Alright, brethren, let's turn
in our Bibles to Psalm 35. Psalm 35. Our subject is the cry of true
faith. The cry of true faith. The cry
that I'm talking about here is a need we have which is a two-fold
need. It's something that we need Christ
to do for us without us, outside of us is what I mean, and it's
something we need Christ to do within us. It's a two-fold need,
and this is the cry of true faith. First of all, we need Christ
to plead our cause with our enemies. Psalm 35, verse 1, he says, "...plead
my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me. Fight against
them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler
and stand up for mine help." That shield and buckler, those
are defensive weapons. Faith cries for Christ to be
our defense. draw out also the spear and stop
the way against them that persecute me. That's an offensive weapon.
We pray for Christ to be our offense as well as our defense. So that's what's outside of us,
praying for Him to plead our cause with the enemy that strives
against us from without. Now here is the cry of true faith
concerning the need within us. Psalm 35.3 at the end. Say unto my soul. Speak unto
my soul, O Lord. Speak within me. And say, I am thy salvation. I am thy salvation. That's how
He gave us faith in the very beginning as He spoke within
us. and revealed, I am thy salvation. And that's how He continues to
strengthen our faith, is by speaking into our heart, I am thy salvation. So the cry of faith is for Christ
to undertake our cause and to speak into our heart and make
Himself salvation unto us. This is the cry of faith. Now,
how are sinners brought to cry this cry of faith? How are we
brought as sinners to cry this cry? Well, we have many enemies. We have lots of enemies. David
speaks here about enemies, and we have lots of enemies. We've
got the devil, and the world, and there's lots of enemies,
but when God reveals Himself to us. The first enemy He reveals
is our greatest enemy. And it's our sin. That's our
greatest enemy. Our sin. Now, will you listen
to God speak? Let's listen to God speak. Will
you turn with me together in these scriptures and look and
let's hear what God says. No man should be concerned with
what I have to say. And I shouldn't be concerned
with what you have to say. We want to know what God says. So let's look into this Word
now. If you want to, you can't turn to all these Scriptures,
you want to write them down, look them up later. Or if you
want the notes, send me an email, I'll send them to you. For those
of you that aren't on the list. But what does God say about our
sin before His holy and righteous law? We're talking about something
that's outside of us here now. concerning our sin, and that
is before His holy law, before the judgment seat of God. What
does God say about our sin? Let's go to Romans 3, Romans
chapter 3. As it is written, Romans 3.10,
As it is written, there is none righteous No, not one. You talk about painting with
a broad brush, that got us all. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Job 15.14 says, What is man that
he should be clean, and he which is born of a woman that he should
be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in
His saints. He's not trusting you or me for
anything. He puts no trust in His saints.
Yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight. How much more abominable
and filthy is man which drinketh iniquity like water? Job 25 verse
4 says, How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean
that's born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon, and
it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight. How much less man that is a worm,
and the son of man which is a worm. Men will hear these things and
they'll say, I don't like to hear that much. That's a dark
and a gloomy message. You won't ever be saved until
God reveals this about yourself. I promise you that. God promises
you that. You won't ever be saved until
God makes us know we're a worm. We're unrighteous and unholy
before God. Well, does God say we can justify
ourselves if we just start keeping the law? Look back there at Romans
3 and look at verse 19. Now we know that what thing soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law. that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law
is the knowledge of sin." Hold your place right there. Galatians
3.21, Paul says, is the law then against the promises of God?
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. Now listen
to this statement, because if there had been a law given which
could have given life, if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise,
that is the promise of salvation, might be by the faithfulness
of Jesus Christ. and might be given to them that
believe. Now there are two scriptures.
We just read that by the law is the knowledge of sin, and
we read if there could have been a law given which could have
given life, righteousness should have been by the law, would have
been by the law. Those two scriptures tell us now, when God gave the
law and He said, if you do this, thou shalt live. That did not
mean anybody had the ability to do it. He just declared that
in both the Scriptures. He gave the law to give a knowledge
of sin. He gave the law to shut our mouths
and declare us guilty. There was not a law given whereby
we could work out a righteousness for ourselves. That's clearly
declared there. Men jump to some crazy conclusions. They read a sentence like, if
thou do this and do not this other thing, then you'll live. And men say, well, God wouldn't
have given that if we couldn't do it. That's a wrong conclusion. That's jumping over the Grand
Canyon to make that conclusion. Scripture says no. He gave it
to show us we can't keep it. Can't keep it. Well then, if
the promise of salvation is only by believing, then we must be
able to believe by our will when we get ready. See, there's another
one of those conclusions men jump to. Scripture says, whosoever
will, that must mean I have a will that I can believe whenever I
get good and ready. No, we have a second problem
with our sin. That was our first problem. We've
broken the law of God and we're guilty before God. And we can't
justify ourselves. So what does that sinner that
God saved, what's he going to be brought to call on Christ
for? It's going to be brought to call what our text says. Plead
my cause, O Lord, with them that strive against me. With the sin
that strives against me, and the law that strives against
me, and God that strives against me. Plead my cause, O Lord. Be my intercessor, be my mediator. Take up my cause. That's our
first plea. But see, the reason we can't
just jump to the conclusion that well, I must have a will to believe
is because we have a second inward problem. Sin has affected our
nature too. What does God say about our sin
and our nature? What has sin done to us? Look
back there at Romans 3 again. Verse 11. Now this is God speaking. That's what this is. The men
that wrote the scriptures wrote by God the Holy Spirit giving
them the words to write. Just like if you sat in a room
and you dictated to somebody what to write down in a letter.
That's what Paul was. He was just a man used to hold
the pen and put it on paper. But this is God speaking. If
we're going to get mad at somebody, we're going to be mad at God.
Listen to this now. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone out of the way.
They're together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good,
no not one. He got that from Psalm 14 2.
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that didn't understand and seek God. God's eternal, He didn't just
look upon the children of men in one generation, He looked
at all the children of men from beginning to end. To see if any
did understand and seek God, and this is what He said, they're
all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there's
none that doeth good, no, not one. Men will say, but I see
a lot of good things being done. I see a lot of... I see men doing
some really benevolent things and doing some really sacrificial
things for one another. Look at what all religion's doing.
But man is not the bar. Sinners are not the ones by which
the bar is set. We can't compare ourselves with
ourselves and say, well, there's some that do righteous. None
of us are as righteous as God is righteous and as holy as God
is holy. And that's how righteous and
holy we have to be. But surely by our will we can
hear the gospel and believe on Christ when we get ready to.
Surely by our will we can do that. Now let's listen to God
speak. Let's listen to God's Word. Let's
hear what God says in His Word. Now I pray God give us ears to
hear this right now. Look at 1 Corinthians 2.14. 1
Corinthians 2.14. Listen to this carefully. The natural man, that's what
a man is, he's not been born of the Spirit of God. The natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, That's clear. I understand that.
You understand that? Youngest one in here can understand
that. For they are foolishness unto
him. You tell a man that God's... All these things I'm telling
you. Tell a man that he can't receive the Word of God. Tell
a man that he's a natural man, can't do anything to please God.
That's foolishness to him. Neither can he know them because
they are spiritually discerned. They are spiritually discerned.
Now this is not just some isolated scripture. This is the message
throughout the Bible. We all come forth from our mother's
womb spiritually dead in sin. Go to Ephesians 2 with me. Ephesians
chapter 2. Ephesians 2. And you, verse 1,
and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and in
sins. He's talking to believers here.
How were they made believers? Hath he quickened who were dead
in trespasses and in sins? Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation."
This was all our conduct. in times past. In the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.
What is the majority of what you see going on in religion?
That religion that says salvation is by our will and by our works. What is that? That is the lusts
of the flesh and the fulfilling of the desires of the flesh and
of the mind. That's what it is. It is by nature
being the children of wrath. And that's what we were, even
as others. You see, being born of Adam's
corrupt seed, our will is in bondage to our nature. That's why Paul said in Romans
6.20, you were the servants of sin. You were the slaves of sin. And he said when you were the
slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. That meant
you didn't have a righteousness and you couldn't obtain one.
And you couldn't do anything righteous. Now if a man has a
will that's capable of calling on Christ whenever he will, or
that it's capable of resisting the truth of God, if a man has
such a will, why then did Christ declare that sinners must be
born again of the Holy Spirit? And why did He declare that that
new birth is as irresistible as the wind? Why did He declare
those two things? If man has a will by which he
can come to God or resist the truth of God, then why did Christ
declare that? John 3, 6, that which is born
of the flesh, I want you to look at this, John 3, 6, because I'm
going to compare this scripture with another scripture and I
want you to see them both. John 3 and verse 6. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. Now that's our first birth. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh. Now this is God speaking
in human flesh. This is Emmanuel, God with us. This is Christ the Savior. This
is the anointed of God the Father speaking right here. And He declares
that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. And they're always saying, well
that's your interpretation of it. No, this right here is God's
interpretation of it. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, you must be born again. And this
new birth, He says, is sovereign, it's irresistible. Watch this,
the wind blows where it listed. That means the wind blows where
it will. and thou hearest the sound thereof, but you can't
tell whence it comes and where it's going. So is everyone that's
born of the Spirit. He's saying the Spirit enters
where it will. Oh, so it's not where a man will,
it's where the Spirit will. It's where God will. Why is it
a necessity that we be born again of the Holy Spirit? Now John
3.6 there, Christ says that which is born of the flesh is flesh
and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Now go over
to Romans 8. Let's compare that to this. Romans
8 and verse 5. Look at verse 5. They that are
after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. But they that are
after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. See, those that
are born of the flesh, they only have a will to reject the truth
of the Holy Spirit. In other words, all these Scriptures
we're looking at, the man born out of the flesh, he's not going
to have a mind for these things. No, no, because these things
aren't talking about him. These things aren't putting it
in his hand. He don't have a mind for this at all. but the one
that's born of the Spirit, He's given a will to only believe
the things of the Spirit. Watch, for to be carnally minded
is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. This
is what a carnally minded man can't understand. It's what I
couldn't understand, you couldn't understand. There's no greater
joy anywhere to be had than the joy
and peace simply believe in God's Word and believe it on Christ.
There's no greater joy. What we're hearing tonight, this
is filling our hearts with joy to hear this. That's what he
said, to be spiritually minded is life and it's peace. But why
is the carnal mind death? Look at verse 7. Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God. For it's not subject to
the Word of God and neither indeed can be. So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. How does Hebrews 11.1 say you
please God? By faith in Christ. But by nature the carnal man
hates the true and living God. And he does not and he cannot
believe the word of this Bible. He can't submit himself to the
word of God, to the doctrine of God. He can't submit himself
to it. He loves only the idol God of
his imagination. It's amazing how men think they're
so much better because they live in the United States of America
and sit in a large building and worship the God of their imagination.
They're no different than a man in the jungle in Mexico worshiping
a stump. It's no different. It's a God
that a man makes up in his mind. And that's the God he loves.
But, verse 9, look at this good news. You're not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
If the Spirit of God is in you, you are in the Spirit. Now if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of His. And
this goes with verse 9. And if Christ be in you, the
body's dead because of sin. Your old man, your flesh is just
what it was. And all it's ever going to be
is sin. It's dead. But the Spirit is life because
of righteousness. So you see, repeatedly God says
in His Word that life, spiritual life and faith in Christ is not
of ourselves, it's not of our works, it's the gift of God by
His free and sovereign grace. Listen to Titus 3. We ourselves
were also sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
different lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful,
hating one another. That was a description of our
religion right there. Not just when you were out with
your rambling buddies, but this was when we were sitting in church.
That was what we were doing. But after that, the kindness
and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Not by works of
righteousness we've done. We didn't do anything to make
any of this happen. But listen to this two-fold work.
But according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost. That's that work inward. The psalmist said, speak in my
soul and say, I am thy salvation. which He shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace. Because He had justified us by
His grace, that's that work outside of us. Where He went before God
and before the cross and He laid down His life and He bore the
stripes that His people deserved and put away our sin as far as
the east is from the west. And through that work He shed
the Spirit upon us abundantly and we were born of God and made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Go back with me
to Ephesians 2. I'm not holding you in one place
very good Emma. Ephesians 2.4. Look here with
me. 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 are saved. Now if I was dead in sin, when
He quickened me together with Christ, what did I have to do
with it? Look down at verse 8. Here is
what I had to do with it. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourself. It is the gift of God. Not of
works, lest any man should boast, for with his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus under good works, which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. And faith in Christ is one of
those good works. Before the world began, God ordained
that every one of His people were going to walk in faith.
And so, in the predestinated time, when God determined that
season of love, His Holy Spirit was sent forth into your hearts. That's what Galatians 4, 6, "...because
ye are sons." There's the reason. Because you already were sons.
Even when you were dead in sin, God had sent forth the Spirit
of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. And then by God's
own workmanship, we're given a new will, a new will, a new
spirit, a new heart to walk by faith in Christ. He said in Psalm
110.3, Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. And
there's where we're made willing. And the sure result is this.
Here's the sure and certain result. This is how you know a man's
been born of God. He stops boasting in His will
and His works and He starts boasting in God's will and God's works. There's the difference. There's
the difference. And that, my friends, for His
people to give God all the glory in Christ is why He saves this
way. That no flesh should glory in
His presence. But of God are you in Christ,
who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, all, so that as it's written, He that glories,
let him glory only in the Lord. Now wouldn't you think that everybody
who professes to be a Christian, wouldn't you think they would
want God in Christ to have all the glory and for the sinner
to have absolutely none? Wouldn't you think that? Sadly,
that's not the case. Sadly, that's not the case. There's
a host who worship their will. They're called will-worshippers.
They worship their will and they worship their work. Oh, they
call on a Jesus, and they speak of a Jesus, and they speak of
grace, but it's not grace. It's the opposite of grace. It's
merited. Listen to them talk about it.
It's not even grace. And that Jesus can't do anything
but what they allow Him to do. They're the God of their God. And the entire world is made
up of these two religions. You have Abel and Cain. The Abels
are trusting entirely in Christ's will and Christ's works which
is all by the grace of God and abhor ourselves and the Cains
are all coming with their fruits that they've grown and they've
produced and want to be accepted that way. The whole world is
made up of Isaacs and Ishmaels. That's all the world is made
up of. Isaacs are the children born of God according to His
eternal promise. And the children of Ishmael are
those born of the flesh by man's will and man's works, coerced
into making a decision and jump through man's hoops. And the
Scripture said, as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted
him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. And this, along with our old
man of sin, is why believers never cease needing Christ to
take up our cause and plead our cause with those that strive
against us and to speak into our hearts and constantly remind
us, I am thy salvation. Because we're constantly being
faced with folks who do not believe our gospel and will not bow to
God's Word, cannot bow to God's Word, and they persecute you.
And because we have an old man of sin with us, and the way we
want to handle people like that is not God's way. The way that
our old man wants to handle it is not God's way. We're like
those apostles that were ready to cry down fire on somebody.
That's how we get. We couldn't believe, we couldn't
believe, we couldn't. This word was, it angered me. This word offended me. to put
it all in God's hand and to say that Christ is the only righteousness
and that you must be born of God's will, by God's mercy and
grace, that offended me. How could I get angry with a
sinner who's lost and blind and dead and incapable of believing
this when that's the problem with him? I know it. I've been
there. We got this advantage, brethren. We've been on both
sides of the fence. That man's only been on one side. He's in
the dark. Man born in a cave and always
lived in a cave. How could you ever expect him
to know anything about light? And so there's no point in getting
upset with folks when they can't believe. But this is why in our
text at the end of that verse, the psalmist cries, Say unto
my soul, I am thy salvation. This is how we're constantly
brought back to say, Lord, you plead my cause with them that
strive against me. This is how we are given faith
in Christ in the first hour and it is how we are strengthened
continually. I want you to look at something. John 10, 26. This just struck me this week. John 10, 26. Christ was speaking there to
some and He said, ìYou believe not because you are not of My
sheep as I said unto you.î He did not say, you are not my sheep
because you believe not. That's not what He said. He didn't
say, you are not my sheep because you believe not. If He had said
that, it would have meant man could become one of Christ's
sheep by his will, by believing on Him. He could go from being
a goat to a sheep simply by believing on Him. But Christ said, you
believe not because you are not my sheep. And He explains what
He meant. Look here in John 27. My sheep
hear my voice. What do we hear His voice say?
I am thy salvation. That's what we hear. And look
at this. And I know them. Where does He
know us? What does the Psalm say? In my
soul. speak into my soul. I am thy
salvation. He knows us inwardly. He speaks
effectually. He speaks irresistibly in the
inward man that He's created. And here's the sure irresistible
result. And they follow Me. And I give
unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of My hand. What Christ is saying is
the reason you don't believe is because you're not My sheep.
Because you're not My sheep, I haven't made you hear my voice
in your inward man. If I did that, you would follow
me. You see what I'm saying? That's what he's saying. He's
saying, if you were my sheep, I would do this. This is what
I do to my sheep. I speak. And I make them hear
my voice in the inward man. I declare to them, I am thy salvation. And the result is, they follow
me. And I give them eternal life
and no man will ever pluck them out of my hand. those that were
not His sheep. You know what they did when they
heard that? They picked up rocks and stoned Him. Now brethren, that's what folks
will do to us. But you never know, somebody
that does that might be one of God's elect. I was just talking
to Melinda this week and she had a good point. She said, I
would rather somebody be that angry about the gospel, then
just agree with you and say, oh yeah. Because the person that
just agrees with you, when you know what they believe is false,
they can't hear the difference. But at least that person who
is angry, at least they see the difference. And maybe God is
dealing with them. But this is why that opposition
is needful though. Because what the Lord is doing
with this, just what He was doing with David, He's making you constantly
cry out to the Lord, take up my cause, plead my cause. He's making you constantly cry
out to the Lord to speak unto my soul, I am thy salvation. So He's making you constantly
cast all your care on Christ. He's using opposition to do that.
If we didn't face this kind of opposition, brethren, we'd rest
on our leaves. We'd just think, you know, we
got it. But He brings up opposition to
you and through that opposition, He makes you see what a sinner
you still are. And how weak and unfaithful you
are, it makes you turn to Christ and call out for Him. And so
here is what I want you to see. This true faith then continues
calling up on Christ and asking Him, plead my cause, O Lord,
with them that strive with me and say unto my soul, I am thy
salvation. Lord, continue to do this two-fold
work for me. He said, I am thy salvation.
Cry out to Christ. Ask Christ to plead your cause
with them that strive against you. Christ promises, I am thy
salvation. He promises this, I am the bread
of life. He that comes to me will never
hunger and he who believes on me will never thirst. He said,
I am the light of the world. He that follows me will not walk
in darkness. He shall have the light of life.
He said, I am the door of the sheep. By me, if any man enter
in, he shall be saved. He shall go in and out and find
pasture. He said, I am the good shepherd,
and I know my sheep, and I'm known of mine. And as the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. He said, I am the vine, you are
the branches. Abide in me, and I in you, and
you'll bring forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.
Without Me, you can do nothing. That ought to be the end of free
will works religion, shouldn't it? Just that one phrase. Without
Me, you can do nothing. I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never
die. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the way, the
truth, the life. No man can come to the Father
but by Me. And He says unto us, and unto
our heart, I am thy salvation. This is the great I am. This
is God, our salvation. So cast your care on Him and
ask, Lord, plead my cause. Continue to speak into my heart.
And when He says, I am the way and I am the truth and I am the
life, you know what that definite article means? That definite
article means we can't look to Christ to plead our cause and
at the same time be looking to ourselves because that's not
faith. He's the way. He's the truth. He's the light. I can't be looking to myself
and looking to Him. I've got to just look to Him. We either
trust Christ as the way, the truth and the life and cast all
our cause into His hands or we call Him a liar and we look to
ourselves. There is no middle ground. We can see an example
of this faith in David. I want you to go to 1 Samuel
24.12. I got two things to show you and I'll be done. 1 Samuel
24.12. I just want to show you an example
of this faith. Casting all your care into the
hands of Christ. You remember whenever Saul was
after David. And David was with his men and
they were in a cave. And Saul comes out. He has three
thousand men. He comes out looking for David.
And they get to this cave where David and his men were. And some
of them went in there and Saul lay down and went to sleep. And
all his men lay down and went to sleep. And David and his men
were up against the walls in the cave. Nobody knew they were
there. And one of the men said, ìThis
is what the Lord was telling you. Heís delivered him into
your hand now, so you can do with him whatever you will.î
Now hereís the will God gives His people. Thatís what He told
them, ìYou can do with him whatever you will.î Itís 1 Samuel 24 12. This is what David said, ìThe
Lord judged between me and thee, and the Lord avenged me of thee,
but mine hand shall not be upon thee. Look down at verse 14. After whom is the king of Israel
come out? After whom dost thou pursue?
After a dead dog? After a flea? The Lord therefore
be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead
my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand. When is that going
to be our will? To cast it all into Christ's
hand. When is that going to be our
will? when He makes us see, we're as worthless as a dead dog and
as helpless as a flea. That's when. That's when we'll
cast it all into His hands. And that's all a picture of Christ. This whole psalm is a picture
of Christ. Go to 1 Peter 2. This is Christ on the cross,
surrounded by His enemies, crying, O Lord, plead my cause. Speak
into my heart, I am Thy salvation. Our Lord, He became such a servant
of God that He is the faithful one and He totally depended upon
the Father. Look at 1 Peter 2.23, who when
He was reviled, reviled not again, when He suffered, He threatened
not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.
That's what we saw David doing over there. But look at when
Christ did this. He did it while He was His own
self bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. that we
being dead to sin should live unto righteousness. And He healed
us by His stripes when He did that. But you see that? The righteousness of God is manifest
by the faith of Christ. And the faith of Christ is that
He totally, thoroughly cast it all into the hands of His Father.
While He was bearing our sins, while He was on the cross, you
read Psalm 35 and you read all these Psalms and you hear Christ
on the cross. putting it all in the hand of
the Father. You see, He fulfilled the righteousness of the law,
the love of the law by perfect faith trusting the Father as
He laid down His life and shed His blood. That's what He was
doing. And it wasn't by just sheer power
that He conquered the devil. It was by this faith of casting
it all into the Father's hand. And you know, the Scripture says,
faith in Christ, casting it all into Christ's hand will quench
all the fiery darts of the devil. That's how he conquered the devil.
He put it all in the Father's hand and submitted. He did what the first Adam stopped
doing. The first Adam turned his back
on God and refused to believe God. the last Adam, when tempted
by the devil and all the same as the first Adam, plus with
so much more on him. He remained faithful to the Father. And so brethren, this is what
He tells us. You know this, you that believe. You see, this is what I'm trying
to show you. Unlike man, unlike us when we
were dead in sins, and unlike this whole unregenerate religious
world, Christ didn't boast in His will, and He didn't try to
defend His will. He said, I can of mine own self
do nothing. How about that? I can of mine
own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment's
just, because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father that has sent me. I came down from heaven not to
do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this
is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which He hath
given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again. So brethren,
this is what I'm saying to you. With Christ formed in us, we
have faith. And with Him speaking into our
soul and saying, I am thy salvation, He gives us this gift of faith.
And it's weak and we have an old man of sin mixed with us
and so there's always, he's rearing his ugly head constantly. All
the more reason that we constantly need to be casting it all on
Christ saying, plead my cause with them that strive against
me. He pled it against, he pled it with the law, he pled it with
our sin, he pled it with God who was against us when we were
angry in His enemy. and He reconciled us to God and
He fulfilled the law and He put away our sin as far as these
sins from the west. With those who don't believe
our gospel, do you think He can handle them? I think He can. Better than I can and better
than you can. So commit it to Him and trust
Him. Go to Micah 7. I want to read
one last thing and I'm done. Micah 7. I don't know that I
had ever seen where this passage came from until this week. You'll
recognize it. Micah 7.5, listen to this. Trust ye not in a friend, put
ye not confidence in a guide, keep the doors of thy mouth from
her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonored the father,
the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies are the men of his own
house. Remember Christ said that? Therefore,
I will look unto the Lord. I will wait for the God of my
salvation. My God will hear me. Rejoice
not against me, O mine enemy. When I fall, I shall arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord
shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of
the Lord because I have sinned against Him until He plead my
cause and execute judgment for me. He will bring me forth to
the light, and I shall behold His righteousness. Then she that
is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said
unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? Mine eyes shall behold her. Now shall she be trodden down
as the mire of the streets. Trust the Lord. This is commit
thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring
it to pass. That's our gospel. Put it all
in His hands. Amen.