Do you have confidence in your
heart that when that role is called up yonder, you will be
there? I do. I have confidence and we're
going to talk a little bit about that today. I'd like you to turn
your Bibles to 2 Corinthians, if you would. 2 Corinthians chapter
13. There are two classes of people,
two classes of mankind, human beings, that walk this earth.
And it boils down to these two simple things. Those who believe
by God-given faith the truth of God, they believe who he is. We who believe know that God,
all the fullness of the Godhead, all of the God the Father, all
of God the Spirit dwell in God the Son bodily. Our Lord Jesus
Christ is of one mind with God the Father and the Spirit. Everything
about the three coincide together. There is no division between
the Godhead. And you can see the entire God.
When you see the Lord Jesus Christ, when you worship the Lord Jesus
Christ for who he is, you worship God the Father and God the Spirit. I've had someone tell me one
time that, John, you can't say that Jesus Christ raised himself
from the dead. I know the scriptures say that,
but you're taking the glory away from God the Father when you
say that, because it only says that one time in scriptures about,
the Lord says, I lay down my life, I take it up again. He
said, I take it up again. Now all the other times it talks
about the resurrection, it talks about the Father raising His
Son from the dead, and because it was only once, I'm told that
I'm taking the glory away from the Father. Uh-uh. That's not
true at all. We give glory to the Son, we
give glory to the Father. If you don't glorify the Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, then you don't glorify the Father at all.
Those who believe God, by God-given faith, we believe the truth of
God and what He has done. We believe that God by Himself
purged our sins when He went to the cross and laid down His
life and shed His blood for us. We don't believe that God did
some and we have to do something else to receive it. We don't
believe that by our own will we're accepting His gift of salvation. We believe that salvation is
of the Lord and of the Lord alone. Those who believe in By God giving
faith, the truth of God, they believe what he has done and
who he did it for. He did it for his elect. I know that I would have never
chosen God if he had not chosen me. Do you know that? Wonderful. Because that's a knowledge that
you can only receive from God himself. Those who believe God
by God-given faith, they believe the truth in where our Savior
is right now. He sits on His throne. Death
could not hold the God of everything, the God of creation, the Almighty
Sovereign. He's the Lord of death. He's
the Lord of everything. We believe by God-given faith
the Word of God as it is, and then There's those who do not. I often get this statement, John,
I just don't know that I'm saved. I struggle, John. My answer is
always, I know. So do I. So do all of God's children. We all struggle with that doubt
of, looking into a self and seeing in the mirror the sin that's
within us and saying, how could God save a person like this?
I understand why God hated Esau. What blows my mind is that he
loved Jacob. Jacob was way worse than Esau.
What blows my mind is that he would love John. That he would
love me. There's nothing in me worth loving.
John, I just don't know. I just don't know if I'm saved
or not. Are you with me in 2 Corinthians
chapter 13? Look with me if you would. We'll start at verse 1. Paul
writes, writing to the Corinthians, now listen to these words careful,
folks. Listen to these words. He's speaking to the church at
Corinth. He says, this is the third time I am coming to you.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be
established. I told you before and foretell
you as if I were present the second time and be absent now. I write to them which heretoafter
have sinned and to all other that I come again, I will not
spare, since ye seek a proof of Christ. Did you see that? John, I just don't know whether
I'm saved or not. I don't see it. I don't see it,
John. Since you seek a proof of Christ
speaking in me, which to you is not weak, but mighty in you. Do you see what he's saying there? Do you see how Paul's addressing
that question? For though he was crucified through
weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God, for we also are
weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God
towards you. Examine yourself. We've looked
at this verse several times in the last couple of months. Examine
yourself. Examine yourself whether you
be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except
ye be reprobates? Now I'd like you to turn over
to Romans chapter 1. We were looking at this this
morning, Romans chapter 1, and I warned you folks who were able
to be with us that this is going to be a continuation of our study
in Romans chapter 1. I sat down this morning to look
at Romans chapter 1, to consider where we would go with it, and
I thought, oh my goodness, this is right along, this is the message
that I wanted to preach right here. This is exactly what we
see here. My question for you today is,
be ye... John, ask yourself this question,
be ye a reprobate? Have you ever wondered what the
word reprobate means? It means the complete opposite
of approved. To be a reprobate means you are
completely unapproved, or that is rejected, or by implication,
worthless. Ah, cast that away as dung, I
don't want that. Cast it away into outer darkness.
Literally or morally, it means rejected, worthless, reprobate. Begin with me, if you would,
at verses 17 and 18 of Romans chapter 1. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just
shall live by faith. Now we looked at those in close
detail with our Bible study this morning and I believe it's recorded
and it'll be on sermon audio for those of you who couldn't
join us today. So if you wanna go back after this evening when
Kathy's had a chance to post that, I highly encourage you
to because that's part one of what we're about to look at next.
Verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. We just
read, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. Now we read in verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. There are two revelations from
heaven. One is the grace of God in Christ
Jesus, the righteousness of God upon all who believe, and the
other is the wrath and the judgment of God upon all unbelievers. This wrath is revealed in the
law of God, in the judgment of God upon Adam, upon Sodom. You'll remember the judgment
of God was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was poured out
on Adam when he sinned against God. God kicked him and Eve out
of the Garden of Eden. Sodom, it was destroyed by fire
along with Gomorrah. Noah's world judgment was poured
out upon the world around Noah, the one of eight. And there's
countless other examples that we can look at in scriptures,
but most important, the example we see most important is the
one upon the cross. God's judgment was laid out upon. all of His elect on that cross. All of the judgment of God was
laid upon our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. The cross
of Christ on which God spared not His own Son who bore the
sin of all of His sheep. Listen to Psalms 5-5. It says,
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all workers
of iniquity. In Psalm 7, verse 11, we read
these words, God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked
every day. In John chapter 3, verse 36,
we read these words, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God abideth
in him. The revelation of righteousness is Christ It's in Christ and
it is by His grace. The Apostle begins here at verse
18 to describe the awful ungodliness and unrighteousness of men living
under the revelation of the nature of destitute. Being destitute
of the true knowledge of God. Now what I mean by that is that
they have some knowledge of the divine being through creation.
We can look out and say, look what God has created. And many
do. Why? Because it's written on
the hearts of all men that there is a God. People say, well, I
don't believe in God. Yes, they do. They may not believe in the God,
but they believe in some God. Some make themselves to be gods.
Some believe in a God who is trying to help people. Some believe
in a God who's done some and needs you to do the rest. idols
of our imagination. All mankind have a knowledge
of the divine being through creation and a conscience of it, but they
reject it and they give way to evil only. This is our nature. We read this in Ephesians chapter
2 verse 1, and you hath he quickened, you hath he made alive, who were
dead in trespasses and sin. Where in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world." We walked just like the
goats, folks. We acted like the goats. We've
never been goats. We've been sheep since before
the world ever began. God has loved his people before
anything was ever created, which makes everything created for
the love of his people. 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, And then in verse 3 of Ephesians
2 it says this, among whom, we're right there with them, among
whom we all had our conversations in times past, in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Now
look at verses 19 and 20 of Romans chapter 1. Because that which
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed
it unto them. For the invisible things of Him
from creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead."
What do you think all these religions are for out here? To serve a
God. I don't care if it's Muslim,
Islamic, Buddhism, Jainism, whoever. I don't care if it's baptism.
Let's start that again. Look at verses 19 and 20. Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God
hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power in Godhead,
so that they are without excuse. There are some things that cannot
be known of God except through gospel revelation. That would
be the revelation of God's righteousness. But there are some things that
may be known of God by nature. God himself is invisible, but
his power, his majesty, his glory shine throughout all of his creation. That's why there's all these
different religions. Everybody knows there's a creator.
They just don't know THE creator. They go about trying to establish
their own righteousness, ignorant of the righteousness of Christ.
God Himself is invisible, but His power, majesty, and glory,
they shine in all of His creations. Listen to Psalms 19, verse 1.
The heavens declare the glory of God. I've shared this with
you before, but I've got to do it again because it reminds me
so much. As I was traveling through Canada
on our motorcycles, I saw the glorious... I mean, have you
ever stood at the bottom of El Capitan down here in Yosemite
and looked up and said, Look at what God's made. Look at the
beauty of the creeks and all of this that God has made. I
did that in Canada. We were coming down through a
valley and on both sides of the valley were what they call the
ice fields. Two or three hundred feet deep
on top of straight cliffs. And it was just the most beautiful
color. And I looked at it and I thought
to myself, look what God has made. Have you ever looked at
a cloud? A bunch of clouds in the sky? And say, look at the
picture that God has given us tonight. of the sun shining up
the cloud and it's all red and stuff. We give God the glory
for everything because His glory is in all of His creation. And
all mankind know this. The heavens declare the glory
of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork. These folks, because
they walk not in the light which they have, they are without excuse. If you and I had gone through
that doormark death and we didn't belong to God, we'd have no excuse
standing before Him. We would know there's no excuse.
They have no excuse for their idolatry and their sinful lives. When sons of Adam have nothing
more than the manifestation of the living God in the works of
creation, providence, and law, and consciences, they have enough
to render them inexcusable before God. Henry Mayhem. Folks, it
is our duty to make good use of these things, and the cause,
no, I'm sorry, it is their duty to make good use of these things,
and the cause of their not doing so is because of their own evil
hearts. Look at verse 21 with me. Because
that when they knew God, they glorified him not. They gave
him none of the glory. We knew there was a God that
created all things, yet we would rather give glory to something
else. Glory to our works, glory to our imagination, glory to
anything but to Him. Because when they knew God, they
glorified Him not, as God neither were thankful, but became vain,
conceited in their own imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Paul testifies here that God has given to men the means of
knowing that there is a God and the world does not exist by chance,
nor could it sustain itself if it were not for God. Those who
believe so have made their understanding, although it is wrong, that they
have made their so-called wisdom their God. Oh, I know about God. I've studied all the way through
the Scriptures. I know all about it. Yet they've never experienced
His grace. They have no experience in what
grace is. They know when his power upholds
all things, his wisdom is arranged in the proper order, his goodness
is evident, for there is no other cause but himself for the creation
and the preservation of this earth. His justice punishes the
guilty, and all mankind stand guilty before a thrice holy God,
and that's why there are so many religions. Though men had such
a knowledge of God, they neither thought nor spoke honorably of
him. Do you know when you say, it is my will, it is my decision
to receive God, you have placed yourself above God? They did
not glorify Him as God, nor honor Him as the Creator. Nor did they
worship Him as the Lord and the Governor of the Universe. They
were not thankful for the knowledge that they had, nor for the mercies
that God laid upon them. They forsook the truth of God
and they turned to the vanity of their own reason. and foolish
imaginations. Their foolish minds and hearts
were turned away from God and could only plunge headlong into
darkness and error, delusions and unrighteousness. Listen to
the words of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 through 9. Our Lord
says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than yours. In Proverbs 14, 12, we read this. There is a way which seemeth
right unto man. And this is talking about those
very ones that we just read about here in Romans chapter 1. There is a way that seemeth right
unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. You go
about through this world making yourself to be God, making yourself
to be above God, thinking that it's right. It's the way of death. In Romans 8, verse 7, we read
these words, Men who will not have God to reign over them will
have darkness and death to reign over them instead. That's what we read about in
John chapter 3, in verse 19. And this is the condemnation,
that light is coming to the world, and men love darkness. They love
darkness. Why? Because the light would
shine the deeds on their evil deeds of placing themselves above
God, about not glorifying God, the true and living God, for
who He is. That's what it says in verse 20, for everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. Continuing on in verse 22 of
Romans chapter 1, professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools. The so-called learned men among
the Gentiles first called themselves wise men. Look how wise we are. We've studied this over and over
again, and this is what we think it is. This is what we, as men,
think the rightfulness of it should be. It's not right for
God to love a people and hate another. Even though God says,
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. That's not right, that's
not fair. That's what these wise men, these
philosophers, All of their arrogance and claims to be lovers of wisdom,
they became fools. For there is no true wisdom in
this world. There is no true knowledge nor
understanding apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over
to, hold your place in Romans. We're going to come back to this.
Mark your spot there. Turn over to Proverbs chapter 2. I want
you to read this entire proverb with me if you would. Proverbs
chapter 2. Mark your spot in Romans because
we're going to go to Matthew next and then we'll come back
to Romans after that. In the second proverb, chapter two,
Proverbs chapter two, we read these words. I'm gonna read the
whole thing, all 22 verses. My son, if thou wilt receive
my words and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline
thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding,
yea, if thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for
understanding, If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord. Did you know that the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? Then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Where are you
going to find it? In the Word of God. Not in the
wisdom of men, but in the Word of God, where all wisdom lies.
For the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth, cometh knowledge
and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for
the righteous. He is a buckler to them that
walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment
and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand
righteousness and judgment and equity, yea, every good path.
when wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant
unto thy soul. Discretion shall preserve thee,
understanding shall keep thee, to deliver thee from the way
of the evil man, from the man that speaketh forward things,
who lead the paths of unrighteousness to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the forwardness of wicked,
whose ways are crooked, and they forward in their paths. to deliver
thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which
flattereth with her words, which forsaketh the guide of her youth
and forgetteth the covenant of her God, for her house inclineth
unto death and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her
return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life, that
thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of
the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in
the land, and the perfect shall remain in it, but the wicked
shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be
rooted out of it. A man's greatest mistake is to
seek wisdom in his own thoughts. Turn over to Matthew, if you
would, chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11. A man's greatest mistake
is to seek wisdom in his own thoughts, and an understanding
and try to draw God down to the level of His own low condition,
rather than humbly look to God for a revelation of Himself.
Are you with me in Matthew chapter 11? Look at verses 25-27. Matthew chapter 11, beginning
at verse 25, and at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank
Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent. That's speaking
of those very ones that we saw back there, those ones who go
about not giving God the glory for who He is. Who put themselves
above God in all that they do in their religious beliefs. I
thank God, O Father of heaven and earth, because Thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Fathers, for it seemed
good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my father, and no man knoweth the son, but the father neither
knoweth any man, the father be son. Let me read that again.
I lost my place. All things are delivered unto
me of my father, and no man knoweth the son, but the father neither
knoweth any man, the father save the son, and he to whomsoever
the son will reveal him. Now look over the 13th chapter
of Matthew. Matthew chapter 13. We're talking
about the difference between those who have been given the
wisdom of God and those who believe in their own wisdom, who trust
in their own wisdom. In Matthew chapter 13, we begin
in verse 10, and we read these words, And the disciples came
and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? And
he answered and he said unto them, Because it is given unto
you, unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but
to them it is not given. To those who go about to this
world considering their wisdom their God, to them it was not
given. Verse 12, for whosoever hath
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance, but
whosoever hath not from him shall be given away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in
parables, because they see, see not, and hearing, they hear not,
neither do they understand. One more, if you would, also
in chapter 13, look over at verse 16. Blessed are your eyes. Blessed are your eyes. By grace
are we saved through faith, folks. Blessed are your eyes, for they
see in your ears, for they hear. What is it? To be a reprobate. To be left to your own understanding. Go back to Romans, if you would,
and let's finish this chapter one. Beginning at verse 24. No, let's go back to verse 22
again. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like a corruptible man. And to birds and four-footed
beasts and creeping things. You see the idols that man makes,
the natural man makes here being described, wherefore it says
in verse 24, God also gave them up to uncleanness. That's what reprobate is, to
be given up, to be cast away. Wherefore God also gave them
up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to
dishonor their own bodies between themselves. who changed the truth
of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more
than the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen. And for this cause,
we see this again, for this cause, because they worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, for this cause, verse 26, God
gave them up into vile affections, for even their women did change
the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another, men with men, working with which
is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of
their error, which was meat. And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to what? A reprobate. What is a reprobate? It's one that God has given over
to Himself. John, I just don't know. If I'm
saved, are you left to yourself? Or has God given you a hope in
him? God gave them over to a reprobate
mind to do those things which are not convenient. Verse 29,
being filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetous,
maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity,
whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding,
covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful,
who knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only to do the same, but have pleasure
in them that do them. Only one for whom God has loved
from all eternity will come to the true knowledge of God. Only
one by His grace will know Him as He is. Paul states over in
verse 6 of our first text back in 2 Corinthians chapter 13,
you don't need to turn there, allow me to read it for you,
he says, but I trust that ye shall know I trust that ye shall
know that we are not reprobates. Do you know whether I'm a reprobate
or not? Obviously you can't read my heart.
I want you to know who my trust is, O. My trust is in my Savior. I have no confidence in this
flesh. I have no confidence in the flesh like some religious
do. I know that I am weak and unworthy and nothing but a worm
before a thrice holy God, but I know that this also is that
my Savior came to save people like me. He laid down His life
for us because we can't do it ourselves. I trust that you'll
know that I'm not a reprobate because my faith is in Him, not
in me. How do I know I'm not a reprobate?
Turn over to 1 Corinthians 1. How do I know that I'm not a
reprobate? How do I know that I'm saved? How can I go to sing these songs
of confidence when the role is called up yonder? I will be there. In 1 Corinthians 1, if you start
with me at verse 17, it says, For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel. I love the gospel of man's depravity,
because that's true about who I am in the flesh. I love the
gospel of God's election, unconditional, because He chose me, not in anything
in me, but in my Savior, Christ Jesus. I love the gospel of my
Lord's redeeming love for His people, His irresistible grace
in calling us out of the darkness. And I love the gospel of being
preserved in Him, because I know I can't do it myself. I believe
God's Word. All of it. Not just the parts
I want to, but the whole thing. The world hates election. They
hate the word preservation in Christ because that means you
don't have to do anything. That's right. I can't do anything. Not with wisdom of words, writes
Paul, lest the cross of Christ should be made of non-effect
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is
written in verse 19, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will
bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the
wise? Where is the scribe? Where is
the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." I believe
that. Because I didn't believe God until His Word was preached
to me in truth. How about you? When did you start
believing God? When you heard some lie about
coming down to the front and being saved by your own decision?
Verse 22, For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after
wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified,
unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Now look over at verse
29. That no flesh should glory in
His presence, And folks, I want you to read these next words
in verse 30 with me in your own heart. But of Him, but of God,
but of God alone are ye in Christ, who of God is made unto us. God
has made Jesus Christ our wisdom. He's made Jesus Christ our righteousness. He has made Jesus Christ our
sanctification, and he's made Jesus Christ our redemption.
He is our Redeemer. That according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Now, read the next
two verses in chapter two. And I, brethren, says Paul, when
I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not
to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. The wisdom of man means less
and less as I learn more and more of the grace of my Savior,
Christ Jesus. Look back again with me at Romans
chapter 1, verse 17. This was our subject this morning
for Bible study. It says in verse 17 of Romans
chapter 1, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed,
from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. That's my life. Not in my worst. God helped me to go out and do
the best that I can. God helped me to go out and be
as merciful to those that I can be merciful to. But my trust
is in Him and His goodness, His righteousness, His mercy. I saw a quote and I completely,
100% believe and agree with this. My evidence that I am saved and
not a reprobate, my evidence that I am saved does not lie
in the fact that I preach Christ and Him crucified. It's not whether
I do this or whether I do that. All my hope lies in this one
thing. Jesus Christ came to save sinners,
of which I am chief. I trust him, therefore, he came
to save me. How do I know my name will be
called when the roll is called up yonder? Because Christ came
to save sinners, and that's what I am. I believe all of his record. Therefore, I am not a reprobate. Amen.