Yeah, we went from singing what
a day that'll be to Jeremiah was a bullfrog. It says a lot, doesn't it? We're the same age. Me and
Joe and John and even Paul, I think there's what, five months separating
us all? Good company there. What an honor
and privilege to be here. Let me say again, I do know a
little bit about how much work goes into a conference. And I
always want to be careful to say something to you ladies,
because it's pretty obvious you do a lot of all the work. I was
going to say a lot of it, but let's just be honest. You do
all of it. We just get to enjoy the food.
And two, it's a real privilege, as I said, yesterday to stand
in this pulpit. I had a man call me not long
ago from the Gideon organization, and I have no doubt that they're
a good organization. But he said, I'd like to schedule
a time to come preach for you. And I said, not interested. You're
not interested? I said, I don't know you. I don't
know if you have the same God I do. We don't just let anybody
stand in this pulpit, do we, John? What an honor. Thank you.
And it's an honor to be with Joe. I've known Joe a long time,
and a brilliant man. I'm thankful to have learned
a lot from him. He's chuckling, but he is pretty
smart. I'd like for you to turn with
me. I know there's something I forgot to say and somebody
I forgot to thank. If I have, thank you. Appreciate it. Turn with me to
Romans chapter 3 this morning. I want to consider just a couple
of verses here. The Apostle Paul here, referring
to the Jews, he deals with any advantage that they thought that
they had over the Gentiles, and he asked two simple questions
in verse 3. Look at it with me. The first
question is, for what if some did not believe? Now we can make
that a present tense question by saying, what if some do not
believe even now? He says, shall their unbelief
make the faith of God without effect? I would say that many today give
no credibility to our message, to our gospel, because of how
few there are that believe it. I'm sure that it's been said.
If what those folks down at Bethel Baptist Church believed is true,
there'd be more of them. Why the rest of us can't all
be wrong? That's the way people think.
They discard something because it's not popular. But the question
here is, the question that Paul addresses, is for what if some
do not believe? Shall their unbelief make the
faith of God without effect? Will the unbelief of some make
void the purpose and the promise of God? Shall men and women's
unbelief defeat the will and the purpose of the Almighty?"
Is God defeated? Is God disappointed? Is God frustrated? Is God dependent upon the will
of man to save man? This God is not the God of the
Bible. It amazes me how folks can believe
the things they believe and have a Bible. They must not be reading
it. Many times throughout the Scriptures,
God declares His own sovereignty and His own omnipotence and His
own mighty power. Do you remember in the book of
Genesis when God promised Sarah and Abraham a child in their
old age? Abraham was 100 and Sarah was
90. Sarah could not conceive, her womb was barren. The Scriptures
tell us that Abraham's body was dead, not able to produce a seed
to have a child. And when God told Abraham that
Sarah, his wife, not a handmaid, she was going to have a child,
not a child by the work of the flesh, they tried that. That
didn't work. Anytime we put our hand to something,
we're going to mess it up. But he said, your wife, Sarah,
your 90-year-old wife, is going to have a son. And when Sarah
heard the words of the Lord, do you remember what she did?
We're told that she laughed. Oh, she laughed within herself.
And she said, after I'm waxed old, shall I have pleasure? She
continues and said, my Lord, my husband being old also, after
all these years, will I have the pleasure of a child? But
Sarah's, let me ask you, did Sarah's unbelief change God's
will? Did Sarah's lack of faith void
God's promise? The thought of Sarah having a
child was so far-fetched, it was so unlikely, so doubtful
to Sarah that she laughed within herself. We've all done that,
haven't we? Kind of laughing on the inside
where no one hears, but God heard her. God hears everything. And he said to Abraham, wherefore
did Sarah laugh? This is serious business. the
purpose and promise of God that is. And Sarah not only laughed,
but really she questioned the Lord when she said, shall I of
a surety bear a child being as old as I am? And we would have
too. Friends, God is not a man that
He should lie. He's not a son of man that He
should repent, change His mind, He's the same yesterday and forever. He's Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end, the first and the last. Can a 100-year-old man and a
90-year-old woman have a child? They can if God says so. And
that was when God asked this question concerning Himself. And it's a question we ought
to ask ourself often. is anything too hard for the
Lord. I have five children ranging
in age from 44 to 30, and have one child that has any interest
at all in the gospel. And it breaks my heart. Oh, how I wish and pray and hope
that the Lord might be pleased to save them. He can. And I can't tell you how many
times I've asked myself the question, is anything too hard for the
Lord? No. So don't give up. Keep praying
for your children, your grandchildren, your husband, your wife. Keep
praying. There's nothing too hard for
Him. He can do anything. He can do everything. Religion today preaches a defeated
and a frustrated God. Let's just be honest about it. How so, you might ask. Well,
religion says that He wants to save sinners. Religion says that
He's trying to do so. That He's dependent on you giving
Him your heart. Let me let you in on a little
secret. God don't want your heart. He
don't want that deceitful above all thing and desperately wicked
heart. He gonna have to give you a new
one in order for you to play. So, it's not about giving Him
your heart. He doesn't want it. And I don't
want to offend anyone, but God don't want your deceitful and
desperately wicked heart. False preachers tell us that
God's hands are tied. His hands are tied without the
consenting will of the sinner. I find those statements not only
ridiculous and pathetic, but totally contrary to the Word
and very offensive. I do, I find them offensive.
They're offensive to God and they're offensive to God's people.
God saved me on purpose, according to His own will and purpose,
before the foundation of the world, before I had done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand. God purposed to save me. And
He saved me. In Daniel chapter 4, the recently
enlightened king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar said, all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and He, God,
doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none, none means none, doesn't
it? None can stay His hand or say
unto Him, What doest Thou? That word stay there, none can
stay his hand, that comes from a Hebrew word that actually means
to arrest. Who can arrest God? Who can put
handcuffs on God? I recently heard a self-proclaimed
preacher say that man's unbelief ties God's hands. It's so ridiculous I can't even
say it. You can't tie God's hands. You
can't put handcuffs on God. And that is one of the reasons
that Paul here asks this question. For what if some did or do not
believe? As you know with the internet
today, we have so many avenues to hear the gospel, but I'm telling
you, it also opens up the door to hearing a lot of error. There's
a lot of garbage being preached out there. Untrue things about God and His
Christ. Recently, I searched a popular
website that rightfully claims that they have almost two million
sermons online. I found several titles that I
want to suggest to you not to listen to. One title was, When God Wants
to Get Our Attention. And the sad thing is that there
was part one and part two. I'm not sure why I took two parts.
I'm not sure why I took two messages. I'm not real smart, but I can
resolve that issue in a single sentence. God doesn't try to
get men and women to do anything. He doesn't try to get men and
women's attention. He gets their attention. Child
of God, did God get your attention? You better believe He did. God gets our attention. He's
capable of getting the sinner's attention. Another title I found
was a three-part series. The first title was, What Does
God Do When He Doesn't Get What He Wants? The second message
was, What Must We Do When God Doesn't Get What He Wants? And
the third one was, What God Does When He Gets What He Wants? I
can solve that issue in three seconds. God always gets what
He wants. I don't think it's going to take
a series of three messages to get that across. He's God. And you can't handcuff Him. You
can't arrest Him. None can question Him. None can
say, what are you doing? He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Is God trying to get your attention?
Is God trying to steer you the right way? We try to do things,
but God doesn't. Is God trying to tell you something?
Ridiculous. Does a man or a woman's unbelief
change God? That's the question Paul asked.
Are gods in the heavens? John just read it. He's done whatsoever he's pleased. And aren't you glad? Aren't you
glad that God's in control? I sure am. God says, surely as
I have thought, so shall it come to pass. Again, that's pretty
simple in there. God says, and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand. I understand that. He said, I
am God and there is none else. I'm God and there's none beside
me. I declare the end from the beginning. I declare things from
ancient time, eternal things. My counsel shall stand. I will
do all my pleasure. Is that your God? He's the only
God. He said so. I am God. There is
none else. This is the God with whom we
have to do. Does that sound like a God that
can be frustrated? Disappointed? Modern day preaching
has reduced God to the little old man upstairs who's softly
and tenderly calling on the portals of heaven, wringing his hands,
going, oh, won't somebody just love me? Won't somebody just
let me save them? That's not my God. That's not
my God. And that certainly isn't the
story and the picture that God's Word tells and paints of God's
Savior. Is there anything at all written
in the Word of God that would make any of us think that God
is in any way dependent on us, the fallen creatures that we
are? How dare man claim that's the case? Preach salvation as a collaboration
between God and the sinner. Shame on you. Men believe that
God makes salvation possible and that man somehow or another
adds his will. That's just nothing short of
deception. I'm not saying that it's intentional. Men really believe this error. Yet, best case scenario, it's
nothing more than salvation by works, is it not? It leads men
and women to trust in their own righteous work. It leads men
and women to trust in their own decision, their own faith, instead
of trusting alone in Christ's perfect work of righteousness. And I always say this in my preaching,
God requires perfection. That's the issue. How are we
the imperfect, sinful, depraved creatures we are? How are we
going to provide what God requires? What did we say yesterday? How
many ways are there? Just one way, isn't there? Just
one way. Salvations of the Lord. Do you
know what follows those words in Jonah 2.9? A period. Salvation is of the Lord, period. Nothing needs to be added to
that statement. God settled the matter. The Apostle
Paul said in Acts chapter 17, he said, this Jesus whom I preach
is Christ. But the Jesus who wants to save,
the Jesus who's trying to save, is another Jesus. The Jesus that
died for everybody. The Jesus that died for people
who can still be lost. That's another Jesus. That's
not my Lord. He's not the Jesus your pastor
preaches. I've heard him preach for many
years now. He doesn't even resemble that
Jesus. The Jesus that John Chapman preaches
is the Christ. God's anointed. My pastor, Maurice
Montgomery, I'm sure many of you knew Maurice. I think he's
been here now with Christ in glory. He used to tease and say
that Hollywood hadn't made a good movie since John Wayne died.
That may be right. But I did hear John Wayne say
in an interview one time with my own ears that he and the man
upstairs had a good thing going. Have any of you heard of George
Jones? Boy, he was a good country singer.
But George sung a song titled, Me and Jesus Got Our Own Thing
Going. And it's a lie. Me and Jesus
got a good thing going. Me and Jesus got it all worked
out. Me and Jesus got our own thing
going. But I'm telling you, it's not
a gospel thing. It's not a matter of redemption. George proudly sung, don't need
anybody to tell us what it's all about. I disagree. If that's what Mr. Jones thought,
he did need someone to tell him. And I'm glad somebody told me.
Aren't you? Aren't you glad the Lord sent
you a preacher? A man after his own heart. Someone that told you the truth
about who you are and who God is. And how a holy God and a
sinful being like yourself can be reconciled back together.
Isn't that the issue? Tell me. Tell me again and again. John the Baptist was thrown into
prison. And his mind began to wander,
and his heart began to doubt. And he sent two of his disciples
to the Lord Jesus and said, Art thou He, or do we look for another? You remember what the Lord said?
He said, You go tell John again. You tell him again, and again
if you must. How the blind eyes now see. How that the deaf hear. You tell
him again. You tell him. Isn't that what
preaching is? We tell it again and again and again. How God
makes clean the leper. How God raises the dead. We didn't just stump our toe
when Adam sinned in the garden, friends. We died. Spiritually died. and only Christ
could give us life. Oh, may He be pleased to do so.
Seems everywhere you go, everybody loves Jesus and Jesus loves them
back, but it's not the Jesus that we preach. He's the Christ. And the question proposed to
us this morning, for what if some do not believe? Shall their
unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Is that even possible? No. Absolutely not. Paul here is
talking about the faith of God. Did you notice that? Not faith
in Christ, but the faith of God. Now listen, my salvation is not
by my faith. That's a gift of God and without
faith it's impossible to please God. I know that. But just like
grace, faith is a gift that God gives. But my assurance is not
in my faith. Is your assurance in your faith?
My assurance is in the faith of God. My assurance is in God's
faith. And whenever I begin to look
within, it never fails. When I begin to look within,
when I look to my faith in Christ, I don't find any comfort there.
I find no rest, no assurance. Why? Because my faith is weak. My faith is small. The Lord Jesus said, oh, you
have little faith. But we're talking about the faith
of God. Paul answers his own question in verse 4. He says, God forbid. Does our unbelief in any way
make God irrelevant? Paul says, God forbid. God forbid. Yea, let God be true and every
man a liar. The promise of God to save His
people from their sin. The faith of God the Son to accomplish
that task. Christ's perfect keeping of the
law. His total satisfaction of God's
holy justice. The salvation that God provided
for His people cannot in any way, shape, or form be altered,
changed, defeated, discouraged, frustrated. Why? Because God
can't be. Salvation is of the Lord. And that's my hope and assurance. Election is God choosing a people. When most people think of election,
they think of casting a vote for a candidate. Tuesday, I'll
go, Lord willing, I'll go and cast my vote for a political
candidate. It's my right as a citizen to
do so. But the candidate that I choose
may win or may not. But that's not the way of God's
election. God's candidates of mercy and
grace always win. Isn't that right? Oh, if God
determines to save me, I'm going to be saved. I heard people define election
as God casting His vote for us, and the devil casting his vote
against us, and then the sinner casts the deciding vote. But
that's not the election of the Bible. Matter of fact, that's
not election at all. If that were so, then God would
be a minority, wouldn't he? If that were so, God would be
outnumbered two to one. That's not the God of the Bible.
That's not the God this book declares. I've read and studied
a good bit now of this blessed book, and I can tell you firsthand,
that's not the God this book declares and describes. Men don't preach election because
men don't believe in it. They don't believe in election.
And I hear so-called preachers say, and I'm not here this morning
to bash religion. I'm really not. But I hear men
say all the time things like, well, you know, I believe in
election, but I don't preach it because it would just tear
the church apart. They don't believe in election.
Those who say such things don't believe in election, and I'm
telling you, they don't believe in the sovereignty of God either. Preaching the truth won't tear
the true church apart. It might tear down men's little
social organizations that they call a church, but not the true
church of God. And when we read passages like
passages of Scripture that are found like in Ephesians 1 verse
4 that says, "...according as He, God, hath chosen us in Him,
Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we, the elect
of God, should be holy and without blame before Him in love." And
God having predestinated, having predetermined or determined beforehand,
that's what it means. God having determined beforehand,
predestinated us, the elect, unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will.
And you read or quote that to men and women and they'll say,
well, that's just your interpretation. I didn't interpret anything.
I just read it. I had a man tell me one time
that his Bible didn't read that way. I asked him what version
of the Bible he had. He said, King James. I said,
all I did was read it. Friends, it's God that does the
choosing. It's God that does the calling.
It's God that does the saving. Isn't that right? Oh, some of
you may know that I was adopted. I'm 63 now. That wasn't a real
common thing, it seemed, back then. And now I have two children
that have adopted children. Adoption's pretty special in
my family. But I'll tell you the most special
thing at all about adoption. And that was that it was a choice. It was a choice. My parents chose
to have me. They wanted a child so bad. They
chose me. I didn't have any say in the
matter. I hadn't even been born yet. They made arrangements before
I was born. My parents determined to do me
good all the days of my life before I was ever born. And my
father, he gave me his name. And I was his son. And my father,
he loved me so much that he would have died for me. But friends,
my God did. The Word of God says in Romans
9, verse 18, it says it plainly and it says it simply and very
directly. Therefore hath He, God, mercy
on whom He will. And whom He will, He hardeneth. And the first thing out of man's
mouth is, well, why does he yet find fault who hath resisted
His will? What about this one? That's not
fair. And the Scripture gives the answer,
Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Who
are we to question Him? Shall the thing formed say to
Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me this way? Why have
you made me like this? Hath the potter power over the
clay of the same lump to make one vessel into honor and another
into dishonor? You better believe he does. Does
God as God have the right to do what he will with his own?
He said he did. In the free will church that I was
raised in, they used to sing a song as an invitational, Try
the man of Galilee. Try Him. Try Jesus. All love
that's like pure gold. A friend that ne'er grows old.
Try the man of Galilee. But sinners don't try Christ
on like a pair of tennis shoes. He's God. And He'll reveal Himself
to you as such. And if and when He saves you,
And if God saves you, you'll understand real quick that you
didn't try Christ on like a coat to see if it fit or looked good
on you. No, sir. You put Christ on because you
need His perfect righteousness, His perfect covering to stand
accepted before God. And there's no other way. I've heard men say things like,
well, give God a chance. You don't give God a chance.
And Christ is not a savior of chance. He's a God of purpose. And just as Paul said, The sovereign
potter has power over the clay of the same lump. He has the
right to make one vessel under honor and another under dishonor.
And in Jeremiah chapter 18 verse 5, Jeremiah says, Then the word
of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, can I not
do with you as this potter? I'll ask you, can he? You better
believe he can. He said, Behold, as the clay
is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel."
Isn't it amazing how few folks today know, how few of the unbelieving
today actually know that they're in the hands of an angry God. The wages of sin is death. The
soul that sinneth, it shall die. God too holy to excuse sin. It's going to have to be dealt
with. It's going to have to be dealt with by you or by a substitute. And not just anybody. It's going
to have to be a perfect substitute. There's only one. How many? Boy. Mindy reminded me yesterday that
I had a granddaughter. She's seven now. I can't hardly
believe it. When she was one year old, you'd
ask her how old she was. She couldn't pronounce it, but
she'd go. I wish we could learn that, don't
you? Just one God, one Savior. Well, I won't re-preach yesterday's
message. If you have any interest or desire
for the things of God at all, it was God that put that interest
there. So let me ask you one last question in closing. Is
salvation of the Lord? Or did you save yourself? God has mercy on whom He will. And He has compassion on whom
He will. And the amazing thing is that
He would have mercy and compassion at all. People say, I don't see
how He could hate Esau. And the believer says, I don't
know how He could love Jacob. Don't know how He could love
me? Paul says, so then. This is the
revelation of God's profession. This is the reality of God's
prerogative. So then. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of. And I suppose you could preach
the gospel with three words if those were the three words. But,
two words, but God. Isn't that salvation? But God.
I was heading to hell, but God. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die. Peradventure for a good man some
would dare to die. But God commended His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, ungodly, Christ died
for us." Best news I ever heard. Best news I ever heard. What
good news? It's gospel news. And aren't you glad that you've
got a man that shares that gospel news with you week after week,
service after service? What a blessing! Well, what if some do not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. It's not possible. God is faithful that promised.
God is faithful that promised. God cannot lie. He can't change
His mind. If He promised to do it, He shall
do it. If He purposed to do it, it shall
come to pass. Now look at the last part of
verse 4, and I'll finish. It says, "...as it is written,
that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest
overcome when thou art judged." And this is a quote from Psalm
51, where David said, God is justified when He speaks against
us. And He is. Because we are guilty. And God is clear of any wrongdoing
when He judges us. He's holy and we're sinners. God is true and every man is
a liar. That's what Paul had just said
in the same verse. And if the Lord would sentence
you and I right now to eternal judgment and condemnation, He'd
be right and justified in doing it. And I see some of you shaking
your head, yes. And that's when you know life
has been given because you take sides with God against yourself. You say, that's right. That's
what I deserve. But aren't you glad? That He
has mercy? When it comes to His elect people,
God deals with them in love and mercy and grace and in forgiveness. Has God revealed Himself to you?
Confess Him publicly if He has. What hinders me to be baptized?"
That's what a believer says. This is life eternal that they,
the sinners that they are, might know Thee, the only true God
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. Do you know Him? Do you
know Him in truth? Come to Christ. Look and live. Trust in Him. May God be pleased
to make it so. Thank you, John. Thank you again. Appreciate it so much. I remember
Brother Mahan, let me just say this. I remember him saying years
ago that he had houses and farms all over this country. And I'm
finding out now, so do I. Got a real nice farm out there.
Y'all come see me. It's in there somewhere.