Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Zechariah. Malachi is the last book of the
Old Testament. Zechariah is just before that.
Zechariah. Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, we ask this evening
Would you meet with us? And Lord, would you help us to
worship? Lord, I pray that you would bless the preaching and
the hearing. Lord, we are needy people and
we need you and we ask you and we knock and seek for Christ's
sake. Amen. when we especially look at the
prophets. You know, when you read them,
there are so many mysteries in the prophets. You read these
chapters, these words. But our Lord has not written
these things for our confusion. He has written these things for
our instruction. And He sends instruction through
preaching. Preaching the gospel. Responsibility
of a pastor. Study and ask. And God blesses His Word with
the comfort and instruction of His people. I pray that the Lord
bless this book to us tonight. It's got 14 chapters in it, and
obviously, as always, I'm not going to be able to deal with
every verse. But to get the heart of this
message, I pray that the Lord might bless it. When God's going
to speak, He's going to speak through a preacher. through a
prophet, through an instructor of his choosing. And he speaks
to the people of Israel. Yes, but he's speaking to his
church. Tonight, he's speaking. This
message tonight is alive, just as alive as when it was first
preached by the prophet Zechariah. Look at verse 3 of chapter 1.
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will turn unto
you, saith the Lord of Hosts." Notice, three times, the Lord
of Hosts was mentioned. That's for our instruction. To
let us know who is speaking. The Lord of the Hosts of Heaven. And he says to his people, turn
unto me and I'll turn unto you. Not that our turning is what
causes him to turn. Our turning is actually the evidence
that Almighty God has moved us and made us willing. Turn me
and I'll be turned. That's that Scripture. Lord,
you turn me and I'll be turned. But what he's saying is he's
commanded his people Turn in repentance, and I'll turn to you in blessing, in peace, in comfort. And what he's saying is, he's
revealing his pleasure to have fellowship with his people, to
show grace to his people. It's by the Lord's grace that
he even instructs his people to turn. Just remember, if God
is pleased to leave a man alone, that man is going to perish.
But if God speaks to him, turn unto Me. I'll turn unto you. Threats and scoldings and bribes,
these things are not what Almighty God blesses to the bringing to
Himself of a rebel. You know what? It's the love
of Christ. That's what constrains a man.
You wives, you husbands, let me ask you this. What draws your
heart to your spouse? Demands? I'm going to tell you
something. I'm the head of this house. This
is the way it's going to be. Love. Tenderness. Kindness. Sweetness. Affection. I tell you, sin and rebellion
was the reason for man's separation from God. This was the reason
that Israel was in bondage in Babylon. But here is a picture
of God's pleasure to draw His people back to Himself. And oh, when we remember the
point of God's goodness, for Christ's sake, how sweet the
words return unto me. I'll be honest with you. I need
to hear that. I need to hear the sweetness
of His constraining words return to me. You know why? Because I need to return. I need
to have my feet washed daily, just as our Lord washed the feet
of His disciples daily. He told them, He said, you're
clean every week. You just need your walk cleansed
by the same blood that cleanses our very heart from the guilt
of sin. I need His blood to cleanse me
daily. I'm daily defiled. Return unto
me. So let's look at the Word of
the Lord. through this prophet, through Zechariah, and let us
hear what Almighty God has to say to a people that are oppressed,
oppressed within and oppressed without. Here's what He said.
Now look at verses 7 and 8. Here's the word of the Lord through
Zechariah, upon the 4th and 20th day of the 11th month. which is the month of Sebat,
in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet,
saying, I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse,
and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom,
and behind him Were there red horses, speckled, and white? Now here's the first thing that
I know that our Lord is telling His people. I'm in your midst. I'm with you. I'm with you. The prophet, the Scripture says,
he saw, verse 8, I saw by night, that right there, where the light
was twisted away. That word night. The light is
twisted away. Meaning, symbolizing that he
saw with new eyes something that the world that's wrapped in the
darkness of unbelief just doesn't see. There's some things that
a believer sees. Blessed are your eyes, for they
see. There's some things that you
understand that man by nature just does not see. Man by nature. This whole world
is wrapped in the darkness of unbelief. But there are some
in this world that by the grace of God see some things. And that
prophet right there, he said, I saw by night. In the midst
of it, there was light. There was understanding. And
this is what he saw. He saw a man riding upon a red
horse. A horse that was the color of
blood. A fit symbol of that man that
sat upon that horse of being a conqueror. A conqueror. Now I see that in two ways. First
of all, I know this, that being the objects of God's mercy, in
regenerating power because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, Almighty God conquers the heart of His people. by power,
by His will, by His good pleasure, by grace. And He gives them in
conquering power a new heart to bow to Him by faith. All by the just mercy of God. The just mercy of God. Our Lord is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins. When Almighty God forgives the
sins of His people, He does it in absolute justice. The Lord
Jesus Christ has shed His blood, put away their guilt. So He's
conquered His people justly, mercifully justly. But secondly,
I see that that man sitting on that red horse is a fit symbol
of His power and authority in judgment. toward all who will
not come to Him for life. So this prophet said, I saw a
man, it was at night, and here was a man riding upon a red horse,
red, the color of blood, riding on that red horse. And this man,
He stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom. Now,
the word myrtle right there is actually, it's the evergreens. It's the evergreens. An evergreen
tree. His people, whose ever alive,
and evidence that life in this world. But they were there in
the bottom, and that word, they were there in the shade. And
here was a man on a red horse, and he stood among, in the midst
of these evergreen trees, these everliving ones. And they themselves,
the evergreens, they were in the shade or the weakness of
themselves. Here's our Lord in the midst
of His people. Now let me ask you this. You
that know Him, evergreens, ever alive, always evidencing life
that's there. But for yourself, how do you
see yourself? In the shade, in the weakness,
in the helplessness of myself? But thanks be unto Him, that
He's in the midst. Thanks be unto Him that He never
leaves, He never forsakes. But those myrtle trees that were
in the shade, they knew that they were in need. They knew
that they needed Him. And so our Lord assures them
of His feeding them and keeping them. Our Lord is surely going
to keep His people through the preaching of the gospel. I want you to look latter part
of verse 8 through verse 11. The scripture says, latter part
of verse 8, behind him were there three horses. I'm not three,
there were red horses, speckled and white. Then said I, O my
Lord, What are these? And the angel that talked with
me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man
that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are
they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of
the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have
walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth
sitteth still, and is at rest." Now, these that were
behind Him, that is, behind the Lord Jesus Christ, that follow
after Him, they were on, first of all, they were on red horses,
it says, setting forth, I believe, their association with the Lord
Jesus Christ, who also was on a red horse, the conqueror. And the Scripture says that God's
people are more than conquerors. How? Through Him that loved us,
gave Himself for us. These that sit on these red horses,
associated with the Lord Jesus Christ, but they suffer. They suffer for His namesake.
So they were sitting on red horses, they were on speckled horses,
that is, they are mixed. Bay horses are mixed. Describing,
I feel as though, and I'll tell you why I'm saying this, because
of who I believe they are. But they're sitting on speckled
horses describing their place or their character of being,
and it was mixed. a bay, a mix, it was two colors. Number one, mixed being their
places being fallen in Adam, but alive in Christ. Two natures. And then they were on white horses
setting forth their character in the Lord Jesus Christ and
being robed in His righteousness. But I feel as though that these
are the preachers that Almighty God has sent into the world,
first of all, because of their commission. They were sent of
God. Zechariah said back in verse
9, he asked me, he said, Who are these? I said, O Lord, what
are these? And the angel that talked with
me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man
that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are
they whom the Lord has sent to walk. to and fro through the
earth. Mark 16, 15, And he said unto
them, his apostles, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. These that were upon these horses
were sent once. Secondly, I believe that they
are the preachers, of the gospel because of the report that they
gave. In verse 11, here was their report. They answered the angel of the
Lord that stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked
to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth
still and is at rest. Now obviously, not all the earth
or the world in general is at rest, but all the world of God's
elect are reported to be, by the grace of God, number one,
sitting still. That is, they dwell in quietness. And secondly, they are at rest,
that is, in full confidence. So they said, we who are sent,
we have gone obediently and we have this report that all of
the world of God's people are sitting at rest, confident in
the Lord God of heaven. And then, O believer in Christ,
the prophet reveals by divine revelation that we have an interceding
Savior. We have a present Savior. That
was the first thing. That was the message of the prophet.
We have Him in our midst. Now we have an interceding Savior. I want you to look at verse 12
of chapter 1. Then the angel of the Lord answered
and said, O Lord of hosts, How long wilt thou not have mercy
on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah against which thou hast
had indignation these threescore and ten years?" Now these words,
I truly believe they only can be the words of the Lord Jesus
Christ, our great High Priest. He's the only one ordained of
God to that office by the Father, by Jehovah. And the foundation
of His right to plead and to speak with Almighty God is His
own merit. I want you to stay right there
in Zechariah. Turn over to chapter 6. Zechariah
6, verses 12 and 13. Who but the Lord Jesus Christ
could lift up his voice before, back in Zechariah 1.12, the angel
of the Lord and said, O Lord of hosts, who is going to speak
to the Lord of heaven except the great high priest? But what
is the merit? What right does he have to speak
to God and ask God Almighty these things? Look at Zechariah 6,
verses 12-13. And speak unto him, saying, Thus
speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
the branch. He shall grow up out of his place. He shall build the temple of
the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and 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." Now, let me ask you this. Who
is the one that speaks to Jehovah? The one that Jehovah just says,
the branch. This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. You hear Him. So whenever our
blessed Savior speaks to His Father, He speaks to Jehovah. He speaks as the Great High Priest,
interceding for us. And that's when He answers. He
says, Lord, how long? Thou wilt not have mercy on Jerusalem,
on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation
these threescore and ten years." But not only do we have a great
high priest that will intercede for us, speaking unto His Father
on our behalf for His honor and glory, we have a merciful and
gracious God Jehovah, who hears and answers Him who pleads for
us. Listen to the conversation between
the Father and the Son. Back in Zechariah 1, verses 13
and 14. Now, verse 12, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Great High Priest, spoke to the Father and asked
Him concerning His dealings with Israel. And I listened to the
answer of the Father, and the Lord, capital L-O-R-D, Jehovah,
answered the angel that talked with me with good words, comfortable
words. So the angel that communed with
me said unto me, Cry thou saying, thus saith the Lord of hosts."
Here's the Lord Jesus Christ, and He's going to tell the prophet
what the Father had to say. I am jealous for Jerusalem and
for Zion with a great jealousy. The Lord of heaven answered. Jehovah answered the great high
priest and said, say to my people, With good words, that is, gracious
words, loving words, pleasant words, precious words, and comfortable
words. Words of pity. Words of comfort. These were the good and comfortable
words. He said, I'm jealous. for Jerusalem with a great, with
an honorable, that's what that word means, an honorable jealousy. I moved with loving affection
for my people. My people and my Son. I'm jealous for you. And that
love and affection and jealousy was proven to them, and here's
how he did it. By chastening them. Through chastisement,
whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. He said, I'm jealous over you. I love you. You're my people. I'm your God. And I'm jealous
over you with an honorable A great jealousy. And here's how He proves
His love to us. And those that know Him know
something about Him. I'll tell you the chastening
that God's people are very familiar with. I'll tell you the chastening. Right here. The heart. The heart. A broken heart. You might say, well, you know,
the Lord chastens His people by sending them sickness. Well, a lot of people are sick.
A lot of people are sick. Or it's monetary things. Well,
a lot of people are broke. But let me tell you something,
God's people know something about a broken heart. Lord, that's
what that prodigal son, boy, that's what he did. He came to
his daddy. He said, I've sinned against
heaven and I've done it in your sight. A broken heart. Here's the Lord. He said, I love
you. I'm jealous for you. And here's
how He chastened him. Look at verse 15. He said, I
am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease. But I was but a little displeased. And they helped forward the affliction."
Now here's what he's saying. Here's how he'd go chasing his
people. He said, I'm jealous for you.
I love you. And I'm going to chastise you. and draw you to myself." The
Lord knows how to draw His people to Himself. He said, I'm sore
displeased with the heathen that are at ease, that are haughty
in false security. Man by nature, he's got himself
some security. And he does. He does. He feels
as though he's done some things and he's pleased God through
his works and his will. He's got a false security. I'm
sore displeased with the heathen. For I was but a little displeased,
that is, with his people. That's a scriptural term concerning,
I'm going to have mercy on you. I was a little displeased. And
they, the heathens, helped forward the affliction." Now here's what
he said. They were instruments in my hand. Instruments in the hand of Almighty
God to punish the Lord's people. Any affliction that comes our
way, the Lord sent it. As I said last Sunday, everything
that's done in this world, God Almighty does it. He may use
Satan, He may use your neighbor, but it's the Lord. He works all things after the
counsel of His will. And He does it and orders it
for the good of His people. for the honor of His Son. He
works all these things. So He took a heathen nation. They helped forward the affliction. He took them as instruments,
and then He put it within their heart, left them to themselves to go after Israel. And when
they did, they went after Israel with hatred Cruelty. And then the Lord punished them
for their attitude toward Israel. He who rules in heaven and earth
raises up according to his good pleasure the chastening mercy
toward his people. Whatever. A people, a nation,
whatever. Whatever he's pleased to do.
He who does all things well, and he raises up what means he's
pleased to for their good, and then judges the heathen for oppressing
his people. Touch not mine anointed, my beloved,
my people. Don't you lay your hand on my
people. You say, well, that just sounds
inconsistent. Well, that's just because we don't understand God's
ways. If the Lord says this is what He does, then it's right.
And we say, Lord, as You say it is, it is. You do all things
well. Verses 18-21, Then lifted I up
mine eyes. Here comes the chastisement. Here it comes right here. He
said, Then I lifted up mine eyes. And I saw and behold four horns,
four powers, what that means. Those that are going to oppress
the people of the Lord. I lifted up mine eyes and I saw
four horns. And I said unto the angel that
talked with me, what be these? And he answered me, these are
the horns, these are the powers which have scattered Judah, Israel,
Jerusalem, The Lord showed me four carpenters, instruments
of healing. Builders up. Instruments of healing. Then
He showed me four carpenters and said, what come these to
do? And He spake saying, these are
the horns, I'm talking about the powers against Israel and
Jerusalem. These are the horns which have
scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head. But these
carpenters are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the
Gentiles which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to
scatter it." So he looks and he sees these four horns and
these carpenters, and he said, what are these? And he said,
these horns are the means of God. to afflict my people. But in the midst of the affliction,
he said, I'm going to send the healers. It doesn't say what
the healers are. That's okay. Just suffice it
to say that our Lord never leaves and never forsakes His people.
You say, even in the midst of chastisement? Absolutely. He said, I never forsake you. With the chastisement, I'm telling
you, there's comforting grace. I'm not going to leave you. The
carpenters are always there. But in the midst of this world's
darkness, the Lord ever knows, and He surely is going to have
His own. Look at chapter 2, verses 1 and
2. I lifted up mine eyes again and
looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, to measure
Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is
the length thereof. You know, the Lord knows the
measurement of His people. He knows the number. He knows
His people. He's always known His people. He knows His true Jerusalem,
His heavenly Jerusalem. He measured and numbered them
in electing grace. He chose all of His people. All of His people. And one all-encompassing
act of mercy chosen in Him from before the foundation of the
world. Pat, all of them were chosen. They were all the Lord's. They were all given to Him. Born
into this world in different times. But He's always known
their measurement, their breadth, their height, their depth. He
knew all of them in redeeming grace. I believe this more surely
than I'm standing here. I believe this. He who knows
His people. When He died upon the cross as
God, As God, the God-man, God Almighty, He knew everyone that
He was dying for. In absolute love and affection,
He laid down His life for His sheep. He knew them, measured
them. And in quickening grace, He knows
where they are. He knows who they are. He knows
that. Who is this? Here's one with
a measuring line, measuring the breadth, the depth, the height
of God's mercy. Then in chapter 3, we see the
elect of God as the redeemed, as the clothed, as the crowned
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 1 to 5, He showed me Joshua. The high priest standing before
the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to
resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan,
The Lord rebuketh thee, O Satan. Even the Lord that hath chosen
Jerusalem rebuked thee. Is not this a brand plucked out
of the fire?" Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments
and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto
those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy
garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold,
I have caused mine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe
thee with a change of raiment. And I said, let them set a fair
mitre on his head. So they set a fair mitre upon
his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the
Lord stood by. Now that one Joshua, he was surely,
I don't doubt for one second, that he was one of the ones. who was taken. I don't doubt
that he was one of the ones taken out of Babylon. He was a man
and he was one that was ministering, I'm sure, as a high priest. But he was a type. He was a type
of God's elect. and all that are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And this one who was a type of
all of God's elect, the Scripture says he was filthy, guilty being
born. He was clothed in filthy garments. And they're always having to
deal with their adversary. The devil. There was this Joshua,
the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. Satan,
right there, his right hand to resist him. And the Lord rebuked
Satan, who was there to resist this Joshua, a picture of God's
elect. And the Lord said concerning
that Joshua, that priest, he spoke to Satan. He said, do you
know who this is? Do you know who this is? This
is mine. This is mine. This is a brand
plucked out of the fire. He's mine in mercy, in grace,
in compassion. Here's how He was in Himself,
verse 3. He was clothed with filthy garments.
His own filthy garments of self-righteousness. His own filthy garments of His
own wicked works and rebellion. This is who He is in Himself. But this is what the Lord says
concerning those that are His. Plucked out of the fire. You
take away the filthy garments from Him. Those filthy garments
and that guilt and rebellion that Christ was made, bore the
guilt of. And put away the guilt of that. And said unto him, I have caused
thine iniquity to pass from thee. I paid it all. Made sin. And I will clothe thee with a
change of raiment. I am going to put my righteousness
upon you. And set a fair mitre on his head. And they set a fair minder upon
his head, clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood
by, robed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
crowned with the Lord Himself. The Lord is our crown. The Lord
is our hope. The Lord is our righteousness.
Truly, by the grace of God, brands, and everlastingly so, Walked
out of the fire of despair and judgment. God's people never looked on His people in
judgment. And who did this? Who was the
one? Who has the authority to say
that? Here again, look at verses 8
and 9 in this third chapter. And I'm going to kind of wrap
this up. Here now, old Joshua, high priest,
Thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for their men wondered
at. For behold, I will bring forth
my servant, the branch. For behold, the stone that I
have laid before Joshua, upon one stone shall be seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave the engraving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts,
I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. by one sacrifice, He hath perfected
forever those that are sanctified and set apart in Him. Set apart for His honor and His
glory. Our precious Savior is the faithful
servant of Jehovah. He who humbled Himself The branch. You know, I tell you, Isaiah
in Isaiah 53 too, he referred to the branch this way in his
humility. As a tender plant, a root out
of dry ground that had no form, nor comeliness, no beauty that
we should desire Him. But Jeremiah reveals his character. Just hold your place right here.
Turn back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. He did in His absolute humility. Isaiah said, that branch, a root
out of dry ground. But here, Jeremiah reveals this
precious branch. Jeremiah 23, verses 5 and 6. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch. And
a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth in his days. Judah shall be saved and Israel
shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby
he shall be called the Lord our righteousness." Who is this branch? He is the one who humbled himself. who made himself of no reputation,
the servant of Almighty God, and came into this world and
lived and died for His people. And He is the mighty God, the
everlasting Savior, the Prince of Peace. Well, in closing, I
want you to turn over. I'm going to look at a couple
more verses or so. Look at Zechariah 14. I'm going
to go back to a few right there in the middle before we end,
but I want you to look at this. I'm telling you that seeing Him
who is in the midst of us, He who feeds us, He who keeps us,
He who saves us by His grace, calls us in mercy and power,
I'm telling you, there's a day of reckoning that's coming. Look
at chapter 14, verse 1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh. and thy spoil shall be divided
in the midst of thee." The branch and all men shall stand before
Him. The branch in that day shall
be there, and all men. And for those without the branch,
without Christ, look at chapter 14, verses 12 and 13. Here's
what's going to happen. This shall be the plague wherewith
the Lord shall smite all the people that have fought against
Jerusalem. Their flesh shall consume away
while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume
away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in
their mouth. And it shall come to pass in
that day that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among
them. And they shall lay hold, every
one, on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against
the hand of his neighbor." People will be looking for security,
and there won't be any. There won't be any help. Not
in that day, but for every one eternally loved. Turn with me
to chapter 9, verse 9. For everyone eternally loved,
blessed, chosen in Christ, salvation is promised. Our Lord shall save
his people. Look at verse 9. Zechariah 9,
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee. He is just, and having salvation,
lowly, riding upon an ass, upon a coat, the fold of an ass. So I know this. There's a day
coming when God Almighty is going to judge all men. Those without
Him, they're going to be consumed while they're standing there.
But for those in Him, He said, your salvation cometh. Secondly,
His people shall be His crown. Look at verse 16 of chapter 9. And the Lord their God shall
save them in that day as the flock of his people. But they
shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his
land." Thirdly, Jehovah has put away the guilt of his elect in
the blessed shepherd of the sheep. Chapter 13, verses 7 and 9. Zechariah
13.79, the Lord has put away the guilt of His people in their
shepherd. 13.79, wake, O sword, against
my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the
Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, the sheep shall be scattered,
and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones, and it shall
come to pass. And in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts
Therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left."
Therein. Almighty God has got a people,
and He is going to save them. Verse 9 of chapter 13 says, "...I
will bring the third part through the buyer, and will refine them
as silver is refined, and will try them as gold tried, and they
shall call on My name, And I will hear them. I will say, this is
my people. They shall say, the Lord is my
God. And then the last verse, we have
His Word that for all Christ redeemed, all who trust Him alone
by faith, they shall not perish. Chapter 8, verse 7 and 8. Zechariah
8. 7 and 8. Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
Behold, I will save my people from the east country, from the
west country. I will bring them. They shall dwell in the midst
of Jerusalem. They shall be my people. I will
be their God in truth and righteousness." Now let me tell you something.
We've got God's Word that for all that He's everlastingly loved, And do I have any hope, can I
have any hope that I might be found in that number? Well, let
me ask you this. Do you need Him? Do you need
Him apart from anything that you can do? Is salvation all
of grace? Is salvation apart from any confidence
in your flesh? What hope can I have that Almighty
God is going to show mercy or has shown mercy to me? My question
is this, do I need for Him to save me because I can't save
myself? I need Him. Lord, save me or
I'm going to perish. For Christ's sake, Lord Jesus,
bless these words we pray.