Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of the Revelation chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21. Let's pray together. Our Father, we
are indeed thankful. that we can be here. We realize
that it is by your determinate counsel, pleasure, will, that
you would allow us the privilege to even meet together and hear
your word preached. We ask you this day to help us. We are needy people. We have nothing to offer you. We have nothing to bring. We
have nothing that we can think or do, Lord, that would add to your indescribable glory. Help
us. Teach us, we ask you. Comfort
us. For Christ's sake, Amen. Revelation 21. I'm going to look
actually at verse 18 this morning. That's the only verse. I'm going
these last few. I'm sure I go slowly anyway. But these last two chapters are
dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorified church, the
way things are going to be as we perceive them to be. In the indescribable counsel
of Almighty God, this is the way it already is. We're already there in Christ. But knowing that there's going
to be an experience of what God has said things are, we're going
to actually experience it. We're going to see it. Christ
was slain before the foundation of the world. In the mind, the
will, the purpose, the sight of God Almighty. But in time,
He experienced that. We're going to experience this. We looked last week at the city.
John said he saw that city actually measured 144 cubits according
to the measure, the standard of judgment of a man, not just
any man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this morning we're going
to deal with something that I'm going to tell you right now is
so far beyond my understanding, my comprehension. What I'm going to preach this
morning for a few minutes is actually that which I even draw
a deep breath to even be able to say. As of this moment, I've
not even been able to entitle it. I don't know how to title
this message. We're going to look at verse
18. And when we have gone through and considered what is actually
being said, you that believe will understand my hesitation. John says, And the building of
the wall, of it was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like
unto clear glass. The word that actually Stops
me. Arrests me. Causes me to just
stand in absolute fear is the word building. The word interpreted means the
material. the fabric of what it's made out of. The wall I can perceive having
looked at verses last week and week before and week before.
The wall is Christ. And in my little fickle, feeble
brain. By faith, I say, He encloses us. He hedges us
about. He keeps us. He protects us. And I enter into that in a very
weak way. But when it comes to the building
of it, the material of it, the essence of it. If I were to stand here and you
were to ask me, tell me what the first part of that scripture
right there said, I'd say this is what it said. It said, and
that which the wall was made of, that which Christ is made of. You see why I take a deep breath
here, Gary? I'm going to tell you everything
that I can say concerning that of which He is made. And I will
do so only according to Scripture. Because that's the only solid
ground I've got. Because everything else is nothing
more than my opinion and fluff. And I'm not going to talk about
fluff this morning. Turn with me to Colossians 2.9. Colossians 2.9. For in him, that is, in the Lord
Jesus Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
The word fullness in Colossians 2.9 means the contents, that of which he is made. I know
that so far. In Him, all of His contents is the Godhead bodily. All of the fullness of the Father, who everlastingly
loved a people before the foundation of the world, and according to
Ephesians 1-4, chose them in Christ, elected
a people before the foundation of the world. All of the contents
of the redeeming God, the Lord Jesus Christ, made flesh. All of the contents of the Son. The Father said, this is My beloved
Son whom I am well pleased. All of the contents of the Holy
Spirit who moves as the wind. You don't know where He comes.
You don't know where He goes. He's sovereign in what He does. All of the contents of the wall. That which is His
fabric. I'm going to tell you what I
think the Scripture bears out, that of which He is the material. I'm just using
the word, the building, the material, the fabric of the wall. I'm going to tell you what I
believe the Scripture says, that of which He is made. 1 Samuel. Let me just read this
to you. 1 Samuel 2. There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none
beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God. The only way that I can set forth
that of which He is the fullness. This is the only thing that I
can tell you. Holiness. Holy. The angel told Mary, the Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall
overshadow thee. Therefore, also that..." Listen
to the Word of Scripture. Holy thing. That holy thing. I would have never said it that
way, Neil, if the Scripture had not said it. I don't have. I don't have. I
would have. Is that the words you would have
chosen? That holy thing? I don't think so. But the Scripture
bears out that which you and I would never have the audacity
to speak. That holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Turn to Luke 1.46. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify
the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the lowest
state of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done
to me great things, and holy is his name." What do we say concerning His
name, His character, His authority, His rank, His pleasure, His excellencies,
His deeds? Lord, what do we say concerning You who are the building, the
material, the fabric? What do we say? This is what
we say. Lord, You're holy. Mark 9 2. I just feel we need
to look at these. Mark 9 verse 2. After six days, Jesus taketh
with him Peter and James and John and leadeth them up into
a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was metamorphous. He was changed. He was transfigured
before them. And His raiment became shining,
exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white
them. They looked and the Scripture says He was opened
up. He was changed. There was a metamorphosis. They looked at him and the Scripture sets forth that
he shined as brighter than the noonday sun. No fuller could
ever make him anything as white that of which He is set forth as holy. What else can you say? The building, the material back
in Revelation 21, the building, the essence, the fullness, the
contents, the fabric, that of which He is. The Scripture sets
forth as holiness. Someone would say, how do you
describe holiness? Robert Hawker, one of the old
writers, I looked up the word holiness.
Hawker had made this comment on the description of holiness. You know what he said? He said
holiness is best described as Jehovah. What are you going to say concerning
the holiness of God? How are you going to set forth That of which He is. How are
you going to set forth and describe? Look at Revelation 4, verse 2. Revelation 4, 2. 2 and 3, And immediately I was
in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat
on the throne, and He that sat was to look upon as a jasper. Now listen, that's what verse
18 says back in Revelation 21. And the building, the essence,
the fabric, the content of Christ, the wall, of it was, of is in italics. It says He was jasper. Revelation 4, 2. I was in the
Spirit. Behold, a throne was set in heaven,
and one sat on the throne, and he that sat on the throne was
to look upon like a jasper." John said, he looked as holiness. He looked like holiness. What else are you going to say? Back in Revelation 21, the building
of the wall of it was Jasper. This great wall, our Lord and
our Savior, what surrounds us? It's what John says. I'll tell
you what surrounds us. Holiness. Do you know what I love about
this? I can't explain it. But David, I can bow to it. I can't dissect it. But by faith,
I can bow. I can say, Lord, as You say.
That's the way it is. That's us. Pure gold. Likened to clear glass. The city. The Scripture says, pure gold. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
counsel thee to buy. I tell you what, turn to Revelation
3.18. I'm wrapping this up, but I want you to look at this. I read this and I'd never read
this correctly, I believe. By the grace of God, He taught
me how to read this verse of Scripture now, knowing that the
Scripture says back in Revelation 21-18, "...and the city, pure
gold, likened to clear glass." The city, pure gold. Our Lord in Revelation 3-18 gives
us understanding of what we just read. and the city pure gold. Here it is, Revelation 3.18.
I counsel thee. This is what he's saying. I'm
going to give you some good advice. This is some good advice. I counsel
thee to buy of me. And then he's going to tell us what we just bought. We bought
Him. That's what He said. I counsel
thee to buy of Me gold, tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
which we buy. He alone is the gold. Speaking in terms that you and
I with our little fickle brain can perceive something of. We
think of gold as value. We think of gold and thanks be
to the Spirit of God that would speak to us in terms that we
could somewhat perceive. I counsel thee, buy of me. Our pastor spoke. I listened
to that message of blessing to me a few weeks ago. The Lord
stood in that last day, that great
day of the feast. And it says, and he cried, everyone that thirsts, everyone
that thirsteth, you that are thirsting now and you that have
Thirsted for a while since the Lord called you out of darkness.
And by the grace of God will continue to thirst. Everyone
that thirsteth. Every one of you that thirsts
for forgiveness. Everyone that thirsts for pardon. Everyone that thirsts for mercy.
Everyone that thirsts for true righteousness. The righteousness
of God. Everyone of you that thirsts
for companionship with Almighty God. Fellowship with the Master.
Every one of you that thirsts to surrender, do you really want
to? Do you want to surrender? Brother
Henry Mahan told me one time that World War II, he said he
came up on a beach, he had taken a beach, and he said one of the
most arresting things, he said, I remembered about that, he said
there were all of those Japanese standing there and they laid
all their rifles down and guns and swords and everything and
they just stepped back from them. unconditional surrender. He said
we'd do whatever we wanted to do with them. They were completely
at our mercy. That's what I'm talking about.
Any man, any woman that thirsts to surrender. Come ye to the
waters. That is the fountain of God's
Word. He that hath no money, you that
are spiritually poor, A beggar, if there's any beggars out there. Come ye, buy and eat. Buy by faith. Buy his flesh and his blood.
Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
You know, that's a great encouragement. Come and buy without money and
without price. That's a great encouragement,
somebody that's been made to realize you don't have anything. Nothing to offer. Nothing that
I can give. What am I going to give God? Come and buy without money and
without price the reason that He's bought without money is
that you don't have anything to buy with. And the reason that he's bought
without price is because he's not sold. There is no price that
you can afford. He's given. If he was saleable, Who could purchase
Him? 1 Peter 1, 18, 19, for as much
as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things
as silver and gold, what man considers to be valuable. You ain't got nothing that's
valuable. What are you going to give God? You were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain, wicked, empty manner
of living, conversation received by traditions from your fathers.
They told you you had some worth. Where'd they get that? But with
the precious blood of Christ, even as a lamb without blemish,
without spot, I've told you everything about
this Scripture that I know. The essence, the fabric of the
wall was of Jasper. John said, back when I looked
on he that sat on the thrones, it's Jasper. Colossians says, contents of
Him is the Godhead bodily. There is none holy but God. That of which He is, is holiness. And the city, the bride, the redeemed, the
city of God, pure gold. which the Scripture sets forth,
is him. Buy of me, he said, gold, tried
in the fire of God's wrath and God's justice for all that God
had everlastingly given him, all that the Lord had everlastingly
loved. He said, buy of me. How do I
buy, Lord? He said, you buy without money.
That price, how do I buy? You don't. I'm given. He is bought, scripturally speaking,
by the realization that he's given. See, this world don't
understand that kind of dealing. I buy. It's mine. I earned it.
I had the money to do it. You know, I can understand that.
The Scripture says, For God so loved the world, the order of
man. What did He do? He gave His only
begotten Son. Whosoever believeth that they
don't have the ability to reconcile themselves back to God. Whosoever
believeth that there's nothing in them, that there's nothing
that they can do to earn their right to stand before God Almighty
uncondemned, whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. Let's stop for a few minutes.
We'll just come back. Take about a five, ten minute
break and we'll be right back.