So if you want to turn in your
Bibles to the 23rd Psalm, we begin with, the Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures. Now I want you to pay attention
to who it is that's doing all the work here. He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art
with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest
a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest
my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will
dwell in the house of the Lord. No evil. I will fear no evil. What's the greatest evil that
you and I face in this world? Is it not the flesh that we dwell
in? I shall fear no evil, for thou
art with me. For those of you who would like
to follow along in scriptures with me tonight, we'll be looking
into the book of Matthew again at chapter one. We'll be also
looking at some scripture in Ephesians chapter two and John
17. So if you want to read along
other, I do have it in the handout except for the Matthew chapter
one. I want to begin with a title
that I've put together for tonight's study before we read it in Matthew. Let's look at our handout. We're
going to look at 1 Corinthians 4 verses 5 through 7, and I've
titled tonight's subject, Who Maketh Us to Differ? Who Maketh
Us to Differ? It says in 1 Corinthians 4 verses
5 through 7, Therefore judge nothing before the time until
the Lord come. judge nothing before the time
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden
things. In other words, he's going to
bring about, he'll bring us to our understanding when he comes,
the hidden things of the darkness, of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsel of the hearts. And then shall every man have
praise of God, and these things, brethren, I have in a figure
transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that ye might
learn in us not to think above that which is written, that no
one of you be puffed up for one against another, for who maketh
thee to differ? So Paul goes through a very extended,
extensive way there of expressing to us, now's not the time to
judge. Now's not the time to judge all
things. The Lord's gonna come, when he
comes again, he's gonna show us the things that we don't see
now, the things of the darkness. He's gonna manifest the counsels
of hearts, the counsels of the hearts. And when that happens,
we're going to see the praise of God in all things, including
the darkness, including the things that we find most weak in ourselves.
And that's what I thought of as I read, as I prepared for
tonight's message. Have you ever thought to yourself,
I wish my faith was stronger like Abraham's was, or I wished
I could just do the things I know would be pleasing to our Lord?
Have you ever thought about that? I want to do the will of God
that's deep in my heart. Pastor Gene and I were talking
about that. He wants so badly to do the will of God. It's a
desire that's been in his heart ever since the Lord called him
out of darkness. It's what's been in my heart.
I want to so badly do the things that this flesh denies me and
the things that I know that would be pleasing to the Lord. Those
are good thoughts to have, folks. They're good desires of the heart. Yet I can remember a day when
those thoughts would not cross my mind at all. I remember a time when I had
no thoughts on the true and living God. Some of you may remember
also, or maybe you remember a time when your thoughts on God were
according to the ways of a particular religion maybe, the ways of works,
a type of works. But now, God has expounded the
Scriptures, in the Scriptures, unto you, revealing the things
of Himself to a new heart. Oh, how I wish I could be more
like Christ my Savior. But here's a question for you.
Does it not say we are to be conformed to His image
in Romans chapter 8? 829, as a matter of fact, is
what it says. And I've got that here in the
handout. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinated to
be conformed to the image of his Son. In our text in Matthew
chapter 1, we are given a picture of a saint of God, a child of
the Most High, one of God's chosen blood-bought people, bought with
the precious blood of Christ, flowing, following the Lord's
instructions. So look with me again, and we
read the whole section of verses, and we need to do that again,
because I want somebody who may not have been with us before
to understand why we see these last two verses. But let's start
at verse 18 once again, Matthew chapter 1 verse 18. Now the birth
of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was espoused,
and that word espoused means engaged, but in those days it
wasn't like we are today where we're engaged and we might be
able to break it off here sometime soon. If you broke off a marriage
once you were engaged, it had to be for some pretty strong
reasons. They treated espoused or engagement
pretty much like marriage itself. So she was espoused to Joseph
before they came together. She was found with a child of
the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, verse
19, being a just man and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away privily. What a
compassionate guy, huh? What a compassionate man. But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
did you notice how he calls Joseph and then he tells him who he
is? Thou son of David, thou son of the promise of Abraham. The
sons of David, they were children of God. Thou son of David, Fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived
in hers of the Holy Ghost, going on, verse 21, and she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is God with us. Now we've looked at all of that
pretty, not exhaustively, but pretty much. And these last two
verses are what I really want to look at tonight. Then Joseph,
being raised from the sleep, did as the angel of the Lord
had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, and knew her not,
till she had brought forth her firstborn son. And he called
his name Jesus. Now as we considered last week,
back in our handout, bottom of page one. As we had considered
last week, Joseph was in a position of grave concern. In his eyes,
Mary had sinned a great sin against him. He had every right to put
her away in public divorce, or even have her stoned to death
if he so desired. Page two. Yet as a compassionate, just
man, he thought lovingly to put her away privately. That's what
we read there in verse 19. Yet something bigger than himself
changed his mind. Something turned him a different
direction. Matthew 1.24, then Joseph being
raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden
him, and he took unto him his wife. Folks, this has huge implications
for you and I. Before you go thinking more of
yourself than you should as one who has been saved from our sins,
let us consider Joseph. Did he, knowing the truth, the
true and living God, did he, knowing the true and living God,
which I believe he did, did he turn this way on his own? No. He was pondering putting her
away. But God, oh, I love saying that
word, but God, that phrase, but God. Folks, God made the difference. The title for tonight's subject
is Who Maketh Thee to Differ? And I ask the question, I ask
the question, do you ever feel like, do you ever have those
desires, those feelings go through your mind, I wish I could just
be more like Abraham was that day when he took his son to the
mountain? Don't you read these very words
of Joseph and think to yourself, oh, how I wish I could be that
kind of a child of God? I'm going to sum the whole thing
up right now. I'm going to jump ahead and I'm
going to sum up the entire bubble study right now. Because I've
got to, to answer that question. Folks, you are exactly, right
now, in the position that God has purposed you to be in. He
is sovereign over everything. Our Lord leads us in the path
that He has purposed us to be in. Joseph was led in the path
that he was purposed to be in. Back in our handouts. Okay, God made the difference.
He came in the spirit. This is that large paragraph
right there on page two in the middle. He came in the spirit
and turned the mind as he would a river. The point I wish to
bring before you this evening is this. Are your most inner
prayers anything like this? Turn thou us unto Thee, O Lord,
and we shall be turned. Think about that for a moment.
That's a scripture in Lamentations 521. Are your prayers like that? Are your prayers on the line
of, Father, not my will, but Your will be done? Oh, how I
pray the Lord would give me that prayer over and over and over. I find it funny, I was thinking
about this as I was putting that verse in there. I was thinking
about how much a blessing it is to talk to those who have
been with the Lord for many years. Speaking of our brother Gene
Harmon, and how he praisingly takes everything including his
weaknesses, and gives God the glory for it. Every bit of his
life. I don't do that as well as I
would like, and I pray that I can be just, in some sort, do that
as much as Pastor Gene when I get to be his age, if the Lord keeps
me that long here. But not just occasionally do
we pray that. Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord,
and we shall be turned. Like when I think I really need
it, or I'm sorry, I should have put like when I really think
I need it. But every moment, not just occasionally,
but every moment of every day, do you not need Him? Do you not
need Him every hour? Well, that's what this prayer
is all about. Turn thou me now, Lord. Turn thou me now, and I
shall be turned. I ask myself this question when
I think of my thoughts that go towards being a better Christian,
a better child of God. Am I harboring any pride in my
heart for what I think my good works are? Is there any pride
in my decisions to do this or to do that? Or am I truly giving
him his glory? And that's what all glory is,
it's his. It's all his. Are my actions now because of
something in this flesh? Or is it all of God? The point
being made of Joseph here is this. If left to ourselves, we
will make worldly choices. That's what he had. He had three
worldly choices that he knew, things that he knew of this world.
Either divorce her, put her away privately, or have her stoned
to death. That was the law. He could take
her before the Council of the Elders and divorce her publicly,
or he could have done it privately. And he chose to work, he chose,
I just can't help but sit here
and think, here's a man, I don't know quite how to word that.
He's a man who's trying to do the best he can in this world,
yet God has something better for him to do, and for him to
do it, God had to do a movement in his heart. Even though the
fact that he was putting her away privately was still of God.
That was still an influence of God in doing that. Listen to Proverbs 21 verses
1 and 2. The king's heart is in the hand
of the Lord. Now who's the king of John Reeves? Jesus Christ. But who did John
Reeves think was the king before the Lord showed him who was king?
Did I say that too fast and did that make any sense? John Reeves
thought John Reeves was the king of his own life. That's what
this is talking about. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers
of water he, the Lord, turneth it whethersoever he will. Every
way a man is right in his own eyes. Folks, sometimes the Lord
seems to leave us to ourselves, doesn't he? To test us, maybe? Not that he needs to see what
we would do for it, but so that we will know. Are we trusting
Him in all things? Am I waiting on Him, including
in my walk right now, our walk in weakness? Yet there is one
who now dwells in His people, one who has been guiding all
things for us, for His glory since the world was. Page 3. In John 17, Verses 20-23, we
read these words, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word. Now that's
talking about those who will believe on the Word of God through
those who preach the Word of God. And we know that God must
teach the heart, He must give a new heart and teach that heart
the Word. That they all may be one as Thou,
Father, art in me and I in Thee. that they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the
glory which thou gavest me I've given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me. So we see
the Lord Jesus himself declaring he's in the hearts of those that
were given to him before the world began. He says, I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect, in one, and
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them as thou hast loved me. This one who is in me, and I
in him, I pray will hear these words from me, Psalms 119.35,
make me to go in the path of thy commandments For therein do I delight. There's that desire to do God's
will, that desire to walk in a way that would be pleasing
to our Lord. We often think, back in the handout, we often
think the words, who maketh us to differ applies only to the
time that we're regenerated from death into life, called from
darkness into His marvelous light, called into the light of His
Son, Christ Jesus. But folks, that is not correct.
The Lord makes the difference in our lives every second of
every minute of every day. He turns our hearts as He has
purposed them to be turned. Did not God allow Jonah to run
from Him? He sure did. Then what was purposed
of God befell Jonah, and the Lord turned him again, and again,
and again. Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord,
and we shall be turned. Lamentations 5, 21. There's another
who was sent to take a woman as their bride, and that one,
sent of God, did so faithfully, just as Joseph did, and gladly
even, though the woman seemed to be unclean. Did you notice
that? Mary, in the eyes of Joseph at
that time, in the worldly eyes of Joseph, seemed to be unclean,
but she wasn't. I make that point. This one who
was sent and did so faithfully and gladly, even though that
woman seemed to be unclean, seemed to be an adulterer, seemed to
be a sinner, seemed filthy and vile. The bride's name is Church. the congregation of God, the
called out, those whom he has loved from before the foundation
of the world, page four. The groom sent is the Christ. Joseph called his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sin. In our eyes,
the eyes of this world, we are vile, we are filthy, we are adulterers,
fornicators, and sinners, and that would be all true, for that's
what we are. In Ephesians 2, verses 2 through
3, we read these words, where in times 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. in times past and in the lust
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind. And we're by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. In our eyes, in the eyes of this
world, we are vile. We are filthy. We are adulterers,
fornicators, and sinners. Going on in the handout mid-page
four, but in the eyes of the Almighty God, we're beautiful. dressed in the robes of His Son's
righteousness, white as the driven snow, sanctified, holy, righteous
in every way. Listen to the words of Ephesians
2, continuing on there in chapter 2, verses 4 through 6. But God,
who is rich in mercy for His great love, wherewith he loved
us. Now remember, we just read a
description of what we see ourselves as, and we see ourselves that
way. Let me just cut away for a moment. We see ourselves as
the way the Bible describes us because of the law of God, our
school teacher, and what sin is. We see perfectly that that's
what we are in the flesh when we come into this world. 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 ye are saved, and hath
raised us up, and made us to sit together in heavenly places
in Christ." Did you notice the word raised is past tense? This is what we were reading
about a moment ago in the book of John chapter 17. We're in
Christ. Folks, we were in Christ when
He walked this earth. We were in Christ when He created
the worlds. God's people have always been
in Christ. We have always been seen in Christ.
He had to come to this world, absolutely. He had to be made
flesh, absolutely. He had to walk in righteousness,
absolutely. But God saw His Son in the covenant
fulfilling the covenant perfectly because He's God in the flesh.
Everything He does is perfect and pleasing to the Father. So
we read here, He has raised us up. It's done. But it's done
together. It's done together with His Son.
He's made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. The valley we walk through, back
in our handouts again, the valley we walk through here in this
journey called life is no more than a shadow of death. That's
what we read in the 23rd Psalm. Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death. It's only a shadow to we who
are the bride of Christ. We who have been cleansed of
our sins. We who have been made the righteousness
of God in Him, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5.21. Why? How were we made the righteousness
of God in Him? He who knew no sin was made sin
for us. 2 Corinthians 5.21, only a shadow
because the death we deserve has been charged and laid upon
the groom sent of God. This one who God came to and
sent him to this world. How can that be so? Well, it
says in Ephesians 2 verses 8-9, for by grace. That's how. For
by grace are ye saved. But it goes through faith, it
goes through believing God. Joseph believed God and got up
and went and did what he was told to do. I pause after that
because it's just so profound. We're saved by grace, but it's
through believing God, through faith. And we know that that's
not of ourselves. We didn't just decide one day
to start being faithful and believing God. It took God to come to us
and make us willing in the day of His power. It is a gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast. Why? Why would God be so gracious
to a sinner like me? In Ephesians 2.7 we read these
words, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches. Folks, He's got everything. Everything
belongs to Him. All of creation, all there is
to have, belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. That in the ages
to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. and His kindness towards us through,
through. There's that word through again.
Faith in Christ Jesus. This time it just says through
Christ Jesus. That's in Ephesians 2. Page 5. Now once again, back
in John chapter 17, considering this One who leads us, this One
who gave Himself for us, He prays
this prayer to his father. He says in verses one through
four, these words begged Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven.
He said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy
son may also glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him, And this is life eternal. Listen to these next
words. This is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ. Now I'll stop there for just
a moment. Do you know if you don't worship the Lord Jesus
Christ, you're not worshiping God the Father? Some say, well,
you can't worship Jesus Christ because He's a God. The Jehovah Witnesses don't believe
that Jesus is God the Father. They don't believe in the Trinity. Scriptures tell us if we don't
worship the Son, we're not worshiping the Father. It says, I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. What was the work? What was that
work that he finished? Salvation. Salvation of his people. Remember I told you that we were
in Christ before the world was? That was the whole reason for
God to manifest himself in the flesh, was so that he would save
his people. That's the work, salvation. The
Lord was perfect in all that he did as he walked this earth.
He knew no sin, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5. The son's faithfulness
delighted the father. We read in Mark 1 9-11, and it
came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightaway, coming up out
of the water, he saw the heavens open, and a spirit like a dove
descended upon him, and there came a voice from heaven." Now,
the only time this voice has ever come and said these words,
a couple of other times, once at the Mount Transfiguration,
I think there was one more, I'm not sure about that. Thou art my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. There's only one who's ever pleased
the Father, folks. That's because God the Father
must have perfection. He cannot have anything outside
of perfection in everything the Lord Jesus did, including being
made sin for us. Including the mystery of being
made sin for us. He did it perfectly. including
the laying down His life and shedding His blood for His people.
He did that perfectly. That's how when He was at the
cross, He said it was finished. It was done. Here in John 17,
He declared it to be finished. In John 17, verses 5-6, we continue
on, And now, O Father, glorify Thou me in Thine own self with
the glory which I had with thee before the world was." So there
we see the Lord once again declaring who He is. He's God's, He's the
Holy Son of God, the Son of the Living God. He's God Himself
in the flesh. I have manifested thy name, he
says, unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world, and
here we see once again the declaration of who we are, thine they were,
and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. He has
manifested, proclaimed, preached, expounded the name of the true
and living God in his person as he walked this earth and also
by his saints before and after him. In 1 Corinthians 2 verse
2-5 we read these words, For I determined not to know anything
among you, writes Paul, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power. that your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. On the road
to Emmaus, our Lord preached himself. He expounded in all
the scriptures, all the books of the Old Testament, the things
concerning himself to his disciples. He preached Christ. He gave the words. that God the
Father had sent him to give to his beloved bride and they believed. Going on down in the bottom paragraph
of page 5, John 17, verse 7 through 8. Now they have known, speaking
of those ones again, they have known all these things, whatsoever
thou hast given me are of thee, For I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and
have known surely that I came from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me." Page 6. In John 6, verse 45, we read
this, it is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught
of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh Unto me, saith
the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 17, verses 9-11, we finish
up our text there in John. I pray for them, the Lord says,
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are
mine, and I am glorified in them, and now I am no more in the world,
but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father,
Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that
they may be one as we. Keep through thine own name those
whom thou hast given me. Folks, this is how Joseph was
able to put his worldly thoughts aside and do what God had appointed
him to do. He was kept by the power of God. That's what we read in 1 Peter
1 verse 5. Those who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time. Everything about my life. Everything. And I pray that keep this before
me at all times. I know being weak in the faith
at times, it's difficult for us to keep these kinds of thoughts
before us, but folks, everything, everything, even that time when
we're weak and we say to ourselves, oh, I wish I had Abraham, maybe
we're asking the wrong question. Maybe we've asked a myth. Maybe
we should be asking, Lord, guide me. Lord, turn me. And I shall be turned. I know
this, the true way to ask anything of the Lord is, Lord, not my
will, but thine, be done. Ephesians 2, verse 10 says this
very, very clearly. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. Now that brings comfort to one
who asks myself frequently, Lord, how can you be How can you love
such a weak, weak person as myself? How can you love me, who is so
weak, I can't even do the minor things that you ask me and tell
me to do in your Word? For I am His workmanship. Folks,
God doesn't do anything wrong. Everything He does is right.
and perfect. And if that means allowing me
to run from Him like Jonah did, then that's perfect according
to Him. It's in His purpose. For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works which
God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them. Folks,
the whole point of this whole message, as it is in every message,
is for us to rely on that one who loved Him, who loved us,
and gave Himself for us. Loved us so much that He gave
His only begotten Son. And we can always come back to
that verse in Romans chapter 8. And I don't want to misquote
even the minor little bit because I'm old and I'm forgetful and
I forget things like that. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? To God be the glory. Great things
He hath done.