke 2. Oh, what a precious passage.
Salvation will the Lord appoint for her walls. Luke 2, verse
29. Listen to this dear saint. They
brought in the Lord Jesus Christ, the baby. Simeon, verse 28, came
into the temple that day have him circumcised and dedicated. Then he took him in his arms
and blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant depart
in peace according to thy word. Listen to this, for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation. Salvation is a person. Isaiah 26, that song that this
nation sings, we have a strong city. Christ, salvation will
God appoint for walls and bulwarks. You want to know who our salvation,
our safety, our security is? the Lord Jesus Christ. That's our salvation. This is
what he said in John 10, 27. John 10, 27, 29. He said, My
sheep hear my voice, I know them. They follow me. I give unto them
eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Do you
want to know the salvation, the security of the nation whose
God is the Lord? Do you want to know what that
nation's security is? She's in the hand of Almighty
God. I want to believe that, Carl.
I want to believe that. I know it. I know I know it in
my head. Lord, give me a heart for that.
If we come what may, come what may, whatever comes to pass,
that I can truthfully say in my heart that God Almighty has
appointed Him to be my walls, my bulwarks. This city's strength
is not carnal things. It's Christ. And this, in Isaiah
26, that second verse there, this city has its gates open
to God's elect according to God's pleasure. Listen to this, Isaiah
26. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. This nation is
said to be a righteous nation. Why? Because she's found in Christ
who is our Righteousness. And she keeps the truth. Not
that she's able to keep the law. Turn to John 17.6. John 17.6. No, he didn't say we kept the
law, by the deeds of the law, so no flesh be justified. But listen to what the Lord said
in his high priestly prayer. John 17, verse 6, I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine
they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. You know what they've done? They
believe the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what they do. They believe the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. This nation believes that God
Almighty is sovereign. This nation believes the truth
that salvation is by grace and that they're kept by the power
of God through faith. That's what they believe. They
trust the Lord and they have no confidence in their flesh. Lastly, this nation, whose nation
is the Lord, is a nation that is surely going to be called
out of spiritual darkness. Look at Isaiah 26. If you're
still there, if you're there, turn back. If you're not, Isaiah
26 verse 15. Listen to this. Thou hast increased
the nation. Oh Lord, thou hast increased
the nation. He said that twice. I'll tell
you in a minute something on that. Thou art glorified. Thou hast removed it far unto
all the ends of the earth. Thou hast increased. And what it means is, the word
increased there means widened. And it also means to increase
in number. Now, let me say this. I'm getting ready to read out
of Revelation 17. If you want to turn there, Revelation
17.8. But this nation is not increased in number as far as
how many are actually in it. That number was established.
before the foundation of the world. That's Revelation 17 verse
8 concerning the Lamb's book of life. We've read this. The
beast that thou saw it was and is not and shall ascend out of
the bottomless pit and go into perdition. And they that dwell
on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the
book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold
the beast that was and is not and yet is. God's book, the Lamb's
book of life, all the names that are ever recorded were recorded
from before the foundation of the world. God has an elect that
he chose. They're his people, they're his
sheep. They've always been sheep. They've never been a goat. They've
always been a sheep. As I've said before, they at
this point may be lost sheep. But He's going to have them.
All the sheep I have, they're not of this folk. Them also I
must bring. He's going to bring them. But
they're sheep. So the number, when it says back
in Isaiah 26, 15, If I can get back there, Isaiah
26, I don't want to quote it, I want to read it. Thou hast
increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased to widen
or to increase in number, means this, this nation is increased
outwardly in our eyes, in our sight. God knows who the number
is. That number doesn't grow. They're
gods. But it increases through the
preaching of the gospel, the calling out. In this gathering,
now let's read it again. Thou hast increased, thou hast
widened, increased the number. Thou hast increased the nation,
O Lord, thou hast increased the nation. Thou art glorified in
the increasing, in the widening, in the bringing out, in the calling
out. of God's elect. God is glorified. The Lord is glorified. Thou hast
removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. Again, it means
to get widened. That's what it means. I'm sorry,
removed. Thou hast removed it, gotten for oneself. Removed,
that's what the word removed means. It means to have gotten
for oneself. Thou hast removed it far unto
all the ends of the earth, out of every nation, and kindred,
and tribe, and tongue. God has a people. And in that
day, in that day in which God Almighty is pleased, He's going
to call. We go into all the world and
we preach the gospel. I said, I don't know who they
are. I know this, I know God has a nation, and it's a nation
of His creation. I know it's a nation that is
going to be made willing in the day of His power, I know that.
And I know they're going to know that Almighty God, that salvation
is of the Lord. And they know that their preservation
and security, that Christ is their walls. They know that.
And I know this, that that nation is surely going to be called
out of darkness. And I know that Paul the Apostle,
under the inspiration of God's Spirit, has revealed that it's
through the preaching of the gospel. Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of that gospel. It's the power of God unto salvation. So I know that they're going
to come. So what I do is this, I preach.
And I declare, God has a people. Salvation is of the Lord. Come
to Christ. Look to Him. Look away from yourself. I know salvation is going to
come to God's nation. He's going to save them. And
that nation is going to be shown to be the Lord's. That precious, precious nation. Now, last verse, John 11, 49. John 11, 49. In the time of our Lord's earthly
ministry, the Lord, as He walked this earth, beheld, let me say this, what
had grossly deteriorated. The priesthood, the worship,
the outward manifestations. Here he was, he was the lamb
to be slain. And during this time there was
a great hatred for him, for the Lord. And there was a priest,
a high priest named Caiaphas. And the situation was that Caiaphas
realized, and now what I'm about to read, I'm going to read John
11, 49-52. And Caiaphas knew, and what he
was saying, he was saying strictly for a political reason. He had
a political agenda. And he realized something that
because of all the bickering that was going on, he realized
that we can get out of this thing. What we need to do is we need
to kind of squash this following of this Jesus of Nazareth. And
instead of trying to go after all of the people, just go for
the one where it seems to be started, as far as he was concerned.
Let's go for him. If we can get him and have him
killed, then we can end this thing. Caiaphas was saying exactly
what Caiaphas wanted to say. He was a spiritually dead man. And what he said, he said actually
out of his mouth. But it was the Spirit of God
that moved upon that man to say what he said in a prophetic utterance
concerning the redemption of God's people. Now you listen
to what he said. This nation is a blood-bought,
God-redeemed nation. And one of them, verse 49, John
11, 49. One of them, Nacathus, being the high priest that same
year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider
that it is expedient for us. Now, let me just say this. He
didn't say it was moral. There was no morality in this. Let's just throw him under the
bus. That's what he was saying. There
was nothing lawful about it. It's expedient. If the ends justifies
the means, let's do it. A lot of times that's the attitude.
If we can accomplish something, it doesn't matter if it's right,
let's just do it. It's never right. if it's not according
to this word, never right. Nor consider that it is expedient
for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole
nation perish not. Now listen to this, and this
spake he not of himself, but being high priest that year he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation and not for
that nation only, But that also he should gather together in
one the children of God that were scattered abroad. I'll tell
you this, Caiaphas had no love for God's people. He had no love
for Christ. But being the high priest that
year, and apart from himself, the Spirit of God took the words
that that man really said and set forth the glorious salvation
redemption of God's people. This nation, this nation that
I'm talking about is blessed. Blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. Lord bless these words to our
heart for Christ's